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The Law of Sin.
“For what shall it profit a man if he gain the
whole world and lose his own soul?’’ Mark 8: 36.
E are carried away at this day and time
with the idea of law—natural law, phy
sical law and moral law. It is a day
of law. We like to think of the law
that governs the earth. We like to
think of the law that governs elec
tricity. There was just as much elec
tricity in the Garden of Eden when
Adam and Eve walked up and down its
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beautiful gardens as there is today; yet for years
the world was in utter ignorance of the mighty
fact. Until man became inspired, as it were, with
ability to comprehend the law that governs this
force, it was practically useless.
We like to think of the law that governs steam,
which by proper use men set to the turning of the
mighty mass of machinery which turns the com
merce of the world. Yet we may remember that
for hundreds of years steam was practically use
less. Man had not appreciated the fact that there
was a definite, fixed law that governs steam. And
so with all force. There are always laws that gov
ern it.
Now, sin has its definite law. And it is my pur
pose to discuss with you, as best I can, some of
these laws.
What Is Sin?
There are those who would have us believe that
sin is a mere infirmity, a weakness. The Apostle
John gives us a good definition of sin: “Sin is a
transgression of the law.” The moment I trans
gress the law of God, I am a sinner. Then, he
gives us another definition of sin: “All unrigh
teousness is sin.” A man said to me some time
ago: “I have not committed a sin in fifteen
months.” I am sure he was wrong. I believe it
grew out of a wrong conception of sin. Grant we
have not committed known sin in the last fifteen
months. When we have said that much, we have
not begun to touch the question of sin. I said to
this man: “Here is a man who stays in your store;
has been with you two years; sits by you every
day; boards in your home, and he is akin to you by
blood. Have you ever spoken to that man about his
soul’s salvation ? Have you ever tried to lead him
to Christ? Have you ever knelt down by him, and
prayed for his salvation? He told me you had nev
er spoken to him about his soul. Do you know you
have failed to do for that man what you should
have done? Do you not call that sin?”
It is a question that goes deep. It is a question
that goes down and shows up the very heart root of
our nature.
John also says: “Ye are condemned already be
cause ye have not believed.” That is to say, un
belief in Christ is sin. The simple failure of a
man to accept Christ is sin.
Not a Sinner.
I remember going down the aisle of one of the
churches in Norfolk, Va., to a beautifully dressed
woman. I had asked all who were Christians to
stand. I said to her: “I see you are not standing.
I presume you are a sinner.” Said she: “I hope
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you do not think I am a sinner.” “Are you a
Christian?” I asked. “Oh, no,” she replied, “but
I want you to understand lam not a sinner.” Then
I asked: “If you are not a Christian, and you are
not a sinner, what are you?” Her reply was, “I
am a respectable woman.” “But in the sight of
Almighty God, you are a sinner,” said I.
It is not the overt sin or some wilful violation
of a known law that sends a man to hell. Mur
der never sent anybody to hell. Drunkenness nev
er sent anybody to hell. Lying never sent anybody
to hell. It is the thing that lies back behind the
overt transgression. Jesus Christ said: “Ye are
condemned already.” Not because you have broken
the moral law, but because “ye have not believed.”
Unbelief is back of the overt act.
My brother, you might be the most upright, moral
man in the community, but unless you accept Christ,
you are lost world without end. Right beside
the murderer, thief and liar, you go to the bottom
less pit of hell.
When Is Man a Sinner?
Since this tis sin, when does man become a sin
ner? Some may say he becomes a sinner when
he does his first known wrong, when he arrives at
the age of accountability and violates the law.
Others would have us believe that a man becomes a
sinner the moment he arrives at the period of per
sonal responsibility, that is, when he passes from
the state of irresponsibility into the state of re
sponsibility he becomes a sinner. Let us see the
Scriptural view of sin. Thank God, I stand with
the Bible. Man is a sinner from the day he is
born. David said: “I was shapen in iniquity, and
in sin did my mother conceive me.” From the
very day you become a soul, you are in sin, and
therefore, need an atoning Christ to keep you from
hell.
“You mean to say,” says one, “that I am to be
responsible for Adam’s devilment in Eden?” “Yes
sir. You can understand that when you look at it
in the light of general headship. If I go plunge
into disgrace, that innocent boy of mine, who has
nothing in the world to do with my conduct, has to
share in the result. My wife, who has nothing in
the world to do with it, has to share in the result.
If I were to give up my job to play .mumble-peg
for three months, and my credit should give out,
and I could not get a thing to eat, my boy would
get lean like me, all because he is my child.”
That reminds me of a mother I knew. She had a
boy about nine or ten years of age. She brought
him out, and had him perform for me. This mother
thought he was very bright, and so he was. The
child was converted, and wanted to join the Church.
When he told his mother what he wished to do, she
said: “No, sir, you can not join the Church, be
cause you are not old enough.” The minute the
child wanted to serve the Lord, she had the biggest
idiot in town.
Suppose the President of the United States should
raise an army, and go out to whip a nation. Sup
pose I should lift my voice to prevent his doing
such a thing. It would not make any difference; he
is determined to go to war. Suppose half the Uni
ted States should protest. It would do no good.
Half the English people were not in favor of the
war in Africa. Yet their sons had to go to war,
and be killed because of their royal headship. The
war was the will of England’s head.
It is in keeping with natural law that we have
to suffer the result of our forefather’s sin in Eden.
Only understand the nature of sin above every
thing else in this world, and it will work out sur
prising results.
Some Results of Sin. '
What are some results of sin ? First, upon the
human mind. I had an experience the other day I
The Golden Age for August 30, 1906.
Len G. Broughton
shall never forget. A young fellow, who had been
a prominent lawyer in Tennessee, boarded the train
as I was coming home. He was in charge of a
policeman who was carrying him to an asylum. I
asked what was the cause of his insanity. The po
liceman replied: “The doctors say it is from
smoking cigarettes.” We went on three or four
stations when a man brought a woman in the coach.
It seemed it was a regular day for lunatics. I ask
ed why she was insane. I cannot repeat the story,
but it was a story of straight out sin.
Do you know why it is so hard to agree on
whether a thing is right or wrong? You may 'Start
out and ask men if they think a certain thing is
wrong. Ono will say: “'I think it is right.” An
other, “I think it is wrong.” Still another will
say, “I think it is ‘sorter’ right.” Why all this
difference about sin? It is because of sin. I heard
of a little scrap of a country boy, tallow-faced, his
pants too short, his coat cut too soon, his hat run
to seed, that illustrates my point. As he went
down the street, he saw a man with a canary bird
for sale. This young fellow went up to him, and
said: “What do you ask for him?” “Three dol
lars,” was the reply. “Gosh,” said the boy, “he
hasn’t got three cents worth of meat on him.” He
was simply judging a canary by his idea of bird
meat. So, with our judgment of sin; we judge from
the viewpoint of sin in us.
Look at the effect of sin on a man’s body. You
are as afraid of sin as yon can be. I tell you, there
is a disease that is universal. It has done more to
damn men than all the epidemics and plagues that
ever came to this old world. Take a few types:
Lock at those little tallow-faced children. What
is the matter? The poor little things have dropsy.
That is simply a doctors’ term to cover up a lot of
ignorance. Their father died of Brights disease.
For five or six generations, that means Brights dis
ease, unless great care is exercised. You are not
only wrecking and ruining your own body, but you .
are wrecking and ruining the bodies of those who
will look in your face some day, and call you father.
I had a man come to me once, just after I had
spoken along this line, and say: “Look here, I do
not want you ever to talk that way again. My
child seems to come in, and step on my very heart,
and charge me with his own frail body.”
It was true. Long ago, that man’s child died,
and is now’ in Heaven.
Sin and Conscience.
But, my friends, look at the effect of sin on a
man’s conscience. Surely, there is not a man who
will not agree that this is awful. What is that
which will not let you sleep at night? “Oh,” you
say, “it is insomnia.” That might be true, but
nine times out of ten, it is the effect of sin on your
conscience.
One night I preached on hell. During the couse
of my sermon, I took occasion to say a few things
about memory in hell. That night as I approached
tho house where I was staying, I saw a man on the
porch. He was talking to the lady with whom I
was staying, and I observed he was crying. I went
in, and sat down. In a few minutes, she came in,
and asked me to come out, and talk to this young
man. He put his arms around my neck, and said,
“I want you to pray for me. You said tonight,
‘There are men in this house who, if they do not
come out from a life of sin will disgrace them
selves and the community and all those dear to
them.’ I have a wife and children. If something
does not take place, I do not know what is to be
come of me.” The next day, before the afternoon
service, I was up in my room studying. Some one
knocked. I went to the door. It was my hostess.
Said she, “I wish you would come downstairs.
Something has to be done. That fellow is about to