doth all the devil's drudgery. No sooner Satan tempts, but he obeys ; as the ship is at the command of the pilot, he steers it which way he will, so is the sinner at the command of Satan, he may sieer him which way he will ; and he never steers the ship but into hell's mouth. The devil rules all the powers and faculties of a sinner. — 1. He rules the understanding, he blinds men with igno7-ance, and then rules them ; as the Philistines first put out Samson's eyes, and then bound him. Satan can do what he will with an ignorant man ; he d( th not see the error of his way, therefore the devil can lead him into any sin ; you may lead a blind man any whither : omne pecca- tinn fundatur in ignorantia. — 2. Satan rules the will. Though he cannot force the will, yet he can, by a temptation, draw it, John viii. 44., " The lusts of your father ye will do." He hath got your hearts, and him ye will obey, Jer. xliv. 17 , " We will burn in- cense to the queen of heaven." When the devil spurs a sinner by a temptation, he will over hedge and ditch break all God's laws, that he may obey Satan. Wliere then is free will, when Satan hath such power over the will ? " His lusts ye will do." There's not any member of the body but is at the devil's service ; the head to plot sin, the hands to work it, the feet to run the devil's errand. Grave J i/ gum servitud'sf Cjcero. Slavery is hateful to a noble s])irit. Satan is the worst tyrant ; the cruelty of a ("anni- bal, or Nero, is nothing to his. Other ty- rants do but rule over the bodies, he over the conscience ; other tyrants have some j)ity on their slaves, — though they work in the galley, they give them meat, let them have hours for rest, — but Satan is a merci- less tvrant, he lets them have no rest. What ])ains did Judas taker The devil would let him have no rest till he liad betraved Christ
MAN'S MISERY BY THE FALL.
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and afterwards imbrued liis hands in his own blood.
Use 1st. See here our misery by original sin ; enslaved to Satan, Ej)h. ii. 2. Satan is said to work effectually in the children of disobedience. What a sad plague is this for a sinner to be at the will of the devil ! Just like a slave, if the Turks bid him dig ill the mines, hew in the quarries, tug at the oar, the slave must do it, he dares not refuse. If the devil bids a man lie or cozen, he doth not refuse ; and — which is worse, — men are enslaved, and they willingly obey tliis tyrant ; other slaves are forced against their will : " Israel sighed by reason of their bondage," Exod. ii. 23., but sinners are wil- ling to be slaves, they will not take their freedom, they kiss their fetters.
Use 2d. Let us labour to get out of this deplorable condition sin hath ])lunged us into ; get from under the power of Satan. If any of vour children were sla^'es, you would give great sums of money to purchase their freedom ; your souls are enslaved, and will ye not labour to be set free? Improve the gospel ; the gospel proclaims a jubilee to capti\'es ; sin binds men, the gospel loos- eth them ; Paul's preaching was " to turn men from the power of Satan to God," Acts xxvi. 18. The gospel-star leads you to Christ ; and if you get Christ, then you are made free, though not from the being of sin, yet from Satan's tyranny, John viii. 36., " If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." You hope to be kings to reign in heaven, and will you let Satan reign in you now? Never think to be
I kings when you die, and slaves while you live; the crown of glory is for conquerors, not for captives. Oh ! get out of Satan's )urisdiction ; get your fetters of sin filed off by repentance.
II. We are heirs of God's wrath. In the text, " and were by nature the children of wrath." Tertullian's exposition here is wrong, ' children of wrath,' he understands subjectively, that is, subject to wrath and passion, — offending often in the irrascible
( faculty of a wrathful spirit. But, by ' chil- dren of wrath,' the apostle passively means heirs of wrath, exposed to (iod's displcjLsure. God was once a friend, but sin broke the knot of friendship ; now God's smile is turn-