And we have deserved to be cast into this estate by reason that we left our subordination and dependence upon God, which, being creatures, we should have had. Therefore we turning from God to the creature, God punisheth our rebellion to him with rebellion in oui'selves ; because we
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withdrew our subjection from him, that therefore there should be in us a withdrawinfT of the subjection of sin and of the whole soul to God. So this captivity to and giving up to sin in us, it is penal and sinful ; but as it comes from God, it is merely •'■= judicial. Therefore we have it oft in the New Testament, in Horn. i. 21 and 2 Thes. ii. 10. The Gentiles, because they would not entertain the truth that they might have had by the light of nature, • God gave them up to their sins.' And then the Christians after the apostles' times, they set slight by the good word of God, the gospel. Therefore ' God gave them up to beheve lies.' It was sin in them ; but as God gave them up, it was justice. So this captivity and giving men up to their own lusts, it is justice ; as it comes from God, it is a horrible judg- ment. It is worse than to be given up to the devil himself ; for by being given up to our lusts we increase our damnation. To be given up to be tormented of the devil, it is not such a mischief as this spiritual captivity under sin. We are guilty ourselves of our own thraldom. And this will increase both the shame and the punishment. The shame, that a man shall say in hell afterward, ' I have brought myself hither, I had means enough, prohibitions enough ; I had sometimes chastisements of God, sometimes motions of his Spirit, sometimes one help from God, sometimes another ; yet notwithstanding I brake through all oppositions that God set between me and the execution of my lusts, and to hell-ward I would, and hither I have brought myself.' So that indeed the greatest part of hell- torments, the shame of them especially, it will be that men have brought themselves by their own wits and carnal lusts thither. And indeed all the wit a carnal man hath, that is not sanctified by God's' Spirit, it is to work himself to misery, to be a drudge to his lusts ; that sets all the parts he hath on work, not how he may serve God and be happj^ in another world, but how he may prowl and provide for his own carnal lusts. This is the estate of all men by nature. They are under sin, under the power of sin. The blind judgment leads the blind aflections, and both ' fall into the ditch,' into hell, Luke vi. 39.
1. The tearfulness and odiousness of this condition, to be in prison and thraldom and bondage to all kind of sin, natural and actual, it will appear further by this, that being in subjection to our base lusts, by consequence we are under the hondcuje of Satan ; for he hath power over death by sin, because he draws us to sin, and then accuseth us and torments us for sin. By sin we come to be under his bondage. So that we are under the fearful captivity of the devil while we are under the captivity of sin ; for all the power that he hath over us it is by sin. He is but God's executioner for sin. First, God gives him power to draw us to sin, to punish one sin with another ; and then he suffers him to accuse and to torment us afterward. What a fearful bondage is this, that being under sin we are under Satan ! We are servants to our enemy, as God threatened his people that they should serve their enemies. But this is a greater judgment, to be slaves to this enemy. This is the condition of every sinner. To be a slave to a man's enemy, it is a judgment of judgments ; yet notwithstanding this is the case of every man by nature ; he is a servant to his enemy, to Satan and his own lusts. He is a right Ham, a ' servant of servants ;' for Satan useth him as the Philistines did Samson : he puts out his eyes ; he puts out his judgment, his wits ; he besots him ; and so he goes blind in Satan's blind work and business : he is in a maze all his hfe long, till at length he sink into hell. So this is the aggravation of a man's estate by nature, he « That is, ' altogether.'— G.
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is a slave to his enemy. You know blessed Zacliarias saith, Luke i. 74, 75, ' That, being delivered out of the hands of our enemies, wo might serve him without fear, iu righteousness and holiness, all the days of our life.' There is no wicked man, but he is acted by the devil. Oh that we would consider of it ! We think we are led only by our own lusts and sins, as men ; but until a man be in Christ, ' he is ruled by the command of the prince of the air,' Eph. ii. 2, and in 2 Tim. ii. 26, *he is ruled by Satan, according to his will.' Even as a bird in a snare, it may move up and down, but it is still in the snare, and he that hath it there cares not : he knows he hath it safe, and he goes about to catch other birds ; so when we are in our lusts and follow them, the devil hath us in his snare : he is secure of us, and goes about getting more and more still. The devil acts, and moves, and leads all carnal men.