it, John viii. 34.., " The lusts of your father you will do." He liath pot your licarts, and him you will ohey; his strong tempta- tions do more to draw men to evil, than all the promises of God can draw them to good. This is the sLate of every man by nature, lie is in the house of b(mdage, the devil hath him in his power ; a sinner grinds in the devil's mill, he is at the command of Satan, as the ass is at the command of the driver. No wonder to see men oppress and perse- cute ! These slaves must do what the god of this world will have them. How could those swine but run, when the devil enter- ed into them? Mat. viii. 32. When the de- vil tempted Ananias to tell a lie, he could not but speak what Satan had put in his heart, Acts v. 3. When the devil entered into Judas, and bid him betray Christ, Ju- das would do it, though he hanged himself. This case is sad and dismal, to be tlms in the house of bondage, under tlie power and tyranny of Satan. When David would curse the enemies of God, how did he pray against them ? That Satan might be at their right hand, Ps. cix. G. He knew he could lead them into any snare. If Satan be at the sinner's right-hand, let the sinner take heed lie be not set on God's left hand. Is not this a case to be bewailed, to see men taken captive by Satan at his will ? 2 Tim. ii. 26. he leads sinners as slaves before him in tri- umph ; he possesseth them. If people should see but their beasts bewitched and posses- sed of the devil, they would be much trou- bled ; yet their souls are possessed by Satan, but they are not sensible. What can be worse than to be in the house of bondage, — to have the devil hurry men on in their lust to perditi<m ? Sinners are willingly enslav- ed to Satan ; they love their gaoler ; are con- tent to sit quietly under Satan's jurisdic- tion ; they choose this bramble to rule them, though within a while, fire will come out of this bram])le to devour them, Judges ix. Now, what an infinite mei'cy of God is it, when he brings poor souls out of this house of bondage, — when he gives thoin a gaol- delivery from the prince of darkness ! Je- sus Christ redeems captives, — Iw ransoms sinners by price, and rescues them by force. As David took a lamb out of the lion's mouth, I Sam. xvii. 34., so Christ rescues
souls out of the mouth of this roaring lion. O what a mercy is it to be brought out of the house of bondage, to be taken from be- ing made captives to the prince of the power of the air, and to be made subjects of the Prince of Peace ! And this is done by the preaching of the word, Acts xxvi. 18., " To turn them from the power of Satan unto God."
HI. The bringing of Israel out of the house of bondage was a type of their being delivered from hell. Ilell is domus servitu-^ tis, — an house of bondage ; an house built on purpose for sinners to lie in.
1. That there is such an house of bon- dage where the damned lie, Ps. L\. 17., " The wicked shall be turned into hell." Mat. xxiii. 33., " How can ye escape the damnation of hell ?" If any one shall ask where this house of bondage is, — where is the place of hell ? I wish you may never know feelingly. " Let us not so much (saith Chrysostom) labour to know where hell is, as how to escape it." Yet to satis- fy curiosity, hell is locus subterraneiis, — some place beneath, Prov. xv. 24., " Hell be- neath." Hesiod saith, " Hell is as far un- der the earth, as heaven is above it." Luke viii. 31., " The devils besought Christ that he would not command them to go into the deep." Hell is in the deep.
2. Quest. JVhy there must he this house of bondage ? why a hell ?
Ans. Because there must be a place for the execution of divine justice; earthly monarchs have their prison for malefactors, and shall not God have his ; sinners are criminal persons, they have offended God ; and it would not consist with God's holi- ness and justice, to have his laws infringed, and not appoint penalties for the trans- gressors.
3. The dreadfulness of this place. Could you but for one hour hear the groans and shrieks of the damned, it would confirm you in this truth, that hell is an house of bondage; hell is the emj)hasis of misery. Besides the poena domni, — the punishment of loss, which is the exclusion <»f the soul from the glorified sight of God, which di- vines think the worst ])art of hell, I say besides this, there will be vccna sensus, — the punishment of sense. If, when lJod'»
OF THE PREFACE TO THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.
wrath is kindled Ijtit a little, and a spark of it flies into a man's conscience in this life, it is so terrible — as in the case of Spira — ihcn what will hell itself be? That I may describe this house of bondag^e,
1. In hell there will be a plurality of tor- ments: 1. " Bonds and chains," 2 Pet. ii. 4. 2. The worm, Mark ix. 44. This is the worm of conscience : and the lake of fire. Rev. xx. 15. Other fire is but painted to this.