Monday, February 3, 2020

The Old Man's Child: Deceit

BLJ: This carnal trait is very prevalent in the church. This child of the old man can look you straight in the eye, smile and compliment you while hating you in his or her heart. The carnal trait is very subtle. They are generally good church workers and more refined. However, this child hates the Word of God and those that proclaim it! Thank God for holiness!


THE OLD MAN'S CHILDREN -- MISS DECEIT

The next child of the Old Man's family to introduce is his beloved daughter, Miss Deceit. She has many traits of character by which she may be distinguished from her many sisters. She is very apt in deceiving by making false pretensions, by feigning to be friendly when her heart is filled with hatred, by using shrewd subtility, by a spirit of carnal treachery, by beguiling with her charming manners, by her pernicious double-dealing and duplicity, by lying fabrications, by betraying confidences, by decoying into Satan's traps, by using the most polluting of methods, by all the arts known to fiends of hell.

This child is a great favorite with her father and her grandfather. She is one hundred per cent loyal to them, and they pet and pamper her. In fact they could not carry on their work of blasting humanity and populating hell without her.

To our great surprise at such a character, she is a great church worker. She is a leader in church affairs, in the Sunday School, the prayer meeting, the board meeting, the camp meeting, in short, when ever the work of salvation is undertaken. Being more refined, polished, and cultured than her brothers, Anger, Murder and Adultery, she can work right among the church people and do untold harm to the cause of God. She is a great and successful worker even around the altar. Here is where she uses her greatest skill, cunning, duplicity and subtility in deluding human souls. But for her with her good reputation, polished manners, and charming way the Old Man, her father, and Satan, her grandfather, would lose many souls that she betrays into their hands. And wherever you find Miss Deceit, you will also find her brothers and sisters: Pride, Envy, Jealousy, Malice, Hatred, Spite, Spit-fire, Wrath, Fornication, Adultery, Murder, Love of Praise, Doubt, etc. These are always close to their sister, Miss Deceit. True, they may be hiding themselves like the companion of a rattlesnake will hide near the one you are killing.

We reap as we sow. Not only is Miss Deceit deceiving others; but true to the law of reaping, size herself is deceived. The Bible speaks of wicked men, who are "deceiving and being deceived." This, no doubt, accounts for the high profession but carnal life of Miss Deceit. Her closest friends and associates know that her life is absolutely contrary to her profession. The Word of God is always true. The very fact that she can go on in this deceived condition verifies the truth of the Bible. This is why so many in the church -- laymen and ministers -- are resting on false security, living carnal lives, deceived and yet thinking they are right with God.

Miss Deceit works upon the young and the old. Her field is from the babe in the cradle to the old man on his deathbed. It is as natural for a child to deceive as for sparks to fly upward. Before a baby is six months old, he will get red in the face, cry as though a pin is sticking him, and when his mother picks him up, he will coo and smile like an angel. Thus early has he learned the art of acting a lie and deceiving his mother. This trait is born in every child. It is a twist, a warp of the nature and nothing will ever fully eradicate it from the heart but the work of entire sanctification.

However popular Miss Deceit is in her own circles, the Word of God is her avowed enemy. Her nature is absolutely contrary to love. Jeremiah, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,
gives us a true and exact picture in a very few words: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked." This picture is black indeed. It shows that the natural human heart is totally depraved and hopelessly wicked. Only God knows the depths of the heart. Only He can search it to the very depths. Wise was the Psalmist when he prayed: "Search me, O God, and know my heart." There are too many prophets who are prophesying lies, too many who are prophesying out of the deceit of their own heart. Thus are they deceiving the multitudes. Of many does the Word say: "The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee." How true again is the Word of God: "The kisses of an enemy are deceitful." This is verified in the kissing of Jesus by Judas. O cruel, murderous deceit! Many have found that Miss Deceit has a tongue that "deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully." No wonder our God graciously warns us of the treacheries of Miss Deceit: "Take heed that ye be not deceived," and to put off the "old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts."

Some traits of Miss Deceit taken from living witnesses:

Trading a worthless horse for a good one.
Putting the best of the wheat on the top of the load.
Taking the cream off, and filling up with water.
Saying, "I am so glad to see you," but was lying.
Telling children that there is a Santa Claus.
Telling children that a ghost would get them.
Professing to be sanctified to keep company with a girl.
Putting the biggest apples on the top of the basket.
Pretending to go to sleep to keep from washing dishes.
Deceiving people by flattery.
In planting pumpkin seeds, dug a hole and buried the most of them. Being up a miff tree, but pretending to keep sweet.
Taking off shoes when coming home late.
Pretending to pay for something, but did not.
Pretended that the cat broke the dish.
Pretended that I was not at home.
Pretending to go to revival meeting, but went to dance.
Pretending to repent, but deceived people.
Pretending to buy fifty cents worth of sugar,
but spent a dime for candy.
(These are but a few out of many.)

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