A64834:98
Sin, the Plague of Plagues
Sin, the plague of plagues, or, Sinful sin the worst of evils a treatise of sins trial and arraignment, wherein sin is accused for being, proved to be, and condemned for being exceeding sinful : and that 1. as against God, his nature, attributes, works, will, law, image, people, glory and existence, 2. as against man, his good and welfare of body and soul, in this life, and that to come : with the use and improvement to be made of this doctrine, that men may not be damned, but saved, &c. : being the substance of many sermons preached many years ago in Southwark / by Ralph Venning ...Sin, the plague of plagues, or, Sinful sin the worst of evils a treatise of sins tryal and arraignment, wherein sin is accused for being, proved to be, and condemned for being exceeding sinful : and that 1. as against God, his nature, attributes, works, will, law, image, people, glory and existence, 2. as against man, his good and welfare of body and soul, in this life, and that to come : with the use and improvement to be made of this doctrine, that men may not be damned, but saved, &c. : being the substance of many sermons preached many years ago in Southwark / by Ralph Venning ...
London: printed for John Hancock, 1669
Title page typeset from the transcription.
SIN, THE PLAGUE of PLAGUES; OR Sinful Sin the worst of Evils. › 2 In a Moral sense, for
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
1 It was not so when man was in Paradise, when not only man but all the creatures were in a better condition then, and not subject to vanity as now they are: All that God made was very good, and Adam had all that God made, and yet that was not his happiness. Now, if the creatures in their best estate were not mans happiness, much less are they so in this their worse estate; so that our sin in placing happiness in creature enjoyment now, is worse then Adams sin was, for the creatures were then far more allicient, attractive and taking, then now they are; for (as a worthy person expresseth it) though the old walls and ruinous Palace of the world stands to this day, yet the beauty, gloss and glory of the hangings is soiled and marred with many imperfections cast on every creature; what's without us only cannot be our happiness.
2 That cannot be our happiness which is below us; the design of Gods making the creatures was, that they should serve us, and not be served by us• God put Adam (collar) to till the earth, not (collar) to worship the earth, and make a God of it, as earthly-minded men do, for covetousness is idolatry: Not only God placed them, but man reckons them below himself; below man; for ⟨p. 43⟩skin for skin, or skin after skin, and all that a man hath will he give for his life; (a great truth, though spoken by the Father of lies) by which its evident, that man reckons all below himself; and though old Jacobs life were bound up in the life of young Benjamin, yet he would part with him rather then starve: Now (without further enlargement) 'tis clear as the Sun, that what's inferior to us, cannot be our happiness.
2 That cannot be our happiness which is below us; the design of Gods making the creatures was, that they should serve us, and not be served by us• God put Adam (colere) to till the earth, not (colere) to worship the earth, and make a God of it, as earthly-minded men do, for covetousness is •dolatry: Not only God placed them, but man reckons them below himself; below man; for