The Sinfulness Of Sin - Preach The Word

The Sinfulness Of SinRalph Venningfear and do no more wickedly. What! Will you be damned? Can you think calmly ofgoing to hell? Have you no pity on your precious soul? If you were to go fromreading of hell, into hell, you would surely say, There was a prophet, and I wouldnot believe it, but now I feel it. Think of this and also of what follows.3. The duration of these torments. They will be for ever. Even though they weregreat, universal and for a time without a break, yet if you knew that they were tohave an end, that would be some comfort. But here lies the misery of it, they willbe today as they were yesterday, and for ever. As they were in the beginning sothey will be all along and for ever; always the same, if not increasing. This is theworld's woe, the hell of hells, that it is woe and hell for ever. After the sinners havebeen in hell millions and millions of years, hell will be as much hell as it was at first.The fire that burns will never go out and the worm that gnaws will never die--thesethings are three times repeated by our Lord and Saviour in one chapter (Mark9.44,46,48). It will be a lasting, indeed an everlasting misery. It is everlastingpunishment and everlasting fire (Matthew 25.41,46).4. We must now consider the tormentors or inflictors of these torments. These arethe Devil, conscience, and God himself who will torment the damned.a. The Devil. The tempter will be the tormentor; they will not only be tormentedwith devils but by devils. They will be delivered to the jailors, the tormentors: 'Solikewise shall my Heavenly Father do also unto you' (Matthew 18.34,35); that is,deliver you to the tormentors. When the church excommunicates, which is asymbol of this, it delivers to Satan; and when God excommunicates he gives up tothe Devil, saying, Take him, jailor, and torment him, tormentor. The apostlethought it a great misery to fall into the hands of unreasonable men and thereforehe prays and begs the prayers of others against it. But if the tender mercies ofwicked men are cruelties, what are the cruelties of the Devil and his angels,especially when God delivers men up into their hands? What a misery it is to fallinto the clutches of the Devil! To be tormented by the Devil! If he does so muchnow by permission, what will he then do by commission, when he shall be under norestraint! By what he now does we may very well guess what he is likely to do, andwill do then.There are many instances of his malice, rage and power; let us take one or two.We read of one possessed of a dumb spirit; 'Wheresoever this spirit taketh him, heteareth him that he foameth, gnasheth with the teeth and pineth away' (Mark 9.17-22) When he came into the presence of Christ Jesus he tore him, that he fell on theground and wallowed foaming. Oftentimes he cast him into the fire and the waterto destroy him. You know also how the Devil dealt with Job and went to the utmostextent of his commission, and almost prevailed, for he brought him to curse theday of his birth, though he did not curse God. If now while he is still in chains andunder restraint the Devil can do so much to torment a man, how sad is it likely tobe with men when the Devil shall have them in his hands by commission from God!When God shall say, Take him, Devil, Take him, jailor! Into the fire with him! Doyour worst with him! Who can stand before the Devil's rage and envy when it hasbeen whetted by a commission from God! Sinful sin which thus gives a man up tothe Devil!44