Hypocrisy no Excuse for the Sins of others – Charles Spurgeon

FRIEND, you cannot have a greater abhorrence of hypocrites than I have. If you can find a fair chance of laughing at them, pray do so. If by any means you can stick pins into their wind-bags, and let the gas of their profession out, pray do so. I try to do a little of it in my way, do you do the same! You and I are agreed in this, I hope, in heartily hating anything like sham and falsehood; but if you begin to hold your head up, and think yourself so very superior because you make no profession, I must take you down a little by reminding you that it is no credit to a thief that he makes no profession of being honest, and it is not thought to be exceedingly honorable to a man that he makes no profession of speaking the truth. For the fact is, that a man who does not profess to be honest is a professed thief, and he who does not claim to speak the truth is an acknowledged liar; thus, in escaping one horn you are thrown upon another; you miss the rock, but run upon the quicksand. You are a confessed and avowed neglecter of God, a professed despiser of the great salvation, an acknowledged disbeliever in the Christ of God. When our Government at any time arrests persons suspected of Fenianism they have no difficulty about those gentlemen who glory in wearing the green uniform and flaunting the big feather. Come along,” says the constable, “you are the man, for you wear the regimentals of a rebel.” Even so when the angel of justice arrests the enemies of the Lord, he will have no difficulty in accusing and arresting you, for, laying his hand upon your shoulder, he will say, “You wear the regimentals of an enemy of God; you plainly and unblushingly acknowledge that you do not fear God or trust in his salvation.” No witnesses need be called concerning you at the last great day; you will stand up, not quite so bravely as you do today, for, when the heavens are on a blaze, and the earth is rocking to and fro, and the great white cloud fills the field of vision, and the eyes of the great Judge shall burn like lamps of fire, you will put on a different deportment and a different carriage from that which you maintain before a poor preacher of the gospel. Ah! my ungodly hearer, with such a case as your there shall be no need to judge, for out of your own mouth shall you be condemned.