Sinfulness of sin - Venning - X - Section 4 continued

Required reading
Sinfulness of sin by Ralph Venning (available from Amazon or free on the internet, here for example). Continue reading Section 4 by reading Point 3, 'Inferences from the contrariety of sin to the good of man'.

My summary
Today we continue Venning's section about the application and usefulness of the doctrine of sin's sinfulness.

His third point is about inferences from the contrariety of sin to the good of man.  There are six subpoints given:
(1) That they who seek for any good in sin are miserably mistaken;
(2) Time spent in sin is worse than lost;
(3) They who mock at sin are worse than fools and madmen;
(4) Sin being so sinful, infectious, and pernicious, it can never be well with a man while he is in his sins;
(5) Sin's utter sinfulness argues that men should become religious without delay;
(6) Sin being so pernicious, how welcome should the Gospel be.

What grabbed me
Venning gave a great reason as to why sin is unable to satisfy man's desires: 'If they gratify one of their lusts, they displease another: if they gratify pride and prodigality, they displease covetousness and so are still far from pleasure. They are distracted and slain by one or other of their lusts all the day long. They have fightings without and within; indeed, good men are not persecuted more by the Devil and the wicked world than these men are tormented by their irregular and inordinate fleshly appetites and carnal inclinations.'

We can never be happy in sin because as we are committing time to one sin, a craving for another sin is left unsatisfied.  This ties in nicely with the reading from Augustine's City of God yesterday, where we saw that people often limit their sin so that they can satisfy the craving for the praise of men.  They forego one sin to commit another and so create turmoil in themselves.

Only righteousness can give satisfaction and peace.

Next week's reading
Continue reading Section 4 by beginning Point 4, 'Exhortation and Counsel', up to (but not including) the part  headed '2. A warning against sinful words.'

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.