The Sinfulness Of Sin - Preach The Word

The Sinfulness Of SinRalph VenningOur thoughts are so active and restless that they will be doing something or other,and like unruly soldiers, if others do not employ them well, they will employthemselves ill. God has therefore in mercy appointed us callings to take up ourthoughts, that they may be not only innocent but profitable to ourselves andothers. Paradise had employment, and Heaven also will not be without it. Idlenessis an hour of temptation; and we can have no excuse to stand idle in the marketplace when God himself offers to employ us. The best way to rid our ground ofweeds is to till it, and the best way to free our hearts from evil thoughts is by goodemployment. Only remember this, that your particular calling must not jostle outnor infringe upon your heavenly calling, nor should your being a tradesman makeyou forget that your conversation, your trading, must be for Heaven. It would bebad for you to mind what is convenient and forget what is necessary. Let Mary'sone thing be preferred before Martha's many.(vii) Love God and his Law muchIn so doing your thoughts will be much upon him and it. The love of God will findyour heart work enough to do. He who delights in God and his Law will findopportunity enough to meditate therein, and pleasure enough in meditating thereinday and night (Psalm 1.2; Psalm 119.97). Your soul will be where it loves, andwhere your treasure is there your heart and thoughts will be (Matthew 6.21). Setyour affections on things above and when once your love is settled, your thoughtswill centre and dwell there. Love will make you watchful and fearful, lest you shouldoffend the Beloved of your soul. It will make you angry with, and cause you to hateall the sinful thoughts that would attempt to withdraw you or to divert you. It willmake you like a tree planted by the riverside, exceedingly and beautifully fruitful,for so will you be in your season. It is meditation that is there likened to thewatering of the river, and that meditation flows from delight, and that from love, asyou may see (Psalm 1.2,3). Thus you will grow up and prosper, so much so thatyour leaf shall neither fade nor wither (verse 3). Thus I have endeavoured to showthe sinfulness of sinful thoughts, and endeavoured to prevent them.2. A warning against sinful words.As I have endeavoured before to clear the heart, so that there might not be an evilthought in it; so now my aim is to clear and cleanse the mouth, so that not somuch as an evil word might be in it. Too many people are apt to think that wordsare only wind, things that they shall not be called to account for, and thereforethey are so bold and daring as to say, with our tongue will we prevail; our lips areour own; who is Lord over us? (Psalm 12.4). We may speak what we will, they say,and we will speak what we may. What an unruly tongue has that man who can saythat his tongue is his own! Patient Job in a fit of passion said, 'Let me alone that Imay speak, and come of me what will' (Job 13.13). Alasl Is it not thus with many?When you tell them of the sinfulness of sin and of the sins of the tongue, they fly inour faces and say, Hold your peace, we will speak, let there come on us what will.How desperate they are!But if you will be a little serious I would ask you, when you are cool and calm, thisquestion, Would you not live and see good days? Yes! we would. Who is there that132