whatever punishment is due to it, at first, there is notwithstanding a greater condemnation, which it is exposed to, as the consequence of sin committed and continued in; and this is described, in scripture, in such a way, as renders it, beyond expression, dreadful; _Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath_, Psal. xc. 11. or, as the prophet says, _Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger_, Nah. i. 6. 3. Man, as fallen, is exposed to the curse of God, which is an external declaration of his hatred of sin, and will to punish it, which we sometimes call the condemning sentence of the law, as the apostle says, _As many as are of the works of the law, are under a curse as it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law to do them_, Gal. iii. 10. so that whatever threatnings there are by which God discovers his infinite hatred of sin, these we are liable to as the consequence of our fallen state; and accordingly, as we were, at first, separate from God, the sin of our nature tends, according to the various aggravations thereof, to make the breach the wider, and our condemnation much greater. 4. By the fall, we became bond-slaves to Satan: thus it is said, that _the devil has the power of death_, Heb. ii. 14. and sinners are described, as _walking according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience_, Eph. ii. 2. and he is elsewhere described, as _a strong man armed, who keeps the palace, till a stronger than he shall overcome him, and take from him all his armour_, Luke xi. 21, 22. The heart of man is the throne in which he reigns, and men are naturally inclined to yield themselves slaves to him, and corrupt nature gives him the greatest advantage against us. None of us can say, as our Saviour did, _The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me_, John xiv. 30. for we are as ready to comply, as he is to tempt, especially if not prevented by the grace of God, and therefore may well be said to be bond-slaves to him. No age, or condition of life, is exempted from his assaults, and he suits his temptations to our natural tempers, and hereby we are overcome, and more and more enslaved by him; and certainly this must be a state of misery, and that more especially, because such are enemies to Christ, and withdraw themselves from his service, despising his protection, and the rewards he has promised to his faithful servants; and our Saviour says, that _we cannot serve two masters_, Mat. vi. 24. and so long as we continue bond-slaves to Satan, we contract greater guilt, and the dominion of sin increases therewith; so that to be the servants of Satan, is to be the servants of sin; and we are herein miserable, in that we serve one who intends nothing but our ruin, and is pleased in all steps leading to it, and will be as ready to accuse, torment, and