The Sinfulness Of Sin - Preach The Word

The Sinfulness Of SinRalph Venning(2) The witness of wicked menWicked men themselves are witnesses of and against the sinfulness of sin. Theysay that it is an ugly, shameful and an abominable thing which they are ashamedto own. Let us hear some of the heathens give their opinion of it. Cicero tells usthat he did not think that man worthy of the name of a man who spent one day inthe pleasures of the flesh. Indeed, he goes on to say that, after death, he thinksthat there are no greater torments than sin. Another thought it one of the greatesttorments that men should have in another life to be bound to the sins they mostdelighted in in this life. Socrates preferred to die rather than to consent to a sin ofinjustice, and one writer says, Socrates was not unhappy in being put to death, butthey were unhappy who put him to death; he suffered but they sinned. Anothersays of men living in pleasure, very much like St. Paul says concerning the wantonwidow: 'she that lives in pleasure is dead while she lives' (1 Timothy 5.6).Now the reasons why they said these things concerning sin was because sindegraded man and was a degeneration. Men who delight in sin live the life of abeast and not of a man, which is a life of reason and virtue. Thus Plotinus says,"The pleasures of the body do so interrupt the happiness of the soul that it is thesoul's happiness to despise the body's pleasures.' Sin, say the Stoics, is the worstkind of suffering, and he who is wicked is the only miserable man; the greatestpunishment of sinners is sin (Seneca). I could produce many more sayings to thiseffect, but I shall not only take in the witness of these and other brave,magnanimous and well-bred heathens. The herd of wicked men, the very dregs ofthem, shall give a testimony (whether they will or not) by their thoughts, words ordeeds and sad experiences that sin is an ugly, because a sinful thing. They areashamed of sin when and before they commit it and after they have committed it.a. Sinners are ashamed of sin before they commit it and when they commit it.(i) Though they are sufficiently daring and impudent as to sin, they have not gotthe courage to consider what they are doing or at least to speak openly what theythink concerning sin. They know that when they sin their conscience will accusethem, and that they will find regrets which they are loath to feel, much more toutter and declare. Therefore they dare not ask themselves what it is they are aboutto do, or are doing; they dare not catechize themselves and say, 'Is there not a liein my right hand?' (Isaiah 44.20). When men are loath to give themselves thebenefit of a few forethoughts, and rush like horses into the battle, it suggests thatthey are afraid they shall find what they have no desire to find. The Scripturespeaks as though it were impossible for men to be as wicked as they are, if theyonly considered; failing this they do not act like men. If they think of it and still sin,they dare not speak out their thoughts but would rather conceal their shame andpain as well as they can, than tell anybody what fools they have been and howfoolishly they have acted. If sin had anything noble or honourable in it, why do theynot proclaim its virtues and thereby their own in loving it? If they think it good,why do they not call it by its name? If they think it evil, why do they think it so? Itis surely because they are ashamed of it and ashamed that anybody should knowwhat they think. The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God' (Psalm 14.1). Itseems he did not have the hardiness nor the heart to say it with his mouth; he68