If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin
Human responsibility
The peculiar sin of the Jews, the sin which aggravated above everything their former iniquities, was their rejection of Christ.
He had been very plainly described in the prophets, and they who waited for Him rejoiced to see Him. But because Jesus had not the outward garnishing of a prince, they shut their eyes against Him, and were not content till they had crucified Him. Now, the sin of the Jews is every day repeated by the Gentiles. As often as ye hear the Word preached and reject it, so often do you in effect once more pierce the hand and the side.
I. IN THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL, THERE IS TO MAN’S CONSCIENCE THE COMING OF OUR LORD. He that despiseth us despiseth not us, but Him that sent us. As for what I may say, as a man, it is but little that I should say it; but if I speak as the Lord’s ambassador, take heed that ye slight not the message. Have we not all of us grossly sinned against God, in the neglect that we have often put upon the means of grace? How often have you stayed away from the house of God, when God Himself was speaking there? And when ye have come up, how often ye have heard as though ye heard not. In all this you have despised God, and woe unto you, except ye repent, for ‘tis a fearful thing to have despised the voice of Him that speaketh from heaven.
II. THE REJECTION OF THE GOSPEL AGGRAVATES MEN’S SIN. Now, understand, we do not increase our condemnation by going to the house of God; we are far more likely to increase it by stopping away; for in stopping away there is a double rejection of Christ; you reject Him even with the outward mind, as well as with the inward spirit. Your sin is not aggravated merely by the hearing of the gospel, but by the wilful and wicked rejection of it when it is heard. Because the man who does this
1. Gets a new sin. Bring me a wild savage who has never listened to the Word. That man may have every sin in the catalogue of guilt except one; but that one I am sure he has not. He has not the sin of rejecting the gospel when it is preached to him. But you, when you hear the gospel, if you have rejected it, you have added a fresh iniquity to all others. “He that believeth not is condemned already,” etc. “If I had not done among them the works which none other man did,” etc. “Woe unto thee, Chorazin!” etc. To reject Christ destroys a man hopelessly. The murderer, the thief, the drunkard, may yet enter the kingdom of heaven, if, repenting of his sins, he will lay hold on the cross of Christ; but with these sins, a man is inevitably lost, if he believeth not on Christ. Consider what an awful sin this is. There is murder in this; for if the man on the scaffold rejects a pardon, does he not murder himself? There is pride in this; for you reject Christ, because your proud hearts have turned you aside. There is high treason in this; for you reject a king.
2. He aggravates all the rest. You cannot sin so cheap as other people, you, who have had the gospel. He who sins ignorantly hath some little excuse; but he who sins against light and knowledge sins presumptuously; and under the law there was no atonement for this.
III. THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL TAKES AWAY ALL EXCUSE FROM THOSE WHO HEAR IT AND REJECT IT. “Now have they no cloke for their sin.” A cloak is a very poor covering for sin, when there is an all-seeing eye to look through it. In the great day of the tempest of God’s wrath a cloak will be a very poor shelter; but still man is always fond of a cloak. And so it is with you; you will gather, if you can, an excuse for your sin, and when conscience pricks you, you seek to heal the wound with an excuse. And even in the day of judgment, although a cloak will be a sorry covering, yet it will be better than nothing at all. “But now ye have no cloke for your sin.” The traveller is left in the rain without his covering, exposed to the tempest without that garment which once did shelter him. Notice how the preaching of the gospel takes away all cloaks for sin.
1. One man might get up and say, “I did not know I was doing wrong when I committed such and such an iniquity.” Now, that you cannot say. God has by His law told you solemnly what is wrong. If the Mahommedan commits lust, I doubt not his conscience doth prick him, but his sacred books give him liberty. But you profess to believe your Bibles, and therefore when you sin, you do wilfully violate a well-known law.
2. Again you might say, “When I sinned, I did not know how great would be the punishment.” Of this also, by the gospel, you are left without excuse; for did not Jesus Christ tell you, that those who will not have Him shall be cast into outer darkness?
3. But some of you may say, “Ah, I heard the gospel, and I knew that I was doing wrong, but I did not know what I must do to be saved.” Is there one among you who can urge such an excuse as this? “Believe and live” is preached every day in your hearing.
4. I can hear another say, “I heard the gospel preached, but I never had a good example set me.” Some of you may say that, and it would be partially true; but there are others of you, concerning whom this would be a lying excuse. Ah! man; you have been very fond of speaking of the inconsistencies of Christians. But there was one Christian whom you knew, and whose character you were compelled to admire. It was your mother. That has always been the one difficulty with you up to this day. You could have rejected the gospel very easily, but your mother’s example stood before you, and you could not overcome that.
5. But others of you can say that you had no such mother; your first school was the street, and the first example you ever had was that of a swearing father. Recollect, there is one perfect example--Christ.
6. One more excuse is this: “I had many advantages, but they were never sent home to my conscience so that I felt them.” Now, there are very few of you here who can say that. No, you have not always been unmoved by the gospel; you have grown old now, and it takes a deal to stir you, but it was not always so.
IV. I have now as it were to PRONOUNCE THE SENTENCE OF CONDEMNATION. For those who live and die rejecting Christ there is a most fearful doom. They shall perish with an utter destruction. There are degrees of punishment; but the highest degree is given to the man who rejects Christ. The liar and the whoremonger, and drunkards shall have their portion--whom do you suppose with?--with unbelievers; as if hell was made first of all for unbelievers. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Cloaks for sin: or excuses removed
No excuse for sin? That is a strange statement. Excuses have been one of the specialties of each sinner’s stock-in-trade from Eden. These “cloaks for sin” are “always on hand.” And yet Christ declares of those who wickedly and presumptuously reject the offered pardon and guidance, that they have no good excuse, “no cloak for their sin.” But you say, I “I have a valid excuse for not being a Christian
I. THE HYPOCRISIES AND WRONG-DOINGS OF CHURCH MEMBERS.”
1. I admit that some rogues are hiding their wolfish hearts under the deceptive wool of churchly professions. As Jacob, by putting hair upon himself and thus professing to be Esau, secured a blessing from blind Isaac, so some bad men have secured credit and confidence by stealing the livery of heaven to serve the devil in. One Sunday morning a dressmaker told her little niece to put on her things and take a bundle of dress goods under her shawl to the house of one of her patrons, remarking, “Nobody will see it.” The child replied, “But, Aunty, is it not Sunday under my shawl?” There are some professors to whom church membership is only a shawl to cover up sin. Such an empty profession affords “no cloak for sin.”
2. You say then, “I believe in a man living up to what he professes!” I answer, “I believe in a man’s daring to profess what he believes.” The outward and inward life should fit both ways. Do not think your strange eagerness to point out stains on Christian garments arises from pure love of truth and righteousness. Look down into your heart and ask, “Why do I so readily hear and so quickly believe and so promptly circulate, without investigation, reports against professing Christians” (Act_8:58)? Besides, Christians never profess perfection in conduct, but only in love, with sincere though imperfect efforts toward goodness.
II. But another says, “I have a real excuse--A GOOD MORAL LIFE IS A CHRISTIAN LIFE. I gave my old overcoat the other day to a poor man, and I give away to the poor more than anybody knows.” Let it be remembered that Dorcas was saved because she was “a disciple.” She did not hold up the garments she had made for the poor to cover up the sin of disobeying and rejecting Christ--indeed, she did not exhibit her charity at all; but those to whom she gave them praised her and not her own lips. This effort to cloak our sins is only a repetition of Naaman’s effort to hide and heal his leprosy by giving away changes of raiment instead of obeying God in His command.
III. Some of you are wrapping yourself in another cloak, which you think is fireproof asbestos--“GOD IS TOO MERCIFUL TO PUNISH ME. I don’t believe as you do about future punishment.” But the laws of the world assert that there must be punishment or atonement for sin, as well as the Old and New Testaments. But questions about endless punishment cannot fairly be made excuses for anyone refusing to accept personal salvation, as the only condition of conversion in the matter of belief is, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” “I don’t believe” is no cloak for sin when God challenges you to test religion. “Come and see.”
IV. Another wrap is, “I AM TRYING TO BE A CHRISTIAN IN A QUIET WAY. I don’t believe in talking about it.” As well might our soldiers have said in the late war, “We are trying to be loyal, but we don’t think that the order to wear blue uniforms and carry the stars and stripes and organize into regiments is essential.”
V. Another wraps a cloak of mingled humility and pride over his sin as he says, “I’M NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO BE A CHRISTIAN. I’m very conscientious and I couldn’t be a Christian without being a perfect one.” Hear that sick man saying, “I’m not well enough yet to send for the Great Physician.”
VI. Or do you say, “I TRIED THIS THING ONCE AND FAILED?” As well say, “I tried to wear an overcoat but I didn’t have it made carefully and it came to pieces in a little while, and so I’ll never try to wear another, however cold the winds may blow.” Throw away that shivering cloak of past failures as an excuse for sin and have another robe made more thoroughly than your first--the robe of Christ’s righteousness.
VII. Another cloak is, “I FEAR I SHOULD FAIL AND NOT LIVE UP TO MY PROFESSION. I have very unfavourable surroundings and a peculiar temperament.” Exchange that miserable cloak for the sword of Divine help and defence and “the whole armour of God” (Eph_6:11). As to unfavourable surroundings, there were” saints in Caesar’s household,” and also in the households of Ahab, Pharaoh, and other famous foes of God. Abraham reared his altar in the very midst of idolaters.
VIII. Or do you frankly say, “I COULDN’T BE A CHRISTIAN AND CONTINUE IN MY BUSINESS, and I can’t give that up, for a man must live?” Mark you, when every man gives an account of himself to God, church records will never appear in evidence. What is wrong is wrong, whether a man’s name is on the church book or not, and it is simply ridiculous to suppose you have a cloak for sin that will wash, because you can say, “My name is not on the church book” (Jam_5:2).
IX. Or do you wave that “cloak for sin” aloft?--“I WANT TO HAVE FUN AND FREEDOM A LITTLE LONGER.” “Only use not liberty as a cloak of maliciousness” (1Pe_2:16). Joseph, when tempted by the wife of Potiphar, left the outer robs she had seized upon in her hand and fled, saying, “How can! do this great wickedness and sin against God?”
X. Or do you offer the excuse, “CAN’T AFFORD TO BE A CHRISTIAN?” The church of Elijah and John the Baptist, with their rough camel’s hair coats, and of the widow who gave the two mites, is surely a place for the poorest. Think less of pews and pennies and appearance and more of the penitence and the inward adorning of the hearts.
XI. Or do you say by way of excuse, “I’M TOO BUSY TO THINK OF RELIGIOUS MATTERS? The care of the body is about all I can attend to just now.” That was Dives’ mistake. He was so busy in robing himself and family in purple and fine linen that he left his soul in rags and at last brought himself to hell’s robe of fire.
XII. OTHER EXCUSES
1. “Too old.” “He is able to save unto the uttermost.”
2. Too young? As Samuel wore the ephod of a priest at three years of age, so in early life any child may wear the robe of righteousness.
3. Don’t feel enough? When you have feeling the tempter will suggest the opposite excuse, “You feel too much excitement.” Between these two halves of his shears he is striving to cut in twain your offered robe of righteousness.
Conclusion:
1. What comedies are these excuses! To be frank and honest, most are mere quibbling, dilatory motions, talking against time. Such shallow excuses for absence from a business engagement would not be accepted--not even offered, and instead of providing a cloak for our sin, weave another scarlet robe of mockery for the Crucified (Mat_27:28). When Joseph was called before Pharaoh, he “changed his raiment” Gen_41:14). We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. Are you willing to appear there with no change of raiment, wrapped in these ragged excuses? Thank God that a change of raiment, a wedding garment is provided--a real cloak for sin (Isa_61:10). With this robe of Christ’s righteousness offered to us a real cloak to cover sin, shall we not, like the returning prodigal, throw away our ragged excuses and accede to that plan of God’s infinite love, “bring forth the best robe and put it on him.” As Peter threw off his outer robe when he plunged into the sea, that he might the quicker swim to Christ who stood upon the shore; as Lazarus was loosed from the grave clothes, so let us, lay aside every weight and the cloaks of excuse for sin that keep us back from God and Heaven, and let us first hasten to Christ, and run with patience the race that is set before us. As Lord Raleigh gallantly threw his beautiful robe upon the muddy ground for Queen Elizabeth to walk upon, so let us throw all our excusing cloaks of at the feet of Jesus and take instead Christ’s cloaks of zeal (Isa_59:17). (W. F. Crafts.)
The pleas of gospel impenitents examined and refuted
Gospel impenitents who finally reject Christ have no cloak for their sin
I. FROM ANY PLEAS OR PRENTENCES THEY CAN MAKE RELATING TO GOD THEIR MAKER. They cannot plead
1. That they are not invited to believe in Christ for salvation. The gospel invitation runs in indefinite terms, “Whosoever will, let him come.”
2. That they are not elected. It is not the undiscovered decree, but the revealed precept, that is our rule, according to which we are to conduct ourselves, and by which we shall finally be judged (Deu_29:29)
3. That God uses any compulsion, or exerts any positive influence, to keep them in unbelief and harden them in sin (Jam_1:13).
4. That there is any deficiency of suitable means on God’s part, or that He does not afford them necessary external helps for their believing in Christ Isa_5:4). He has given men the Bible, the Church, pastors and teachers, sabbaths, etc.
5. That there is a want of internal assistances, and a defect of necessary influences from God to make the means effectual. The fact is
(1) Sinners do not realise what God tells them of the necessity of His grace, and of their own impotency, but are apt vainly to magnify their own abilities, and to think every man of himself more highly than he ought to think.
(2) Sinners do not pray to God for His Spirit as they ought, although they confess their own impotency.
(3) Sinners under the gospel, whether they pray for the Spirit or not, do actually experience those assistances of common grace, which are a full vindication of God, and leave them without all excuse. The Spirit of God is often at work in their consciences. He convinces them of sin, admonishes them of duty, and stirs up their affections, desires, fears, and hopes. But here is the misery and folly of sinners: they do always resist and vex the Holy Ghost.
II. FROM ANY PLEAS THEY CAN MAKE REFERRING TO SATAN, AND AN EVIL WORLD, THEIR SPIRITUAL ADVERSARIES. They suffer no violence from external causes, nor will any impediments they met with in the way of duty, afford them a plea sufficient to justify their not repenting and receiving Christ. What or who should compel the sinner to refuse Christ? They may persuade and entice, but they cannot force. They may indeed use a violence upon the body, and hinder that from external duties; but they cannot reach the soul, to hinder repentance toward God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ (Jam_4:7). It is the fault and folly of sinners, they do not resist the devil. And then, if Satan has gained a power over any, which seems almost irresistible (2Ti_2:26), they have brought this upon themselves (Psa_81:11-12).
III. IT REMAINS, THEREFORE, THAT SIINNERS TAKE ALL THE BLAME OF THEIR SIN AND RUIN TO THEMSELVES (Jam_1:14; Joh_3:19). Gospel impenitents
1. Neglect to use, or trifle in using, those means which are in their own power, and which they might probably hope God would bless, in order to their salvation (Joh_6:27; Luk_13:24; Php_2:12).
2. Resist the methods of grace, which the blessed God uses with them, and quench the Holy Spirit striving in them (Isa_63:10; Act_7:51).
3. Do actually commit those sins, which, as they have a natural tendency to hinder their conversion, so they provoke God to withhold His special grace from them (Zec_7:11-12; Eze_24:13).
4. Do all this in a free and voluntary manner, and upon motives which, at the time, appear to them founded in reason.
Conclusion: Have gospel impenitents no cloak for their sin?
1. Hence we may learn the justice of God in the eternal condemnation of such in a future state.
2. Hence the awfulness of our standing under the gospel, and the miserable delusion of such as trust to mere privileges and externals in religion.
3. Hence the folly of delay in the grand affair of conversion.
4. If gospel impenitents are inexusable, who perish in their own iniquity; how much more such sinners as are voluntarily instrumental to the sin and ruin of others!
5. What abundant reason have they to admire the grace of God toward them, who after a course of great sin, under gospel light, have been converted! (T. Foxcroft.)
They hated Me without a cause
Hatred without cause
It is usually understood that the quotation is Psa_35:19. No being was ever more lovely than the Saviour; it would seem almost impossible not to have affection for Him. And yet, loveable as He was, from His first moment to the cross, save the temporary lull while He was a child, it seemed as if all men sought to destroy Him. In different ways that hatred displayed itself, in overt deeds, in words of slander, or in looks of contempt. At other times that hatred dwelt in their thoughts, and they thought within themselves, “This man blasphemeth.” All grades of men hated Him. Most men have to meet with some opposition; but then it is frequently a class opposition. The demagogue must expect to be despised by the rich, and he who labours for the aristocracy of course meets with the contempt of the many. But here was a man who walked among the people, who loved them, who spoke to the rich and poor as though they were on one level in His blessed sight; and yet all classes conspired to hate Him.
I. LET US JUSTIFY WHAT THE SAVIOUR SAID.
1. In Christ’s person there was an absence of almost everything which excites hatred between man and man.
(1) There was no great rank in Christ to excite envy. Let a man be ever so good, if he be at all lifted above his fellow creatures the many often speak against him. Now, Christ had none of the outward circumstances of rank. Instead of being lifted above men, He did, in some sense, seem to be below them, for foxes had holes, etc.
(2) Many persons envy those who exercise rule or government over them. If authorities were changed every month, in some countries there would be revolutions as much under one as under another. But this did not operate in Christ’s case: He did not assume sway over the multitude. In fact, instead of binding laws upon them which were severe, He loosened the rigidity of their system.
(3) Some men make others dislike them because they are proud. Somehow or other the human mind cannot bear pride; we always kick against it. But there was nothing of that in our Saviour. How humble He was! He would wash His disciples’ feet.
(4) There are others that you cannot help disliking, because they are so snappish, and waspish, and angry. But you cannot find that Christ spake one angry word, save those words of holy wrath against Pharasaic pride. Such a loving, kind, gentle spirit, one would have thought would have gone through the world as easy as possible.
(5) Another set you can scarcely help disliking--selfish people. But whatever Christ did, He did for others. “He saved others; Himself He did not save.” Self-sacrifice was the life of Christ; but He did it with such an ease that it seemed no sacrifice.
(6) Another sort of people there are that I do not like, viz. the hypocritical. But there never was a more unvarnished man than Christ. Among all the slanders men brought against Christ they never disputed His sincerity.
2. Was there anything in Christ’s errand which could make people hate Him? He came
(1) To explain mysteries, to tell them what was meant by the sacrificial lamb. Should they have hated one who made dark things light.
(2) To reclaim the wanderer; and is there anything in that that should make men hate Christ?
(3) To heal the diseases of the body. Shall I hate the physician who goes about gratuitously healing all manner of diseases? Surely, He might well say, “For which of the works do ye stone Me.”
(4) To die, that sinners might not die? Ought I to hate the substitute who takes my sins and griefs upon Him, and carries my sorrows?
3. Was there anything in Christ’s doctrine that that should have made us hate Him?
(1) Take His preceptive doctrines. Did He not teach us to do to others as we would they should do to us?
(2) Was it the ethical part of His doctrines that men bated? He taught that rich and poor must stand on one level; He taught that His gospel was to be gloriously expansive. This, perhaps, was one principal reason of their hating Him; but surely there was no justifiable cause for their indignation in this.
II. MAN’S SIN, THAT HE SHOULD HAVE HATED THE SAVIOUR WITHOUT A CAUSE.
1. I will not tell you of man’s adulteries, murders, wars, cruelties, and rebellions; if I want to tell you man’s sin, I must tell you that man is a deicide--that he put to death his God, and slew his Saviour; and when I have told you that I have given you the essence of all sin. In every other case, when man has hated goodness, there have always been some extenuating circumstances. We never do see goodness in this world without alloy. But because the Saviour had no inconsistencies or infirmities, men were stripped of all their excuses for hating Him, and it came out that man naturally hates goodness, because he is so evil that he cannot but detest it.
2. And now let me appeal to every sinner, and ask him whether he ever had any cause for hating Christ. But someone says, “I do not hate Him; if He were to come to my house I would love Him very much.” But Christ lives next door to you, in the person of poor Betty there. Why don’t you like Betty? She is one of Christ’s members, and “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these ye have done it unto Me.” Don’t you know a very holy man you cannot bear because he told you of your faults once? Ah! sir, if you loved Christ you would love His members. I must suppose you to be hostile to Christ, unless you love Him; for I know there are only two opinions of Him. You must either hate Him or love Him. Indifference with regard to Christ is a clear impossibility. A man might as well say, “I am indifferent towards honesty.”
3. And now, Christian men, I must preach at you. Sure ye have great reason to love Christ now, for ye once hated Him without a cause. Did ye ever treat a friend ill, and did not know it.
III. LESSONS:
1. If your Master was hated without a cause, do not you expect to get off very easily in this world.
2. Take care, if the world does hate you, that it hates you without a cause. (C. H.Spurgeon.)
