The Sinfulness Of Sin - Preach The Word

The Sinfulness Of SinRalph Venningstand in fear, they tend to obey. Therefore, take heed what you command yourservants; for every sin they commit by your command will be charged on you, ason them, if not more so.(c) We may also be the occasion of other men's sins by counselling them to sin.They who cannot command may counsel, which is the next thing to it. In onechapter of the Bible it is recorded three times, in three successive verses, thatAhaziah walked in the ways of Ahab, and did evil in the sight of the Lord by thecounsel of Athaliah and the House of Ahab to his destruction (2 Chronicles22.3,4,5). Amnon sinned according to the counsel of Jonadab (2 Samuel 13.5,6).Jonadab is called his friend, and friends take sweet counsel together; but whatbitter counsel is wicked counsel! Never counsel anyone to sin under the pretence offriendship, for it is a killing kindness. As Rebecca told Jacob, when she counselledhim to lie and deceive, that upon her should the curse be (Genesis 27.6-13), so sayI to you, that the curse will be on you if you advise others to sin.(d) We may occasion other men's sins by example, and the more eminent theexample, the more infectious it is. Great men cannot sin at a low rate because theyare examples: the sins of commanders are commanding sins; the sins of rulersruling sins; the sins of teachers teaching sins. There is a kind of sorcery andbewitching power in such examples (Galatians 2.12,13). When Peter and the rest ofthe Jews dissembled with him, Barnabas, though a good man and full of the HolyGhost, was also carried away with their dissimulation, that is by their example andin compliance with it. Similarly, that example of which I spoke earlier, concerning aman sitting at meat in an idol's temple, has given us an example of something verycatching and infectious (1 Corinthians 8.10). The world is more easily exampledinto sin than into goodness, for sin finds a party within. Abraham's faith, Moses'meekness, Job's patience and Peter's courage are not so easily followed as theircontraries. Therefore give no bad examples.(e) By tempting and provoking to sin. The trumpeter does not fight, but whencaptured he fares as badly as the soldiers who do, because he stirs them up. WhenAhab's wickedness is reckoned up, it is with this remark, that his wife Jezebelincited or stirred him up (1 Kings 2125). There was none like Ahab--he had no peeror fellow, and was second to none in wickedness, and he was irritated andprovoked to this by his wife. Take heed of tempting or stirring up anyone to sin.Some men's corruptions would sleep more than they do if others did not awake andstir them up. Some are so wicked as not to sleep or to let others sleep until theyhave done mischief. Then they tempt others to sin in several ways.By enticement and solicitation. It is a sad employment to be sin's solicitor, yetthere are all too many of them. They are pimps, and bawds; they pander for lustand sin. And though the solicited person does not sin, as Joseph did not, yet theone who solicits is a sinner, as Joseph's mistress was. There are sinners who, likethe Devil, go up and down to entice others to sin (Proverbs 1.10-16). Even flatteryhas force in it, and offers a kind of violence (Proverbs 7.21).By importunity. Delilah made poor Samson almost weary of his life; she never lefthim until she had undone him. He stood it out a great while, but her importunityprevailed at last (Judges 16.16,17). Moreover, it was by much fair speech or153