Evening and Morning
By Charles Haddon Spurgeon
March 11
MORNING
ÒSin . . .
exceeding sinful.Ó — Romans 7:13
Beware of light thoughts of sin. At the time of
conversion, the conscience is so tender, that we are afraid of the slightest
sin. Young converts have a holy timidity, a godly fear lest they should offend
against God. But alas! very soon the fine bloom upon
these first ripe fruits is removed by the rough handling of the surrounding
world: the sensitive plant of young piety turns into a willow in after life,
too pliant, too easily yielding. It is sadly true, that even a Christian may
grow by degrees so callous, that the sin which once startled him does not alarm
him in the least. By degrees men get familiar with sin. The ear in which the
cannon has been booming will not notice slight sounds. At first a little sin
startles us; but soon we say, ÒIs it not a little one?Ó Then there comes
another, larger, and then another, until by degrees we begin to regard sin as
but a little ill; and then follows an unholy presumption: ÒWe have not fallen
into open sin. True, we tripped a little, but we stood upright in the main. We
may have uttered one unholy word, but as for the most of our conversation, it
has been consistent.Ó So we palliate sin; we throw a cloak over it; we call it
by dainty names. Christian, beware how thou thinkest
lightly of sin. Take heed lest thou fall by little and little. Sin, a little thing? Is it not a poison? Who knows its
deadliness? Sin, a little thing? Do not the little
foxes spoil the grapes? Doth not the tiny coral insect build a rock which wrecks a navy? Do not little strokes fell lofty
oaks? Will not continual droppings wear away stones? Sin, a
little thing? It girded the RedeemerÕs head with thorns, and pierced His
heart! It made Him suffer anguish, bitterness, and woe. Could you weigh the
least sin in the scales of eternity, you would fly from it as from a serpent,
and abhor the least appearance of evil. Look upon all sin as that which
crucified the Saviour, and you will see it to be
Òexceeding sinful.Ó
EVENING
ÒThou shalt be
called, Sought out.Ó — Isaiah 62:12
The surpassing grace of God is seen very clearly in
that we were not only sought, but sought out. Men seek
for a thing which is lost upon the floor of the house,
but in such a case there is only seeking, not seeking out. The loss is more
perplexing and the search more persevering when a thing is sought out. We were
mingled with the mire: we were as when some precious piece of gold falls into
the sewer, and men gather out and carefully inspect a mass of abominable filth,
and continue to stir and rake, and search among the heap until the treasure is
found. Or, to use another figure, we were lost in a labyrinth; we wandered
hither and thither, and when mercy came after us with the gospel, it did not
find us at the first coming, it had to search for us and seek us out; for we as
lost sheep were so desperately lost, and had wandered into such a strange
country, that it did not seem possible that even the Good Shepherd should track
our devious roamings. Glory be to unconquerable
grace, we were sought out! No gloom could hide us, no filthiness could conceal
us, we were found and brought home. Glory be to infinite love, God the Holy Spirit restored us! The
lives of some of GodÕs people, if they could be written would fill us with holy
astonishment. Strange and marvellous are the ways
which God used in their case to find His own. Blessed be His name, He never
relinquishes the search until the chosen are sought out effectually. They are
not a people sought to-day and cast away to-morrow.
Almightiness and wisdom combined will make no failures, they shall be called,
ÒSought out!Ó That any should be sought out is matchless grace, but that we
should be sought out is grace beyond degree! We can find no reason for it but
GodÕs own sovereign love, and can only lift up our heart in wonder, and praise
the Lord that this night we wear the name of ÒSought out.Ó