(5.) God's enemies carry on a twofold war against God, offensive and defensive.
VeR. 20.] SERMONS UPON 2 CORINTHIANS V. 299
(1st.) The offensive war is when men rebel against Grod's laws, and seek to beat down his interest in the world, and employ their faculties, mercies, and comforts as weapons of unrighteousness against God : Eom. vi. 13, ' Yield not your members as instruments of unrighteous- ness unto sin, oTrXa, or weapons, but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as weapons of righteousness unto God,' Our faculties, talents, interests, are employed either as armour of light for God, or as weapons of unrighteousness against God. And warring Satan's warfare I call the offensive war against God.
{2dli/.) The defensive war is when we slight his word, and resist the motions of his Spirit, Acts vii. 51 . When God bringeth his spiritual artillery to batter down all that lifteth up itself against the obedience of Christ, 2 Cor. x. 4, 5, he layeth siege to their hearts, and battereth them daily by tlie rebukes, and the motions of his Spirit ; yet men will not yield the fortress, but stand it out to the last, and delight to go on in their natural corruption, and will not have Christ to reign over them ; and so they increase their enmity, and double their misery, by a resistance of grace. So that they are rebels not only against the law, but the gospel, and stand out against their own mercies ; as they are enemies to an earthly prince, that not only molest him with continual inroads and incursions, but those also that keep his towns against him. Well then, all this that is said showeth, that though men do not break out into open acts of hostility against God, yet they may hate him, be enemies to him. Though they may not be professed infidels, yet secret enemies, under a show of respect to his religion, enemies by interpre- tation, as they love him not, or love him less, or impenitently continue in a course of disobedience. If they seek not the destruction of God's interest in the world, yet their soul loatheth God ; the thoughts of his being are a trouble to them ; and they do not walk in his ways, nor will not be reclaimed from their folly by any of his entreaties.
[2.] Now let me prove, that God is an enemy to a carnal man or man defiled with sin. He is so, though he doth not stir up all his wrath, though he bestoweth many favours upon us in the blessings of this life ; he is so, though he useth much patience towards us ; he is so, though he vouchsafeth us many tenders of grace to reclaim us. All these things may consist with the wrath of God , he is so, what- ever purposes of grace, or secret good- will he may bear to any of us from everlasting ; for our condition is to be determined by the sentence of his law, and there we are children of wrath even as others, Eph. vi. 3 ; liable to the stroke of his eternal vengeance : Ps. v. 5, ' Thou hatest all the workers of iniquity.' They can look upon themselves as only objects of his wrath and hatred. Now this hatred and enmity of God is seen, partly as all commerce is cut oft' between God and them ; Isa. lix. 2, ' Your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear ; ' so that he will not hold communion with us in the Spirit. Partly, in that he doth often declare his displeasure against our sins : Eom. i. 18, ' For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness ; ' and Heb. ii. 2, ' Every transgression, and every disobedience received
300 SEllMONS UPON 2 COEINTHIANS V. [SeR. XXXIX.
a just recompense of reward.' Ever}^ commandment hath its trophies, to show that God hath gotten the best of sinners ; some are smitten because they love not God, and put not their trust in him ; some, for false worship ; some, for blaspheming his name, and profaning his day. Sometimes he maketh inquisition for blood, sometimes for disobedience to parents and governors ; by these instances God showeth, that he is at war with sinners. It may be the greatest expression of God's anger, if he doth not checlv us and suffer us to go on in our sins : Hosea iv. 17, ' Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone ; ' word, providence, conscience, let him alone : Ps. Ixxxi. 12, ' Sa I gave them up to their own hearts' lusts, and. they walked in their own counsels.' It is the greatest misery of all to be left to our own choices ; but however it be, whether God strike or forbear, the Lord is already in battle array, proclaiming the war against us : Ps. vii. 11, 12, 'God is angry with the wicked every day; if he turn not, he will whet his sword ; he hath bent his bow, and will make it ready : He hatli also prepared for him the instruments of death. He hath ordained his arrows against the persecutors.' God's justice, though it doth for a while spare the wicked, yet it doth not lie idle ; every day they are a-preparing and a-fatting. As all things work together for good to them that love God ; so all things are working for the final perdition of the obstinately impenitent: God can deal with them eminus, at a distance, he hath his arrows ; cominus, hand to hand, he hath his sword; he is bending his bow, whetting his sword. Now when God falleth upon us, what shall we do ? Can we come and make good our party against him ? Alas, how soon is a poor creature overwhelmed, if the Lord of hosts arm the humours of our own bodies, or our thoughts against us ? If a spark of his wrath light into the conscience, how soon is a man made a burden and a terror to himself ? God will surely be too hard for us : Job ix. 4, ' Who ever hardened his heart against God and jjrospered?' What can we get by contending with the Lord ? One frown of his is enough to undo us to all eternity. Can Satan benefit you? The devil that giveth you counsel against God, can he secure you against the strokes of his vengeance ? No, he himself is fallen under the weight of God's displeasure and holden in chains of darkness unto the judgment of the great day; therefore think of it while God is but bending his bow, and whetting his sword. The arrows are not yet shot out of the terrible bow, the sword is but yet a~whetting, it is not brandished against us ; after these fair and treatable warnings we are undone for ever, if we turn not speedily ; it is no time to dally with God. We read, Luke xiv. 31, of a king that had but ten thousand, and another coming against him with twenty thousand: what doth lie do ? ' While he is yet a great way off, he sendeth aa embassy, and desireth conditions of peace.' You are no match for God ; it is no time to dally or tarry, till the judgment tread upon our heels, or the storm and tempest of his wrath break out upon us. The time of his patience will not always last, and we are every day a step nearer to eternity. How can a man sleep in his sins, that is upon the very brink of hell and everlasting destruction ? Certainly a change must come, and in the ordinary course of nature we have but a little