4. This would seem to be the worst degradation of all — that man should not only sin his intellect and will and conscience away, but that he should love his shame, that his soul should be enamoured of its degradation. And yet, who does not know that even this is the effect of sin ? Through it men learn to love the base things of this world, and lose the power to love the nobler things. What is life to such a soul but shame? What shall death be but the beginning of an eternal bereavement ? All its affections are fixed on things of sense. All its delights and all its joys are bound up with the pleasures of sense. And when death comes and strips off the pampered flesh, and the world, which alone it is able to love, fades away like the baseless fabric of a vision, what shall eternity be to that soul but an eternal bereave- ment of all that it is able to love, and therefore an eternal torture and an eternal death ?
^ A Buddhist story tells of a man who had lived wickedly and became very ill and nigh unto death. In the fever he had a dream, and in this dream he was conducted through the under- world to the hall of justice in which the judges sat in curtained alcoves. He came opposite his judge, and was told to write his misdeeds upon a slate provided for that purpose. Sentence was then passed that he should be thrice struck by lightning for his sins. The curtain was then drawn back, and he faced his judge, to find there seated the very image of himself, and he realized that he had pronounced the verdict. He had unconsciously judged himself. There is a word that says, "Be sure your sin will find you out," which some seem to think means " Be sure your sin will be found out." This of course is quite beside the mark. It points to a man's sin avenging itself, tracking down its victim and demanding its pound of flesh. So " Be sure your sin will find you out," with emphasis upon the you. "He that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul." There is no escape from it.2
' W. L. Watkinson. » R. Mackintosh.
266 WRONGING THE SOUL
Though no mortal e'er accused you, Though no witness e'er confused you, Though the darkness came and fell Over even deeds of hell;
Though no sign nor any token Spake of one commandment broken, Though the world should praise and bless And love add the fond caress.
Still your secret sin would find you, Pass before your eyes to blind you, Burn your heart with hidden shame, Scar your cheek with guilty flame.
Sin was never sinned in vain, It could always count its slain; You yourself must witness be To your own soul's treachery.
The Winning of Souls.
a67
Literature.
Brandt (J. L.), Soul Saving, 7. Campbell (A.), in The World's Great Sermons, iv. 81. Norton (J. N.), Every Sunday, 418. Oosterzee (J. J. van), The Year of Salvation, ii. 178. Smellie (A.), In the Secret Place, 9.
Spurgeon (C. H.), Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, xv. (1869), No. 860 ; xxii. (1876), No. 1292.
„ „ The Soul- Winner, 219.
Stuart (J. Q.), Talks about Soul- Winning, 7. Warschauer (J.), The Way of Understanding, 231. British Friend, xix. (1910) 3 (E. M. Westlake). Christian World Pulpit, ii. 289 (E, Medley) ; xv. 334 (J. Morgan). Churchman's Pulpit : Sixth Sunday after Epiphany, iv. 216 (J. E. Vaux),
218 (S. A. Northrop). Free Church Year Book, 1902, p. 29 (A. C. Dixon). Homiletic Review, Ii. 453 (R. A. Torrey).
•68
The Winning of Souls.
He that is wise winneth souls. — Prov. xi. 30.
1. There is a striking difiference between the translation as given above from the Eevised Version and that with which we are more familiar in the Authorized Versioa The clause ran formerly, "He that winneth souls is wise." Thus rendered its meaning was not very clear, and was rather suggestive of credit laid to a man's account for winning souls. But the transposing of the sentence in the Eevised Version gives a much more illuminating thought, at the same time carrying out the idea contained in the preceding clause of the verse. " He that is wise winneth souls." Does not this imply that the man who is walking in the true wisdom shall win souls, not by specific effort directed to that end or from thought of credit or reward, but as a consequence, a natural result, of the influence of his character and life ? We are reminded of our Lord's picture-lesson of a lamp placed on the stand which " shineth unto all that are in the house." " Even so," He says, " let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
2. In the New Testament we find the Apostle James, with
whom religion is nothing if not practical, beautifully describing
the true wisdom. " Who is wise and understanding among you ?
let him show by his good life his works in meekness of wisdom."
Here again the Eevised Version is more telling in its simple
directness, and the whole passage strikingly bears out the thought