The Sinfulness Of Sin - Preach The Word

The Sinfulness Of SinRalph Venningshould be doubly hated, because it is ugly and false, because it defiles and mocksus.Yet even if there is any pleasure, it is only for a season, a very little while. It issoon over and gone, like the crackling of thorns under a pot; 'The triumphing of thewicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment' (Job 20.5). Themiseries of sin, on the contrary, may be and indeed, without repentance, will beeternal. Just as the sufferings of this present life are to the godly not worthy to becompared with the future glory, so the pleasures of the wicked are, even the bestof them, as nothing, compared with the future misery which awaits them.Certainly, then, those pleasures which men must repent of, or be damned for to alleternity, are woeful and rueful pleasures.All in all, then, the inference is undeniable that there is no profit, honour, orpleasure to be had by sin, and that they who seek for all or any of these things insin act as those who would seek ease in Hell, the very place and element oftorment. If good is not good when better is expected, how miserably vexatiousmust their disappointment be? When men look for good and peace, but evil andtrouble, and nothing else, comes upon them; when they bless themselves and say,We shall have peace though we walk in the imaginations of our heart, to adddrunkenness to thirst, the Lord will not spare them, but then the anger of the Lordand his jealousy shall smoke against them (Deuteronomy 29.I9). When they shallsay, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction will come upon them, as travailupon a woman with child, and there will be no escaping (1 Thessalonians 5.3).There are still other inferences to be drawn from the sinfulness of sin. I shall makeonly a few brief comments upon them.(2) Time spent in sin is worse than lostMost of the pastime in the world is lost time, but sinning time or time spent in sin isworse than lost, for it must be accounted for, and who can give a good account ofevil doing? While men live in sin, they do nothing but undo themselves. Man wasnot sent into this world only to eat, drink, sleep and play, much less to sin, but asinto a great workhouse, to work for the glory of God (John 17.4), and so to workout his own salvation, and that with fear and trembling (Philippians 2.12). Theywho live in sin, however, work out their damnation, and that many times withoutfear or trembling; but they will have a great store of these when they come toreceive their just doom and damnation.Time is a most precious commodity, for eternity depends upon this moment. Asmen sow in this seed-time, they will reap in that harvest. Time is a prophet foreternity: as men live here so must they live for ever. They who sow sin must reapdeath (Galatians 6.8). Time is to be redeemed (Ephesians 5.16), and every day isto be numbered, greatly valued and improved, that we may apply our hearts towisdom (Psalm 90.12). And this is wisdom, the fear of the Lord; and this isunderstanding, to depart from evil (Job 28.28). This is wisdom, to know and dowhat is the acceptable will of God (Matthew 7.24; Ephesians 5.15-17). We may besaid to be, but not to live, if we do not live to God, and all time that is not so spentis but mis-spent and worse than lost. Poor people who are demented and have lost117