Lecture XIV: Folly's House

A fooliflh woman ii damorou: bIm is nmple, and knowMh notiii]^ Ftr she sitfceUi at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of tbf city, to call passengers who go right on their wis. Whoso is njoie, hi him tarn in hither: and as for him that wantedi understanding, dw saiUi to him. Stolen wipers are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pkap sant. But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her gneiti ace in the depths of helL** — Pboy. ix. 11^18.

In our last lecture irom this chapter, we saw that Wisdom it the Lord Jesus Christ, that he has builded a house, aad prepared a feast, and that he is inviting poor simple sisnen to turn in to him and be saved. We now come to opposite side of the picture. Another woman, but O how different! sits at the door of her house, and cries to the same passengers. She invites them to turn in and partakt of stolen waters, and bread eaten in secret.” But, ah! her guests are in the depths of hell.” I have litde doubt that uiis second woman represents the devil, the great enemy of God and man.

I. Thi name and character: A foolish woman is damorous: she is simple, and knoweth nothing.” This is the name and character of Satan: “Foolish, simple, knowing nothing.” Satan was once one of the brightest spirits that stood before the throne of God. He is called Ludftr, son of the morning: How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!” — - Isa. xiv. 12. There is reason to think that of all the creatures, he was the likest to the Son of God. All the ibllen angels were like morning stars, and Satan was the brightest of them alL When they fell, these bright spirits were darkened — ihej lost the Holy Spirit. They still remain full of amazia powers and faculties; but all distorted now. Satan himself has lost all his true wisdom. He is very crafity still, fill of cunning and lies, but he has no wisdom. He has no true knowledge or understanding. His name is Folly — be is simple, and knoweth nothing.

I shall give three examples of his folly: —

1. In the /all of man. It was Satan who brought about

Hie fall. He beguiled Eye through his subtlety. He wanted to destroy the glory of God. He wanted to rob Grod of the praise and glory which a holy world would have Tiven him, and he thought he had succeeded. He smiled when he saw man fall under God’s wrath and curse. But it proved the occasion of far greater glory to God than if man had stood. It proved the occasion of God manifesting Ills justice, his truth, his grace and love, in quite a new banner; so that God gets far more glory and far louder praise than if man had never fallen. The songs of the rep ieemed would never have been heard if man had not fallen. Batan thus showed his folly — he is simple, and knoweth aothing.

He wanted to make man miserable. He envied the happiness of Adam and Eve; when be saw poor dust and ishes rejoicing in the love of God, out of which he had been cast, he envied them and resolved to make them miserable. He said: ‘^ Ye shall be as gods;’ but he meant it as a lie, and so he deceived them, and brought the world under the curse of God« But God turned it into a blessing to them that are sared. It was the occasion of God sending his Son in our nature, and of our becoming united to Christ, clothed with a divine righteousness, and loved with the same love with which God loves his Son. We did indeed become as gods in a «ense which Satan knew nothing of. We are brought Bnr nearer to God, and are far more happy and glorious, than if man had never fallen. He wanted to make man his slave. He wanted to make him his drudge, to do his bidding — his oaptive, that he might torment him. But man by this became his judge: “Know ye not that we shall judge angels?”

2. //* the death of Christ, It was Satan who stirred men up to destroy Christ. He opposed Christ from hit bizth to his death. He moved the Jews and Gentiles igainst him. He entered into Judas, and persuaded him to betray Christ. He urged on the crowd to cry, “Crucify him, crucify him;” and the soldiers to pierce his hands and tuB feet By all this he destroyed himself. Christ, by his leath on the cross, destroyed the dominion of the devil over ill his own; and so he triumphed over the devil in his cross. By this Saan was shown to be a fool.

3. In the temptations of the saints, Satan, has great *nmity against the children of God. He stands at their -ight hand to resist their conversion. Afterwards he tries Q corrupt them from the simplicity that is in Christ. Hi

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aboots fiery darts at them. ‘^ He sitteth in the luiking-places of the Tillages: in the secret places doth he murder the innocent: his eyes are privily set against the poor.” — Ps. x. 8. He seeks whom he may devonr, and yet he has never been able to destroy one soul that believes in Jesus: “They shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of mj hand.” Their temptations are made the means of keeping them in the dust, and clinging tremblingly to the arm of Jesus — thus Satan is cheated of his prey. Oh, surdy ye are witnesses that Satan is simple, and knowetb nothing.

II. Thoie fthom Satan invites.

1. Simple ones and without heart. The same persons mentioned in verse 4. I showed you that Christ is caring for those that do not care for him — those who do not know their danger — those who are like Ephraim, a silly dove without heart — those who have no heart for Christ, v» heart for holiness — no heart for prayer — Gblliosi, who care for none of these things. It is a solenm and affecting truth, that Christ is not only loving them that love him, and seeking those who are seeking him, but he is yearning over those of you who are so much lost that you do not seek him — do not care for him. ^’ He is long-suffering to us-waid, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” Perhaps some may say. Oh, this is veiy comfortable doctrine, and we shall remain in our present condition. Ah! but observe, there is another seeking you, saying, <’ Turn in hither.” The foolish clamorous woman sitteth at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city, crying, *’ “Whoso is simple, turn in hither.” Yes, my brethren, Satan desires to have you, that he may sift you like wheat. Satan is striving to keep you living in your sins, till the day of grace is past and the day of reckoning has come. Every tavern you see is an open mouth of Satan’s dwelling. Every haunt of pleasure — the theatre — the dancing-room — the card-table — these are open doon into Satan’s dwelling, and he is busy inviting you in»

2. PoMengers who go right on their ways. There are none against whom Satan is so angry, or whom he so much desires to lead aside, as those who go right on their wayst When a man is awakened, and goes right on toward Jesus, crying, ‘’ What must I do to be saved?” then Satan begins to allure that man, and get him to turn quickly out of the way. When Qod spoke the commandments, Iscael bq[Mi

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to seek the Lord in lit earnest. Bat Satan aUuied them to turn aside and make the golden calf: ^Thej turned quickly out of the way.” So with Lot’s wife.

When a soul has come to Christ, and goes on his way roicing, Folly redoubles her cry, Turn in hither.” Satan lores well to get a joyful belierer to fall, Simon, Simon, behold Satan hath desired to have you, that he might sift yon as wheat.” Ah! do not say, I am on the right way, and therefore I am safe; Satan cries to passengers who go right on their ways.

III. TAs Inmtation: “Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant”

The pleasures of secret sin form the baits by which Satan albums and destroys thousands. It is not open sin that he first invites to. Many would shrink back if he were to OK^ose open sin all at once. He does not say, Come and be a drunkard — Come and be an open profligate; but he laTites you to secret sin. This is the way he destroys sanple ones, who are without understanding. He says, Oome and take a little secret sin; no one shall ever know. He does not allow you to remember that no sin is secret — that what you do in dark places is all naked and open to the eye of Him with whom you have to do — that the lusts and unclean imaginations in which you delight yourself are ail open as day before the eye of God, He says, They are sweet and pleasant; but he does not tell you that at the end it biteth like an adder. He does not tell you that the end of these things is death.

This is the way he calls those who are under concern, going right on to Christ. Stop, he cries; “Stolen waters are sweet.” Are you going to leave all your pleasures — the Qrlass, the dance, the song, the game, the pleasant companion? May you not take a little secret sin, and be saved too? You do not need to let it be known. Do it secretly, Ah, how many here have been thus turned quickly out of the way!

This is the way he calls those who are Christ’s own, groing right on the way of holiness. He invites to secret sin. A skilful fisher lets his fly fall gently on the stream: if he show the line or make the fly splash the water, the £aAk are alarmed, and the bait is thrown in vain. But he lets it fall gently and secretly upon the stream; the sharp barbed hook is concealed beneath the shining fly, and so the silly fish

19 caugbt. So when Satan catches men, he does not show die hook. He says, Take a little secret sin; do it so that none shall see, and none shall know. The poor believer catches at the bait, and feels the iron enter into his soul.

Beware of secret sin. No sin is secret. All is naked and laidopen, and all will be made known before an assembled world. Do not saj you do not need to fear, for it is but a small temptation. Satan always begins mth a small temptation. Take heed of going as far as you can in temptation without committing the sin. Thus fell Noah and Samson, and David and Solomon. She hath cast down many wounded; yea, many strong men hare been slain bj her.*

IV. The end of Satan’s house: “He knoweth not that he dead are there, and that her guests are in the depths of iell.”

Are there many who hear the voice of FoWy? Ah! look to your crowded taverns, teeming with God-defying brawle» — look to your theatres and other haunts of wicked pleasue crowded with shameless worshippers of Satan — look at your crowded steam-boats on the Sabbath, or your crowds of daring Sabbath-breakers that pollute the highway — )»ok t» the heaven-defying profanities of the Chartist meetiighouse. All those began with the ‘^ stolen waters that aie sweet, and the bread eaten in secret that is pleasant.* And what becomes of all that enter there? The deadaie there “— the eternally dead. Ah! this is the end of sin. ‘* What shall the end be of those that obey not the Grospel?” — 1’he depths of hell! Those who are now going right on their ways, who turn aside and die in their sin, sink into the depths of hell.

He knoweth not. Satan hides this from you. When Satan bids you enter, he shows you nothing but what b sweet and pleasant. The cup is sparkling, the lights are glancing — all that your eye can desire to see is there. But usk to see the inner chamber — ask Satan to show you the innermost room: “The dead are there, and her guests are in the depths of hell.”

Choose this day whose voice you will hear. On the one hand, Christ invites you to receive pardon, and a new heart, and eternal life. On the other hand, Satan beckons you to receive stolen waters, and then the depths of hell. O, pray that yopi eyea xsie^ li q’^^tv^ — >[css:^ that you may at be deceived £ot etem.Y*