Sin

Here are some more quotes from Spurgeon's The Treasury of David. I know how weak I am and how much more I should hate sin, so the first quote was a bit comforting to me. I do hate sin, but when I don't vehemently hate it or deeply sorrow over it (as I should!) I start to question my salvation. May God grant a greater sorrow over and hatred of sin--because sin is a great offense to God.

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'For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.
The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity. - Psalm 5:4, 5
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(On verse 5 of Psalm 5): 'What an astonishing thing is sin, which maketh the God of love and Father of mercies an enemy to his creatures, and which could only be purged by the blood of the Son of God! Though all must believe this who believe the Bible, yet the exceeding sinfulness of sin is but weakly apprehended by those who have the deepest sense of it, and will never be fully known in this world.' -- Thomas Adam's Private Thoughts, 1701-1884.

(On verse 5, last clause): 'For what God thinks of sin, see Deut. vii. 22, Prov. vi. 16; Rev. ii. 6, 15; where he expresseth his detestation and hatred of it, from which hatred proceeds all those direful plagues and judgments thundered from the fiery mouth of his most holy law against it; nay, not only the work, but worker also of iniquity becomes the object of his hatred.' -- William Gurnall.

On verse 10 Spurgeon writes:
"Against thee:" not against me. If they were my enemies I would forgive them, but I cannot forgive thine [God's]. We are to to forgive our enemies, but God's enemies it is not in our power to forgive. These expressions have often been noticed by men of over refinement as being harsh, and grating on the ear. "Oh!" say they, "they are vindictive and revengeful." Let us remember that they might be translated as prophecies, not as wishes; but we do not care to avail ourselves of this method of escape. We have never heard of a reader of the Bible who, after perusing these passages, was made revengeful by reading them, and it is but fair to test the nature of a writing by its effects. When we hear a judge condemning a murderer, however severe his sentence, we do not feel that we should be justified in condemning others for any private injury done to us. The Psalmist here speaks as a judge, ex officio; he speaks as God's mouth, and in condemning the wicked he gives us no excuse whatever for uttering anything in the way of malediction upon those who have cause us personal offence. The most shameful way of cursing another is by pretending to bless him. We were all somewhat amused by noticing the toothless malice of that wretched old priest of Rome when he foolishly curse the Emperor of France with his blessing. He was blessing him in form and cursing him in reality. Now, in direct contrast we put this healthy commination of David, which is intended to be a blessing by warning the sinner of the impending curse. O impenitent man, be it known unto thee that all thy godly friends will give their solemn assent to the awful sentence of the Lord, which he shall pronounce upon thee in the day of doom! Our verdict shall applaud the condemning curse which the Judge of all the earth shall thunder against the godless.'

Sobering thoughts. Yet I believe they are true. And there were a lot more good thoughts from the commentary on this psalm, but I couldn't post them all.