Saints memorials, or, Words fitly spoken, like apples of gold in pictures of silver being a collection of divine sentences / written and delivered by those late reverend and eminent ministers of the gospel, Mr. Edmund Calamy, Mr. Joseph Caryl, Mr. Ralph Venning, Mr. James Janeway.

SIN, the Plague of PLAGUES, AND The worst of EVILS. But sin, that it might appear sin,* 1.1 worketh death.

THe Doctrine of Repentance supposeth that man hath done amiss.

The Doctrine of Faith is another for Righteousness and Hope, con∣cludes man to be without Righte∣ousness and Hope in himself.

'Tis not the Law, but Sin, that works man's death and ruine.

Sin is contrary to God: Carnal men are Enemies to God, rebels and despisers of God; resisters, fighters, blasphemers and atheists against God. Sinners are actors of High-Treason against the Majesty of God, and will not that he shall reign over them.

More particularly,

Sin is contrary to God's Nature: he is Holy; he is so, and cannot but

be so: he is all Holy, and always Holy, altogether Holy.

And sin is sinful, all sinful, onely sinful, altogether sinful.

Sin is contrary to God's Attri∣butes; it will not that the King of Kings should be in the Throne, and govern this World which he hath made: sin attempts to dethrone God.

Sin denies God's all-sufficiencie: Every Prodigal that leaves the Fa∣thers house, doth practically say so. Sin dares the Justice of God, and challengeth God to do his worst; it provokes the Lord to jealousie, and tempts his wrath.

Sin disowns God's Omniscience: Tush, cry sinners, God sees not.

Sin despises the riches of God's goodness.

Sin turns God's grace into wan∣tonness.

Sin is the dare of God's justice, the rape of his mercie, the jeer of his patience, the slight of his power, and the contempt of his love.

And further, 'tis the upbraid of his providence, the scoff of his promise, the reproach of his wis∣dom,

and opposeth and exalts it self above all that is called God.

Sin is contrary to the works of God: sin may be impleaded for all the mischiefs and villanies that have been done in the world; 'tis the Master of Mis-rule, the Author of Sedition, the Builder of Babel, the Troubler of Israel and all Man∣kinde.

Sin is contrary to God's Law, to all his Orders and Rules, to his Appointment.

'Tis not onely a Transgression of, but a Contradiction also to the Will of God.

'Tis an Anti-Will to God's Will: David in fulfilling the will of God, was said to be a man after God's own heart.

And they that obey the will of sin, are said to walk after the Heart of sin.

Sin is contrary to God's Image wherein man was made; viz. in Righteousness and true Holiness; but sin is as deformity and ugliness; sin is the Devil's Image: never was a Childe more like the Father,

than a sinner is like the Devil.

Sin is contrary to the People and Children of God.

Though sin cannot hate them so much as God loves them; yet the more God loves them, the more sin sets its hatred against them.

The Serpentine Race will not suffer the little Flock and Remnant of the holy Seed to have one quiet day.

The Devil is a man-hater, but more a Saint-hater.

Sin is contrary to God's Glory: Good men would do all they do to the Glory of God, but sin will let them do nothing at all to God's Glory.

Might sins desires take place, there should not be a person or thing by whom and whereby God should be pleased or glorified.

Sin is contrary to God's being; sinners are God-haters, and, as much as in them lies, they are God-mur∣therers.

And if its power were as great as its will is wicked, it would not suffer God to be.

God is a troublesome thing to sinners, and therefore they say, De∣part from us. Sinners they would break Christ's bonds, and make war with the Spirit of Peace. Who∣ever thou art, pause a little, and con∣sider what is said of sin: it is to be considered by the sinner, and is meant of thine and my sin.

Canst thou finde in thine heart to plead for such a Monster? Wilt thou love that which God hates? God forbid.

Oh, say to this Idol, yea to this Devil, Get thee hence, thou Childe, yea Father of the Devil; thou that art the founder of Hell, an enemy to all Righteousness. Oh think on't: what! hast thou no value, no regard for thy Soul? Wilt thou neglect and despise it, as if't were good for nothing but to be damned, and go to Hell?

Sin is contrary to the good of man, and nothing is properly and absolutely so but sin: and this results evidently from sins contrariety to God, as there is nothing contrary to God but sin. (For Devils are not so, but sin.)

Sin being a separation between God and man, an interruption of his Communion and Conformity, it must needs be prejudicial and hurtful to him.

Man's sufferings follow at the heels of sin; suffering and sin in∣volve each other: no sooner did sin enter into the world, but death (which is a privation of good) did enter by it, with it, and in it: for 'tis the sting of death; so that sin saith, Here is death, and death saith, Here is sin.

Sin is against man's good; here in time, and hereafter in Eternity; in this world which now is, and in that to come. Particularly,

Against man's body, it hath cor∣rupted man's blood, and made his body mortal, and thereby rendered it a vile body: our bodies, though made of dust, were yet more pre∣tious than fine Gold; but when we sinned, they became vile bodies.

Before sin, our bodies were Im∣mortal, (for Death and Mortality came in by sin) but now alas they must return to dust! and it's ap∣pointed

to all men once to dye, and 'tis well if they dye but once.

Sin is against the good of man's Soul too; and this is much more to man's hurt: 'tis well with his Soul; so that we can more easily and cheaply dye than be damn'd.

Nothing but sin doth wrong a man's Soul, and there is no sin but doth that.

Sin is against man's well-being in this life; man was born to a great estate, but by sin (which was and is Treason against God) he forfeited all.

Man came into the world as in∣to an house ready furnish'd; but when man sinned, God turn'd him out of all.

Thus by sin man that was the Emperour of Eden, is banisht from his native Country, and must never see it more, but in a new and living way, for the old is stop'd up: all we have (our Food and raiment) is but lent us, we are only Tenants at will.

The sin of man had left the Son of man nothing when he came into

the world for the recovery of man.

If he will come in the likeness of sinful flesh, he must speed not like the Son of God, but Son of man.

Nay, the venimous Nature of sin is such, that it fills that good which God left us with vanity and vexation, with bitterness and a curse, sweat and sorrow: many a grieving Bryer and pricking Thorn stick fast to him.

More particularly,

Sin is against man's rest, 'tis a sore Travail which the Sons of men have under the Sun; yea he hath not rest in the night, but is haunted if not frighted with extravagant and frightful dreams: Man's ground is over-grown with thorns; he hath many an aking head and heart, many a sore hand and foot (before the year come about) to get a little livelihood out of this sin-curst ground.

The old world was very sensible of this; Sin, Curse, and Toyl keep company.

Sin is against man's comfort and joy; if man laugh, sin turns it to madness; all our sweet meats have

sower sawce. In sorrow shalt thou eat: his bread is the bread of Af∣fliction.

The Woman hath her share of sorrow: for the time of conception, breeding, bearing, and birth are tedious.

Sin is against man's health; till sin, there were no Diseases and Sick∣nesses: let a man take the best Air he can, and eat the best Food he can, let him eat and drink by rule, let him take never so many Antidotes, Preservatives, and Cor∣dials, yet man is but a crazie sickly thing for all this.

Sin is against the quiet of a man's natural Conscience: for it wounds the Spirit, and makes it intolerable; A wounded Spirit who can bear?

This broken Spirit drieth the bones, it sucks away the marrow and radical moisture. A good Con∣science is a continual Feast, but sin mars all the mirth. When Cain had killed his Brother, and his Con∣science felt the stroak of his Curse, he was like a distracted man, and mad: When Iudas had betrayed

his Master, he was weary of his life.

Sin is against the beauty of man, it takes away the loveliness of their Complexions, and alters the very air of their Countenance; it makes man vanity, and his beauty vain.

Sin is against the loving and con∣jugal Cohabitation of Soul and Bo∣dy: Sin sowed discord between them, and made them jar: many a falling out there is now betwixt Bo∣dy and Soul, between Sense and Reason; they draw several ways: there's a self-civil War.

The Soul is become a Prisoner to the Body. (Rather than a free man.)

Too too often the beast is too hard for the man, and the horse rides the Rider. Sense lords it, and domineers over Reason.

Sin is against man's relative good in the world; man's weal or woe lies much in relations: by sin, that which was made for an help, proves an hindrance: Sin hath spoil'd so∣ciety: one man is a Woolf, nay a Devil to another. Sin will not

suffer Husband and Wife, Parents and Children to live quietly, but sets them at variance: they of a mans own house and bosom, that eat the bread at his Table, are the worst Enemies.

Sin is against the very being of man: Sins aim is, not onely that man should not be well, but that man should not be: How many doth it strangle in the Womb? How many doth it send from the Cradle to the Grave, that they have run their race before they can go?

Others dye in their full strength, besides the havock that is made by War.

Man no sooner lives, but begins to dye; sin lays all in the dust, the Prince and the Begger; sin hath reduc't man's age to a very little pit∣tance, not only to seventy, but to seven; for among men no mans life is valued more.

In a moral sense, sin hath degra∣ded man by defiling him. Sin hath rob'd man of his primitive Excel∣lencie; of a Lord, he is become a servant, yea a slave to Devils, and lusts of all sorts.

His body is defiled: their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness, with their tongues they use deceit, the poyson of Asps is under their Lips, their Throat is an open Sepul∣chre, Eyes full of Adultery, the Eye-lids Haughty, Ears dull of Hearing, yea deaf as the Adder; the Forehead as impudent as a Brow of brass, both Hands are imployed to work Iniquity, the Belly an I∣dol-God, the Feet are swift to shed Blood.

Within the Gall is a Gall of Bit∣terness, the Spleen is infected with Envy and Malice.

Sin hath defil'd the Soul, so that man is faln short of the Glory of God, and the Glory of being Gods.

It must be new created or renew∣ed till God will own it for his, be∣cause till then his Image is not legible.

Yea, the Flood which washt away so many sinners, could not wash a∣way sin; the same heart remain'd after the Flood as before.

Sin hath made the heart of man deceitful, obstinate: out of the heart

come vain and villanous words. Sin hath defiled and spoiled mans Memory and Conscience, and al∣most put out that leading faculty the Understanding.

Sin hath darkened the Under∣standing; poor man is wise to do evil, but to do good hath no know∣ledge.

Poor man is covered with Egyp∣tian thick darkness.

Man, now like the blinde Sodo∣mites, gropes to finde the door.

Man hath lost his way since he lost his eyes.

Poor man catches at every straw, and grasps every trifle.

Man cannot comprehend the light, though it shine.

In the innocent golden Age, man could have comprehended the least light that came from God, and have seen day at a little hole; he could have looked on the Sun, and his eye not twinkle.

But now the wisdom of God, the Gospel, continues an hidden thing to this blinded world.

Man's darkness appears by his

walking in all manner of wicked∣ness; who but blinde men would walk in dirt up to the ears, yea over head and ears?

It appears that sin hath blinded man, for he knows not whither he goes.

Men are busie in this world (like a company of Ants) creeping up and down from one Mole-hill to another, but are not so wise; for the Ants know, but poor blinde men know not whither they go, whether forward or backward, from home or to home.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Rom. 7.13.