Anger, Companion of
Lamentation always accompanies anger, like a screech-owl on a roof.
Lamentation is the only musician that always, like a screech-owl, alights and sits on the roof of an angry man. Plurarch.
The sinful nature refers to the inherent corruption and inclination toward sin present in every person, resulting in spiritual blindness and moral failure. Christian preaching often depicts it as a treacherous, deceitful force within human hearts that war against God’s holiness, likened to natural depravity that corrupts even our best efforts (Jeremiah 17:9). Illustrations frequently use images of appetite, inner conflict, and deceptive appearances to reveal this condition (Romans 7:18).
Appetite, Power of
Appetite and lust become destructive parts of a person, harming themselves.
A king, according to an Eastern fable, once permitted the devil to kiss him on either shoulder. Immediately two serpents grew from his shoulders, who, furious with hunger, attacked his head, and attempted to get at his brain. The king pulled them away, and tore them with his nails. But he soon saw, with indescribable horror, that they had become parts of himself, and that, in wounding them, he was lacerating his own flesh. Such is the deplorable condition of every victim of appetite and lust.
Carelessness, Wicked
People neglect their souls while focusing on earthly pleasures, like stones made to look like men.
Socrates in his time wondered, when he observed statuaries, how careful they were, and how industrious, to make stones like men, and men in the mean time turning themselves into very blocks and stones. The case is ours: men walk not as men that have souls to be saved. Many walk as if they had nothing but bellies to fill, and backs to clothe, fancies to be tickled with vanity, eyes and ears to look after pleasure, brains to entertain empty notions, and tongues to utter them: as for their souls, they serve them to little other purpose than as salt to keep their bodies from stinking. Spencer.
Custom, Tyranny of
Changing deeply ingrained sinful habits is as impossible as changing one's nature.
As impossible as it is for a blackamoor to cast away his skin and to become white, and for a leopard to put away his spots; so impossible is it for them that insane themselves, and accustom themselves with evil doing, to change their custom, and do well. Caudray.
Depravity, Innate
Wisdom must be taught, but vice is easily learned naturally.
No man is born wise; but wisdom and virtue require a tutor, though we can easily learn to be vicious without a master. Seneca.
Depravity, Natural
The natural man is spiritually perverse, loving sin and rejecting God.
The natural man is a spiritual monster. His heart is where his feet should be, fixed upon earth; his heels are lifted up against heaven, which his heart should be set on. His face is towards hell; his back towards heaven. He loves what he should hate, and hates what he should love; joys in what he ought to mourn for, and mourns for what he ought to rejoice in; glories in his shame, and is ashamed of his glory; abhors what he should desire, and desires what he should abhor. Boston.
Envy, Personification of
Envy is depicted as a tormenting, malicious force rejoicing in others' misfortune.
The poets imagined that Envy dwelt in a dark cave; being pale and lean, looking asquint, abounding with gall, her teeth black, never rejoicing but in the misfortune of others, ever unquiet and careful, and continually tormenting herself.
— Wit
Human Nature, Treachery of
Human nature betrays us, making us our own enemies without inner healing.
There is not a beast of the field but may trust his nature, and follow it, certain that it will lead him to the best of which he is capable. But as for us, our only invincible enemy is our nature: were it sound, we could hold circumstances as lightly as Samson's withs; but it is evermore betraying us. Often, when we honestly meant to be good and noble, our miserable nature, at the first favorable juncture of circumstances, betrayed us again, and we found ourselves falling by our own hands, and bitterly felt that we were our own enemies. Heal us at the heart, and then let the world come on: we are ready for the conflict. Make us sound within, and we will stand in the evil day. We can defy circumstances, and resist the Devil, if only our own breast become not a hold of traitors; if inclinations silent, subtle, and strong as nature, do not arise to beguile us into captivity to evil. W. Arthur.
Imperfection, Human
Our thoughts and works bear a sinful taint visible to God, though often unseen by us.
A drink was brought to Gotthold, which tasted of the vessel in which it had been contained; and this led him to observe, "We have here an emblem of our thoughts, words, and works. Our heart is defiled by sin, and hence a taint of sinfulness cleaves unfortunately to every thing we take in hand; and although, from the force of habit, this may be imperceptible to us, it does not escape the eye of the omniscient, holy, and righteous God."
Inability, Human
It is impossible to overcome sin while its sources continue to feed it within us.
It is reported of a prince with whom a mighty neighbor-king used to pick quarrels by making impossible demands, otherwise threatening war and ruin to him. Amongst the rest, one was, that he charged him to drink up the sea; which a counsellor hearing, advised him to undertake it. The prince replied, "How is it possible to be accomplished?" The sage answered, "Let him first stop up all the rivers which run into the sea (which are no part of the bargain), and then you shall perform it." Much more impossible is it for ourselves to consume and dry up all the ocean of sin in us, so long as lasts remain, like so many rivers, to feed it.
— Spencer
Indiffesence, Proverbs
Proverbs illustrate human indifference and hypocrisy in desiring what they do not truly want.
"Care not" would have it.—English.—I don't want it; I don't want it; but drop it into my hood.—Spanish Friar.—He who finds fault would feign buy. Under white ashes there is a glowing coal.—Italian.—"Sour grapes," said the fox, when he could not reach them.
— English
Labor, Useless
Youthful expertise in folly and nonsense is a wasted labor apart from godliness.
Samuel Drew, the celebrated metaphysician, giving an account of his sinful life when a youth, in connection with his shoemaking life, observes, "When I was a young man, I was expert at follies, acute in trifles, and ingenious about nonsense."
Laziness, Disease of
Laziness is a hidden disease that paralyzes the whole body despite outward health.
As I was sitting with some senators of Bruges, before the gate of the senate-house, a certain beggar presented himself to us, who, with sighs and tears and lamentable gestures, expressed to us his miserable poverty; saying, withal, that he had about him a private disorder, which shame prevented him from discovering to the eyes of men. We all, pitying the case of the poor man, gave him, each of us something; and he departed. One amongst us, sent his servant after him, with command to inquire of him what his private infirmity might be, which he was so loath to discover. The servant over took him, and desired of him that satisfaction and having diligently viewed his face, breast arms, &c., and finding all his limbs in good plight, "I see nothing," said he, "whereof you have any such reason to complain." — "Alas!" said the beggar, "the disease that afflicts me is far different from what you conceive of, and is such as you cannot see: it is an evil that hath crept over my whole body; it is passed through the very veins and marrow of me in such a manner, that there is no one member of my body that is able to do any work; this is by some called idleness, or cloth." Camerarius
Passions, Ineradicable
Passions never fully die but can rise again to battle even late in life.
Our passions never wholly die, but, in the last cantos of life's romantic epos, they rise up again, and do battle, like some of Ariosto's heroes, who have already been quietly interred, and ought to be turned to dust. Longfellow.
Passions, Power of the
Great leaders were often conquered by their own sinful passions despite their power.
Napoleon, beneath whose leaden foot-tread whole continents trembled, was conquered by his passions. Wellington, England's Iron Duke, was not his only master. Alexander the Great, with his march of triumphs over the nations, was often almost martyred by fits of demon passion. Samson, the great victor of the Philistines, became the helpless victim of his own base lust. Hercules, boasting of his strength, is said to have sought highway robbers to combat with, and to have challenged monsters to battle, that he might show how easily he could vanquish them; but impurity thoroughly mastered him.
— R. Roberts
Quarrels, Inclination to
People quarrel over trivial differences, revealing the fullness of sinful nature.
Thou wilt quarrel with a man that hath a hair more or a hair less in his beard than thou hast. Thou wilt quarrel with a man for cracking nuts, having no other reason but because thou hast hazel eyes. Thy head is full of quarrels as an egg is full of meat. Shakspeare.
Thoughts, Sinful
Battling sinful thoughts is harder and more crucial than resisting outward sins.
The true Christian finds it infinitely more difficult to beat down one sinful thought from rising up in him than to keep down a thousand sinful thoughts from breaking out into open action. Here lies the chief labor, — to fight a phantasm or airy apparition, such as thoughts are. He sets himself chiefly against these heart-sins, because he knows that these are sins that are, most of all, contrary to grace, and do, most of all, weaken and waste grace. Outward sins are like the many caterpillars, that devour the verdure and flourishing of grace; but heart-sins are like so many worms, that gnaw the very roots of grace. Hopkins.
Vice, Picture of
Sinful life appears attractive but hides a troubled, restless conscience beneath.
Come, sinner, prepare thy pencil; mingle the richest colors thou canst get; draw thy sinful, careless life, give it a beautiful virgin's face; draw all the charms that thy fancy can find out; here draw the adoration the world pays unto her, there the bows and cringes whereby both great and small insinuate into her favor. On her head draw a tree whose fruit is gold, and the dew thereof hardens into pearls; let her right hand grasp a crown, her left drop gifts on her clients and votaries. But, when this proud peacock is drawn thus in all her dazzling circles, forget not to draw her ugly feet. I mean an unquiet, roaring, disturbed, distracted, trembling conscience; for in this dismal shape doth that lovely mermaid end. A. Horneck.
Vice, Somewhere
Avoiding small vices is better than compensating with bigger ones.
Pres. Lincoln used to tell this story of himself. He was riding one day on the stage-coach in Illinois, when the driver asked him to treat. "I never use liquor," was Mr. Lincoln's reply, "and cannot induce others to do so."—"Don't chew neither?"—"No, sir."—"Nor smoke?"—"No, sir: I never use tobacco in any form."—"Well," replied the disgusted Jehu, "I hain't much opinion of you fellers with no small vices. I allers noticed they make it up in big ones."
Words, Hard
Harsh words destroy like hailstones, harming what gentle words would nourish.
Hard words are like hailstones in summer, beating down and destroying what they would nourish were they melted into drops.
Youth, Sinfulness of
The natural heart produces sin unless cultivated by spiritual effort.
It is a fact well known in husbandry, that the earth will bring forth briers, thorns, and thistles spontaneously; but a valuable crop has to be planted, cultivated, and protected. The natural heart is like the soil. It produces no good wheat spontaneously; and it is by untiring effort that the tares and weeds are kept down. Deep and constant spiritual culture is required to uproot the plants of sin, and make our hearts like fruitful gardens.
A God Too Sharpsighted
Some reject God's omniscience to live in sin without accountability.
Some of the natives of South America, after listening a while to the instructions of the Catholic missionaries, gave them this cool answer: "You say that the God of the Christians knows every thing, that nothing is hidden from him, that he is every where, and sees all that is done below. Now, we do not desire a God so sharpsighted; we choose to live with freedom in our woods, without having a perpetual observer of our actions over our heads."
Hating Goodness
Hatred of godly goodness reveals deep sinfulness and need for forgiveness.
"I happened once," says Dr. Cotton Mather, "to be present in the room where a dying man could not leave the world until he lamented to a minister (whom he had sent for on his account), the unjust calumnies and injuries which he had often cast upon him. The minister asked the poor penitent what was the occasion of this abusive conduct; whether he had been imposed upon by any false report. The man made this answer, 'No, sir, it was merely this; I thought you were a good man, and that you did much good in the world, and therefore I hated you. Is it possible, is it possible,' he added, 'for such a wretch to find pardon?'"