The Sinfulness Of Sin - Preach The Word

The Sinfulness Of SinRalph Venningyours to save you. Take him on his own terms, give up yourself wholly to him.Forget your father's house, depart from all iniquity, and become wholly and entirelyhis. Let your works declare and justify your faith, by purifying your heart (Acts15.9), by sanctifying you (Acts 26.I8), by overcoming the world, both the good andevil, the best and worst, the frowns and flatteries of it (1 John 1.4,1). This Mosesand the rest did by faith (Hebrews 11). Thus come, and thus make good yourcoming to and believing in Christ.Then you shall be saved; as the apostle told the jailor, Believe on the Lord JesusChrist, and thou shalt be saved (Acts 16.30,31). They who unfeignedly and withtheir heart believe in Jesus shall not be destroyed by this destructive thing, sin, norshall they be damned by this damning thing, sin. Just as there was need of a JesusChrist, and as faith in Jesus Christ is required, so salvation is made certain andassured to them who believe in Jesus Christ. He who perseveres to the end shallfind the end of his faith, the saving of his soul. Hasten, then, to take hold of him,close with him and cleave to him, if ever you would be saved from your sin andGod's wrath. Do you like the end, and not the way? Is salvation desirable and is notfaith? Without faith it is impossible to please God here, or to be saved hereafter.Have you not souls as well as bodies? Would you not be saved from sin as well asfrom sickness? Hasten to Jesus Christ, then, the physician, the Saviour of souls. Isthere any other Christ? Is there salvation in any other? Has God any more Sons tosend? Is there any other way to Heaven? Have we not been in peril long enough?Come now to Christ; if ever there were reason for it, there is now. Will you needhim? You do now. Will he be lovely hereafter? He is now. These things being so, weshould fly like doves to the windows and not stand a moment longer lest we die,and die in our sins, and then farewell to happiness and hope for ever. But I trustthat this is not in vain. I am willing to hope that I have not preached from norprayed to God in vain, that I have not expostulated with and besought you in vain,but that you will yet repent and believe the Gospel.There is still another thing to which I would exhort you on this occasion:(3) Sin no more, nor return again to follyHear and fear, and do no more wickedly. It is sad to lick up vomit, and after beingwashed to wallow in the mire; the latter end of such is worse than their beginningand it had been better for them that they had not known the way of righteousness,than after they have known it to apostatize and depart from the holycommandment (2 Peter 2.21-22). It will be difficult--next to impossible--to renewsuch again unto repentance (Hebrews 6.6). What can they expect but judgment,fiery indignation and vengeance (Hebrews 10.26-30). 0 how the sin andcondemnation of apostates is and will be aggravated What! after all his kindnesswill you kick with the heel against him! After sin has cost you so many sighs andtears and aching hurts, will you make work for more? You will have your belly-full,for the backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways (Proverbs 14.14); hewill have enough of it one day, and will then cry out, O what an evil and bitter thingis apostasy! O this evil heart of unbelief that made me again depart from the livingGod, after returning to serve him!(4) Take heed of living in any one (and especially any known) sin124