The Making Of A Pirate

Saturday, July 3, 2021

The last man to be executed for piracy in America was Charles Gibbs. For years he terrorized the merchants of the Caribbean. In the early part of the 19th century he was finally captured and condemned to execution in New York City. Before his death, he acknowledged that when he had committed his first murder and plundered his first ship, he was paralyzed with guilt for what he had done. But as he continued in his life of piracy and violence, his conscience became so hardened that he could rob a ship, murder its inhabitants, and then lie down and sleep as peacefully as a baby. That's the thing about sin: when you first indulge in it, you'll most likely grieve. But the second time, you'll grieve less. Soon you won't feel anything at all. You will have seared your conscience. So the way to overcome sin is to fight it at the very beginning, when it first comes up as a thought, an inkling, and a temptation. Fight your good fight at the very beginning, before it dulls your conscience and you'll never end up like Pirate Gibbs. rn

From Message #1112 - The Yoma Mysteries