“BE SURE YOUR SIN WILL FIND YOU OUT.”
By William P. Pearce
This is such a pungent, positive, personal statement that one with less timidity than its author fears to explain and apply it to an intelligent audience like this. But it is God’s word, and Paul tells Timothy that all of that word is “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” 2 Tim. 3:16. Most of the modern-day preaching seeks to please, rather than profit. It is an awful indictment, but it is no less true. Somehow ministers court applause; we like audiences with itching ears, who enjoy wit, elocution, or an ostentatious parade of learning and philosophy; but, God helping me, I would speak at this time as Paul exhorted, with “great plainness of speech” (2 Cor. 3:12), with this one thing in view—the conversion of sinners. I would preach as if it were my last effort with sinners standing on the very trapdoor of perdition, and clergymen before the tribunal with garments dyed with the blood of the lost, and behind me the Almighty, crying: “If thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.” Eze. 33:8. The words of the text take us to the trans-Jordanic territory during the wanderings of Israel. This section was the most fertile part of Palestinian regions. Here the “fat bulls of Bashan” grazed, and the tribes of Reuben and Gad came to Moses, and said: See here, Moses, this country just suits us. Having many cattle, we could not find a finer location. “If we have found grace in thy sight, let this land be given unto thy servants for a possession, and bring us not over Jordan.” The audacity! Secede and bring the anger of God upon Israel?—Nay; but let us compromise. “If ye will arm yourselves to go before the Lord to the war, and every armed man of you will pass over Jordan before the Lord, until he hath driven out his enemies from before him, and the land be subdued before the Lord: then this land shall be unto you for a possession before the Lord. But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out.” Num. 32:20–23, R. V. I wish you to note that— If you wish to know its definition, turn to 1 John 3:4, and read: “For sin is the transgression of the law.” If you wish to know its effects, take note of every weed, every storm, every tear, every pain, every murder, every death. If you wish to know its character, take note how it will dog the footstep, and at the right time expose every culprit. Nothing is so merciless a telltale. Nothing in its effort at self-concealment so exhibits itself. The angels in heaven conspired against the Almighty, but their sin sent them into a hopeless exile. Eve fondled it, but like a viper, it drove its poisonous fangs into her bosom, and ruined her race. Cain borrowed its weapons, but the blood of Abel secured the attention of the omnipercipient God. Achan went into partnership with it, but the buried treasure spoke to all Israel. David sipped its sweets, but the death of the illegitimate child brought bitterness. Gehazi smiled upon it, but it answered by a leprous frown. Ananias bargained with it, but it robbed him of life as well as of money. Judas embraced it when he kissed the Master, but it wove a hangman’s noose and used it. Cleopatra espoused herself to it, but it treated her to a cup of poison. In the transposed words of another, it stole the purple robe of Alcibiades, and gave him the robe of the slave. It was a worm in the bud in Bacon’s heart, the moth and rust that consumed the mind of Byron, and the vandal that grew by rapine and murder in the soul of Shelley. But you say: “Stop! Has not the enormity of the sin something to do with it?”—No; emphatically, no. My Bible says nothing about degrees or colors. Your sins may be small; but it is just such sins that curse humanity. ’Tis the little leaks that sink the ship, the little germs that strike individuals with the worst kind of diseases, the little thefts that lead to the penitentiary, the little passions that nerve one to murder, the little doubts that laugh at religion, little “not yet’s” and “don’t care’s” that blast eternity for thousands. It is your “little,” dirty words; your “little,” dishonest methods; your “little,” nighttime revels; your “little,” secret sins; your “little” doubts, that lead to dark-stained crimes. But remember each one knows no mercy. It may exhaust every means, but it never abandons. It is, as Bunyan said:— “The living worm, the lasting fire;
Hell soon would lose its heat, could sin expire.”
I wish you to note again that sin is— CERTAIN IN ITS DETECTION.
“Shall find.” What a positive assertion! Finite minds can not draw up a stronger guaranty than this. It does not say when, nor how, nor where, but shall. Plutarch tells of a Spartan youth who stole a fox, hid it under his coat, and chose to let the animal tear out his bowels rather than to discover his theft. In this manner he was found out. I read of a Chicago detective capturing a pickpocket. He had an ingenious trap into which the thief thrust his hand when picking the pocket, and it caught him like a rat in a trap. Found out! Several years ago a young man slew his brother, and for many months was thought innocent; but when his brother’s head was brought into court, the sightless eyes seemed to look through him, the silent mouth to speak to him, and he confessed his guilt. Found out! A man was employed to whiten the walls of a room; the fluid used was colorless until dried. Being left alone, he opened a drawer, examined a pocket-book, and handled the papers, but finding no money, placed all things as they were, forgetting that twelve hours’ drying would show the marks of his wet fingers, and thus expose his guilt. Found out! In Sing-Sing is a burglar serving a fourteen years’ term. He broke into an artist’s home at New Rochelle, and carried off many valuables. The only clue to the thief was his footprints clearly marked in the dust on the floor of the piazza. He had taken off his shoes so as to make no noise; and, as he wore no stockings, the marks on the soles of his feet were as clearly marked on the dust as a seal impresses itself on paper. The artist made a careful drawing of the footprint, and when, later, the sole of the foot of an arrested suspect was compared with the artist’s drawing, it was found to correspond exactly. He frankly confessed. Found out! When a boy, I was a weaver in an elastic factory. At one time I noticed that my full bobbins disappeared, and empty ones took their place. I was anxious to find out who would resort to such a method, so I had the bobbin-girl make me some extra large bobbins. They were of white cotton, but about a quarter of the way down I had her tie a black thread several yards in length. I set the pin-holder on my loom, and seeing that everything was in order, went out. When I returned, my bobbins were gone, and smaller ones were in their place. I did not need to wait long. The weaver behind me, a man of about fifty years, was in difficulty. He had filled his shuttles with my bobbins, and after a few minutes’ absence returned, to find that his beautiful white elastic had an inch or two of black interwoven, which cost him much time and labor to remove. His sin found him out; and in its detection, sin will find out every sinner. It will sting the conscience, pain the heart, mark the character, curse the life, and unless forgiven make death sad and eternity awful. I wish you to note again that sin is— PERSONAL IN ITS APPLICATION.
“You.” Etiquette says, “Present company excepted;” but God’s word does not stand on etiquette. When it says others, others it means; and when it says you, it means you. It is well enough to talk of Bible characters, and historic characters, and social characters, but my text is as pointed as an arrowhead, and as personal as it is possible for it to be. “Be sure your sin will find you out.” I would ring out the warning cry to every guilty person of whatever social standing. You liar, who would warp, distort, and crush truth to meet your ends: you slanderer, who would murder the reputation of another to advance your interest: you blasphemer, who take the name of the Father and the Son to elaborate your utterances: you inflated person, beneath whose decorations of pride is a heart as vain as mortal fool can cultivate: you worshipper of Mammon, “who, disdaining all commerce with heaven and the future, and knowing no Bible but your ledger, make gold your god and gain your shrine:” you miser, who hoard up every dollar your covetous fingers can get a hold on; who shut up the bowels of compassion and lock the door of sympathy to those in need: you extortioner, who drive, with a lash worse than scorpion thongs, men and women to the wall; who demand unlawful interest and foreclose mortgages when you get a chance: you thief, who would secretly steal, put your property in your wife’s name to avoid paying your creditors, or “break,” as it is called, paying a certain per cent when you could and should pay one hundred cents on the dollar: you adulterer and adulteress, who violate the marriage vow, and with the subtlety of your master, the devil, revel in the infatuation of vice: you lawyer, who defend a client whom you know is in the wrong: you physician, who resort to malfeasance to cover up the sins of those who parley with the baser passions: you pleasure-seeking church member, who would rather sit over a game of cards, or watch an indecent play, or be entwined in the arms of another on the dance floor, than go to that “monotonous prayer-meeting:” you hypocrite, who, under580the mask of a Christian profession, will go to church, yet secretly enter the saloon and the immoral den; who can pray if necessity require, but will not pay your debts; who like the society of God’s people when convenient, but who will pander and joke with the vilest when needing their votes,—all you children of ungodliness, remember that, as God liveth, those very sins will find you out. They will expose some of you on earth, and all of you in that day which God has foreordained—that day when there will be no deeds of amnesty, no compensatory arrangements, no prayers heard, no sins forgiven, no stains washed away, no guilt expunged, and no bail allowed. No, the light of judgment will fall on all, will reveal all, will test all. Then hidden sins will be revealed, conscience will lift up her voice and weep, the injured will make their accusations. And in God’s name tell me how will you be able to refute them? How? Tell me what will you do then? What will you say then? What will you learn then? What?—This truth of God’s infallible word: “Be sure your sins will find you out.” But in closing, let me speak of— teaching this lesson, that, instead of allowing sin to be our detective, we should detect sin. Instead of sin finding us out, we should find out sin. Instead of sin destroying our souls, we should destroy sin. In other words, we should have vengeance upon it wherever and whenever we find it; for it is the cause of every sad heart and tear-stained eye; the cause of the murder of Heaven’s best Gift, and the banishment of sinners to hell’s worst place. But I have great comfort to offer. There is forgiveness and cleansing. There is a Saviour who saves from sin. “My friends, I have something for sale,” cried Rowland Hill as Lady Ann Erskine drove up in her carriage when he was preaching outdoors. “My friends, I have something for sale; it is the soul of Lady Ann Erskine. Is there anyone here who will bid for it? Ah, do I hear a bid? Who bids?—Satan bids. Satan, what will you give for her soul? ‘I will give riches, honor, and pleasure.’ But stop; do I hear another bid?—Yes, Jesus Christ bids. Jesus, what will you give for her soul? ‘I will give eternal life.’” Turning to Lady Ann Erskine, he said: “You have heard the two bids; which will you take?” And Lady Ann fell on her knees, and cried out, “I will have Jesus.” That is it, sinner—Jesus. That is he whom I wish you to have to-night—Jesus. That is he who can forgive sins, blot out sins, and save the sinful soul—Jesus. Walk up these aisles, thou Lamb of God; knock at each heart’s door, thou sinless One; speak to these who reject thy counsel. Stretch forth thy hand and open each blind eye, that all may see thee—thee who didst die, but now livest—thee whom angels revere and devils fear—thee who savest all who come to thee. O Jesus, Jesus, thou Son of God, save some one here to-night. O Jesus, Jesus, thou Prince of Peace, impart peace to some soul to-night.