[2.] Because they are suggested by the temptations of the devil, who is the prince of darkness, and the ruler of the darkness of this world ; and therefore called 'his lusts,' John viii. 44 ; 'his works,' 1 John iii. 8. He enticed the world of mankind from God, and still detaineth them by their slavery to their lusts. Did men know whose work they are a-doing they would sooner desist. The devil is the great architect of all wickedness, and the first mover of it ; though carnal men do not what they do in love to him, but their own flesh, yet it is he sets them a- work, and cheateth them into rebellion against God, and abuse th the ignorance and error of their minds to draw them to these sins.
[3.] Because they cannot endure the light, but seek the veil and covert of secrecy. There is a threefold light —
(1.) Natural. They rebel against this light : Job xxiv. 13, ' They are of those that rebel against the light ; they know not the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof ; ' and ver. 17, ' For the morning is to them even as the shadow of death ; if one know them , they are in the terror of the shadow of death.' He meaneth by light there the light of the sun or of the day ; and he instanceth in two sorts of sinners, the robber and murderer, who do their pranks mostly in the night ; and the adulterer, who waiteth for the twilight ; and he saitli to both of them, 'the morning is to them as the shadow of death.' Their actions are so shameful and infamous that they dare not be seen in them. And the apostle telleth us, 1 Thes. v. 7, that ' they who are drunken are -drunken in the night.' The greatest lovers and approvers of sin are ashamed to do it openly. There is not only a fear of danger, but a shame of doing actions so unworthy a man publicly. Till the consci- ence of right and wrong, honesty and dishonesty, be wholly extinct in their hearts, there is a natural bashfulness which maketli them shun the light of the day. They are conscious to themselves that sin is an abominable thing, and punishable in all civil societies. Though their endeavour to commit it secretly showeth their atheism, in that they seek to hide it from the eye of the world, and regard not the eye of God that is upon them, yet their affecting the veil of darkness and secrecy showeth this, that they have an apprehension that sin is evil.
(2.) Light spiritual, the light of God's word : John iii. 20, ' For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.' The gospel hath not only a refresh- ing light to comfort the penitent, but a reproving and discovering light to trouble the sinner ; and therefore before men feel it they fear it, and are loath to have their guilt revived. An unsound heart shuns all means of searching and knowing itself, which shows that those prac- tices wherein they allow themselves are deeds of darkness, stolen waters, and bread eaten in secret.
302 SERMONS UPON EPHESIANS V. [SePw. XIII.
(3.) There is another light, and that may be called practical, or the light of a holy conversation: Mat. v. 16, 'Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your father which is in heaven.' The truly godly are an awe to the wicked ; for in lioly and diligent believers religion is exemplified. A christian is or should be a living image of God, and so a powerful conviction of the ungodly ; and the more men know them, the gi-eater excellency will they see, and the greater efficacy of conviction will they feel, and their own practices are more shamed and disgraced. Now these sins cannot endure this light that shinetli into the consciences of them that commit them, out of the conversations of the godly ; therefore they either stand aloof out of prejudice, and condemn them by hearsay and general rumour, or seek to obscure this liglit by contumelies and slanders : 1 Peter iv. 4, ' Wherein they think it strange that you run not with them into the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you.' For men speak to disgrace that excellency which they will not imitate ; they spend their time in satisfying their lusts, and are troubled that others will not do the like, but seek after another society.
[4.] Because these men are condemned to everlasting darkness ; for if they live and die in these sins without repentance, they are unavoid- ably cast into utter darkness, where is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Therefore, as the way of the godly is compared to a growing light, so the way of the wicked to an increasing darkness : Prov. iv. 18, 19, ' The i^ath of the just is as the shining light, that shinetli more and more unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is as darkness, they know not at what they stumble.' The morning light is always growing until it Cometh to the mid-day and noon, when the sun is in its greatest strength and brightness, and the day in its perfection : so the right- eous increase in grace more and more, and go from strength to strength, till they come to their perfect estate. Now on the contrary, ' the way of the wicked is as darkness.' As the evening twilight increaseth to midnight or the thickest darkness, so they go on from sin to sin till they have plunged themselves into everlasting destruction ; for con- traries must be explained in the same manner.