3 Sermon Illustrations on Sin and Forgiveness

FIRE CLUB." —The Rev. John Cooke, of Maidenhead, (Eng.) was once called on to preach at the opening of a chapel. Six years afterwards, a man came to him after preaching at Bristol, and told him that, at the period first referred to, he belonged to an awfully wicked society, called, "The hell-fire club," the members of which always endeavored to coin a new oath for each evening on which they met, the chairman deciding who had the preference. As this man was walking towards his club, he was asking himself what sin he had not committed, resolving he would commit it before he went to bed. His attention was arrested by the lights of the chapel, and the voice of the preacher. After some hesitation, whether he should enter the chapel for sport now, or as he returned from the club, he determined on the former. He entered as the preacher was repeating his text, "All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men; and whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come." He described the nature of the sin; the reason why it was unpardonable; showed who had not committed it, and proved that their sins might be pardoned. The man went home, locked himself in his bedroom, fell on his knees, thanked God he was out of hell, and prayed for the pardon which he was delighted to know he might yet receive, though he had often wished to die, that he might know the worst of hell. He read, prayed, heard the gospel, looked by faith to Christ, and soon enjoyed a sense of pardon, and the privilege of friendship with God. In his case he considered,

"Jehovah here resolved to show What his Almighty grace could do."

Is not much of our praying of as little significance as the profanity mentioned below:

Mr. Pierson was a man of no religious principles. Without exception he was the most profane man I ever knew. He would hardly utter a word without an oath. His habit of profanity had become so inveterate that it seemed almost as involuntary as his breathing. The wife of a clergyman, for whom he was working at one time, reproved him, when he pleasantly replied:

“Why, madam, I don’t mean anything when I swear, any more than you do when you pray.”--ASA BULLARD, “Incidents in a Busy Life.”