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PHST PEELING AND GIVEN UP
“Darkened in their understanding, alienated from
the life of God, because of the hardening of their
hearts; who being past feeling gave themselves
up.’’
I
N studying “the gifts of the Spirit,”
we saw:
1. That there was the general gift,
the gift of divine favor.
2. The special gifts—apostles, proph
ets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.
We remember that the apostle was
distinctly addressing himself to the
Church.
In our study this morning we find the apostle
continuing his address to the Church, but drawing a
contrast between the Church and the world, or the
Church and the sinner. In so doing, he presents
two classes of sinners:
1. The sinner in general.
2. The sinner in particular.
Just as we saw the gifts of the spirit to be both
general and specific, so we find with respect to the
sinner, they are classified into two groups—the
sinner in general and the sinner in particular.
It is with respect to the sinner in particular that
I desire to speak this morning.
The sinner who, because of 4 ‘hardness of heart,
being past feeling, is given up.” What class of
sinners does the apostle refer to here? Who is
meant -when he speaks of those who are given up.
because of hardness of heart, and are past feeling?
As I see it, he is speaking of the class of sinners
spoken of in John 5:16: I desire that you shall see
in that Scripture what John is talking about. He
says: “There is a sin unto death. I do not say
that ye shall not pray for it.” He evidently meant
to teach that there is a sin which, when a man
commits it, he is past feeling and given up—given
up to anything that may serve his purpose best.
What is this sin unto death? What is this sin
which, when a man commits it, he is passed beyond
feeling and given up?
I do not regard that this sin is a mystery. I
do not believe it is a mystery beyond the comprehen
sion of man guided by the Spirit. For, I cannot
•conceive the motive of the Holy Spirit in calling
attention to this sin unless in some way, by the
Spirit’s help, we might understand the nature of
it. Neither do I believe this sin unto death, some
times called the unnpardonable sin, is a sin to be
determined by man’s idea of sin. We have away
of cataloguing sin according to the Decalogue. We
think, perhaps, murder is the crowning sin of all
sins. I would not be construed for a moment as
palliating the awful sin of murder. Some of the
rest of us may think that adultery is the crowning
sin. I would in no sense be construed as saying a
■word that would palliate such an awful sin. Some
of us may think lying, stealing, or something of this
kind, is the sin referred to. But none of these are
referred to as unto death, for we have examples in
the Scriptures of men having been guilty of all these
sins, that have been saved. We must believe that
it means something else, and it behooves us this
morning to find out what the apostle is talking
about. I think there are two phases of this sin:
BLASPHEMY.
The first is blasphemy against the Holy Ghost.
Jesus said to his disciples, “There is such a sin as
blasphemy against the Holy Ghost. When that sin
is committed, it hath never forgiveness. ” I know
there are teachers today who would have us believe
that this sin of blasphemy was peculiar to the times
and people when Jesus lived. Ido not believe this.
I do not believe the Holy Ghost would have record
ed a danger, and warned us against it if it were not
possible to commit it. I believe in no dispensational
truth that is not of permanent value to the world
at all times. I believe it is possible for today, and
possible for every man not saved to commit this sin.
At the time when Jesus submitted this teaching,
he was casting out devils. The Scribes and Phari
sees said that he cast out devils in the name of
Tabernacle Sermon by Rev. Len. G. Broughton.
Beelzebub. What did they mean? They meant to
attribute the work of Jesus to the devil. Imme
diately Jesus named that sin, and said, “It hath
never forgiveness.”
Now, my brethren, I believe that sin can be com
mitted today. I think it is possible for a man in
Atlanta to see a great work of grace, and then rise
in the strength of his own conceit, and say it is the
work of the devil. I believe if he says it, it is a
sin unto death, that is, if he says it from his heart,
and means it. There is a great deal of saying
that is lip saying, and does not go any further than
the lips that say it. There is a great deal of care
less talk. I am talking of the man who, down
deep in his heart, charges God with being the devil.
I hold that in this time, in this age of latitudina
rianism, and, if you please, platitudinarianism, that
it is necessary to get back, back to the eternal
truth, and stand on that. When we get back to the
eternal truth, there will be a revival of the preach
ing of our fathers, concerning the law of God. We
have talked love, humanitarianism, the brotherhood
of man, the Fatherhood of God, until we have al
lowed sinners to imagine that they can serve the
devil, and at last leap into the chariot,
and go .shouting home to glory. We have
got to get back to preaching that appeals
to the conscience as well as the heart. Men
have got to see the seriousness of sin and the aw
fulness of the wrath of Almighty God. It means
something for a poor sinner on this earth to laugh
at God and trifle with Flis grace. It means some
thing more than we imagine to go along spurning
the opportunites of grace, and then tramping upon
the love and blood of Jesus Christ. God is love,
blessed be His name! But oh! friends, hear me
today, God is also just. I feel before I leave this
point I must warn every man, however young or
however old, against speaking recklessly about God,
God’s work and God’s manifestations. Oh, to be sure,
much of what we see going on in the world may be
a bubble, or foam, and in speaking against that we
may not be speaking against God; but who knows
whether it is a bubble or foam? With what wis
dom has man been endowed to interpret God al
mighty? Lest we, therefore, commit the sin that
hath no forgiveness, I pray you in behalf of your
immortal soul, that must life with God or burn
in hell, be careful how you tamper with God.
PAST FEELING.
The other phase of this sin unto death, and the
one to which I think the apostle is referring, is
grieving the Spirit by hardening the heart until
there is no impression from God, and the sinner
is left without impression, and is, because of that,
given up. This is the most serious phase of the
subject. I am not afraid that many will be guilty
of the first phase, but oh, God knows I am afraid that
hundreds of you will be guilty of the second. I
believe there are hundreds of thousands of peo
ple that are guilty of the sin unto death. They
have so grieved the Spirit by hardness of heart
that He cannot make an impression upon them.
Let me lay down this principle which you must
never forget. No sinner ever came to God unless
the Spirit of God wooed him. If you are a Chris
tian today, my brother man, it is because the
Holy Spirit of God drew you to Jesus Christ.
There is nothing in the unregenerate nature that
looks toward Christ Jesus. Man is a whole wreck
from Adam down, physically, morally and mentally.
His whole being went down when Adam fell. When
you came upon this earth, you came morally de
generate. It is a false impression that you can
look to Jesus Christ by the screwing up of your
will.
When the Holy Ghost is withdrawn, because of
the hardness of your heart, so that He cannot make
an impression upon you, there is nothing left but
hell.
THE WAY THE SPIRIT DRAWS.
I was standing one day in the city of Alexandria
by the riverside, looking out over the Potomac.
The Golden Age for December 13, 1906.
A preacher friend was with me. As we stood there
and looked out upon the barks, boats and canoes,
we saw coming toward Washington, from down
the river, a huge steamer. She came up not far
from where we stood, and suddenly stopped. Then
the smoke began to roll from her smoke stack,
and her whistle began to blow. I could see the
sailors running here and there. I said: “What is
the matter with the steamer? They have evidently
run upon a snag.” Said my friend: “I suppose
they have struck the sand bar.” There they
stood, and could not move. Finally they blew the
distress whistle. A little tug boat was sent to
their rescue. We saw the tug as it came down from
Washington. The brave little tug steamed up as
close to the large vessel as was necessary. Then
there were great wire ropes thrown out, and the
sailors fastened them to the great steamer. Every
thing was made ready, and the tug boat began to
turn, and a cloud of smoke began to roll. It was
a pretty sight. There was power there. We saw
the old steamer rock and reel, and after awhile she
turned sidewise and plunged into the channel, and
the little tug boat carried her up to Washington
harbor.
I said: “What a wonderful illustration that is
of the salvation of a poor, lost sinner. He comes
lo the place in life where he realizes he is stranded.
His own conscience, touched by the Spirit, tells
him he is a stranded soul. He has tried all sorts
of, means, and finally the Spirit of God touches his
conscience again. He can only cry. Sometimes I
have known them to call on all sorts of help.
What else is to take place? He must realize
the fact that he is a helpless and undone sinner.
He must pull the cord, and send up the distress
signal to God Almighty. As soon as he surrenders
himself to the power of Almighty God, there is
help given. The tug boat, the Holy Ghost, fastens
himself to the sinner, pulls, pulls him off the sand
bar and carries him to the harbor of safety. There
is the philosophy of salvation.
Friend, hear me! When you have so hardened
your heart that you cannot be impressed by God’s
Spirit, the thing is done. When God says to you,
as He did to Ephraim, “Ephraim is joined to his
idols, let him alone,” I tell you, you had just as
well be in the flames of an endless hell, for there
is no hope. But can a man harden his heart that
way? Experience has proven it so. It is a perfect
ly natural process.
HARDENED BY DELAY.
I will tell you of a man in Richmond I know.
He was employed in a boiler factory, and assigned
on the inside of a boiler; that is to say, he was to
stay on the inside of the boiler and hold a brad
iron as the nails were driven in the boiler on the
outside. It wms a very tedious and a very hard
job. The first day he worked, he only stayed in
the boiler half an hour. His employer knew he
could not stay in any longer. Then he could stay
in the boiler an hour each day. He finally got so
he could stay in there all day and night and all
his life, for he was as deaf as a post. He could
feel the sound, but could not hear. The same sound
in the same way so long paralyzed the drum of his
ears so that he could not hear any sound.
That is what is taking place all over the world.
It is occurring this moment. Here is a man who
has been hearing the Gospel for a long time. He
can remember today how it used to be with him.
When he began to attend Church, he was easily im
pressed. A sermon went straight to his heart if it
had in it anything of a pathetic character. It was
frequent to have his heart throb with emotion. He
was seen to take out his handkerchief, and wipe his
eyes. He was seen to bow his head and weep. And
frequently when the congregation was led in prayer,
he was seen to bow his head, and whisper a prayer.
When someone would speak to him about his soul,
lie would welcome the approach, especially when
Mother would come to him, and put her arms about
his neck, and call him by that baby name, with the