For Toys and Trifles
Do not trifle with your soul, for it is more valuable than a thousand worlds, and neglecting it will lead to eternal consequences.
Thomas Brooks warns against the grave danger of neglecting our immortal souls in favor of worldly pleasures and trivial pursuits. He emphasizes that trading our souls for temporary satisfaction is a grave mistake, as our souls are invaluable and eternal. Brooks vividly describes the torment that awaits those who prioritize sin and the fleeting joys of this world over their relationship with God. He urges listeners to consider the eternal consequences of their choices and to seek true fulfillment in Christ rather than in trifles. Ultimately, he calls for a deep reflection on the value of the soul and the importance of making spiritual provisions.
Text
If they deserve a hanging, who feast their slaves,
and starve their wives; who make provision for their
enemies--but none for their friend; how will you
escape hanging in hell, who make provision for
everything, yes, for all your lusts--but make no
provision for your immortal souls? What shall we
think of those who sell their precious souls--for
toys and trifles which cannot profit?
Ah! do not pawn your souls, do not sell your souls,
do not exchange away your souls, do not trifle and
fool away your precious souls! They are jewels, more
worth than a thousand worlds! If they are safe--all is
safe; but if they are lost--all is lost: God lost, and
Christ lost, and heaven lost--and that forever!
Now if you are resolved to spend your strength in the
service of sin and the world; then know that no tongue
can express, no heart can conceive that trouble of mind,
that terror of soul, that horror of conscience, that fear
and amazement, that weeping and wailing, that crying
and roaring, that sighing and groaning, that cursing and
howling, that stamping and tearing, that wringing of hands
and gnashing of teeth--which shall certainly attend you,
when God shall bring you into judgment--for all your
looseness and lightness, for all your wickedness and
wantonness, for all your profaneness and baseness, for
all your neglect of God, your grieving the Comforter, your
trampling under foot the blood of a Savior, for your prizing
earth above heaven, and the pleasures of this world above
the pleasures which are at God's right hand.
Oh! how will you wish in that day when your sins shall
be charged on you--when justice shall be armed against
you--when conscience shall be gnawing within you--when
the world shall be a flaming fire about you--when the gates
of heaven shall be shut against you--and the flame of hell
ready to take hold of you--when angels and saints shall sit
in judgment upon you, and forever turn their faces from
you--when evil spirits shall be terrifying you--and Jesus
Christ forever disowning you; how will you, I say, wish
in that day--that you had never been born, or that you
might now be unborn, or that your mothers' wombs had
been your tombs! Oh, how will you then wish to be turned
into a bird, a beast, a stock, a stone, a toad, a tree! How
you will say, Oh that our immortal souls were mortal! Oh
that we were nothing! Oh that we were anything but what
we are!
Sermon Outline
- The Dangers of Trifling with One's Soul
- The Horror of a Life of Sin
- The Regret of a Life of Sin
- The wish to be unborn
- The desire to be something else
- The longing to be free from sin
Key Quotes
“They are jewels, more worth than a thousand worlds!” — Thomas Brooks
“How will you wish in that day when your sins shall be charged on you--when justice shall be armed against you--when conscience shall be gnawing within you--when the world shall be a flaming fire about you--when the gates of heaven shall be shut against you--and the flame of hell ready to take hold of you--when angels and saints shall sit in judgment upon you, and forever turn their faces from you--when evil spirits shall be terrifying you--and Jesus Christ forever disowning you;” — Thomas Brooks
“Oh, how will you then wish to be turned into a bird, a beast, a stock, a stone, a toad, a tree! How you will say, Oh that our immortal souls were mortal! Oh that we were nothing! Oh that we were anything but what we are!” — Thomas Brooks
Application Points
- Make provision for your soul and prioritize your relationship with God.
- Do not neglect your soul and risk eternal consequences.
- Value your soul above all else and live a life that honors God.