Selected quad for the lemma: sin_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sin_n	distinction_n	mortal_a	venial_a	4,934	5	12.1153	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A21043	A counterpoison against couetousnes in a sermon preached at Pauls-Crosse, May 23. 1619. By Ier. Dyke minister of Gods word at Epping in Essex.	Dyke, Jeremiah, 1584-1639.	1619 (1619)	STC 7412; ESTC S116229	36,623	67

this sinne getteth head it eateth out the heart of grace by eating all grace out of the heart While some haue lusted after money they haue erred from the faith 1. Tim. 6. 10. Nay they haue not stayd there but haue fallen from the faith 2. Tim. 4. 10 Demas hath forsaken me and hath embraced this present world It so fares with earthly minds as with the earth in which are the mines of siluer and gold of all earths they are obserued to be the most barren and of all hearts such are the most fruitlesse the most gracelesse Therefore in the parable the cares of this life are compared to thornes thornes choke the good seed As well may a man looke for an haruest in an hedge as for grace in a couetous heart These couetous desires are the seuen ill-fauoured empty eares that eate vp the full and good eares These are the caterpillers and grashoppers the canker and palmer wormes that consume the greene herbe of grace in the field of the heart The dampes of the earth do not more quench fire then the loue of the earth dampes grace And indeed no wonder that this sinne is such an enemy vnto grace for it is an enemy vnto and a scorner of the meanes of grace the preaching of the word Ezek 33. 31. They sit before thee and they heare thy words but they will not do them What was the reason Their heart runneth after their couetousnesse But that is not all behold yet a greater abomination then this It teacheth men not only to disobey but to despise and mocke at the word Luke 16. 14. And the Pharises also who were couetous heard these things namely our Sauiours Sermon against the seruice of Mammon and what was the successe And they derided him Couetousnesse is a profane sinne that seateth a man in the chaire of pestilence in the scorners pew We find a prohibition Pro. 23. 6. not to eate of a couetous mans bread A reason is secretly couched in that epithete there giuen him Eate not the bread of him that hath an euill eye He hath an euil eye which makes him wish a man choakt when he bids much good may it do him Such euill and counterfeit welcome should make a man take little pleasure in table-friendship and familiarity with him But yet there is a greater reason then this that should make vs shy of his conuerse namely the feare of the defilement of his pitch Couetousnesse is a defiling sinne Marke 7. 21. 22. Thefts couetousnesse these come from within and defile the man Yea it so defiles as that in that regard we should auoyd ouer familiar conuerse with him And vpon this ground doth Paul forbid eating his bread 1. Corint 5. 11. If any man that is called a brother be couetous with such an one no not to eate The world would faine hold that doctrine of veniall sinnes still and though Popery it selfe which first hatcht that distinction do ranke this amongst their mortall sinnes yet would men haue it but a veniall triuiall offence For a man to be an adulterer a fornicator I hope the world is not growne to that desperate passe yet but I may adde to be a swearer and a drunkard these are counted and indeed they are heynous abominations But for a man to be couetous this is slighted ouer as a matter of nothing I he ordinarie language of the world is He is a man somewhat with the hardest a little with the nearest a little too much for the world but yet a maruellous honest a wondrous good man Now in good truth were it not ridiculous to say so of a thiefe of an adulterer Why not then as ridiculous to say so of the couetous For as honest a man as the world makes him yet God still rankes him amongst the most heynous and transcendent transgressors Besides those places Marke 7. 21. 22 and Ephes 5. 3. 5 consider these two places 1. Cor. 5. 11. 1. Cor. 6. 9. 10. In both which places ye shall find the couetous in the middest of the throng crowded vp on both sides with fornicators idolaters sodomites theeues drunkards reuilers and extortioners God would let vs see by his companions with whom he sorts him what to thinke of his honesty Nay yet to helpe the matter and to let you see the full honesty of this sinne note it and with horrour note it you that are guiltie that the Apostle makes it a Symptome and signe of a reprobate sense Twentie and two of them are there in all and this is set in the fourth place Rom. 1. 29. Wherefore God gaue them ouer to a reprobate minde But how appeared it Being filled with all vnrighteousnesse fornication wickednesse couetousnesse Thus how light and slight soeuer this sinne be in the worlds esteeme yet behold how weightie and ponderous it is in the ballance and scales of the Sanctuary I doubt not but most mens iudgements will subscribe to this truth but conscience is not so soone wrought to obedience and the truth will sooner be confessed then practised therefore to bring men to the practise of this confessed truth I will commend to your Christian considerations these three particulars 1. What couetousnesse is 2. The Danger of it 3. The Remedies against it 1. What couetousnesse is This is a point so much the rather to be enquired after because though a couetous man will acknowledge couetousnesse to be a sinne yet by no meanes will he acknowledge himselfe to be couetous So that a man may say of the couetous man as Luther speakes of an hypocrite that he is tale monstrum quod est simpliciter impeceabile a sinlesse kind of monster that by no meanes will be borne downe to be guiltie An adulterer a drunkard a swearer these sinners and sinnes are easily discouered easily conuinced these openly weare Satans cognisance these are palpable impieties But this it is a sculking iniquitie it will needs be a vertuous vice a gracious sinne Paul hath a phrase 1. Thessal 2. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 coloured couetousnesse or as our new translators the cloke of couetousnesse It is a colouring and a cloking sinne It is a sinne that weares the cloke and liuery of thrift prouidence good husbandrie honest care for a mans owne without which a man is worse then an infidell It is fit therefore that this false colour and complexion be washed off and that this monster be vncloked and vncased that his euill fauoured but naturall lineaments may appeare There be two words then in Scripture which seeme to expresse the full nature of this sinne 1. This word in my text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. That word of Paul 1. Tim. 6. 10 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Loue of money 1. Some define it by the first to be a desire of hauing more But yet with their good leaues I desire to haue somewhat more in the definition thereof for euery desire of hauing more is not couetousnesse A man may pray Agurs prayer

without couetousnesse A man in a low and meane condition may desire of God with condition to haue his estate bettered and yet not be couetous Others therefore adde and make it to be an inordinate desire of hauing more by vniust and vnlawfull meanes But that is too fauourable for then should none be couetous but vniust getters of goods A man may be couetous and yet get his goods without fraud oppression and cosinage Therefore not to trouble you with many me thinkes that of Augustine hits the nayle on the head aboue all Auaritia est plus velle quàm sat est Aug. de lib. arb l. 3. c. 17. Quid est auarū esse Progredi vltra quàm sufficit others Couetousnesse is the desire of more then enough To desire beyond the bounds of sufficiencie to seeke for more then a man may pray for Giue vs this day our daily bread to seeke and labour for superfluities this is couetousnesse A man I take it may be said to haue enough when he hath such a portion Tantum autem sat est quantum sibi exigit naturae in suo genere conseruandae modus August and sufficiencie of these outward things as that he hath wherewith to liue plentifully as also both to traine vp his liberally for the best imployments and to leaue his liberally according to their callings and conditions I thinke such a man may be said to haue enough and what is more is of sinne No sooner doth a man steppe ouer the hedge and pale of sufficiencie but he is presently in the wide wilde and boundlesse champian of couetousnesse 2. The second word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the loue of money And thus a man may be couetous in the inordinate loue of that which he hath though he go not beyond the limits of sufficiencie There is a couetousnesse in scraping that may be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and there is a couetousnesse in holding that may be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There is a couetousnesse in rapacitie that comes from a desire of more then enough There is a couetousnesse in tenacitie that comes from an immoderate loue of that we haue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath a large paw to get and gather more then enough 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is like the man in the Gospell with the withered hand whose sinewes are so shrunke vp that he is not able to reach forth his hand to any worke of pietie or pitty The first is more properly the rich mans couetousnesse with the second may a poore man be couetous I am not so precise in my distinction but that these two may be confounded for indeed the first cannot be without the last though it be possible the last may be without the first So that lay both these together and we haue the nature of this sinne It is an inordinate loue of and a desire after these outward things beyond the bounds of sufficiencie Now besides the inward pestilent and venomous nature thereof there be certaine outward symptomes in which as in so many plague-sores it breakes forth and discouers it selfe They among many others are these 1. That Ioh. 3. 31. He that is of the earth is of the earth and he speakes of the earth His breath like a dying mans is euer of a strong earthy sauour His language is Psal 4. Who will shew vs any good Corne and wine sheepe and oxen marketable and merchantable commodities are euermore the subiect of his discourse It is euer market and exchange time with him Seldome or neuer with the vertuous woman Pro. 31. doth he open his mouth with wisedome neither is the law of grace in his lips That looke as it is said of the righteous man Psal 37. 30. 31. The mouth of the righteous will speake of wisedome and his tongue will talke of iudgement for the law of his God is in his heart so may it be said of the couetous His mouth will speake of worldlinesse and his tongue will talke of earthlinesse for the loue of his god is in his heart There is earth at his heart and his very breath smels of it Their Egyptian garlicke which they haue swallowed riseth in their stomackes and makes them to belch and to bring vp a filthy stinking vnsauourie Nam si sacrificem summo Ioui Atque in manibus extateneam vt po●riciam interea loci Si lucri quid detur potius rem diuinā deseram Plaut in Pseudol breath 2. He keepes a court of Faculties in his conscience he can giue himselfe a Dispensation to be free from any dutie of Gods worship and seruice if it be to serue his owne turne He is none of your precise Sabbatarians He scruples not to lose Sermons to trauell to shew and sell his wares as well on the Sabboth as other dayes It is no trouble to his conscience to bargaine and barter vpon the Sabboth as familiarly as vpon any other day He esteemes his country Church euery whit as great a conuenience as the Citie Exchange where he may meete many of his neighbors and dispatch many businesses at once without a further trouble of going to their seuerall houses 3. He is sometimes homo omnium artium a man of many callings and professions he will haue an iron in euery fire an hand in euery businesse and euen ouerloades himselfe with a multitude of employments He will needs be a temporall pluralist will haue as many farmes as he hath fingers will be a Minister and a Physition a citie merchant and a countrey farmer and so pesters and clogs himselfe with a multitude of businesse that he hath but a little time for sleepe and none at all for God but what his couetousnesse to saue a tweluepenny mulct will affoord him 4. He is sometimes againe a man nullius artis a man of no calling He giues ouer his multitude of farmes and employments not out of conscience but out of a desire of greater ease and security For conscience though it forbid encombrance yet it requires employment But he flies from one extreame to another from many callings and employments to none at all and betakes himselfe to a course wherein he may liue with lesse faith and greater security From hyring of farmes he falles to letting of money and so comes to be of the number of those men of whom if ten in an hundred chance to go to heauen yet an hundred to ten are sure to go to hell 2. Thing the danger of couetousnesse We haue here a double caution against this sinne As is the caution so is the danger double Yea this double caution implies the danger if not the double danger This sinne therefore is doubly dangerous 1. In the sinnes it breedes 2. In the punishments it brings 1. For the sinnes it breeds It is a mother iniquitie that giues life to many a foule sinne Ten Commandements hath almighty God giuen vs and this is an vniuersall breach and breaker of them all Indeed there