The Sinfulness Of Sin - Preach The Word

The Sinfulness Of SinRalph Venningwhispered and muttered or wished, but was loath to be heard. When they speakthus within, then it speaks out this, that they are ashamed of what they think anddare not utter it.(ii) Sinners dare not commit sin until they have given it a new name. They do notsin under the name and notion of sin. Now, woe unto them! Just as they call goodevil, so they call evil good (Isaiah 5.20). Revenge they will not own; they term it avindication of their honour, a doing right to their reputation. Covetousness, theysay, is a sordid thing; theirs is only frugality and good husbandry. Drunkenness isunmanly, it is bestial, they confess; but theirs is only good fellowship in the liberaluse of the creature. Pride must be called decency and being in the fashion.Fornication is only a trick of youth, or gratifying nature. Thus men disguise sin, forsurely, were they to call it by its own name and look it in the face, they know theyshould find it such an ugly hag as was not fit for the embraces of men, no, noteven of devils. This practice of giving new names to sin condemns it.(iii) They do what they do as much as possible in the dark. Indeed, as theyfoolishly think, they do it in the dark from God's sight also. Thereby they implicitlyconfess that if men or God saw them they should be ashamed of what they do. Thetime was when they that were drunk were drunk in the night, it being a business ofshame. The apostle tells us that it is a shame to speak of what is done by some insecret (Ephesians 5.11,12); and therefore it seems that they themselves do itsecretly because they are ashamed lest it be known and talked of. Indeed, it is ageneral rule given by Christ himself that he who does evil hates the light; becausehis deeds are evil, and he cannot endure that they should be manifested, for thenthey would be reproved by the light (John 3.19,20). The abominations of theancient people of Israel were so abominable that they did them in the dark andthey thought that that hid them from God himself (Ezekiel 8.5-12).(iv) They are tormented while taking their pleasure. It is clear that sinners find sina painful thing and are ashamed of it. They are stung with eating the honey; theirconscience accuses them when it takes them in the very act (Romans 2.15). 'Evenin laughter the heart is sorrowful' (Proverbs 14.13) --it is not only at the end oflaughter, but in it, while at it. While men are taking the pleasures of sin they hear,'But remember thou must die and go to judgment', which chills and cools their heat(Ecclesiastes 11.9). We little think what secret sighs and groans are within, whenwicked men are merry or seem at least to be so from the teeth outwards.In 2 Samuel 13 you will find no less a person than a King's son vexed andtormented with his own passion. He was in a burning fever with lust; it made himsick and lean, even to being consumptive. But it may be said, This was because hecould not have his will; was he the same when he had it? Yes, and worse too by hisown confession, for the hatred wherewith he hated her was more than the lovewherewith he had loved her. This is as much as to say, that he was moretormented now than he had been before. Sin disappoints men; they have false joysbut true miseries, and they suffer rather than enjoy any pleasure from sin. Theyare vexed to see how they are cheated. Thus Amnon, to whom we have justreferred, was one moment in a hot fit, the next in a cold one; he was as one tossedfrom a fever to an ague, cast into the fire and into the water, sick of love and sickof loathing, sick for want of her company and sick of having it, discontented at not69