2. Let us see the title or terrible compellation, ' Ye cursed ; ' not by men, but by God. Many are blessed of God that are cursed of men : Mat. V. 12, ' Blessed are ye when men shall curse you for righteous- ness' sake : ' it is no boot to have the world's blessings ; yet observe ihe difference, ver. 34, he saith, ' Come, ye blessed of my Father ; ' but he doth not say, Cursed of my Father. Partly because cursing is alienum opus, his strange work ; it doth not come so freely and kindly as mercy. The blessing cometh of his own accord ; without and before the merit of the creature ; but not the curse, till we force it, and wrest it out of God's hands. Partly because Christ would pass his sentence in a convincing way ; and therefore he doth not pitch damna- tion upon the decree and counsel of God, as he doth election. It is ' blessed of my Father ; ' his love is the only cause ; but ' ye cursed.' It is good to observe the tenderness of the scripture when it speaketh of the execution of the decree of reprobation, that they may not cast the blame upon God : their damnation is not cast upon his decree, but their own deservings. You may see the like difference, Rom. ix. 22, ' Endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to
88 SERMONS UPON MATTHEW XXV. [SeR. XXV.
destmction.' But then, ver. 23, ' The vessels of mercy which he hath aforehaud prepared unto glory.' He endureth the one, but he fitteth and prepareth the other ; he created them, and permitted them to fall in Adam, justly hardeneth them for refusing his will, but themselves prepare their own hell, by their natural corruption and voluntary de- pravation, following their lusts with greediness. Speaking of the elect, it is said he hath prepared ; but of the reprobate, it is said he is fitted. Tlie reprobates bring something of their own to further their destruc- tion, pravity and naughtiness of their own ; every man is the cause of the curse and eternal misery to himself, but God is the cause and author of the blessing : ' Thy destruction is of thyself, but in me is thy help found.' The elect have all from God ; he prepareth them for heaven, and heaven for them, without any merit of theirs. The reprobate is not damned simply on God's pleasure, but their own desert ; before he would execute his decrees, there is an interposition of their sin and folly.
Object. But it is said, Kom. ix. 11, ' Before the children had done either good or evil, it was said, Esau have I hated.' So that it seemeth that they are cursed and hated of God before any merit and desert of theirs. I answer —
There is a twofold hatred — (1.) Negative ; (2.) Positive.
1. Negative hatred is noluntas miserendi ; a purpose not to give grace, a nilling to give grace. And then —
2. There is a positive hatred, which is voluntas puniendi et condem- nandi. In other terms there is prreterition and predamnation. For the former, God hateth them, as he will not give grace, for he is not engaged ; and it is a great mercy that when all are worthy of punish- ment, yet that he will choose some to life. And for the latter, punish and damn them he doth not till they deserve it by their own sins ; therefore it stoppeth the mouths of them that blaspheme the Holy One of Israel, as if he did create men for death and the pains of hell : Hosea xiii. 9, ' 0 Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself.' They are compassed with a fire of their own kindling, Isa. 1. 11. But it is time to return. Wicked men are cursed of God ; and God's curse is wont to take place. It is no easy matter to get rid of it ; the curse of the law sticketh to them at the last day, and shall eternally. He doth not say, Be ye cursed ; but, Go, ye cursed. They were cursed before they came to the tribunal of Christ. Those that are condemned to hell are such as remain under the curse of the law. And who are they ? Final unbelievers.
[1.] Everyman by nature is under the curse; for till we are in Christ we are under Adam's covenant ; and Adam's covenant can yield no blessing to the fallen creatures : Gal. iii. 10, ' As many as are under the works of the law are under the curse ; for it is written. Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law, to do them.' The law requireth perfect, perpetual, and personal obedience. God did disannul the covenant made with Adam presently upon the fall ; but the curses stand in full force against those that have not changed state, but are only children of Adam ; and wicked men will find it so at the day of judgment, for they shall have judgment without mercy, whereas others are judged by the law of