An Expojition of the Epijlle ~ his comings-ln are by Men's !innings. It is not Man's end to !in, but it is Satan's. ~Nay, my Brethren, let me fay ~his unto yon, That Satan doth not aim fo much at your Damnation, as he doth a~m you lhould !in, rho he atms nt your Damnation roo: for, he liates Man, hut be bateth God more. In the damnation ofthe Crea– ture therein is God gldrified; but in the !in ofthe Creature, thereby God is dif. hon~ured, and thereby.Satan is therefore the more gratified. And therefore we lhould learn from hence this great Leifon, To hate Sln niore than Damnation • for it ls ~ertain the Devil himfelf is_pleafed mon; wi~h your Sin, than with you; Damnanon, for he IS the Prmce oflt; Wal~ng m Stn ( fatth he) According to th~ PrinCe, 6"c. , · A fecond Obfervation, which·will dear and ex~lain 'l:hat we are upon, 1s_this ; That ortly thofe, and all thofe that walk m Sm, be tt the leafl:, they are Subjeers un– to' Satan. In which ye walk!d according 1mto the Prince, &c. , In i 'joh. 3- 8, 9· the place I quoted everrnow, He that commftteth Sin, is ofthe Devil'; and being ofthe Devil, he ison the Devi1's fide, he is of his party ; (that phrafe ofChrifl:'s inter– prets it; He tbat i< not with mc.J He that cominitteth Sin, is with the Devi~; 'llld fo, he tliat walket!J in it, the romforts ofhis life conie in by it, makes a trade ofit be it the leafl:. And 'joh1ives this very reafon, vlhy every Man th:it committed; ~in thus, isofthe Devil: or the Devil (faidr he) finneth froni fhe begimling. What IS the meamngof that? e thatcontmueth m any Sw, fimh he, 11ofthe Devil; be– caule that bath been the Devil's praCtice, it is that which mak~s him a Devil, hiS having finned from the beginning : not having finned at the beginning, but his continuing in Sin, going on in a confl:ant courfe ofit. And then again, he f. 1 ith, He IIJilt if bom ofGod, he hath a new NatJtre that catmot agree with it. But I add this reafon to it alfo; becaule ifthat Satan:s Kingdom lies in Sin (as you heard be– fore) then where Sin reigneth, Satan reigneth. The Cafc is clear ; for ifhis King– dom lieth in it, where that reigns, he- mufl: riecds'reign. And t!ierefote io be fer~ vants ofSin, as in Rom.6. 21. Is alfone and to be the fervmts ofSaran: As to be the fcrvants of Righreoufnefs (as you have it there) is all one, and to be Ser– vants unto Chrift And therefore in litis 26. 18. infl:ead of faying, to t11rn Mm from Sm mdo God, you have it, to t11r'n men from the porrer ofSatan 111110 God: be:. caufe where Sin reigns, there Satan reigns. . . There is this likewife may be added, to explain it : Satan's Kingdom; you fee, lies in Sin: and the bounds of his Kingdom lie in the dominion ofany Sin. And therefore.now, although he doth not carry on a:ll Men to all Sins, yet notwith– fl:anding, if Sin have but dominion in a Man, that he walketh in it, then Satan bath a dominion: tho he doth not carry' Men on toall degrees of!inning, yet fl:ill his Kingdom is maintained in them, as concerning the Perfons that are the fubjeCl:s ofhis Kingdom, they come within the bounds of it: for the bounds of Satan's Kingdom l\e in this, when Sin reigneth, when Men walk in it, let it be any Sin, tho never fo fmall. The truth is, God doth not let Men be fo wicked as Satan would have them : we mufl: not underfl:and it fo, that Satan is fuch a Prince that bath fo his will, as whatfoever he would have Men do, they do: But he is fuc~a Prince, a• having a company ofdilcontented Rebels under him, he fuffers them all to walk by their own Laws; yet look what is peculiarly the Law of his King– dom or Commonwealth ( for fo I call every Man's heart) he holds them to that Law, he hath power to put them npon that Sin. He is a Tyrant, that bath not a Kingdom of one kind, as amongfl: Men, but he bath variety of Dominions, fome greater, fome leffer, for fo I m'ay call the Hearts of leveral Men unregenerate; yet fl:ill, be it the fmallefl: Sin, if a Man walks in it, he comes within the verge of his Kingdom, his Perlon is in his Kingdom, and in that fi1are the Devil takes him captive at his will, and fo he is his Prince. My Brethren, Sin is the Devil's Vice– Roy,(He is the chief Prince indeed.) And rho it be but a petty Vice-Roy,it keeps the Devil's Tenure, and the Devil bath power according to the Common-La1v God affords him, to put Men on to that Sin which their peculiar humour is addill– ~d unto. And therefore Sin is called the Snare ofthe Devil (2 Tim.2.26.) in which Men are tak!n captive at hi< will. Now any one lufl: is a Snare; and as a Bird that is taken in a Snare by the Fowler, (for the word hete tak!n captive, is vmatu capto, to take alive by hunting) the B1rd may hang by one fl:rmg or cord, and he bath her by that at his will ! Co any oneSin (for corrupt n~tute venteth it fe!f in feveral Mm
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