Is not Sin dwelling here in our mortal Bodies? Who can fay, My Heart or Way is clean? Therefore both that Privilege and this Property of a Chriftian, feems to be but big Words, no real Thing. And indeed I confefs the Multitude of Men hath no other Opinion of them, but as fancied imaginary Things; few believes theReport of the Gofpel concerning the Salvation of elect ones, and few understands what this fpiritual Walking is; many conceive it is not a Thing that belongs to Men, who are led about with Paffions and Affections, but rather to Angels or Spirits perfected.

However, we have in thefe Words an Answer to fatisfie both Objections: He grants fomething implicitely, and it is this. It is true indeed,Chriftians are under a twofold Law, Captives and Bondmen to thefe; A Law of Sin in their Members, bringing them in Subjection to the Lufts of the Flefb. Sin hath a powerful Dominion and Tyranny over every Man by Nature, it hath a Sort of Right and Power over him; and likewife, every one was under a Law of Death, the Law of God curling him, and fentencing him to Condemnation because of Sin; thefe two were joint Conquerors of all Mankind. But, faith he, there is a Delivery from this Bondage, Freedom is obtained to Believers by Jefus Chrift, and fo there is no Condemnation to them that are in Chrift, and fo they walk not after the -Leading and Direction of that Law of Sin within them, but after the guiding of our bleffed Tutor, the Spirit of God. If you ask how this comes to pafs, by what Authority, or Law, or Power is this Releasement and Freedom obtained? Here it is, By the Law of the Spirit of Life, which is in Chrift. Chrift is not an Invader, or unjuft Conqueror, he hath fair

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Law for what he doth, even against these Laws which detains Unbelievers in Bon dage: There is a higher and later Law on his Side, and he hath Power and Strength to accomplish his Defign. He oppofes Law unto Law, and Life unto Death, and Spirit unto Flesh; a Law of Spirit, unto a Law of Sin and Flesh,a Law of Life, unto a Law of Death. Word, the Gospel, or Covenant of Grace, unto the Law, or Covenant of Works; the powerful and living Spirit of Grace that wrought mightily in him, is fet foreagainst the Power of Sin and Satan in us, and against us; the one gives him Right and Title to conquer, the other accomplifheth him for the Work; and by these two, are Believers in Jefus Chrift made Free-men, who were Bond-men. That then which we would fpeak from thefe Words, is the common Lot of all Men by Nature, viz. to be under the Power of Sin, and Sentence of Death; the special Exemption of Believers in Chrift, and Immunity from this, or Delivery from it, and then the true Ground and Cause of this Delivery from that Bondage; which three are contained in the Words. It is a Purpose indeed of a high Nature, and of high Concernment to us all, our Life and Death is wrapt up in this; you may hear many Things more gladly, but if ye knew it, none fo profitable. Therefore let us gather our Spirits to the Consideration of thefe Particulars.

As to the firft, all Men are under the Bondage of a twofold Law, The Law of Sin within them, and the Law of Death without them. Man was created_righteous, but, faith the wife Man, be found out many Inventions; a fad Invention indeed, he found out Mifery and Slavery to himself, who was made free and happy. His Freedom and Happiness was to be in

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Subjection to his Maker, under the juft and holy Commands of his Lord, who had given him Breath and Being; It was no Captivity or Restraint, to be compaffed about with the Hedges of the Lord's holy Law, no more than it is a Reftraint on a Man's Liberty, to have his Way hedged in, where he may fafely walk, that he may keep himself within it, from Pits and Snares on every Hand. But, alas! (if we may say, alas! when we have such a Redemption in Jefus Chrift) Adam was not content with hat Happiness, but feeking after more Liberty, he fold bimfelf into the Hands of frange Lords, firft Sin, and then Death. Other Lords befides thee, O Lord, bave Dominion over us, Ifa. xxvi. 13. This is too true in this Senfe, Adam feeking to be as the Lord himself, loft his own Lordship and Dominion over all the Works of God's Hands, and became a Servant to the baseft and most abominable of all, even that which is moft hateful to the Lord, to Sin and Death. And this is the Condition we are now born into. Confider it, I pray you, we are born Captives and Slaves, the moft noble, the moft ingenuous, and the moft free of us all: Paul fpeaks of it as a Privilege, to be born free, to be free in Man's Common-wealth. It is counted a Dignity to be a free Citizen or Burgess of a Town: Liberty is the great Claim of People now a Days, and indeed it is the great Advantage of a People to enjoy that Mother, and Wombprivilege and Right. But, alas! what is all this to be free born in a civil Society? It is but the State of a Man among Men, it reaches no further than the outward Man, his Life or Estate. But here is a Matter of greater Moment, know you what State your Souls are in? Your Souls are incomparably more worth, than

your Bodes, as much as Eternity furpaffeth this Inch of Time, or Immortality exceeds Mortality; your Souls are your felves indeed, your Bodies are but your Houfe or Tabernacle you lodge into for a Seafon: Now then, I befeech you, ask whether you be born free or not; if your Souls be flaves, you are Slaves indeed, for fo the Evangelift changeth thefe; Matthew faith, in cb. xvi. 26. What bath a Man gained, if he lose his Soul? And, Luke ix. 25. faith, What bath he gained, if be lofe bimfelf? Therefore you are not free indeed, except your Souls be free: What is it, I pray you, to enjoy Freedom among Men? I ask you, what are you be-fore God, whether bond or free? this is the Business indeed. The Pharifees plead[ed a Claim to the Liberty and Privilege of being Abraham's Sons and Children; and thought, they might hence conclude they were God's Children. But our Lord Jefus difcovers this Miftake, when he tells them of a Freedom and Liberty that he came to proclaim to Men, to purchase to them, and beftow on them; they ftumbled at this Doctrine: What, fay they, talkeft thou to us of making us free, We were never in Bondage, for we be Abraham's Children? This is even the Language of our Hearts, when we tell you, that ye are born, Heirs of Wrath, and Slaves of Sin and Satan, here is the fecret Whispering of Hearts, we be Abraham's Seed, we were never in Bondage to any. We be baptized Chriftians, we have a Church State, have the Privileges, and Liberties, not only of Subjects in the State, but of Members in the Church; why fayeft thou, we are bond-men? I would with ye were all free indeed, but that cannot be till ye know your Bondage. Confider then, I befeech you that you may be free Subjects

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viii. 34. and the Servant abides not in the Houfe for ever: So that I am afraid, many of us who are in the visible Church, and ftand in this Congregation, shall not have Liberty to ftand in the Affembly of the firft-born, when all the Sons are gathered in one to the new Jerufalem; Sin hath a Right over us, and it hath a Power over us, and therefore it is called a Law of Sin, there is a kind of Authority that it hath over us, by vertue of God's Juftice, and our own voluntary Confent. Lord in his Righteousness hath given over all the Pofterity of Adam, for his Sin, which he finned, as a common Perfon, reprefenting us, he hath given us all over to the Power of a Body of Death within us. Since Man did choose to depart from his Lord, he hath juftly delivered him into the Hands of a ftrange Lord to have Dominion over him. Tranfinitting of fuch an original Pollution, to all Men, is an act of glorious Juftice. As he in Juftice.gives Men over to the Lufts of their own Hearts now, for following of thefe Lufts contrary to his Will; fo was it at first, by one Man's Difobedience many were made Sinners; and that in God's holy Righteousness, Sin entred into the World, and had Permission of God, to fubdue and conquer the World, to it felf, because Man would not be fubject to God. But as there is the Tuftice of God in it, fo there is a voluntary Choice and Election, which gives Sin a Power over us; we choose a ftrange Lord, and he lords it over us: We say to our Lufts, Come ye and rule over us, we fubmit our Reason, our Conscience and all, to the Guidance and leading of our blind Affections, and Paffions; we choose our Bondadge for Liberty; and thus Sin hath a kind of Law over us, by our own Confent; it exercifeth a Jurif

in a State, and free Members in a Church, and yet in Bondage, under the Law of Sin and Death. This was the Miftake, that was a Ground of Prefumption in the Jews, and occafioned their stumbling at this Stone of Salvation, laid in Sion; you think you have Church-privilege, and what needs more? Be not deceived, you are Servants of Sin, and therefore not free. There are two Sorts, or rather two Ranks of Perfons, in God's Houfe, Sons and Slaves; the Son abides in the House for ever, the Slave but for a Time; when the Time expires, he must go out, or be caft out. The Church is God's Houfe, but many are in it, that will not dwell in it, many have the outward Liberties of this House, that have no Intereft in the fpecial Mercies and loving Kindness proper to Children. The Time will come, that the moft Part of the visible Church, who are baptized, and have eaten with him at his Table, and had a kind of Friendship to him here, fhall be caft out as bond Men, and Ifaac only fhall be kept within, the Child of the Promife. The House that is here, hath fome in ward Sanctuary, and fome outter Porches; many have Access to these, that never en ters within the fecret of the Lord, and fo Shall not dwell in the Houfe above: It is not fo much the Business, who shall enter | into the boly Hill, but who fhall ftand and dwell in it. The Day of Judgment will be a great Day of Excommunication; O how many thousands will be then cut off from the Church of the living God, and delivered over to Satan, because they were really under his Power, while they were Church members and Abraham's Sons? Let me tell you then, that all of us were once in this State of Bondage, which Chrift speaks of, He that commit tetb Sin, is the Servant of Sin, John

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King, or rather Satan, who is the Prince of this World, and he rules the World, by this Law of Sin, which is even the Contradiction of the Law of God. Who of you believes this, that Satan's Kingdom is fo fpacious? that it is even over the moft Part in the visible Church; this is the Emperor of the World. The Turk vainly arrogates this Title to himself, but the Devil is truly fo, and we have God's own Teftimony for it: All Kings, all Nobles, all Princes, all People, Rich and Poor, High and Low, are once Subjects of this Prince, ruled by this black Law of Sin. Oh! know your Condition, whofe Servants ye are; think not within your felves, we bave Abrabam for our Father, we are baptized Chriftians: No know, that all of us, are once the Children of Satan, and do his Works, and fulfil his Will. But morever, all that is in us.. is fubject to this Law of Sin; all the Fa culties of the Soul, the Understanding is under the Power of Darkness, the A fections under the Power of Corruption the Mind is blinded, and the Heart is har dened, the Soul alienated from God, who is its Life, all the Members and Powers of a Man yielded up as Inftruments of Un righteoufnels, every one to execute that wicked Law, and fulfill the Lufts of the Flesh. This Dominion is over all a Man' Actions, even those that are in best Account and Efteem among Men; you honeft, upright Dealing with Men, your moft Religious Performances to God, they are more conformed to the Law of Sin. than to the Law of God, Hag. ii. 14. This Nation, and the Work of their Hands, and that which they offer, is unclean. All your Works, your good Works, are infected with this Pollution; Sin hath defiled your Perfons, and they defile all your

Actions, the Infection is mutual, these Actions again defile your Perfons ftill more: To the impure, all Things are imp ure, even their Mind and Confcience is defiled, Tit. i. 15. Do what you can, ye who are in Nature cannot please God, 'tis but Obedience to the Law of Sin that is in you.

But, 2. Confider the Intensenefs and Force of his Power, how mighty it is, in working against all Oppofitions whatfo ever, unless it be overcome by Almighty Power. Nothing but All-might can con quer this Power: The Spirit that works in Men by Nature, is of fuch Activity and Efficacy, that it drives Men on furiously, as if they were poffeffed, to their own Ruine. How much hath it of a Man's Confent? and fo it drives him strongly and irrefiftibly. Much Will, Defire, and Greediness, will make Corruption run like a River, over all its Banks fet in the Way thereof, Counsel, Perfwafion, Law, Heaven, Hell, yet Men's Corruption nuft be over all thofe: Preaching, Threatnings, Convictions of Confcience, are but as flaxen Ropes to bind a Sampson, Sin within easily breaks them. In a Word, no created Power is of fufficient virtue.to pind the ftrong Man, it must be one nightier than he, and that is the Spirit of Jefus Chrift. Do ye not fee Men daily drawn after their Lufts, as Beafts, foltowing their Senfes as violently as a forfe rufbeth to the Battle? If there be any Gain or Advantage to oy the Wheels of Affection, O how runs Men head-long? There is no crying will hold them. In fum, Sin is become all one with us; tis incorporate into the Man, and become one with his Affections, and then thefe command.

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