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 ...

What Damnation is. * 1.1

Damnation may be consider'd:

1 Privatively, as (paena damni) a punishment of loss.

2 Positively, as (paena sensus) a punishment of sense.

An instance of both we have, Mat. 25.41. Then shall he say to them on his left hand, De∣part from me (there's privative damnation) into everlasting fire, there's positive damnation: As sin is negatively a not doing good, and positively a doing evil; so damnation is a denial of good to, and inflicting of evil upon sinners. Salvati∣on is ademptio malt, the taking away of evil, and adeptio boni, an obtaining and enjoying of good; 'tis both wayes exprest, Joh. 3.16. God so lo∣ved the world, that he gave his Son, that whoso∣ever believeth in him should not perish, (there's negative salvation) but have everlasting life, there's positive salvation: So the damnation of sinners, 'tis negative, depart from me; and posi∣tive, into everlasting sire: In which Text we may observe:

1 Who are to hear and to undergo this doom,

viz. them on his left hand, the goats, the s••••∣ners, the workers of iniquity, as 'tis Matth. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 23.

2 The Sentence or Doom it self, Depart fro∣me; woe unto you, saith God, Hos. 9.12. whe•• I depart from you; but woe, woe, woe will it b•• when sinners must depart from God: The punish∣ment (which i•• worthy of a remark) doth an∣swer to, and is called by the name of sin; What is sin? but a departure from God: And what the doom of sinners? departure from God; a•• if God should say to them, you liked departin•• while you lived, now depart from me; yo•• would none of me, nor my company, now I'•• none of you, nor yours; Depart from us, is th•• cry of sinners to God, Job 21.14. Depart from m•• will be the cry of God to sinners.

3 Here is the state wherein sinners must b•• when they receive this doom (Cursed) God wi•••• not fend them away in peace, or bless them be∣fore they go, but away they must with a ven∣geance, and with a curse at their backs; they lo∣ved cursing, and cursing shall be unto them; all the curses in the Book of God shall light on them.

4 Here is the torment they are to undergo fire, yea everlasting fire, kindled by the wrath and maintained by the wrath of God.

Lastly, the company they are to have, none but the Devil and his Angels: Depart from me y•• cursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the De∣vil and his Angels.

A little to gloss on this briefly; 'tis as if sin∣ners should say to God in the day of Judgment Lord have mercy upon us; Mercy! saith G••••

mercy upon you! No, no, I will have no mercy on you; time was when you might have had mercy without judgment, but now you shall have judgment without mercy; depart, depart: If they should then beg and say, Lord, if we must depart, let it be from thy Throne of judgment, but not from thee: Yes, saith the Lord, depart from me, depart from that presence of mine, in which there's joy, depart, and go to hell: Lord (if they say) seeing we must be gone, yet bless us before we go, let thy blessing be upon us: Oh no, saith God, be gone with a curse, de∣part ye cursed: Oh Lord, if we must go from thee, let us not go into the place of torment, but appoint some place, if not of pleasure, yet of ease: No, depart into fire, burning and tormenting flames: Oh Lord, if into fire, let it be but for a little while, let the fire be soon out, or we soon out of it, for who can dwell in everlasting burnings! No, no, neither shall you nor the fire know an end, be gone into e∣verlasting fire: Ah Lord! let it be long then before we go thither: No, depart presently, the Sentence shall be presently put in executi∣on: Ah Lord, let's at least have good compa∣ny, that will pitty us, though they cannot help us! No, no, you shall have none but torment∣ing Devils, they that you obey'd when they were Tempters, you shall be with as Tormentors. Oh what misery hath sin brought on man! to brin; him to hear this dreadful doom, Depart from me ye cursed! &c.

But as to the particulars. I shall begin with the

privative part, * 1.2 the (paena damni) penalty of loss which will not be the least plague of the sinner•• hell; he shall be deprived of all good, never to enjoy good day or good thing more: when once a man is damned, he may bid adieu to all good, Luke 16.25. But to go on by degrees, and step by step: This then we say;

1 1 1.3 That damned sinners will be strip'd naked, and deprived of all the good things they had in this life: Wicked men are called the men of this world, Psal. 17.14. they have their portion and consolation in this life, Luke 6.24. and 16.25. Many of them fare well, and prosper in this world, they have stately houses, spread Tables, full Cups, soft Beds, pleasant Walks, delightful Gardens, filled with fragrant and odoriferous fruits and flowers; they sit at the upper end, they have the grandure and gallantry of this world; but when they come to be damned, neither riches, nor honors, nor pleasures will descend with them: Wicked men would be content with the good they have, if they might have it alwayes, if (Dives-like) they might be cloathed with Purple, and fine Linnen, and fare deliciously for ever, they would say, happy is the people that is in such a case! Psa. 144.12.-15. But this vain petty happiness, such as 'tis, they must part with for ever, and bid adieu for good and all to all their good: When Devils fetch away their soul, whose shall all these things be? Luke 12.20. none of theirs, all must be left behind; the•• cannot carry with them a drop of water to coo•• their tongue: to have a portion of this world

may be a mercy, but to have the world for a por∣tion is a misery; to have all good things in this life, and but for this life, is a misery indeed! thou shalt be cloath'd with silks no more! eat the fat, and drink the sweet no more!

O••. But Saints themselves must part with these things t••••?

A. 〈…〉〈…〉 But the best on't is, they shall have better things in lieu of them: The impenitent sinner 〈◊〉〈◊〉 from all his good to all evil, but the Saint g••••s from all his evil (and but from a little good) 〈…〉〈…〉 goods who would not part with Coun••e•••• for gold? with a world for heaven? this the Saint doth, and 'tis a good exchange, I trow; but when a man must part with all his Jewels, all his fine things, his wine and musick, and the delig••ts of the Sons of men, and have no good thing left him ••h how sad!

2 Though sinn•••••• will count this a great loss, 2 1.4 yet it is the lea••••, for they must part not only with these things, but the joy, pleasure, and delight they had from them: These things are most consi∣derable for the use and comfort of them: The rich man, Luke 12. cheer'd himself not in ha∣ving much goods, but that he expected ease and mirth from them: The wicked spend their daies in mirth, Job 21.12. and have a brave time on't, as they think; they sing care away all the day long, and refresh themselves with Requiems and Placebo Songs; they chant at the Viol, &c. and though indeed this frolick joy be a misery of it self (for what truer misery then false joy?) their laughter being but madness, yet 'tis the best they have in this world: But this also must

be parted with, these crackling of thorns will go out, and their mirth will end in woe, their joy in sorrow, their light in darkness! and 'twill add to their grief in hell, that they were so merry on earth: When this evil day comes, they will say there's no pleasure in remembring their good daies: It seems Dives was loath to think of this, and therefore Abraham saith, Son remem∣ber, but 'twas a sad remembrance to remember good as lost and gone for ever! they will say then as Adrian did, Animula vagula, blandula, quo vadis? non ut soles dabis jocos! Oh my poor soul, thou wilt laugh, and joke, and droll no more!

3 3 1.5 They must suffer the loss of all their peace: 'Tis true••, the wicked here have no real and so∣lid peace, for there is no peace to the wicked, saith my God, Isa. 48.22. and 57.21. but they have that which they call peace, and which is to them instead of peace, viz. security and stupi∣dity, a seared and benum'd conscience, and be∣cause of this they think they are in peace; but when they come to hell, all this will be other∣wise, Conscience that was sear'd as with a red h••t iron here, will feel the flames there, and startle at it: They that met with no trouble here, will be consumed with terrors there, Psal. 73.13. There are no seared consciences in hell, they are all tender and sensible there: Then will Con∣science awake, and rouse up like a Lyon, or gnaw like a worm: That they shall no longer have the little ease of dissembling their pain, as they were wo•••• to do here.

4 4 1.6 Sinners then must lose the hopes they had of heaven: Wicked men have no reason to hope for heaven, and yet they will hope, though a∣gainst hope; as Abraham and good men hope a∣gainst hope when they have Gods promise; so the wicked hope against hope, notwithstanding Gods threatning; they will be building their hopes as high as heaven, though they build on the Sand, and without a foundation; but this house must fall, and the fall will be great, from the hopes of heaven into hell, Mat. 7.22.—27. The hope of Gods people keeps their heart from breaking, and it shall never be ashamed, but this hope of sinners will break their heart in hell, for there 'twill be asham'd, when the wicked dies, his expectation shall perish, and the hope of unjust men perisheth, Prov. 11.7. Their hope shall be as the giving up of the Ghost, Job 11.20. The Hypocrites hope shall perish, and his trust is but as a Spiders web; he shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand; he shall hold it fast, but it shall not endure, Job 8.13.-15. where will the hope of hypocrites be when God taketh away his soul, will God hear his cry, when trou∣ble comes upon him? No, no, he will not, Job 27.8, 9.

5 They must part from, 5 1.7 and suffer the loss of all good company; they shall no more have the company of one good man; in this world the wicked fare the better for Gods people being a∣mong them; and though they despise, and scoff at them, and think them not worthy to live, yet God himself assures us, that the world is not worthy of their converse, they are too good for

this world, Hebr. 11.38. yea, though the wicked count good and holy mens lives to be folly and madness, yet when they come to die, they would be glad with all their hearts, that their souls might be in as good a condition as theirs after death. Balaam that wicked wretch, who loved the wages of, and lived in unrighteousness all his daies, yet could wish to die the death of the righteous, and that his latter end (Hebr. his af∣terward, or after state) might be as theirs, Numb. 23.10. Then they would be glad to take hold of the shirt of a Jew (one that is so inwardly, Rom. 2.28, 29.) and say, we will go with you, for God is with you; but they will find a great Gulf fixed between them, Heaven will not hold any of the wicked, nor shall Hell have any of the righteous to hold. The wicked shall not stand in judgment, nor sinners in the Congregation of the righteous, Psa. 1.5. Here below they may through in, the bad among the good, but hereaf∣ter God will find them out, and separate them; and though now, many a sinner may separate from the world to joyn with Saints, yet then God will separate them from Saints, and joyn with sin∣ners and devils, they shall be excommunicated from the society of Saints, and be deliver'd up to Satan (the Executioner of Gods wrath and vengeance) and shall have no company but the damned Crew.

6 6 1.8 They must be not only without their hopes of heaven, but without heaven which they hoped for; to have parted with their hopes for posses∣sion, had been no loss, but gain; but to part with their hopes; and with heaven too, is a dou∣ble

loss: Whatever shall be the Saints portion, they must go without it, and be no sharers in it in the least degree: And though perhaps (as some think) the wicked may be permitted to look into heaven, as Dives saw Lazarus in Abra∣hams bosom, yet it will be but to heighten the depth of their misery, by letting them see what they by their sin have deprived themselves of: To lose Heaven, is to lose a Kingdome and glory, more worth and glorious than all the Kingdomes of this world, and their several glo∣ries united in one; 'tis to part with Rest (Sab∣batisme) for so 'tis called: Sabbaths they cared not for while they lived, and Sabbatisme, or rest, they will have none, when they die. They glo∣ried in their shame in this world, and they shall have shame enough, but no glory in the world to come: The thoughts of their having been happy, though but in conceit, and that others are really happy, and for ever, but they excluded from any share in any happiness, 'twill cut them to the heart.

7 They must suffer the loss of God himself, 7 1.9 who is the Heaven of Heaven: All good things are but as a drop to the Ocean, in comparison of him, Psa. 73.25. whom have I in Heaven but thee, as if all the rest were nothing: If a Saint were to go to Heaven this very day, he would say as Absolom, why am I come up from Geshur, if I may not see the Kings face, 2 Sam. 14.32. This then will be the misery of miseries to the damned, that they must depart from God, in whose presence only there is joy and pleasures for ever∣more: This face of his they must see no more,

unless it be as ever frowning upon them in Hell. The good people sorrowed most for the words that Paul spake, viz. that they should see his face no more, Acts 20.38. This, this will be the pricking, cutting, wounding of sinners to the heart, that they must see Gods face no more, no more of his goodness, no more of his pati∣ence, no more of his mercy. When Cain (a type of this) was turned out of, and banished from the presence of the Lord, he cryes out, that his punishment was intollerable, Genes. 4.13.

8. 8 1.10 They shall not only be deprived of all good things, but continue in an utter incapacity of any alteration for the better. This makes Heaven so much Heaven, that 'tis alwayes so; and this makes Hell to be so much Hell, that 'tis al∣wayes so: In this world there is a door of hope, a day, an offer and means of grace, space for repentance, a Mediator in Heaven, a patient God, possibility of being blessed; but when once damned, the door is shut, 'tis in vain to knock; the day, offers, and means of grace is at an end; there's no room left for repentance; Gods long suffering will suffer no longer, the Mediation of Christ Jesus is over, there's no possibility of mending their condition: Oh methinks we should hear the words of the wise, Eccl. 9.10. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might, for there is no work (no working out salvation) in the grave, whither thou art go∣ing: Think of it, poor soul, think of it betime, till it be too late; for if thou die in thy sins, though thou shouldest weep out thine eyes in Hell, 'twill stand thee in no stead; God will not

know thee, nor hear they cry, but laugh at thy ca∣lamity, and mock thee in the midst of thy tor∣ments, Prov. 1.25, 26.

Thus I have briefly shown the privative part of Damnation; wicked men must part with all their goods, with their joys, their peace, their hopes, good company, (all which stood them in great stead in this world) with Heaven, and which is more and worst of all, with God him∣self, and be utterly incapable of ever being in a better condition: And what think you now? Is not sin exceeding sinful? that separates him from all good, past, present, and to come; if 'twere only from past good, that which Adam enjoy'd in Paradise, or only from present good, what men have in this world, 'twere the better to be endured; if futurity and Eternity were secured, 'twere pretty well; but sinful sin hath cut off Paradise, that none of us were ever in Eden since we came into the world; it hath spoil∣ed, imbitter'd and poyson'd with a curse all pre∣sent temporal enjoyments, that they prove sa∣tisfactions to none, but vexations to all; and yet so spiteful, and of so malignant a nature is sin, that it reserves its worst till last, even Hell and Damnation, and 'twill be worse to us in Eternity, then 'twas in time. And to make this appear yet more evidently and fully, I proceed to the

Notes

• * 1.1

  What damnation is, and that priva∣tively and positively consider'd.
• * 1.2

  Paena damni; or, privative damnation
• 1 1.3

  Parting with all the good things they had here.
• 2 1.4

  Part with the comfort they had from them.
• 3 1.5

  Pat wi••h their peace and ••••cu••i••y, or their in∣s••••sibility.
• 4 1.6

  With their hope.
• 5 1.7

  From all good com∣pany.
• 6 1.8

  They must be without the heaven they hoped for.
• 7 1.9

  They must be parted from God
• 8 1.10

  This e∣state unalg terable.