4. This disobedience, the longer it is continued, the more it is increased. There is a natural averseness from God. Take a man in liis pure naturals, he hath nothing to incline him to God ; but the longer we continue in it, we every day make ourselves seven times more the children of hell. Still it increaseth till it come to the height of senseless judicial hardness of heart : Zech. vii. 11, 12, ' But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ear that they should not hear ; yea, they have made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law.' So still they grew more and more disobedient.
II. The misery of their condition. It is either matter of sense or matter of faith; of sight, because of present judgments, or foresight, because of the threatenings of the word.
1. It is matter of sight, as God doth inflict remarkable judgments on obstinate sinners in this life, to teach his children to beware of their sins. These judgments are either spiritual or tempoi-al.
[1.] Spiritual. These men are in a miserable and voluntary servi- tude both to sin and Satan ; and both are the basest masters that any- one can have. To sin : Titus iii. 3, ' For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures.' They do all things which their lusts command, and cannot by any reason be persuaded to shake off this yoke. The less they feel this bondage in themselves, the more dangerous it is, and the more they are obnoxious to it ; for then both will and mind is oppressed, and they know no better things. They that are slaves by force are not in so bad a condition as they that are slaves by consent, that sell their souls, their religion, their God, their Christ, their happi- ness, their all, for a little brutish satisfaction, and are so governed by their carnal affections that they know not how to come out of this thraldom, but suffer the beast to ride the man, and have gotten such an habit and course of sinning, that they are wholly enslaved by these brutish pleasures, and cannot help it. To Satan : The other master
238 SERMONS UPON EPHESIANS V. [SeR. VI I.
is the devil ; they are of liis party and confederacy : Eph. ii. 2, ' Wherein in times past ye walked accordinjj^ to the course of this world, accor(lin<i^ to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience.' Their hearts are Satan's shop and proper workhouse, where his weapons of defiance are formed against God. They carry on a defensive war, shutting up their hearts against all his invitations to repentance and offers of grace, so that God can get no entrance there. An offensive war, as they do not only despise his offers, but hate his ways. Thus God hangeth up some in chains of darkness for a warning to the rest.
[2.] Temporal judgments ; for the wrath of God that cometh on the children of disobedience is not to be confined to the other world; much of it cometh upon them here ; as when it is said, Heb. xiii. 4, ' Whoremongers and adulterers God will judge ;' that is, punish, nofc only eternally after this life if they repent not, but also temporally in this life ; yea, though they may repent, as is evident in David, who, though he repented, yet he suffered grievously for his adultery. If God's own children will act the part of the children of disobedience, they smart for it ; for this is necessary to prevent the taint of their example in the world. Well, but these judgments are not lightly to be passed over, especially when they are executed before our eyes, and God cometh near and close to us, for they are the holy and righteouw dispensations of the wise God ; not things casual, indeterminate, or done at random, nobody knoweth by whom, or to what end and purpose. You cannot imagine that a holy, just, and wise God should have no end and scope in what he doth. The scripture calleth often God's judgments ' his arrows.' Now these are not shot; at rovers, as the man that killed Ahab drew a bow at a venture. No ; God hath a certain and steady aim at which he levelleth and directeth his shaft ; and God's aim is our instruction. All his judgments are speaking lessons and real warnings, that we may not involve ourselves in the same sins, and so in the same punishment. They are appointed, not only for our admiration, but our instruction : Zeph. iii. 7, ' I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction.' God promiseth it to himself that the world will not be so stupid as to run the hazard of the same fearful judgments which have overtaken others : Deut. viii. 19, 20, * I testify against you this day, that you shall surely perish, as the nations which the Lord destroyeth before your face, because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the Lord ; ' Deut. xix. 20, ' And those that remain shall hear, and fear, and henceforth commit no more any such evil among you.' When any malefactor was executed, and found out by God's justice, he expected they should make this use of it : Deut. xvii. 13, ' And all the people shall hear, and fear, and do no more presumptuously.'