Proverbs 28:4

“They that forsake the Law, praise the wicked; but such as keep the Law, contend with them.”

Man, as a social being, has an influence on those around him; and his actions should be considered, not merely as they affect himself, but, in their social aspect, as tending to make an impression upon the minds of others. In this point of view, a great measure of responsibility attaches to us, far beyond what, at first sight, we would be ready to imagine. Our good or evil conduct operates as an example, and approves a similar conduct in others; so that, in our daily actions, we, though unconscious of it, are doing good or evil to an unknown extent. This is proclaimed in the words before us, “They that forsake the Law, praise the wicked; but such as keep the Law, contend with them.”

From these words I shall be led to show the effects of piety and impiety on the surrounding world.

I. The effects of IMPIETY on the surrounding world.

Whatever be men’s line of conduct, they must, of necessity, “have pleasure in those who pursue the same, Romans 1:32.” Those they will of course choose for their companions; and if for no other reason—yet in their own vindication they will approve of and applaud their ways. The proud will commend the proud, and “call them happy Malachi 3:15;” as will the worldling also “bless the covetous, whom God abhors Psalm 10:3.”

Indeed, it may be laid down as a general rule, that if only you “do well to yourself,” by studying your own ease, interest, and honor—then “all men will praise you” as wise, and worthy of imitation, Psalm 49:18. It is a matter of course that “the world will love its own John 15:19.”

This, however, is a very partial view of our text; the true sense of which lies much deeper. The praise which an ungodly man will give to those who are like himself, is bestowed not only occasionally with the lips, but uniformly and without intermission in the life. A man who refuses submission to the will of God, and “forsakes his Word,” does by that very act clearly declare to all around him:

1. That obedience to God’s Law is unnecessary.

He will acknowledge the Scriptures to be a revelation from God; and would be greatly offended, if his belief in that revelation were questioned. But his faith in Scripture is nothing more than a speculative assent; he regards not the authority of God in it; and by his contempt of that authority he says, in fact, that a submission to it is unnecessary.

The language of the heart and of the life is interpreted in this way by God himself, “You have said, It is vain to serve God; and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord Almighty! Malachi 3:14. “And this construction is just; for what a man avows to be unnecessary for himself, he must be understood as maintaining to be unnecessary for others.

2. That not even the Gospel itself entails any obligation upon us.

Many who profess to believe the Gospel, and to make it the ground of their hope towards God—yet feel no constraining influence from all its wonders of love and mercy. They practically say, ‘True, the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world, and “died the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, 1 Peter 3:18.” But what has this to do with the regulation of our lives? We need not be “brought to God” in this world; it will be quite sufficient to be brought to him in the world to come; and we may be sure, even from this very mercy given unto us, that God will accept us, even though no change shall have taken place in our hearts and lives. He has sent his Son indeed, as we are told, “to bless us, in turning every one of us from our iniquities, Acts 3:26;” but we need not be anxious about experiencing any such effect of the Redeemer’s mission; we may live to ourselves, and obtain his favor, as effectually and as certainly as if we lived entirely for him.’

3. That the way of wickedness is preferable as it respects this present world.

Finding pleasure only in the things of time and sense himself, he encourages the same worldly taste in others. For, for what end “has God given us all things richly to enjoy,” if we are not to enjoy them?

As for a compliance with the precepts of Scripture:

It is obvious that it must require continual self-denial; and what happiness can there be in that?

It must detach us, also, from those who are most able and willing to administer to our happiness; and how can that operate, but to our disadvantage?

As for repentance, and holy exercises of every kind—they may be very good in a dying hour; but to a person in health they can be a source of nothing but gloom and melancholy.

Thus he sanctions the ungodly in the whole of their conduct, and encourages them in all the delusions by which they are misled.

4. That there is no punishment from God in the world to come.

This necessarily follows from all the rest; for, if he really thought that God would execute his threatenings against the violators of the Word, he would be more attentive to his own ways. But he persuades himself that God is too merciful to punish anyone in the eternal world; or, at all events, for such slight offences as he commits; and, by his open contempt of God’s threatened judgments, he says to all around him, that they have nothing to fear, since “the Lord will do neither good nor evil. Zephaniah 1:12.”

The exact description of these people is given by the Psalmist, when he says, “In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God. His ways are always prosperous; he is haughty and your laws are far from him; he sneers at all his enemies. He says to himself, “Nothing will shake me; I’ll always be happy and never have trouble.” His mouth is full of curses and lies and threats; trouble and evil are under his tongue! Psalm 10:4-7.”

The very reverse of this is the influence of the godly.

II. The effects of PIETY on the surrounding world.

The man who forsakes the Word, praises the wicked; but the man who keeps the Law, contends with them. He does this,

1. By the silent testimony of his life.

A godly man is like “a light shining in a dark place.” However unobtrusive his conduct may be—it forms a contrast with that of all around him, and especially with that of those who move in his sphere of life.

If he is young, his sobriety is a reproach to all the giddiness and folly of his youthful acquaintances.

If he is of a more advanced age, his zeal for God reproves the worldliness and indifference of his most respected neighbors.

Whether we view his abstinence from sin, or his practice of holiness—he equally casts reflections on the great mass of mankind.

“They are of the world, and speak of the world. He is of God, and both speaks and acts for God, 1 John 4:5-6.”

“He is not conformed to the world” in any of its vanities, Romans 12:2.

“He comes out from the world, and is separate; and will not so much as touch the impure thing! 2 Corinthians 6:17.”

He endeavors so to walk in the world, as to “keep his garments clean, Revelation 16:15,” and undefiled with any of the world’s abominations.

He is even “crucified to the world, and regards it as a man would who was suspended on a cross, and looking for a speedy death, Galatians 6:14.”

At the same time he gives himself to holy exercises; and determines, with God’s help, to fulfill every duty, as in the presence of his God. He shows:
that he has other views, other desires, other pursuits, than the world has any conception of;
that he belongs to another world;
that his citizenship is in Heaven; Philippians 3:20;”
and that, “though in the world, he is not of the world, even as the Lord Jesus Christ was not of the world! John 17:16.”

Now all this, of necessity, attracts notice, and constrains all who behold him to say, “If he is right—then we must be wrong.” The effect of his conduct is precisely like that of Noah’s, when he built the ark. It is said of Noah, that “being moved with fear, he prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by which he condemned the world, Hebrews 11:7.” How did this act of his condemn the world? He was, it is true, “a preacher of righteousness;” but it was not so much his preaching, as his practice, which was here said to condemn the world.

His faith condemned their unbelief;
his fear condemned their security;
his obedience condemned their disobedience.

He needed not to say anything; his conduct spoke sufficiently; and the consciences of the beholders made the application.

Thus it is, in a measure, with every godly man; he is “an epistle of Christ, known and read of all men, 2 Corinthians 3:3.” The ungodly world may shut their eyes against the light of God’s written Word; but they are forced to see the life of the godly man, whether they will or not; and in him they see what is the line of conduct which God requires, and how far they are from walking according to it.

That the world consider themselves as condemned by the godly, is evident, from the indignation which they manifest when the light of God’s truth is made to shine before them. They instantly endeavor, by every possible means, to extinguish the light, or at all events to induce the godly to put their light under a bushel, and to hide it from their eyes. “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed! John 3:19-20.

They will reprobate the opinions of the godly; but they would never concern themselves about the opinions of the godly, if they could but induce them to alter their conduct. It is their conduct that reproaches them, and that forms the real ground of their indignation against them. “If you were of the world,” says our Lord, “the world (whatever your opinions might be) would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you! John 15:19.”

Let piety enter into any family among us, and we shall see a fulfillment of that word, “Do you think that I came to send peace on earth? I came not to send peace, but a sword! Matthew 10:34-36.”

2. By the open avowal of his opinions.

A faithful servant of God, in whatever line he moves, will not be ashamed of Christ, but will “confess him openly before men, Matthew 10:32.” This he feels to be a bounden duty. He does not wish to make a parade of his religion; but he is commanded to “let his light shine before men, Matthew 5:16;” and not only “not to have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but, when opportunity occurs, to reprove them, Ephesians 5:11.” Hence, though he is cautious “not to cast pearls before swine, who would only trample them under their feet, Matthew 7:6,” he is “ready to give to every inquirer a reason of the hope that is in him with meekness and fear, 1 Peter 3:15.” Nor will he be afraid to reprove sin, where he has any hope that his admonitions will be well received.

“We had previously suffered and been insulted in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong opposition! 1 Thessalonians 2:2.” Not fearing the face of man, but declaring, before all, and without reserve, “the whole counsel of God! Acts 20:27.”

Though he moves in a private sphere, he will exert his influence, so far as it extends, for the suppression of evil, and for the diffusion of piety through the world. This indeed will raise up enemies against him; for men will “hate him who reproves in the gate, Isaiah 29:21.” They hated our blessed Lord principally on this account; as he himself told them, “The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil!

John 7:7.”

It was Micaiah’s reproofs which incensed Ahab against him, “I hate Micaiah because he does not speak good concerning me, but trouble! 1 Kings 22:8. And it was the faithfulness of John, in reproving Herod’s adultery with his brother Philip’s wife, that brought down Herod’s vengeance upon him, Mark 6:25-27. But, notwithstanding all the odium that such fidelity will bring upon him, the true Christian will exercise it as occasion serves, declaring candidly his conviction, that “the broad road of the world leads to destruction, and that the narrow way alone will issue in eternal life! Matthew 7:13-14.”

From this subject we may clearly learn,

1. How much guilt attaches to us all.

I will not now speak of those who have lived in open and flagrant sin; though, of course, all that I shall say will apply with double force to them. But I will speak of those who, though moral and discreet, have not given up themselves sincerely to God; or who grew up to maturity before they fully embraced the Gospel.

Look back to your early childhood; your example even at that time had an influence on your youthful companions; and said to them, in language which they clearly understood, that there was no occasion for them to seek after God.

As you grew up towards manhood, your influence became proportionably extended, and proportionably more injurious also. Go now to your different companions, and to the thousands who, unknown to you, derived from your example encouragement in sin; go, tell them how you regret the injuries you have done, and how anxious you are to repair the evil, by making known to them the way of life and salvation. Thousands, alas! are gone beyond the reach of any effort, and are already enduring in Hell the miseries which you contributed to heap upon them! But of those to whom you may gain access, how many, do you suppose, would listen to your advice? There would scarcely be found one among them all that would not laugh in your face, and account you either a fool or mad.

King Manasseh, by his influence and example, did evil to as great an extent as any man who ever lived; but when he exerted his royal influence to reclaim the people he had seduced to sin, he could not prevail; they would still, notwithstanding all his edicts, and all his example too, continue to “offer sacrifices on their high-places,” instead of conforming themselves to the commandments of God, 2 Chronicles 33:15-17.

Thus, even supposing that we are now walking in the ways of God, the influence of our former lives will continue to operate to the ruin of many souls, and to the unspeakable augmentation of our own guilt! Contemplate this, I beg you, my brethren; and remember, that though you may never have committed one single sin that should expose you to shame before men, you are guilty in the sight of God, to an extent that no language can paint, and no imagination can conceive!

Nay, as strange as it may seem, the very blamelessness of your conduct before men, inasmuch as it has attracted a greater measure of their admiration, has unhappily contributed, even beyond the example of the generality, to deceive their minds, and to ruin their souls! I must then say to every one among you, that the injury which in your days of thoughtlessness you have unconsciously done to the souls of men—should be a ground of the deepest humiliation to you, to the last hour of your lives.

2. What a pre-eminent measure of guilt is contracted by the backsliding professor.

While others, by their ungodly lives, encourage sin in all around them—you do it with far greater effect! For you are understood as speaking from experience; while others deliver only, as it were, a hasty and ill-formed opinion. You are considered as proclaiming:
that there is no excellency, no reality, in Christ;
that the ways of the world, from which for a season you had departed, are not either so dangerous or so sinful as you had ignorantly supposed;
that, in fact, there is no sincerity in those who profess godliness;
and that, if all were as honest as you, they would, like you, throw off the religious mask at once!

Ah! think what a stumbling-block you lay in the way of others; how you “crucify the Son of God afresh;” and what cause multitudes will have to curse your very name forever, while they call for vengeance on your souls for contributing so largely to their eternal ruin!

And here let me speak to those who do not indeed draw back to open sin, but only so far as to conceal their principles in order to fit in with the world. You may account this prudence—but God will account it treason; and the Savior, whom “you thus refuse to confess, will refuse to acknowledge you in the presence of his Father! Matthew 10:32-33.” Consider this; and know assuredly on what terms your sentence shall be passed in the last day, “If we endure, we will also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself, 2 Timothy 2:12-13;” but will assuredly execute judgment, in perfect conformity to this rule.

3. What an incentive we have to cultivate piety in the highest possible degree.

The more our light shines before men, the more shall we put to shame the wickedness of the ungodly, and encourage the exercise of all that is good in the world. And who can tell how far our influence may extend? If we are the means of leading one sinner to repentance, “we save a soul from death, and cover a multitude of sins! James 5:19-20.” And what may be the ultimate effects on that person’s family, or even on his remotest posterity, who can tell? Let this then operate as an inducement with us to “shine as lights in the dark world! Philippians 2:15-16.” The saving of our own souls may be our first motive; nevertheless, a strong additional motive we may find in the subject before us. Nor ought it to have light weight on our minds; for, while we benefit the world, we greatly honor our God; who is most glorified in those who most reflect his image, and most advance his kingdom in the world.

Charles Simeon