There is no shaking off this viper!

(Thomas Watson, "A Treatise Concerning Meditation")

Meditate upon SIN.

1. Meditate on the GUILT of sin. We are in Adam as in a
common head, or root—and he sinning—we become guilty,
Romans 5:12, "Therefore, just as sin entered the world
through one man, and death through sin, and in this way
death came to all men, because all sinned." By his treason
—our blood is tainted! This guilt brings shame with it, as
its twin! Romans 6:21.

2. Meditate upon the FILTH of sin. Not only is the guilt of Adam's
sin imputed, but the poison of his nature is disseminated to us!
Our virgin nature is defiled! If the heart is polluted—how then
can the actions be pure? If the water in the well is foul—it cannot
be clean in the bucket! Isaiah 64:6, "We are all as an unclean
thing." We are like a patient who has no sound part in him—his
head is bruised, his liver is swelled, his lungs are gasping, his
blood is infected, his feet are gangrened! Thus is it with us
before saving grace comes!

In the mind there is darkness!

In the memory there is slipperiness!

In the heart there is hardness!

In the will there is stubborness!

"You are sick from head to foot—covered with bruises,
welts, and infected wounds—without any ointments or
bandages!" Isaiah 1:6. A sinner befilthied with sin—is
no better than a devil in man's shape!

And which is sadly to be laid to heart—is the adherency
of this sin. Sin is natural to us. The apostle calls it, "the
sin that so easily ensnares us!" Heb. 12:1. Sin is not easily
cast off! A man may as well shake off the skin of his body
—as the sin of his soul! There is no shaking off this
viper until death!

Oh, often meditate on this contagion of sin. How strong
is that poison—a drop whereof is able to poison a whole sea!
How venomous and malignant was that apple—a taste of
which poisoned all mankind!

Meditation on sin would make the plumes of pride fall off!
If our knowledge makes us proud—that is sin enough to make
us humble. The best saint alive who is taken out of the grave
of sin—yet has the smell of the grave-clothes still upon him!

3. Meditate upon the CURSE of sin. Gal. 3:10. "Cursed is
everyone who does not continue to do everything written in
the Book of the Law." Sin is not only a defiling thing—but a
damning thing! It is not only a spot in the face—but a stab
at the heart! Sin betrays us into the devil's hands! Sin binds
us over to the wrath of God! What then, are all our earthly
enjoyments—with the sword of divine vengeance hanging
over our head! Sin brings forth the "scroll written with curses"
against a sinner, Zech. 5:5, and it is a "flying scroll"—it comes
swiftly—if mercy does not stop it. "You are cursed with a curse!"
Thus it is, until the head of this curse is cut off by Christ. Oh
meditate upon this curse due to sin.

Meditation on this curse would make us afraid of retaining
sin. When Micah had stolen his mother's money, and heard
her curse him, he dared not keep it any longer, but restored
it, Judges 17:2. He was afraid of his mother's curse; what
then is God's curse!

Meditation on this curse would make us afraid of entertaining
sin. We would not willingly entertain one in our house who had
a deadly plague! Sin brings along with it, the plague of God's
curse, which cleaves to a sinner. The meditation on this, would
make us fly from sin! While we sit under the shadow of this
bramble of sin—fire will come out of the bramble eternally to
devour us! Judges 9:15.