The Mischief of Sin by Thomas Watson

The Mischief of Sin by Thomas Watson, 1671 CHOICE EXCERPTS When you were marching to hell! "Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy." 1 Timothy 1:13 Literally, "I was bemercied." Christians, why might not you have been in the number of those who persist in sinning? Because God has bemiracled you with mercy! See what cause you have to admire the stupendous goodness of God, who has wrought a change in you —and checked you in your full career of sin! Christians, you who are vessels of election—were by nature as wicked as others—but God had compassion on you and plucked you as brands out of the fire! He stopped you in your course of sinning—when you were marching to hell! He turned you back to Him by sincere repentance. Oh, here is the banner of love displayed over you! Behold sovereign grace! Let your hearts melt in love to God. Admire His royal bounty. Set the crown of all your praises, upon the head of free grace! "By the grace of God I am what I am!" 1 Corinthians 15:10 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Another stick to heat hell See what vast treasures of wrath are laid up for unrepentant sinners. "Because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when His righteous judgment will be revealed." Romans 2:5 As guilt increases—so does wrath. Every sin committed, is another stick to heat hell—and make it burn the hotter! It is a thing to be lamented—that men should live in the world, only to increase their torments in hell. While they commit new sins, they are burdening themselves with more iron chains, which will be so heavy at last, that they will not be able to bear them—or avoid them. Oh, sinner! Know that for every sin, you are only adding to your torment! Every dish Satan serves you—will only increase your fatal reckoning, and make your condemnation heavier. Every sin is a drop of oil upon hell's eternal furnace! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Linked together with adamantine chains! Sin is the womb of sorrow—and the grave of comfort! Sin turns the body into a hospital. It causes fevers, ulcers, and cancers. Sin is the Trojan horse, out of which a whole troop of afflictions come. Sin drowned the old world, and burnt Sodom. Sin and punishment are linked together with adamantine chains! Sin as naturally draws punishment to it—as the magnet draws iron! Sin is a coal which not only blackens—but burns! Sin draws hell at its heels. "The wicked shall be turned into hell." Psalm 9:7 Sin lays men low in the grave, and in hell too—without repentance. Sin first tempts—and then damns! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ They tempt the devil to fall in love with them! "I hate pride and arrogance." Proverbs 8:13 Pride runs in the blood. Augustine calls pride, "the mother of all sin!" Some people would be better—if they could pluck the worm of pride out of their head! Pride ruins our virtues—and poisons our mercies. Some are proud of their estates. Riches are fuel for pride. Ezekiel 28:5, "Your heart has become proud because of your wealth." Men's hearts rise with their estates. Some take pride in their abilities. The Lord enriches them with wit and talents—and pride fumes from their heart into their head—and makes them giddy. Some are proud of their bodies. Pride is seen in long and meticulous dressings. They spend that time between the comb and the looking-glass, which should be spent in prayer and holy meditation. Pride is seen in painting their faces—overlaying God's work with the devil's colors! But virtue is most beautiful to God. "Don't be concerned about the outward beauty that depends on fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should be known for the beauty that comes from within—the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God." 1 Pet. 3:3-4 Pride is seen in the outlandish fashions with which some people dress—or rather disguise themselves. They clothe themselves like the rainbow. Adam was ashamed of his nakedness; these should be ashamed of their clothing. They are so plumed and gaudily attired—that they tempt the devil to fall in love with them! "The Lord detests all the proud of heart! Be sure of this—They will not go unpunished!" Proverbs 16:5 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The devils are scrambling for his soul! "Covetousness, which is idolatry." Colossians 3:5 Covetousness is the cancer of the soul. Covetousness is a key which opens the door to further wickedness. 1 Timothy 6:10, "For the love of money is at the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows!" And what is one the better for all his wealth—at death? 1 Timothy 6:10, "We brought nothing into the world—and it is certain that we can carry nothing out." When the rich miser dies—what scrambling is there! His friends are scrambling for his money! The worms are scrambling for his body! The devils are scrambling for his soul! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Milk-white! "The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all our sin!" 1 John 1:7 Christ's blood is a CLEANSING blood. As the merit of Christ's blood pacifies God—so the virtue of it purifies us. Christ's blood is heaven's bath. It is a laver to wash in. It washes a crimson sinner— milk-white! The Word of God is a looking-glass to show us our spots—and the blood of Christ is a fountain to wash them away! "On that day a fountain will be opened —to cleanse them from all their sins and defilement!" Zechariah 13:1 But this blood will not wash—if it is mingled with anything. If we mingle our good works with Christ's blood—it will not wash. Let Christ's blood be pure and unmixed—and there is no spot which it cannot wash away! It purged out Noah's drunkenness—and Lot's incest! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Make us 'clods of earth' into 'stars of glory' Christ is that golden pipe—through which the golden oil of salvation is transmitted to us. "Because of His great love that He had for us" Ephesians 2:4 Nothing could fasten Jesus to the cross—but the golden link of love! The emperor Trajan tore off a piece of his own robe to bind up one of his soldier's wounds. But Christ tore off His own flesh for us! "He gave Himself for us to redeem us." Titus 2:14. Christ gave Himself for us—what more could He give? If He had anything to part with of more worth—He would have bestowed it upon us! What astonishing love—that Christ should die for such as we are. What are we? Not only vanity—but enmity! When we were rebelling—He was dying! When we had weapons in our hands—then He had the spear in His side! This is the very quintessence of love! "God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us!" Romans 5:8. When we were engulfed in misery and had lost our beauty—then Christ died for us. O amazing love, which should swallow up all our thoughts! What astonishing love—that Christ should die for us—rather than for the fallen angels. They were creatures of a more noble extraction and, in all probability, might have brought greater revenues of glory to God. Yet, that Christ should pass by those golden vessels, and make us 'clods of earth' into 'stars of glory'—O the hyperbole of Christ's love! What a stupendous love is this! Who can meditate upon His love—and not be in ecstasy! We may behold the odiousness of sin—in the red looking-glass of Christ's sufferings. Sin is to be abominated, since it turned Adam out of paradise and threw the angels down to hell. Sin is the birthplace of our sorrows—and the grave of our comforts. But that which may most of all disfigure the face of sin and make it appear abominable is this—It crucified our Lord Jesus! O let us look upon sin with indignation! When a temptation to sin comes—let us say, "Is not this the sin which poured out Christ's blood!" Let our hearts be enraged against sin! When the senators of Rome showed the people Caesar's bloody robe, they were incensed against those who slew him. Sin has rent the white robe of Christ's flesh—and died it a crimson color! Let us, then, seek to be avenged of our sins! Under the Law, if an ox gored a man so that he died—the ox was to be killed, Exodus 21:28. Sin has gored and pierced our Savior! Let it die! Let us be deeply affected with the great love of Christ for us. Who can tread upon these hot coals—and his heart not burn? Cry out with Ignatius, "Christ, my love, is crucified!" If a friend would die for us—would not our hearts be much affected with his kindness? That the God of heaven would die for us—how should this stupendous mercy have a melting influence upon us! The body of Christ broken—is enough to break the most flinty heart. At our Savior's passion, "the rocks split apart!" He who is not affected with Christ's love —has a heart harder than the rocks! How should we be affected with Christ's kindness who, to spare our life—lost His own! Let us pray that, as Christ was fastened to the cross—so He may be fastened to our hearts! "May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it!" Ephesians 3:19 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The fire will make them forget the pleasure! "Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God." 2 Timothy 3:4 "Reveling in their pleasures." 2 Peter 2:13 "They actually rejoice in doing evil!" Jerem. 11:15 It is worse to love sin—than to commit it. He who loves sin—his heart is in the sin. He follows it with delight—like a man hunts his game. Sinners say they hate the devil—but they love that which will bring them to the devil! Lovers of sin shall have more of hell torment. The fire will make them forget the pleasure! Oh, who would, for a cup of pleasure, drink a sea of wrath! "Don't be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows he will also reap." Galatians 6:7 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ A private back door to hell "Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him? Do not I fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord." Jeremiah 23:24 Let me not only speak to scandalous sinners, who seem to have 'damnation' written upon their foreheads—but to secret sinners. "Cursed is he who makes an idol and puts it in a secret place." Deuteronomy 27:15. Some of the Jews would not be seen openly bowing to an idol—but they would put it in their closet or some other secret place and there worship it. There are many in like manner who will not sin on the balcony, or be like Absalom and sin in the sight of all Israel, 2 Samuel 16:22. But they shut up their windows, and commit their sin in secret. They have a private back door to hell—which nobody knows of! Perhaps they live in secret adultery, or secret envy and malice, or secret neglect of duty. God knows that they are living in secret sins. What an aggravation of sin is this! These desperate, heaven-daring sinners, though they see the flaming sword of God's justice before them, resolvedly venture on in sin! "I have been watching!" declares the Lord. Jeremiah 7:11 "I have seen your detestable acts! Woe to you! How long will you be unclean?" Jeremiah 13:27 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ A never-dying appetite for sin "They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify Him. Men gnawed their tongues in agony and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done." Revelation 16:9, 11 If men would men live forever—they would sin forever. Some think it harsh that for the sins committed in a few years—they should undergo eternal torment. But here lies the justice and equity of it—it is because sinners have an everlasting principle of sin in them. Their stock of corruption is never spent. They have a never-dying appetite for sin—which is justly punished with a never-dying worm! "Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched!" Mark 9:44 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ They commit their filthy sins against Him! "In spite of all this, they kept on sinning!" Psalm 78:32 See the sordid ingratitude of sinners. Notwithstanding the fact that they had such eminent and signal favors from God—the pillar of fire to lead them, the rock split to give them water—yet God's mercy could not, with all its oratory, prevail with them to leave their iniquities. "They kept on sinning!" God would draw men from sin by His mercies—yet they will indulge their lusts. Oh, how ungrateful! It is an ill nature—which will not be won with love. Beasts are wrought upon with kindness, Isaiah 1:3—but sinners are not! The wicked are worse for God's mercies! They, like vultures—draw sickness from these perfumes! The wicked deal with God as we do with the Thames. The Thames brings us in our riches—our gold, silks and spices—and we throw all our filth into the Thames. Just so do the wicked deal with God. He gives them all their mercies—and they commit their filthy sins against Him! "They kept on sinning!" If mercy is not a magnet to draw us nearer to God—it will be a millstone to sink us deeper into hell. Nothing

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The Mischief of Sin

Thomas Watson

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