The Ways in Which Sinners Cover Their Sins

He that covereth his sins shall not prosper; but whoso confesseth and fvrsaketk them, shall have mercy. — Provkkbs xxviii: 13.

It is natural to all men to attempt to cover their sins — as natural as it is to commit sin. When Adam was called to an account for eating the forbidden fruit, he attempted to throw off the blame from himself, by saying, ‘’ the woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.” And when the woman was called to an account, she said, “the serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.” And it is remarkable, that children sometimes show the ingenuity of the serpent, in attempting to cover their sins.

The first thing, if possible, is to deny the fact. But when the fact cannot be denied, the next thing is to excuse and palliate their sin.

I will mention some ways in which sinners attempt to cover their sins. I shall confine my remarks to some of the ways in which they excuse themselves for neglecting the subject of religion.

One pleads that he has no time to attend to the subject.

Another says, I would become a Christian if I could, but I cannot.

Another cloaks his sin under the failings of professors of religion. He will not become a Christian, because there are so many hypocrites in the world.

Another says, I did not make my own heart, and how can I be to blame.

In these and many other ways, the sinner attempts to cover his sins.

But he shall not prosper. He shall not succeed. He shall fail of the object which he has in view.

If his object is to appear well for the time being, he will fail. It would have been better for him to have said nothing.

Does lie plead want of time. How must such an excuse appear? Cannot find time to attend to the concerns of his inniiortal soul! He can find time to attend to other things infinitely less important. And he must find time to die.

Does he plead that he would be a Christian if he could, but cannot? What an excuse is this! Do you, 0 sinner, really believe what you say? Is it so 1 Can you not repent of your sins? Can you not feel sorrow that you have sinned against God, and against Christ? What a heart must yours be! Is your heart so hard and obdurate, what, then, are your prospects? Can you go to heaven with such a heart? *’ After thy hardness and impenitent heart, treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of icrath.^’^

Again. Do you believe that God is such a being, that he will condemn you for not doing what you have no power to do? He has declared, that except you repent you must perish. And is it true that you cannot repent? Then your state must be dreadful.

But would you be pleased if others should tell you the same? Would you not be oflfended if ministers should tell you that you are condemned to eternal death for not doing impossibilities?

Does the sinner excuse himself for neglecting religion, because there are so many hypocrites in the world 1 What an excuse is this! Suppose, my hearers, there are hypocrites who are going down to hell. Is this a reason why you should neglect religion, and destroy )^our own souls? I am aware, that the failings of professors of religion, give great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme. But remember, that those who take occasion to blaspheme, are the enemies of the Lord. If you excuse yourselves and reproach religion because Christian professors disgrace their profession, remember that you proclaim to all the world, that you are the enemies of the Lord.

Does the sinner plead that he did not make his own heart? What an excuse is this! Suppose your neighbor should injure you, and should plead in his justification, that he did not make his own heart; would you be satisfied with such an excuse? Are you the only being who did not make his own heart?

The principle involved in this excuse, if true, will exculpate every sinner in the universe. All the fallen angels may plead that they did not make their own hearts.

Suppose a number of men in a boat. By some means, one of them gets overboard. He exclaims, how came I here? No matter, says one of his friends, let us help you into the boat. No, says he, there is an important question first to be settled; how came I here ‘? We cannot tell, says his friend. There are different ways in which you may have got where you are. You may have jumped overboard — or you may have been thrown overboard — or you may have fallen overboard in your sleep. But take hold of this rope. No — he replies, if you will not tell me how I came here, I am determined to drown.

Is it the sinner’s object to become a Christian; he will fail. No one ever did, or ever wmII, become a Christian by covering his sins. One reason why persons are sometimes long distressed, and obtain no relief is, that some secret sin is covered. “When I kept silence, my bones waxed old, through my roaring all the day.”

Is it the sinner’s object to quiet his conscience, he may not succeed. Sinners often plead excuses which their consciences tell them are not valid. If they succeed in quieting their consciences, they will certainly destroy their souls. ‘’He that being often reproved, hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy.”

But if those who cover their sins will not prosper now, what will they do on the day of judgment, when ‘’ God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil!”

The sinner who covers his sins, is only attempting to conceal one crime by the commission of another, and is thus continually making his condemnation more and more just.

But ‘’ whoso confesseth and forsaketh them.” Here is a term of pardon. Confession of sin is as much a term of pardon, as faith and repentance, and has the same promise. Ps. xxxii: 5. — 1 Kings viii: 47 — Jer. iii: 12, 13 — Job xxxiii: 27, 28 — 1 John i: 9.

Bat it is not sufficient for the sinner to confess his sin in words. The text says, ‘’ Whoso confesseth, and forsaketh them.” The sinner has to deal with the heart-saftrching God. If he does not break off his sins by righteousness, he cannot be saved. He must bring forth fruit meet for repentance.

‘’Shall have mercy” — who does not need mercy? What a sweet and joyful sound! 0, how reasonable the condition. If the sinner had one right feeling in his heart, he would esteem it a privilege to confess and forsake his sins, whether he was ever to receive mercy or not.

The language of the penitent is,

*’ Welcome, welcome, dear Redeemer,

Welcome to this heart of mine,
Lord, I make a full surrender.

Every power and thought be thine — Thine entirely,
Through eternal ages thine.”