[4.] Your hap})iness lieth in communion with God, and communion with God we cannot have if we have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness : 1 John i. 6, 7, ' If we say that we have fellowship
310 SERMONS UPON EPHESIANS V. [SeR. XIV.
with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another.' God hath not promised communion to such as walk in dark- ness, for light and darkness have no communion one with another : 2 Cor. vi. 14, ' For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteous- ness ? and what communion hath light with darkness ? '
2. ' But rather reprove them,' by deed and word.
[1.] By deed, spoken of before ; as David convinced Saul : 1 Sam. xxiv. 17, ' And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I ; for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil ; ' and ' The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour,' Prov. xii. 26. You have a spirit and an excellency which they have not, though the seduced world will not easily own it.
[2.] By word. It is a duty the world cannot bear, but we must perform it : Prov. xv. 12, ' A scorner loveth not one that reproveth him ; neither will he go unto the wise.' But every scorn and reproach must not deter us. Indeed, when it doth exclude some better benefit, and provoke to persecute, we may forbear : Mat. vii. 6, * Give not that which is holy to dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again, and rend you ; ' but do it to your relations.
SEEMON XIV.
For it is a shame even to speak of those things ivhich are done of them in secret. — Eph. v. 12.
These words are rendered as a reason why they should ' have no fellow- sliip with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.' By ' works of darkness ' he meaneth sins committed in paganism and their unconverted estate. The heathens did many things which for their filthiness were unworthy of christian ears ; and that may be the reason why he himself doth not particularly and expressly mention these sins.
The practices of the unconverted heathen are set forth by a double brand — (1.) They are done of them in secret ; (2.) It is a shame to speak of them, there is such a turpitude and filthiness in them.
So that in these words niiiy be observed — (1.) Something concerning the sense and apprehension that men have of sin; (2.) Something concerning secret sins.
For the first I shall observe —
Doct. That all sense of right and wrong, good and evil, is not wholly extinguished in the heart of man ; for here the unbelieving gentiles, though they did abominable things, yet they did them in secret, which showeth some relics of natural conscience and shame in them.
1. Naturally we apprehend a difference between virtue and vice, good and evil; for we ap[)reliend the one as culpable and evil, and the other
VeK. 12.] SERMONS UPON EPHESIANS V. 311
as honest and commendable. This conceit cometh not from custom and positive law, for then it could not be so universal ; but from the nature of the things themselves, or the law of nature written upon our liearts : Rom. ii. 14, 15, ' These having not the law, are a law unto themselves ; which show the work of the law written in their hearts.' For what is universally received in all the world hath a foundation in nature. If there be no difference in the things themselves, it is no more to kill a man than to kill a fly, or to rob in the woods than to hunt a hare in the fields, for a man to lie with his father's wife than to make use of lawful marriage, to obey his sense than his reason, or to be ruled by his appetite than by his conscience. But these notions are horrid and uncouth to any that knoweth himself to be a man. Besides, plain ex- perience showeth that we are all possessed with a desire of being, if not really, yet seemingly honest. The most wicked are offended if they be taken for such as they really are ; all desire to cloak their wickedness with an appearance of probity and honesty. If this desire were not natural, it could not be so universal. This then plainly showeth we are sensible that honour is due to virtue, and blame to sin and vice; and therefore, though we are very partial in our own cause, yet we are conscious to ourselves that such filthiness as we affect and delight to live in is culpable and punishable in all civil societies; therefore we seek to hide our practices from the world as much as we can.
2. This apprehension is most sensibly betrayed by our affections of shame and fear. Omne malum aut timore aut pudore perf audit — Fear and shame followeth upon the doing of evil. We read that Adam and Eve, as soon as they sinned, they were both ashamed. Gen. iii. 7, and afraid, ver. 10. Indeed, you may reduce it to one affection, which is fear, for shame is a sort of fear. Fear, properly so taken, is a fear of torment ; and shame is a fear of disgrace. The one respects punish- ment, and the other reproof.