[2.] Unbelief of God's word and divine promises and threatenings. Unbelief and obstinate impenitency always go together. God hath his word, and they have their word. Now rather than believe God's word, they will put it to the venture and trial, whose word shall stand, God's or theirs ? Jer. xliv. 28, ' And all the remnant of Judah, that are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose words shall stand, mine or theirs ; ' that is to say, which shall be fulfilled and made good, their foolish confidence or God's threatenings ?
[3.] Non-attendance to God's warnings, if they are not guilty of ex- press unbelief: Mat. xxii. 5, 'But they made light of it;' Eccles. v. 1, ' Keep thy foot when thou goest into the house of God, and be more ready to hear than to give the sacrifice of fools ; for they consider not that they do evil ;' compared with Acts xvi. 14, ' Whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.'
[4.] Non-application : Job v. 27, ' Lo ! this, we have searched it ; hear it, and know it for thy good ; ' Rom. viii. 31, ' What shall we say to these things? ' Jer. viii. 6, 'No man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done ? ' Now when men neither believe, nor consider, nor apply, no wonder if self-love carrieth it ; and in the greatest soul-dangers they flatter themselves into a fool's paradise, that they shall do well enough though they live in their sins.
2. The devil joineth with our self-love, and lulleth us asleep in our carnal security and abuse of grace: Gen. iii. 4, 5, 'And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die ; for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.' In the first temptation he per- emptorily denieth the terror of the curse, as if it were a vain scarecrow.
VeR. 6.] SERMONS UPON EPHESIANS V. 227
As the cunning huntsman playeth least in sight till the beast be gotten into the snare and toil ; all is hushed and quiet, and then he appeareth witli shouts and outcries ; so Satan glutteth men with carnal delights, and taketh care their pleasures be not disturbed Avith any thoughts of the world to come, or serious minding of their danger, till they are past remedy, and then torments with despairing fears as much as he hard- ened us before with presumptuous thoughts of mercy. He that now tempts you to disobey the command, at death or sickness will tempt you to distrust the promise.
3. He stirreth up instruments, that, with the charms of false doc- trine, he may hinder the sight of sin and fears of judgment, and strengthen the hands of the wicked : Jer. xxiii. 17, ' They say still unto them that despise me, The Lord hath said. Ye shall have peace ; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.' They confirm people in their wickedness, and keep them from repentance, by bearing them in hand, that God will be merciful to them ; and if they can but trust in the merits of Christ, or God's mercy, they are safe. These are those that are said to 'daub with untempered mortar,' Ezek. xiii. 10, and to 'sew pillows under men's arms,' ver. 18 ; that is, lull men asleep in their sins. The church of God hath ever been troubled with such unskilful and unfaithful guides, and daubers with untempered mortar ; and they are found in every party that delude poor drossy unsanctified souls with promises of peace and pardon, and by loose strains of grace hinder their conversion.
Use. Let no man deceive you.
1. It is sure you are not justified while you are yet in your sins. Men are first regenerated and then pardoned : Acts xxvi. 18, ' To open their eyes, and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sin.' Till you are converted you cannot determine your right. So in the golden chain, sanctification is one necessary link. It is not omitted by tlie apostle, but included in one of the things there mentioned : Eom. viii. 30, 'Whom he did predestinate, them he also called ; and whom he called, them he also justified ; and whom he justified, them he also glorified.' Sanctification is included in effectual calling ; there is initial sanctifica- tion, and the progress of it is in the word 'glorified,' for it is a part of glory. You cannot imagine God can err in judgment ; and justi- fication is an act of judgment, as condemnation is ; he deemetli and accounteth none just but those who are really changed. There is sententia ler/is and senientia judicis, the sentence of the law and the sentence of the judge ; the sentence of the law is justification constitu- tive, the sentence of the judge is justification declarative.
2. How much God is concerned to right himself, the honour of his providence, and the truth of his word, against such as flatter themselves in their sins : Deut. xxix. 19, 20, ' And it come to pass when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst : the Lord will not spare him, but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven.' When men excuse or