by Arthur W. Pink
by Arthur W. Pink
Philologos Religious Online Books
Philologos.org
by Arthur W. Pink
April, 1938
SATAN'S ACCUSATIONS.
“Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth, who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died” etc. (Rom. 8:33-34). Satan is the blackest enemy, and sin is the worst thing he can allege against me, or my soul is or can be subject unto; for Hell is not so evil as sin. Inasmuch as Hell is of God's making, but sin only of mine. Hell is made against me, but sin is committed against God. Now I know Christ came to destroy the works, and to answer the arguments and reasonings of the Devil. Thou canst not stand before God, saith Satan, for thou art a grievous sinner, and He is a devouring fire. But faith can answer—Christ is able both to cover and to cure my sin, to make it vanish as a mist, and to put it as far out of sight as the east is from the west—but thou hast nothing to do with Christ: thy sins are so many and so foul—but surely the blood of Christ is more acceptable to my soul, and much more honourable and precious in itself when it covereth a multitude of sins.
Paul was a persecutor, a blasphemer, and injurious, the greatest of all sinners, and yet he obtained mercy, that he might be for a pattern of all longsuffering to those that should after believe in Christ. If I had as much sin upon my soul as thou hast, yet faith could unload them all upon Christ, and Christ could swallow them all up in His mercy. But thou hast still nothing to do with Him, because thou continuest in thy sin. But doth He not call me, beseech me, command me to come unto Him? If then I have a heart to answer His calls, He hath a hand to draw me to Himself, though all the powers of darkness or sins of the world stood between. But thou obeyest not His call. True indeed and pitiful it is, that I am so dull of hearing, and slow of following the voice of Christ. I lack much faith, but yet Lord, Thou dost not use to quench the smoking flax or to break the bruised reed. I believe, and Thou art able to help mine unbelief. I am resolved to venture my soul upon Thy mercy, to throw away all my own loading, and to cleave only to this plank of salvation.
But faith purifieth the heart, whereas thou art unclean still. True indeed, and miserable man I am therefore, that the motions of sin do work in my members. But yet Lord, I hate every false way; I delight in Thy Law with my inner man; I do that which I would not; but I consent to Thy Law that it is good; I desire to know Thy will, to fear Thy name, and to follow Thee whithersoever Thou leadest me. But these are but the empty wishings and wouldings of an evil heart. Lord, to me belongeth the shame of my failings, but to Thee belongeth the glory of Thy mercy and forgiveness. Too true it is that I do not all I should: but do I allow myself in anything that I should not? do I make use of mine infirmities to justify myself by them, shelter myself under them? Though I do not the things I should, yet I love them and delight in them; my heart and all the desires of my soul are towards them. I hate, abhor, and fight with myself for not doing them; I am ashamed of mine infirmities, as the blemishes of my profession; I am weary of them, and groan under them as the burden of my soul.
I have no lust, but I am willing to know it; and when I know it, crucify it. I hear of no further measure of grace, but I admire and hunger after it, and press on to it. I can take Christ and affliction, Christ and persecution together. I can take Christ without the world, I can take Christ without myself. I have no unjust gain, but I am ready to restore it. I have followed no sinful pleasure, but I am ready to abandon it; no evil company, but I mightily abhor it. I never swore an oath but I remember it with a bleeding conscience. I do not in any man see the image of Christ, but I love Him the more dearly for it and loathe myself for being so much unlike Him. I know Satan—I shall speed never the worse with God, because I have him for mine enemy. I know I shall speed much the better, because I have myself for mine enemy. Certainly, he that can take Christ offered, that can in all points admit Him—as well to purify as to justify, as well to rule, as save—need not fear all the powers of darkness, nor all the armies of the foulest sins which Satan can charge his conscience with.—E. Reynolds, 1648.
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