# Pulling the mask off of sin



## MW (Mar 9, 2010)

Samuel Rutherford (Communion Sermons, 75-76):



> There is no sin we commit, if it were even to the treading of the blood of the New Covenant under foot, but we put a mask on it. The devil has taught men to baptize their sin with a new name, lest it should appear frightful. The murdering of the Son of God is done by an assembly of kirk-men, under a fair pretence: “We have a law, and by that law He ought to die." Idolatry is called humble kneeling. Satan is a coiner of false money, and upon his reprobate coin he puts the King of heaven's stamp. Herod's killing is sold for worshipping; killing of the saints is called good service to God. The devil comes to none and says, “I am the devil, hear my counsel, and I shall draw you to hell." No, he is not such a fool; he changes himself into an angel of light. Blessed are they who, in the wisdom of God's Spirit, can pull the mask off the devil and sin; see the devil to be the devil, and sin to be sin. If God's commandment be uppermost, it is no hard matter to discern sin. If God command a duty, no excuse in the world should cover thy disobedience.


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## AThornquist (Mar 9, 2010)

The last two sentences are a wonderful summary and difficult truth. At certain seasons I have tried to mask sin myself in order to disobey the Lord with a lesser sense of conviction. It didn't work. Make-up on a dog doesn't make it a pretty woman, and no amount of deodorizing spray makes dung a pleasant thing to smell. That sounds crude because it is, though it is unimaginably more crude - and evil - to try to make pretty that which is ugly to the Holy One, or to try to make pleasant that which is disgusting to Him. Praise God for His forbearance!



Rev. Winzer, I have a question for you, if you are willing. Do you have a particular practice of memorization or storage for the things that you read? For example, I have noticed that you have been going through Rutherford's Communion Sermons. What, if any, method do you take so that the information is not lost for the future?


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## MW (Mar 9, 2010)

AThornquist said:


> Rev. Winzer, I have a question for you, if you are willing. Do you have a particular practice of memorization or storage for the things that you read? For example, I have noticed that you have been going through Rutherford's Communion Sermons. What, if any, method do you take so that the information is not lost for the future?


 
This may sound silly in today's world, but I don't use the computer to record research. Everything is written on A6 sheets, collected into topic areas, and filed away under project headings, either by author or subject. E.g., info. relative to Communion Sermons will be under a Rutherford file, and that file is ordered according to the subject headings in Rutherford's Catechism.

I've had the happy providence of having learned to study before computer-based research became influential; I have also used computers for research; my own experience is that computer use mimimises the mechanics of study and thereby diminishes motor skills and the capacity to absorb and analyse information. Just a personal observation, but one that may help others who haven't known anything other than computer-based study.


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## AThornquist (Mar 9, 2010)

I have only ever known computer-based study and storage so your method of recording research sounds very interesting and effective. Thank you.


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## Blue Tick (Mar 9, 2010)

Thank you for posting!


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## au5t1n (Mar 9, 2010)

I couldn't for the life of me figure out what an "A6 sheet" was. I looked it up and it turns out, we use a completely different paper size system in the U.S. Kind of like how we _still_ don't use the metric system even though everybody else does and it makes the math easier. 

Anyway, thanks for the quote and the storage info.


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