Sin the Plague of Plagues, Errata
There are ſeveral miſ-pointings, which the ſenſe will help the Reader to Correct, beſide the following Errata, which are to be amended thus.
PAge 16. line 12. for deſtruction, read diſtraction. p. 55. l. 20. for joyn'd, r. injoyn'd. l. 23. for ſociability, r. inſociability. p. 74. l. 24. for joyn with, r. joyn them with. p. 97. l. 2. for believe they, r. believe then. p. 126. l. 33. for no more, r. the more. p. 128. l. 2. for tell of God, r. tell God. p. 141. l. 24. for have, r. leave. p. 145. l. 2. for when before, r. before and when. p. 145. l. 33. for they call, r. they not call. p. 148. l. 27. for iuch, r. ſuch. p. 152. l. 4. for diviſions, r. diverſions. p. 156. l. 26. for hundred, r. hardned. p. 157. l. 15. for exerciſe, r. exceſs. p. 255. l. 4. for dying, r. diſceaſe. p. 262. l. 21. for command, r. commend. p. 273. l. 28. after then? add theſe? p. 279. l. 5. for a may, r. a man may. p. 289. l. 10. for i would, r. it would.
SIN, THE PLAGUE of PLAGUES; OR Sinful Sin the worſt of Evils.
ROM. 7.13.
Was then that which is good made death to me? God forbid! But Sin, that it might appear Sin, working death in me by that which is good; that Sin by the Commandment might become exceeding ſinful.
BEing to treat of the exceeding ſinfulneſs of Sin, 'tis not only expedient, The Introduction by way of promiſe.but neceſſary that I preface and premiſe ſuch things as theſe; viz. (1) That God made all things very good, Geneſ. 1.31. they were all endowed with the perfections which were ſuitable to their ſeveral beings; ſo that none of them could find fault with, or complain of God, as if he had been wanting to them, or had made them defective: yet (2) of theſe, the two moſt eminent and principal degrees of creatures did quickly degenerate; for ſome of the Angels ſinned, and kept not their firſt eſtate, but left their own habitation, Jude 6. And by giving way to their ſubtil and envious infinuations, the Man Adam (who was a common perſon) ſinned alſo, Geneſ. 3. And thus by one man ſin entred into the world, and death by ſin; and ſo death paſſed upon all men, for that all have ſinned, Rom. 5.13. And (3) as to the Angels that fell, God left them irrecoverable, for 2 Pet. 2.4. God ſpared not the Angels that ſinned, but caſt them down to hell; and Jude 6. hath reſerved them in everlaſting chains under darkneſs, unto the judgment of the great day. Chriſt Jeſus the Mediator and Redeemer took not on him Angels, or (as 'tis in the Margine) takes not hold of Angels, Hebr. 2.16. but it pleas'd God to pity man; his ſaving grace and loving-kindneſs hath appear'd to man, Titus 2.11. and that in Chriſt Jeſus, Titus 3.4. whoſe delight was with the ſons of men, the habitable parts of the earth, Prov. 8.31. and therefore he took on him the ſeed of Abraham, Hebr. 2.16. And (4) this Doctrine of God our Saviour, or the Goſpel-doctrine, doth ſuppoſe man a ſinner: 'Tis a faithful ſaying, (and worthy of the beſt and all acceptance and reception) that Chriſt Jeſus came into the world (on this very errand and deſign) to ſave ſinners, 1 Tim. 1.15. The Doctrine of Repentance ſuppoſeth alſo that man hath done amiſs, Mat. 9.13. The Doctrine of Faith in another for righteouſneſs and hope, concludes man to be without righteouſneſs and hope in himſelf, Eph. 2.12, 13. And the end of Chriſts ſending the holy ſpirit, was, that he might in the firſt place convince of ſin, Joh. 16.8.
Theſe things being, beſide others that might be conſider'd, it cannot but be hugely uſeful to let men ſee what ſin is, how prodigiouſly vile, how deadly miſchievous, and therefore how monſtrouſly ugly and odious a thing ſin is; that ſo way may be made by it: (1.) For admiring the free and rich grace of God. (2.) For believing in our Lord Jeſus Chriſt. (3.) For vindicating the holy, juſt and good Law of God, and his condemnation of ſinners for breaking of it. (4.) For hating of, repenting for and from ſin, thereby taking a holy, juſt and good revenge on it and our ſelves. (5.) That we may love and ſerve God at a better rate then we ever did, in the little and ſhort time of Innocency it ſelf. And laſtly, that this black ſpot may ſerve for a ſet off, to the admirable, incomparable, and tranſcendent Beauty of Holineſs.
And now to the Text it ſelf, The Context and the Text explain'dswhich may have this for its title, The juſt vindication of the Law of God, and no leſs juſt accuſation and condemnation of the ſin of man. As to its connexion, with what precedes, 'tis thus; at the 10. v. the Apoſtle had ſaid, that the Commandment which was ordain'd to life, he found unto death: Hence an objection is rais'd, v. 13. Seeing the Commandment is good, how comes it to be unto death? Was that which was good made death to me? To which he anſwers: (1.) By way of negation and abhorrency, God forbid! abſit I far be it from me or any other to think ſo! no, by no means! to find fault with the Law, were to find fault with God: The Law is not to be blam'd: What is then? for ſomething is to blame: To this he anſwers; (2.) By way o… affirmation and accuſation, that ſin is the tru… cauſe of death: The Commandment indeed condemns, or is death to man, not of it ſelf, but becauſe of ſin: and hereby ſin appears (not only like it ſelf, but it ſelf) ſin, yea ſinful, yea exceeding ſinful ſin; not in a diſguize, as when 'ti… committed, but in its own lively colours, o… (rather and more properly) dead and deadly colours.
'Tis, ſaith he, foreign, ſin in the abſtract, and that iterated and repeated (as Pharaohs drea… was) for the certainty and aſſurance of the thing; 'tis ſin, 'tis ſin, and this ſin is foreign ſinful, or a ſinner, nothing elſe but ſinning and ſinful ſin, 'tis maſculinely and vigorouſly ſinful… for though Eraſmus conclude this to be the Attick Dialect (viz. the conjunction of this maſculine and feminine) yet others think that the Apoſtle doth dare perſonam peccato, bring in ſin as if it were a perſon; as v. 17. and 20. 'Tis not I but ſin; as if it were a perſon: unleſs we may read it thus, as Faius doth, that the foreign, the ſinner might become ſin (in the ſame ſenſe as the objection is made, v. 7. Is the Law ſin?) that is, criminal and guilty; However we read it, we are ſure of this, that it denotes the malignant, peſtilent and pernicious nature and operation of ſin, its own name being the worſt that can be given it; and yet, as if this were not ſignificant enough, 'tis ſo foreign, i. e. ſupra modum, Era…m. quam maxime, Beza: eximi… Grotius: exceeding, above meaſure, exceſſively, or in the higheſt degree, for an Hyperbole is at extraordinary and the higheſt degree of ſpeaking; 'tis as the Arabick Verſion hath it, ſuperans exceſſum; 'tis extremely, and indeed, beyond all expreſſion ſinful.
So that upon the whole I may Illuſtrate the ſcope and meaning, by a familiar example or inſtance: 'Tis as if it had been ſaid by a Malefactor to the Judge, thus; Oh my Lord, how cruelly unmerciful are you to condemn me to die? Nay, ſaith the Judge, 'tis not I, 'tis the Law, I am but the mouth of the Law: Nay, ſaith the Law, 'tis not I, 'tis ſin; if thou hadſt not ſinn'd I had not condemn'd, for the Law is not againſt the righteous, 1 Tim. 1.9. No, againſt ſuch there is no Law, no condenmation from it. Gal. 5.28. Thou mayſt then in me (as in a glaſs) ſee what a deadly deſtructive and killing thing thy ſin is: Bvery mouth muſt be ſtopped, there's no room for complaint againſt God or his Law, for thou art (as all others are) by becoming guilty, ſallen ſhort of the glory, and ſubject to the judgment of God, Rom. 3.-19.-23. So that by the Commandment ſin appears to be a deſperate malignant thing, the proper, true and only cauſe of mans condemnation and death.
From this brief yet clear account of the Text and Context, theſe following truths are deducible.
1. Obſervations from the Text.That the Law of God in whole and every part is good; not only not ſin i. e. culpable or criminal, as v. 7. or only holy and juſt, v. 12. or ſpiritual, v. 14. but good, v. 12, 13. good, not only in it ſelf, but relatively in its inſtitution with reſpect to man, for 'twas ordain'd to life. v. 10. Yet
2. This good Law tranſgreſſed makes man over to death: Patience, that temperate and harmleſs thing, (if abuſed) turns to rage and fury; ſo the Law (good though it be, yet) abuſed, it condemns and kills.
But 3. Though the Law condemn mans fault, and man for his fault, yet ſtill the Law is good, and is not to blame, nor to be blam'd: The Law is as good as ever 'twas, 'tis to be juſtified by man, even then when it condemns man: As man had no reaſon to break the Law, ſo none to ſind fault with the Law, though it bind men over to death for breaking of it. For
4. 'Tis not the Law but ſin that works mans death and ruine; ſin aims at no leſs, and (if grace prevent not) it will end in no leſs; for the end and wages of ſin is death, Rom. 6.21, 22.
Yet 5. Sin ('tis true) worketh mans death and deſtruction by that which is good, ſcil. the Law: when ſin hath uſed man to break the Law, it uſeth the Law to break man, to undo him by condemnation and death. And
6. Sin is therefore exceeding ſinful and wicked, moſt unmeaſurably ſpiteful, poyſonous and pernicious, becauſe it kills men, and not only ſo, but kills them by that which is good, and was appointed to man for life; it turns food into poyſon: ut agnoſcatur quam ſceleratus peccator ſit hoc peccatum, & quam peſtiſera res, dum per mandatum, rem ſalutiferam, exſerit virus ſuum, Clarius. Like the horrid and curſed wickedneſs (our ſtories tell us of) ſo wickedly committed, in poyſoning a man, yea a King, by the Cup of Bleſſing, So that
7. And laſtly, Sin by the Commandment appears to be exceſſively ſinful: Ʋt evidens ſit quam pernicioſum, quam grave, quam ſceleſtum ſit ipſum peccatum, Zegerus. If we look on this through the Microſcope-glaſs of the Law, it will appear a moſt hideous, devilliſh, and helliſh thing; the moſt wicked, villanous, miſchievous, virulent and deadly thing that ever was. Sinful ſin! worſe then the Devil! &c. of which anone.
I may not proſecute any of theſe particulars apart, for I ſhall have occaſion enough to ſpeak to every and each of them in handling the ſinfulneſs of ſin; in relation whereunto I intend to obſerve this method, and to manifeſt thereby
1. What ſin is, The ſubject and method of handling it.the thing ſo much and ſo deſervedly evil ſpoken of, whereof none can ſpeak well, but they that ſpeak ill of it; for they ſpeak beſt who ſpeak the worſt of ſin.
2. Wherein the ſinfulneſs of ſin doth eſpecially conſiſt; and ſo to lay open not only its effects, but its nature alſo.
3. What witneſs and evidence there is to make good this Indictment and Charge againſt Sin, that it is ſo vile and abominable, ſo ſinful as the Apoſtle calls it. And
4. What uſe and improvement is to be made of the Doctrine of Sins exceſſive ſinfulneſs.
1. To begin with the ſubject, 1Wh… … is.and to ſhew what ſin is: Sin is the tranſgreſſion of a Law, yea of a good Law, yea of a Gods Law: Sin ſuppoſeth a Law in being, for where there is no Law, there is no tranſgreſſion, Rom. 4.15. but where there is ſin, there is a Law, and a tranſgreſſion of the Law, 1 Joh. 3.4. whoſoever committeth ſin tranſgreſſeth the Law, for ſin is a tranſgreſſion of the Law; and this is the ſin intended here in the Text, as appears by v. 7.
Now the Law not only forbids the doing of evil (whether by thought, word or deed) but alſo commands the doing of good; ſo that to omit the good commanded is ſin, as well (or ill) as is the doing of the evil that is forbidden: againſt the fruits of the ſpirit there is no Law, but againſt the works of the fleſh (as the oppoſition holds) there is Law, for they are all againſt the Law, as the Apoſtle tells us, Galat. 5.19.-24. what ever then doth tranſgreſs the Law of God (in whole or in part, James 2.10.) is therefore, and is therein a ſin, whither it break an affirmative or a negative precept; i. e. whither it be the omiſſion of good, or commiſſion of evil.
2. 2Wherein the ſinfulneſs of ſin.To proceed and lay open wherein eſpecially the ſinfulneſs of ſin doth conſiſt, which is eaſily and readily known from its definition or deſcription juſt now ſet before us: Sin being a tranſgreſſion of Gods Law, which is not only holy and juſt, as made and given by an holy and juſt God; but good alſo, as it reſpects man, for whom God made it, according to the Text and Context, and as 'tis in Deuter. 5.29. and 6.24: with many other places: I ſay, ſin being a tranſgreſſion of Gods Law, which was made for mans good, the ſinfulneſs of ſin muſt needs lie in this, that it is contrary
1. To God.
2. To Man.
Theſe then are the two Heads I ſhall inſiſt upon, to declare the malignity and wicked nature of ſinful ſin; and both theſe are evident from the Law, for by it (as our Text ſpeaks) ſin appears ſin, and by the Commandment ſin (clearly and undeniably) becomes moſt exceeding, hyperbolically, or above meaſure ſinful; i. e. extremely guilty of diſpleafing and diſhonoring God, of debaſing and deſtroying man; and on both accounts juſtly obnoxious to, and deſervingly worthy of the hatred of God and man; as to which I do heartily wiſh the iſſue to be, that man may hate it as God doth, who hates it, and nothing elſe but it; or (to be ſure) he hates none but for it.