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4 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