Proposition 3: Sin Will Appear Hateful

Sin will at last appear to be hateful to sinners themselves. Though now they see not the evil that is in sin, they shall see it one day; sooner or later they will have enough of sin: They will rue the day that ever they were guilty of such and such sins. This will most certainly come to pass. Either,

1. By their being brought to true repentance for their sins. For then sin becomes exceeding bitter to the soul. The Jews took pleasure in crucifying Christ; but when Peter's Sermon had pricked them to the heart, they mourned for him as one mourns for an only Son, and were in bitterness for him as one in bitterness for his first born (Zechariah 12:10). When a man repents truly, his sorrow for sin is much greater, than was the pleasure he had in committing of it. David found it so, this we see in his penitential Psalms, where we hear him saying, Neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin: for mine iniquities are gone over my head, as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me (Psalms 38:3-4). And in another place, he speaks of his roaring all the day long: And again, he complains of his broken bones: He could not have been in more bitter anguish if all his bones had been broken, than he was in, after his grievous fall in that matter of Uriah and Bathsheba. And when Solomon was brought to a true sight of his sin, how bitter was it to him: Do but hear what he says (Ecclesiastes 7:26), I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands are bands, whoever pleases God shall escape from her, but the sinner shall be taken by her. And did not sin become hateful to the incestuous Corinthian, when he was in danger of being swallowed up with sorrow (2 Corinthians 2:7)? There is nothing got by sin but sorrow and shame. Therefore did the Apostle say, What fruit had you of those things whereof you are now ashamed (Romans 6:21)? A true penitent never thinks of his former sins and follies, but with sorrow and shame. It makes his soul within him to bleed and to blush before the Lord. Or if not so.

Then,

Sin will be made hateful by reason of the punishment which will follow it. Sin will prove a mischievous thing at last. As the Lepers said (2 Kings 7:9), We do not well, if we tarry till the morning light some mischief will come upon us. It is in vain to hope otherwise. It is a vain thing for impenitent sinners to think that they shall always go unpunished. Sin will follow the sinner like a blood hound, and will find him out at last. Therefore Moses said to the Rubenites (Numbers 32:23), Be sure your sin will find you out: and it will not be long first. Punishment treadeth on the heels of sin. Sin lieth at the door: it watcheth at the [illegible] to seize on the sinner. Many times [illegible] this life, sin is made to appear a hateful thing by bitter plagues and punishments which are the natural and woeful fruit of it. Lamentations 5:16: Woe to us that we have sinned. When Jerusalem fell into the merciless hands of bitter enemies, the [illegible] tells them, that they might thank themselves and their own iniquities, for all those heart-piercing sorrows (Jeremiah 4:18): Your way and your doings have procured these things to you; this is your wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reacheth to your heart. This it is to be wicked: this comes on impenitency in a course of sin. Such punishments does the Lord sometimes cause to be inflicted on sinners, and that in this life, as wound and pierce their very hearts within them. I remember what God said to [illegible] 9:14: I will at this time [illegible] all my [illegible] upon your heart. Many [illegible] came upon him one after another, [illegible] heart felt them not, till [illegible] came upon him, that [illegible] to his very heart. There are some whose sins go before hand to judgment they are found out in this world; and when they are brought to open shame and disgrace their iniquity is found to be hateful. Some sins are in a most peculiar manner shameful and disgraceful among men: that sin of theft and dishonesty in dealing is so (Jeremiah 2:26): The thief is ashamed when he is found. But above all, that vile sin of uncleanness brings everlasting disgrace on the person that shall be known to have been [illegible] guilty of it. When Tamar was solicited to commit such folly by that wicked Amnon, she said to him, Do not you this folly: and I, whither shall I cause my shame to go? And as for you, you shall be as one of the fools in Israel: that is to say, you are a person of quality, and in great reputation, but such a base action as this, will render you odious and contemptible to all the world (2 Samuel 13:12, 13). Sometimes sin is punished with loathsome and shameful diseases: thus were the Philistines put to a perpetual shame. Then does sin appear to be hateful. The wise man therefore gives wholesome advice (Proverbs 5:10, 11): Let not strangers be filled with your wealth, and then mourn at last when your flesh and your body are consumed. Yet further, sin carries guilt and horror along with it: conscience does smart and sore because of it; and that's a misery intolerable (Proverbs 18:14): The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; one that is a man of spirit and courage will bear up under great infirmities; but a wounded spirit who can bear? Do we not see that the anguish of a wounded conscience is intolerable? Do we not see it in Cain, who cried, My punishment is greater than I can bear? Do we not see it in Judas, who in the horror of his heart ran to a halter to let out his wretched soul? It is true, that sinners for the most part, while they have health and strength make light of sin, but many times on a death bed sin appears to them with a hateful visage. Conscience that was asleep before, awakes and rouses then. Have you not (if you have not, I have) known some that have gone roaring down to Hell? Who have thought they have seen Hell gaping for them, and devils ready to seize on their souls. When pale death has sat on their lips, how have they trembled? However, if there be no bands in their death, but they go smoothly into the grave, as 'tis [illegible] a dying sinner to have a stupified conscience, 'tis certain that after death, sin will appear to be sin. When the sinner beholds his [illegible] by the flames of Hell, it will appear to him in its proper colors: then and there will sin look like itself. What did Dives think of sin? What did he think of swearing, and lying, and other abuses of his tongue, when in Hell being tormented, he cried out, O my tongue! my tongue! What did he think of drunkenness, when he cried and said, Father Abraham send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this [illegible] (Luke 16:24)? Miserable Dives! Is it come to that now? Do you cry for a drop of water? How many thousand drops and cupfuls of strong drink, did you swallow down more than you had need of? And are you now crying for a drop? Without doubt though you flattered yourself in your lifetime when you fared deliciously every day, yet now you find iniquity to be hateful. And so it will be found to be at the judgment day. Then sinners in a moment are brought into all evil in the midst of the congregation and the great assembly which shall then appear, before whom all their secret sins will be revealed (Proverbs 5:14). Then millions of sins will be remembered which now are forgotten: they will be all set in order. They will appear like a formidable army in battle array against the sinner: and let him then say, whether sin be not an odious thing (Psalm 50:23).

We proceed to the APPLICATION of this doctrine.

First by way of INFORMATION.

Infor. I. Hence sinners are foolish flatterers. And who do they flatter? Sometimes in distress they will flatter God: they will promise him fair: if the Lord will deliver them, they say they will never sin against him as they have done, but will turn over a new leaf, and become new creatures: they have said well, and oh that there were such an heart in them. But they are like the hypocrites, spoken of in the Psalms, who when the Lord slew them, then they sought him, nevertheless, they did flatter him with their mouths, and they lied to him with their tongues, for their heart was not right with him, neither were they [illegible] in [illegible] Covenant (Psalm 78:36). But they also like foolish creatures flatter and deceive themselves: what folly is it to do so? Sure they had better know the worst of themselves before it be too late to help it. They flatter themselves that they have faith, when they have no true faith; they believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and they say they trust in him for salvation, and yet they continue committing iniquity still: this is no true faith. What does it profit my brethren, though a man say he has faith, and has not works, can his faith save him (James 2:14)? There are many such who say they have faith, and they think as they say, but they deceive their own souls, and their religion is vain. They flatter themselves that they shall go to heaven as soon as the greatest precisian in the world, though they live ungodly lives: they will swear, and lie, and be drunk sometimes, yet they please themselves with vain hopes of salvation because they have something of a form of godliness. Will you believe the Word of God? Hear then what he says, in 1 Corinthians 5:9, 10: "Be not deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God." It is then folly for men to promise themselves a kingdom, if they live in any of these sins. Is it not folly for men to flatter themselves that they shall get to heaven at last, though they never take one step in the holy way which leads there? There are sinners that are convinced of their misery; they know they must either repent or perish; but they foolishly neglect the present day of grace, and flatter themselves that they will repent hereafter; in the mean time death overtakes them, and then repentance is too late. They please themselves with vain thoughts of repenting when they come to lie upon a sick-bed and a death-bed, but then they find that they cannot repent, and that death-bed repentance seldom proves true.

Inf. II. If sin be a hateful evil, what woeful creatures are they that take pleasure therein? A good man may sin, but he does not love to do so. A man may be surprised into the doing of that which his soul abhors. David was several times guilty of breaking the ninth Commandment, yet he could say truly, as in Psalm 119:163, "I hate and abhor lying, but your law do I love." Sheep may fall into the mire, but they do not love to be there. They are swine that delight to be wallowing in filth: such are they who take delight in the ways of sin. Their spot is not the spot of God's children. Their state is damnable (2 Thessalonians 2:12): "That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." Yet some there are who do not only take pleasure in sinning themselves, but in causing others to sin and dishonor God. This argues men to be wicked in a very high degree: when knowing the judgment of God, that they who commit such sins are worthy of eternal death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. This is to be as like the devils as 'tis possible for men to be. There are those in the world that take pleasure in making others drunk, especially if they can cause a church member, or one that has made any pretences to religion to drink to any excess, then they have something to rejoice in. And there are some that take pleasure in causing others to swear and to profane the holy name of God. Are such men? No, they are devils incarnate; their souls within them are devils clothed with flesh.

Inf. III. If sin is such an odious thing as has been proved, then that which is contrary to sin, namely grace and holiness, is a most lovely thing. From there it is that the righteous is more excellent than his neighbor. Who are the most excellent ones on the earth? Are they rich men, or great men, or learned men? If they be adorned with grace in their souls, then are they excellent indeed: but if not, God in His Word calls them vile persons (Psalm 15:4). That Antiochus whose admirers gave him the name of Epiphanes, as if he had been an illustrious and excellent person, the Angel calls him a vile person, because he was a very wicked man, and a base dissembler (Daniel 11:21). But the saints are the excellent in the earth, and it is their sanctity which makes them to be so (Psalm 16:3). Silver and gold, and rubies are lovely things in the carnal eyes of men: but grace in the heart is a far more lovely and desirable thing than all these. This is that wisdom of which Solomon speaks, and concerning which he says, "Happy is the man that finds it, for the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold; she is more precious than rubies, and all the things you desire are not to be compared to her" (Proverbs 3:13, 14, 15). Grace is an ornament of great price in the sight of God: it makes those to be amiable in whom it is. One true believer that has grace in his soul is more precious in God's account than millions of other men (Isaiah 43:3, 4). "I gave Egypt for your ransom, and Ethiopia and Seba for you, since you were precious in my sight." When a [illegible] is converted into a [illegible], there is a man become an angel; and that man shall one day be made equal with the angels. Holiness makes men on earth like the angels in heaven. Wherein do the angels of heaven excel the devils of hell? It is especially in respect of their holiness. The blessed angels delight in all that is holy, and just, and good; but the devils do the contrary, they delight in all manner of sin and wickedness. Holiness makes saints and angels to resemble the ever blessed God, for the divine image consists chiefly in holiness (Ephesians 4:24). "The new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." Who are the men that have most of God in them? It is they that are most holy. Therefore it is that the Man Christ Jesus has more of God in Him than any man or creature, because He is fuller of grace than can be said of any other man or angel. It pleased the Father that all fullness should dwell in Him: of His fullness we all receive, and grace for grace. God gives not the Spirit of holiness by measure to Him, as He does to all others. More of God's glory is to be seen shining in that Man than in all the world besides. He is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:19). In respect of His eternal person, He is the essential image of God, the brightness of the Father's glory, and the express image of His person. And as Man He is the manifestative image of God; there is more of God to be seen in that holy thing, the human nature of Jesus Christ the Son of God, than in all angels and men. It is said of God that He is glorious in holiness (Exodus 15:11). His holiness is His chief glory. Yes, it is His life. The Apostle says of the ungodly Gentiles that they were [illegible] from the life of God (Ephesians 4:18), because they were strangers and enemies to holiness. The blessed God can no more cease to be holy than He can cease to be at all. So then holiness is a most lovely thing. Moral virtue, which is but a lifeless picture and shadow of holiness, is a lovely thing: if that does render the person in whom it is found to be amiable, real holiness does so much more. Whatever things are pure, they are lovely.