But how chanceth it that they do not know and perceive it ?
It is because he goeth with the stream of their own corruptions. Indeed, we must make some limitation of this. In some cases the devil doth not move carnal men. They are better than the devil would have them be for the good of the commonwealth and state ; but yet take them as they stand in relation to religion, they may be devilish, secret, bitter, dark enemies to that. Though they may have strong heads for the good of the state, yet it is not from any intrinsecal good iu themselves ; but Grod useth them and makes them do that. For the devil would have all naught ;-'.= he is an enemy to the very swine ; therefore much more to the good of a state. Therefore there are many politic civil f virtues, as we see in Ahithophel and Judas, which no question is more than the devil would have. He would not have civil men so good ; he would not have them do that they do for the common good ofttimes. Yet the devil will be sure to be at one end of the good they do, to taint them, that their aim shall not be good. It shall not be to the glory of God ; it shall not be in reference to salvation.
And so, as the good is temporal, they have a reward suitable to their desire ; they care for no more. For they believe not heaven but in a general notion. It may be there is such things, it may be not. Therefore the good they do is some little petty obedience. And what do they desire ? To be well esteemed and respected ; to be venerable, and to have honour- able opinions in the hearts of men, that men may stoop in their conceits to them as men of respect. This they deserve indeed, and this they have ; God gives them that they would have. But as Christ tells the Pharisees, who did excellent good things, but it was to be ' seen of men,' he tells them ' they had their reward,' Mat. vi. 2. They had all they looked for, for they were atheists ; they looked not for heaven. So a man may say of all that are out of the state of grace : though they do more than the devil would have them, and for divers degrees of what they do they are not sub- ject to the devil, yet he taints their actions one way or other in the end ; he joins himself in the action first or last ; he hath a hand iu all their actions. So that, notwithstanding there be many good things, yet this hinders not a whit but that they may be under the power of the devil ; for it is but in reference to civil government and state, which is but for a time. ' The fashion of this world passeth away,' 1 Cor. vii. 31. Here will be no magistrates to govern nor no people to be governed ere long.
I speak it, because many men are ready to propound such and such, to imitate them in their courses ; and to say, I will be no more religious than he ; when, perhaps, all may be but formality and common graces for this * That is, ' nauglity,' = wicked.— G. t That is, ' moral.'— G.
230 THE SPIRITUAL JUBILEE.
wovUl. God will honour some so mncli, to bo instruments for common good here ; but what is that to eternal salvation ? Ho may be a slave to his lusts, and an enemy to the power of grace, for all that. Therefore, unless we see men wrought upon thoroughly, to bo of the mind of Christ, to heave the Spirit of Christ, to judge of things as Christ judgeth, to judge the service of God and doing his will to be the best things, and to ' go about doing good, 'Acts x. 38, and that with reference and obedience to God, all is nothing else. A man may be under the bondage of his corruptions, and so by them to Satan.
Again, When we are under our lusts and sins, it is about earthly things ; ve are in shtrenj to tJuit irhicli /.s irorse than oiirsclveK. Sin is the vilest thing in the world, and the things whereabout sin is occupied are the profits and pleasures and trifles of this world — mean petty things. It is a base slavery to consider whom we serve.
3. And to consider what it is that is in bondage, the immortal soul of man, that had the image of God stamped upon it ; and in the soul of man, tho most excellent part, the will, that is most free, yet being under sin, it is most bound. Our will was given us to cleave to God and the best things ; to make choice of the best things, and to cleave to them un- divided in life and death, and for ever ; and so by cleaving to things better than ourselves, to advance ourselves to a higher condition. For when the soul of man that is under better thingfe, that is under God and Christ, and doth cleave to God and Christ in his afiections, and to the things of a better life, these be things bettering a man's condition, even raising the soul from its own present estate to a glorious condition ; for we are as we alfect.* Our wills and our affections do transform us. Therefore wicked men are called the world, because they love it ; and holy men are called heavenly, because they are carried in their affections and wills to heavenly things. Our afiections and wills do denominate us, they give us the name ; na.j, that is too little, they do give us the reality, the state. When God so alters and changes oui' dispositions, that out of a sanctified judg- ment we make a right choice of things, and then cleave to them in our wills and affections constantly, this raiseth our nature to be higher than itself: 'He that cleaveth to the Lord is one spirit,' as the apostle saith, Acts X. 38. f Indeed, our affections transform us anew. As it is'with the fire, it transforms cold and gross bodies to be all fiery ; so God and heavenly things work upon our hearts, they transform us to be like themselves.