I should fear Jehovah, and who is he that I should serve him?” Men go from bad to worse. Launch your boat in the current — it must go where the current takes it. Put yourself in the whirlwind — you are only a straw in the wind: you must go wherever the wind carries you — you cannot control yourself. The balloon can mount, but it cannot direct its course; it must go wherever the wind blows. If you once mount into sin there is no stopping. Take heed if you would not become the worst of characters, take heed of the little sins, they, mounting one upon another, may at last heave you from the summit and destroy your soul for ever. There is a great danger in secret sins.
15. But I have here some true Christians who indulge in secret sins. They say it is only a little one, and therefore they spare it. Dear brethren, I speak to you, and I speak to myself, when I say this — let us destroy all our little secret sins. They are called little and if they are, let us remember that it is the foxes, even the little foxes, that spoil our vines; for our vines have tender shoots. Let us take heed of our little sins. A little sin, like a little pebble in the shoe, will make a traveller walk very wearily to heaven. Little sins, like little thieves, may open the door to greater ones outside. Christians, remember that little sins will spoil your communion with Christ. Little sins, like little stains in silk, may damage the fine texture of fellowship; little sins, like little irregularities in the machinery, may spoil the whole fabric of your religion. The one dead fly spoils the whole pot of ointment. That one thistle may seed a continent with noxious weeds. Let us, brethren, kill our sins as often as we can find them. One said — “The heart is full of unclean birds; it is a cage of them.” “Ah, but,” said another divine, “you must not make that an apology, for a Christian’s business is to wring their necks.” And so it is; if there are evil things, it is our business to kill them. Christians must not tolerate secret sins. We must not harbour traitors; it is high treason against the King of Heaven. Let us drag them out to light, and offer them upon the altar, giving up the dearest of our secret sins at the will and bidding of God. There is a great danger in a little secret sin; therefore avoid it, do not pass it by, turn from it and shun it; and God give you grace to overcome it!
16. V. And now I come, in finishing up, to plead with all my might with some of you whom God has pricked in your consciences. I have come to entreat you, if it is possible, even to tears, that you will give up your secret sins. I have one here for whom I bless God; I love him, though I do not know him. He is almost persuaded to be a Christian; he halts between two opinions; he intends to serve God, he strives to give up sin, but he finds it a hard struggle, and as yet he does not know what shall become of him. I speak to him with all love: my friend, will you have your sin and go to hell, or leave your sin and go to heaven? This is the solemn alternative: I challenge all awakened sinners; may God choose for you, otherwise I tremble as to which you may choose. The pleasures of this life are so intoxicating, the joys of it so ensnaring, that if I did not believe that God works in us to will and to do, I would be in despair for you. But I have confidence that God will decide the matter. Let me lay the alternative before you: — on the one hand there is an hour’s merriment, a short life of bliss, and that a poor, poor bliss; on the other hand, there is everlasting life and eternal glory. On the one hand, there is a transient happiness, and afterwards overwhelming woe; in this case there is a solid peace and everlasting joy, and after it overflowing bliss. I shall not fear to be called an Arminian, when I say, as Elijah did, “Choose this day whom you will serve. If God is God, serve him; if Baal is God, serve him.” But, now, make your choice deliberately; and may God help you to do it! Do not say you will be religious, without first counting its cost; remember, there is your lust to be given up, your pleasure to be renounced; can you do it for Christ’s sake? Can you? I know you cannot, unless God’s grace shall assist you in making such a choice. But can you say, “Yes, by the help of God, earth’s gaudy toys, its pomps, pageantries, vanities, all these I renounce? —
These can never satisfy,
Give me Christ or else I die.”
Sinner, you will never regret that choice, if God helps you to make it; you will find yourself a happy man here, and thrice happy throughout eternity.
17. “But,” one says, “Sir, I intend to be religious, but I do not hold with your strictness.” I do not ask you to do so; I hope, however, you will hold with God’s strictness, and God’s strictness is ten thousand times greater than mine. You may say that I am puritanical in my preaching; God will be puritanical in judging in that great day. I may appear severe, but I can never be as severe as God will be. I may draw the harrow with sharp teeth across your conscience, but God shall drag harrows of eternal fire across you one day. I may speak thundering things! God will not speak them, but hurl them from his hands. Remember, men may laugh at hell, and say there is none; but they must reject their Bibles before they can believe the lie. Men’s consciences tell them that
There is a dreadful hell,
And everlasting pains;
Where sinners must with demons dwell,
In darkness, fire and chains.
Sirs, will you keep your secret sins, and have eternal fire for them? Remember it is of no use, they must all be given up, or else you cannot be God’s child. You cannot by any means have both; it cannot be God and the world, it cannot be Christ and the devil; it must be one or the other. Oh! that God would give you grace to resign all; for what are they worth? They are your deceivers now, and will be your tormentors for ever. Oh! that your eyes were open to see the rottenness, the emptiness and trickery of iniquity. Oh! that God would turn you to himself. Oh! may God give you grace to cross the Rubicon of repentance at this very hour; to say, “Henceforth it is war to the knife with my sins; not one of them will I willingly keep, but down with them, down with them; Canaanite, Hittite, Jebusite, they shall all be driven out.”
The dearest idol I have known,
Whate’er that idol be;
Help me to tear it from its throne,
And worship only thee.
“But oh! sir, I cannot do it, it would be like pulling my eyes out.” Indeed, but hear what Christ says: “It would be better for you to enter into life with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.” “But it would be like cutting my arm off.” Indeed, and it would be better for you to enter into life halt or maimed, than to be cast into hell fire for ever. Oh! when the sinner comes before God at last, do you think he will speak as he does now? God will reveal his secret sins: the sinner will not then say, “Lord, I thought my secret sins so sweet, I could not give them up.” I think I see how changed it will be then. “Sir,” you say now, “you are too strict”; will you say that when the eyes of the Almighty are glowering on you? You say now, “Sir you are too precise”; will you say that to God Almighty’s face? “Sir, I mean to keep such-and-such a sin.” Can you say it at God’s bar at last? You will not dare to do it then. Ah! when Christ comes a second time, there will be a marvellous change in the way men talk. I think I see him; there he sits upon his throne. Now, Caiaphas, come and condemn him now! Judas! come and kiss him now! What is holding you back now? Are you afraid of him? Now, Barabbas! go; see whether they will prefer you to Christ now. Swearer, now is your time; you have been a bold man; curse him to his face now. Now drunkard; stagger up to him now. Now infidel; tell him there is no Christ now — now that the world is lit with lightning and the earth is shaken with thunder until its solid pillars do bow themselves — tell God there is no God now; now laugh at the Bible; now scoff at the minister. Why men, what is the matter with you? Why, can you not do it? Ah! there you are; you have fled to the hills and to the rocks — “Rocks hide us! mountains fall on us; hide us from the face of him that sits on the throne.” Ah! where are your boasts now, your vauntings, and your glories? Alas! alas! for you, in that dread day of wonders.
18.
