When a man shall trespass on my ground, he shall be a trespasser though he have no warning, but if straight before his face there stands a warning, and if he knowingly and willingly trespasses, then he is guilty of a presumptuous trespass, and is to be so far punished accordingly. But you men have conscience, which tells you that your sins are vile, and that they will be your ruin; you bear the crack of sin, as its thin sheet of pleasure gives way beneath your feet; ay, and some of you have seen your comrades sink in the flood, and lost; and yet you go sliding on, worse than childish, worse than mad are you, thus presumptuously to play with your own everlasting state. Says one, "I intend tomorrow to go into such-and-such a society because I believe, though it hurts other people, it does not hurt me." You turn round and say to some young man, "I could not advise you to frequent the Casino-it would be your ruin." Say not, "I never can be drunken, for I have such an abhorrence of drunkenness;" thou mayest fall where thou art most secure. Instead, however, of enlarging upon that point, I shall close my few remarks this morning by just addressing myself most affectionately to such of you as are now under a sense of guilt by reason of presumptuous sins. Take heed! Site by Mere. Hold him in, Lord; he is apt to run away; curb him; put the bridle on him; do not let him do it; let thine overpowering grace keep him holy; when he would do evil, then do thou draw him to good, and when his evil propensities would lead him astray, then do thou check him." Paul's was a sin of ignorance, Peter's a sin of infirmity, David's a sin of presumption. He that sins once, being overtaken in a fault, and then abhors the sin, has not sinned presumptuously; but he who transgresses to-day, to-morrow, and the next day, week after week, and year after year, until he has piled up a heap of sins that are high as a mountain, such a man, I say, sins presumptuously, because in a continued habit of sin there must be a deliberation to sin; there must be at least such a force and strength of mind as could not have come upon any man if his sin were but the hasty effect of sudden passion. They receive it, they house it, they feast it; and when they sin they sin deliberately, walk coolly to their lusts, and in cold blood commit the act which another might haply do in hot and furious haste. Has God just commanded, 'Ye shall do no manner of work?' O that you who never knew him could taste his love now. What mean you? say you. Presumptuous sins can only be committed in suppression of the conscience and in spite of its appeals. Go home and confess that, confess it with cries and sighs. To what a shameful pitch of presumptuous impudence had Cain arrived when he could thus insult the Lord God. And O that you who are penitents would look to him now! Because over his head, immediately over it, there hung a sword, a furbished sword, suspended by a single hair. Then I will be upright. it is true. In the other case not so. From: New Park Street Pulpit Volume 3. Let me take any one of the sins; for instance, the sin against light and knowledge. Is it true that the best of men may sin presumptuously? There are some to whom lust is not a passer-by, but a lodger at home. First, then, WHAT IS PRESUMPTUOUS SIN? It is remarkable, that though an atonement was provided under the Jewish law for every kind of sin, there was this one exception: "But the soul that sinneth presumptuously shall have no atonement; it shall be out off from the midst of my people." my heart pants for you. But, oh! oh! M. To deliberate carefully how the crime is to be done, and, Haman-like, to build the gallows, and to set to work to destroy ones neighbor, to get the pit digged that the friend may fall into it and be destroyed, to lay snares in secret, to plot wickedness upon ones bedthis is a high pitch of presumptuous sin. A sin of ignorance is not presumptuous, unless that ignorance also be willful, in which case the ignorance itself is a presumptuous sin. "My faith would lay its hand On that dear head of thine, While, like a penitent, I stand, And there confess my sin." But one more point, and I think I shall have explained these presumptuous sins. "Keep, back thy servant also from presumptuous sins, let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.". O my God, how terrible is the presumption of some! And O! They do, as it were, water the young seedling of lust until it grows to the maturity of desire, and then they go and commit the crime. Now the presumptuous sins of our text are just the chief of all sins: they rank head and foremost in the list of iniquities. my Saviour, thou hast eased my aching conscience, thou hast given me peace; thou hast enabled me to say#151; "Now, freed from sin I walk at large; My Saviour's blood's a full discharge At his dear feet my soul I lay, A sinner saved, and homage pay.". If I might translate it into more metaphorical style, it is like this: Curb thy servant from presumptuous sin. Keep him back or he will wander to the edge of the precipice of sin. Again: I said that a presumptuous sin must be a matter of design, and have been committed with the intention of sin. I think such things, if not murders, are murderous. Is it not sad to reflect that Jerusalem was the city of the great , Am I My Brother's Keeper? However splendid might be the array of the servants, and however rich the dainties, yet he who had been invited sat there in agony. But it was not such guilt in him as it was in you, because your conscience checked you; your conscience told you of the danger, warned you of the punishment, and yet you dared to go astray against God, and therefore you sinned presumptuously. In the heat of some little dispute some one shall insult a man. A presumptuous sin also is one that is committed through a hardihood of fancied strength of mind. He was a patient man; he might have said, "I will never murmur; though he slay me, yet will I trust in him;" and yet he lived to wish that the day were darkness wherein he was brought forth. Just as the Israelites put blue fringes around the borders of their garments (v.38) to remind them of all the commandments of the LORD (v.39), so we should remember His commandments to us. There is enough corruption, depravity, and wickedness in the heart of the most holy man that is now alive to damn his soul to all eternity, if free and sovereign grace does not prevent. Perfection 3. And why? "Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins.". ", Will you just note, that this prayer was the prayer of a saint, the prayer of a holy man of God? A presumptuous sin also is one that is committed through a hardihood of fancied strength of mind. In this passage David mentions three: unintentional sins (sins of ignorance); hidden faults (sins I don't know are in me); and, willful sins (presumptuous or blatant rebellion against God). For now, I want to talk about sins of ignorance . Search LearnTheBible Sins of Ignorance and Presumptuous Sins The law that was given to the children of Israel by Moses made a clear distinction between sins of "ignorance" (v.24, 27) and sins that were committed "presumptuously" (v.30). that we might be enabled to cry, Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins.. It is clearly proved, in the one case, that the man was hungry, and that he snatched the loaf of bread to satisfy his necessities. that we might be enabled to cry, "Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins.". It is wrong to suppose that because all sins will condemn us, that therefore one sin is not greater than another. Where sin has none of these excuses it is a wilful, that is, a presumptuous, sin. If thou canst, then verily thy sin is presumptuous in a high degree. Thou art not so. That other man is accustomed sometimes to stand by the wayside, when the people are going to the house of God; and he swears at them, not because he delights in swearing, but because he will show that he is irreligious, that he is ungodly. Ay, and you have had warnings too in your own body; you have been sick with fever, you have been brought to the jaws of the grave, and you have looked down into the bottomless vault of destruction. Again: I said that a presumptuous sin must be a matter of design, and have been committed with the intention of sin. W. Binnie Numbers 15:22-31And if you have erred, and not observed all these commandments, which the LORD has spoken to Moses,Some sins are more heinous in the sight of God than others; more heinous in their own nature, or by reason of aggravating circumstances. It is not long ago since you were given up; all said they might prepare a coffin for you, for your breath could not long be in your body. Though we have not the freedom of beating our slaves to death, or of shooting them if they choose to disobeythough we have not the freedom of hunting men, or the freedom of sucking another mans blood out of him to make us richthough we have not the freedom of being worse than devils, which slave-catchers and many slave-holders most certainly arewe have liberty greater than that, liberty against the tyrant mob, as well as against the tyrant king. presumptuous sins and sins of ignorance. The distinction is familiar to all. And O that you who are penitents would look to him now! a sin-offering is to be presented with the accustomed rites, and the sin will be forgiven (verses 24, 25, 27, 28). In the one case the man dared to defy the sovereign, and defy the law of the land, willfully, out of mere presumption. He said to the policeman outside, Now, I care neither for you nor the law; I intend to go in there, just to see what you can do with me. I can suppose the magistrate would say to one man, You are discharged; take care not to do the like again; there is something for your present necessities; seek to earn an honest living. But to the other I can conceive him saying, You are an infamous wretch; you have committed the same deed as the other, but from very different motives; I give you the longest term of imprisonment which the law allows me, and I can only regret that I can not treat you worse than I have done. The presumption of sin made the difference. But he may also have a temperament which has this benefit to balance it, that he very soon learns to forgive, and cools in a moment. Those who crucified Christ, the most monstrous sin of all time, sinned in ignorance not presumptuously. Or sins committed in the heat of the moment when caught off guard. Predestination 2. In this our happy land it is just possible for a man to commit treason. You will go on in your lust and in your sins, despite warnings, despite advice, until you perish in your guilt. How could be rejoice? Fearful must be your doom if unpardoned, God should condemn you for presumptuous sin. But O, my unconverted hearer, thou art there this morning, man, with all thy riches and thy wealth before thee, with the comforts of a home and the joys of a household; thou art there this day, in a place from which thou canst not escape; the sword of death above thee, prepared to descend; and woe unto thee, when it shall cleave thy soul from thy body! "What mean you?" I would bid thee this day, sinner, if thou knowest thy need of a Saviour, go up to thy chamber, cast thyself upon thy face, and weep for sin; and when thou hast done that, turn to the Scriptures, and read the story of that man who suffered and died for sin. 3. And then what next wilt thou do? Not to your ears do I speak, but to your hearts. You would say, "My dear fellow, I know we are all hasty sometimesthere, now, I don't care at all for it; you did not mean it." my Saviour, thou hast eased my aching conscience, thou hast given me peace; thou hast enabled me to say#151; And oh! Remember verse 31 says that it brings despite on God's Word. I shall this morning, first of all, endeavor to describe presumptuous sins; then, secondly, I shall try, if I can, to show by some illustrations, why the presumptuous sin is more heinous than any other; and then thirdly, I shall try to press the prayer upon your noticethe prayer, mark you, of the holy manthe prayer of David: Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins.. Because in the one case it was a sin of presumption, and in the other case it was not so. You are saying, In a little time I will solemnly and seriously think of religion, In a few years, when I am a little more settled in life, I intend to turn over a new leaf, and think about the matters of godliness. Sir, you are presumptuous. I think such things, if not murders, are murderous. I would use the words that would be most rough and vulgar in all our language, if I could get at your heart better with them than with any other; for I reckon that the chief matter with a minister is to touch the conscience. Then you turned your face to the wall, and prayed; you vowed that if God would spare you, you would live a godly life, that you would repent of your sins; but to your own confusion you are now just what you were. I can suppose that you would ask no reparation of him, if by to-morrow you saw that it was just a rash word spoken in haste, of which he repented. But there be some sins which have in them a greater development of the essential mischief of rebellion, and which wear upon their faces more of the brazen pride which defies the Most High. Now, I think here must be one of four things in a sin in order to make it presumptuous. You will go on in your lust and in your sins, despite warnings, despite advice, until you perish in your guilt. May God Almighty bless you; and may we meet again in yonder Paradise; and there will we sing more sweetly of redeeming love and dying blood, and of Jesus' power to save#151; "When this poor lisping, stammering tongue Lies silent in the grave. PRESUMPTUOUS SIN. I hope it was so. The distinction is familiar to all. Canst thou yet make mirth, and yet procrastinate? However splendid might be the array of the servants, and however rich the danties, yet he who had been invited sat there in agony. You old experienced Christians, boast not in your experience; you may trip yet, unless you cry, Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe. Ye whose love is fervent, whose faith is constant, whose hopes an bright, say not I shall never sin, but rather cry out, Lord, lead me not into temptation, and when there leave me not there; for unless thou hold me fast I feel I must, I shall decline, and prove an apostate after all. There is enough tinder in the hearts of the best men in the world to light a fire that shall burn to the lowest hell, unless God should quench the sparks as they fall. Job might have said, "I will never curse the day of my birth;" but he lived to do it. In this passage David mentions three: unintentional sins (sins of ignorance); hidden faults (sins I don't know are in me); and, willful sins (presumptuous or blatant rebellion against God). As if to illustrate the principle, the story is immediately told of finding a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day (v.32). God's Spirit has found some of you out this morning. 1. The Present Challenges to Orthodox Protestantism, Go Big or Go Home? The highest saints may sin the lowest sins, unless kept by divine grace. They do not know certain things are sinful. Sir, you are presumptuous. For what reason? All sins are great sins, but yet some sins are greater than others. We will mark these points one by one. take heed, ye that are sodden in sin, ye that drink it down as the greedy ox drinketh down water, ye who run to your lust as the rivers run to the sea, and ye who go to your passions as the sow to her wallowing in the mire. But if this need to be the prayer of the best, how ought it to be the prayer of you and me? Psalms 19:13 chapter context similar meaning "Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great . Every sin has in it the very venom of rebellion, and is full of the essential marrow of traitorous rejection of God. Fickle Gods and the Wondrous Clarity of the Law. Well, but he might come down safe, if he were skilled in it. Yes, but it is presumptuous. Canst thou yet make mirth, and yet procrastinate? To be carried away, as by a whirlwind of passion, in a moment is wrong; but to sit down and deliberately resolve upon revenge is cursed and diabolical. Showing You have had strange things happen in your very street, and the voice of God has been spoken loudly through the lips of Death to you. They have sinned against God, not merely for the pleasure of it, but because they would show their want of reverence to God. how many people there are who are sinning presumptuously to-day! ye that have sinned presumptuouslyand who among us has not done so?bow your heads in silence, confess your guilt, and then open your mouths, and cry, Lord have mercy upon me, a presumptuous sinner., III. Yes, they do. If I hit your consciences, it was that I meant to do. As a youth I sinned, as a child I rebelled, as a young man I wandered into lusts and vanities: my Master made me feel how great a sinner I was and I sought to reform, to mend the matter; but I grew worse. Num 15: 30. I have said that the distinction between greater and lesser sins is old and familiar. Sir, your sin is a sin of presumption; it is a great and grievous one; it is one of the masterpieces of iniquity. You would say, My dear fellow, I know we are all hasty sometimesthere, now, I dont care at all for it; you did not mean it. But in this case, where a man has dared and defied you without any provocation whatever, you would say to him, Sir, you have endeavored to injure me in respectable society; I can forgive you as a Christian, but as a man and a citizen I shall demand that I am protected against your insolence., You see, therefore, in the cases that occur between man and man, how there is an excess of guilt added to a sin by presumption. Thou art playing with bombshells that shall burst and destroy thee; thou art sitting over the mouth of hell with a fancy that thou shalt not be burned. A Forgotten Fact about the Earliest Christian Movement. Notice that both are still sins. sin. If at your leisure at home you will turn to that passage in the book of Numbers, where it says there is no pardon for a presumptuous sin under the Jewish dispensation, you will find immediately afterward a case recorded. You, young man, were once tempted (and perhaps it was but yesterday) to commit a certain act. There is enough tinder in the hearts of the best men in the world to light a fire that shall burn to the lowest hell, unless God should quench the sparks as they fall. WEB: "'When you shall err, and not observe all these commandments, which Yahweh has spoken to Moses, And if you have erred, and not observed all these commandments, which the LORD has spoken to Moses,, a sin-offering is to be presented with the accustomed rites, and the sin will be forgiven, As for the presumptuous transgressor, the law holds out to him no hope, Cleanse thou me from secret faults." to Ah! . Now, every man sees that it would be just to make a distinction in the punishment, because there isconscience itself tells usa distinction in the guilt. They receive it, they house it, they feast it; and when they sin they sin deliberately, walk coolly to their lusts, and in cold blood commit the act which another might haply do in hot and furious haste. And why? It is not long ago since you were given up; all said they might prepare a coffin for you, for your breath could not long be in your body.
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