Holy hatred – Thomas Brooks
“I hate every false way.” Psalm 119:104
Where there is real holiness, there is a holy hatred, detestation, and indignation against all ungodliness and wickedness.
A holy man knows that all sin strikes . . .
at the holiness of God,
at the glory of God,
at the nature of God,
at the being of God,
at the law of God
and therefore his heart rises against all sin.
He looks upon every sin as a grieving of the Spirit, as a vexing of the Spirit, and as a quenching of the Spirit; and so nothing will satisfy him but the ruin of them all. He looks upon every sin
as a dishonor to God,
as an enemy to Christ,
as a wound to the Spirit,
as a reproach to the gospel,
as a moth to his holiness and therefore
his heart and his hand are against every sin.
He looks upon every sin . . .
as that Judas who betrayed Christ;
as that Pilate who condemned Christ;
as those soldiers who scourged Christ;
as those spears which pierced Christ.
He looks upon every sin as having a hand in the death of his Savior and therefore he cries out, “Crucify them all, crucify them all!
Look! as every lion has his den, every dog his kennel, every swine his sty, and every crow his nest just so, every unholy person has one sin or another, to which his heart is engaged and married; and that sin will undo him forever!
As Lysimachus lost his earthly kingdom by drinking one draught of water just so, many lose a heavenly kingdom by indulging some one sin or another.
One flaw spoils the diamond,
one treason makes a traitor,
one wrong turn brings a man quite out of the way,
one leak sinks the ship,
one wound strikes Goliath dead,
one Delilah betrays Samson,
one broken wheel spoils the whole clock,
one dead fly spoils the whole box of ointment.
And as one bastard son destroyed Gideon’s seventy sons, (Judges 8,) just so, one predominant sin is enough to destroy the soul forever. As by taking one nap Samson lost his strength, and by eating one apple Adam lost his paradise just so, many men, by favoring one sin lose God, heaven, and their souls forever! He who favors any sin, though he frowns upon many does but as Benhadad recover of one disease and die of another; yes, he takes pains to go to hell. Sin favored always ends tragically.
Sometimes you shall have an unholy person angry with sin, because it has . . .
cracked his credit, or
clouded his honor, or
hindered his profit, or
embittered his pleasure, or
enraged his conscience, or
exposed him to shame here and hell hereafter; but never because . . .
a righteous law is transgressed,
a holy God is dishonored,
a loving Savior is afresh crucified,
or the blessed Spirit grieved.
A holy heart rises against sin because of its defiling nature. An unholy heart rises against sin because of its damning nature.
A holy man is most afflicted with the evil which is in sin. An unholy heart is most afflicted with the punishment which is due to sin.
A holy person hates sin because it pollutes his soul. An unholy person hates it because it destroys his soul.
A holy person loathes sin because it makes against God’s holiness. An unholy person loathes it because it provokes God’s justice.
A holy person detests sin because of the hell which is in sin. An unholy person detests sin because of the hell which follows sin.
A holy heart abhors all sin. An unholy heart is still in league with some sin.