a step of the right ! Now, that the Christless state is a state of ignorance, see Eph. v. 8 : ' Ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord.' Ye were dai'kness, not in the dark, so one that hath an eye may he. A child of light is often in the dark, concerning some truth or promise, but then hath a spiritual eye, which the Christless person wants, and so is darkness. And this darkness cannot be enlightened, but by its union with Christ, which is ex- pi-essed in the following phrase, ' But now are ye light in the Lord.' As the eye of the body once put out, can never be restored by the creature's art, so neither can the spiritual eye, lost by Adam's sin, be restored by the teaching of men and angels. It is one of the diseases which Christ came to cure, Luke iv. 18. It is true, there is a light of reason, which is imparted to every man by natiu-e, but this light is darkness, compared with the saints '; as the night is dark to the day, even when the moon is in its full glory. This night-light of reason may save a person from some ditch, or pond, great and broad sins, but it will never help him to escape the more secret corruptions, which the saints see like atoms in the beams of spiritual knowledge. There is such curious work the creature is to do, which cannot be wrought by candlelight of natural knowledge. Nay more, where the common illumination of the spirit is super- added to this light of nature, yet that is darkness compared with the sanctifying knowledge of a renewed soul, which doth both discover spiritual truths, and warm the heart at the same time with the love of truth, having, like the sun, a prolifical and quickening virtue, which the other wants ; so that the heart lies under such common illuminations, cold and dead. He hath no more strength to resist Satan, than if he knew not the command ; whereas the Christian know- ledge, even when taken prisoner by a temptation, pursues and brings back the soul, as Abraham his nephew out of the enemies' hand : which hints the third.
Third, The Christless state is a state of impotency, Rom. v. ' When we were without strength, Christ came to die for the ungodly.' What can a dis- armed people, not having sword or gun, do to shake off the yoke of a conquering enemy? Such a power hath Satan over the soul, Luke xi. 21. He is called the strong man that keeps the soul as his palace : if he hath no disturbance from heaven, he need fear no mutiny within ; he keeps all in peace there. What the Spirit of God doth in a saint, that in a manner doth Satan in a sinner. The Spirit fills the heart of his with love, joy, holy desires, fears; so Satan fills the sinner's heart with pride, lust, lying: ' Why hath Satan filled thy heart?' saith Peter. And thus filled with Satan, (as the drunkard with wine,) he is not his own man, but Satan's slave.
Fourth, The state of unregeneracy is a state of friendship with sin and Satan. If it be enmity against God (as it is) then friendship with Satan. Now it will be hard to make that sovil fight in earnest against his friend. Is Satan divided? Will the devil within fight against the devil without; Satan in the heart, shut out Satan at the door ? Sometimes indeed there appears a scuffle betwen Satan and a carnal heart ; but it is a mere cheat, like the fighting of two fencers on a stage : you would think at first they were in earnest, but observing how wary they are, where they hit one another, you may soon know they do not mean to kill ; and that which puts all out of doubt, when the prize is done, you shall see them making merry together, with what they have got of their spectators, which was all they fought for. When a carnal heart makes the greatest bustle against sin, by complaining of it, or praying against it, follow him but off" the stage of duty (where he had gained the reputation of a saint, the prize he fights for, ) and you shall see them sit as friendly together in a comer as ever.
Use 1. This takes away the wonder off Satan's great conquests in the world : when we look abroad and see his vast empire, and what a little spot of ground contains Christ's subjects, what heaps of precious soids lie prostrate imder this foot of pride, and what a little regiment of saints march under Christ's banner ; perhaps the strangeness of the thing may make you ask. Is hell stronger than heaven ? the arms of Satan more victorious than the cross of Christ? No such matter; consider but this one thing, and you will wonder that Christ hath any to follow him, rather than he hath so few. Satan finds the world unarmed ; when the Prince of the World comes, he finds nothing to oppose ; the whole soul is in a disposition to yield at first summons ; and if conscience,
PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOUR OF GOD. 29