are conquered, and Sin hath its imperial Throne feated there: Other Conquerors invade Men againft their Will, and fo they rule against their Will; they contain Men in Subjection by Fear, and not by Love; and fo when ever any Occafion offers, they are glad to cut off the Yoke of unwilling Obedience. But, Sin hath firft conquered Mens Judgment, by blinding it, putting out the Eye of the Understanding, and then invaded the Affections of Men, drawn them over to its Side, and by thefe, it keeps all in a moft willing Obedience. Now, what Hopes are there then of Delivery, when the Prisoner accounts his Bondage' Liberty, and his Prifon a Palace; what Expectation of Freedom, when all that is within us confpires to the upholding that tyrranous Do minion of Sin, against all that would caft it of its Ufurpation, as if they were mortal Enemies? Yet there is a Delivery poffible, but fuch as would not have entered in the Heart of Man to imagine, and it is here expreffed, The Law of the Spirit of Life, &c.This declares how, and by what Means we may be made free: Not indeed by any Power within us, not by any created Power without us. Sin is ftronger than all these, because its imperial Seat is within, far without the reach of all created Power; there may be fome Means used by Men, to beat it out of the Outworks of the outward Man, to chose it out of the external Members; fome Means to reftrain it from fuch grofs Out-breakings, but there is none can lay Siege to the Soul within, or storm the Understanding and Will, where it hath its principal Refidence, 'tis inacceffible, and impregnable by any human Power: No Intreaties or Perfwafions, no Terrors or Threatnings can prevail, it can neither be ftormed by Vio lence, nor undermined by Skill, becaufe it is within the Spirit of the Mind: Until at length fome other Spirit ftronger than our Spirit come; till the Spirit of Life which is in Chrift, come and bind the ftrong Man, and fo make the poor Soul free. You heard that we were under a Law of Death, and under the Power of Sin; now there is another Law, anfwering this Law, and a Power to over-come this Power. You may indeed ask,, by what Law or Authority can a Sinner that is bound over by God's Juftice.. unto Death and Condemnation be released? Is there any Law above God's Law, and the Sentence of his Juftice? The Apostle anfwers, that there is a Law above it, a Law after it, the Law of the Spirit of Life. Jefus Chrift oppofes Law unto Law, the Law of Life unto the Law of Death; the Gofpel unto the Law, the fe cond Covenant unto the firft. Thus it is then, Jefus Chrift, the eternal Son of God, full of Grace and Truth, did come in Man's ftead, when the Law and Sentence of Death was paft upon all Mankind, and there was no Expectation from the Terms of the firft Covenant, that there should be any Difpenfation ar Mitigation of the Rigour of it; he ob tains this, that fo many as God had chofen unto Life, their Sins and their Punishment might be laid on him, and fo he took Part of our Flesh, for this End, that he might be made a Curfe for us, and fo redeem us from the Curfe: Thus having satisfied Justice, and fulfilled the Sentence of Death,. by fuffering Death, Him hath God exalted to be a Prince and Saviour, and the Head of all Things. In Compenfation of this great and weighty Work given him by his Father, All Judgment is committed to him, and fo he fends out and proclaims another Law in Zion; another Sentence 1 Sentence, even of Life and Abfolution unto all, and upon all them that shall believe in bis Name. Thus you fee the Law of Death abrogated by a new Law of Life, because our Lord and Saviour was made under the Law of Death, and suffered under it, and fatisfied it, that all his Seed might be freed from it, and might come under a Life-giving Law; fo that it appears to be true, that was faid at firft, There is no Condemnation to them that are in Chrift, there is no Law, no Juftice against them. But then another Difficulty as great as the former, is in the Way, though fuch a Law and Sentence of Life and Abfolution be pronounced in the Gospel, in Chrift's Name, yet we are dead in Sins and Trefpaffes, we neither know nor feel our Mifery, nor can we come to a Redeemer: As there was a Law of Death above our Head, so there is a Law of Sin within our Hearts, which rules and commands us; and there is neither Will nor Ability to efcape from under it. It is true, Life and Freedom is preached in Christ, to all that come to him for Life, to all that renounce Sin's Dominion is Remiffion of Sin preached But here is the greatest Difficulty, how can a dead Soul ftir, rife and walk? How can a Slave to Sin, and a willing Captive renounce it, when he hath neither to will nor to do? Indeed if all had been purchased for us, if eternal Life and Forgiveness of Sins had been brought near us, and all the Bufinefs done to our Confent, and that only wanting, if thefe had been the Terms, I have purchased Life, now rife and embrace it of your felves; truly, it had been an unfuccefsful Business, Chrift had loft all that was given him, if the Moment and Weight of our Salvation had been hung upon our Acceptation. Therefore, it is well provided for this alfo, that there should be a Power to Chrift to quicken dead Sinners, and raise overcome this Power, a Spirit of Life in them up, and draw them to him. And fe, the fecond Adam hath this Preroga tive beyond the first, that he is not only Spirit to all that are given him of the Faa living Soul in himself, but a quickning ther, 1 Cor. xv. 45. So then, as Chrift Jefus hath Law and Right on his Side, to free us from Death, To he hath Vertue and Power in him to accomplish our Delivery from Sin: As he hath fair Law to loose the Chains of Condemnation, and to repeal the Sentence past against us, without Prejudice to God's Juftice, he having fully fatisfied the fame in our Name; fo he hath fufficient Power given him, to loose the Fetters of Sin from off us. When he hath pay'd the Price, and satisfied the Father, fo that Justice can crave nothing: Yet, he hath one Adverfary to deal with, Satan hath Sinners bound with the Cords of their own Lufts, in a Prison of Darknefs, and Unbelief; Jefus Chrift therefore comes out to conquer this Enemy, and juft Ufurpation of Sin, to bring them out to redeem his elect Ones, from that unof the Prison by the ftrong Hand; and therefore, he is one mighty, and able to fave to the uttermoft, he hath Might to do it, as well as Right to it. Things, which are the Breafts of our Confider then, my Beloved, these two Confolation, and the Foundation of our Hope; we are once loft and utterly undone, both in regard of God's Juftice, and our own utter Inability to help our felves, which is ftrengthned by our Unwillingness, and thus made a more defperate Business: Now God hath provded one that is mighty indeed, who hath Ala fuitable Remedy, be bath laid Help on mighty Power, and by his Power he first conflicted with the Punishment of our Sins, and and with his Father's Wrath, and hath overcome, discharged and fatisfied that, and fo hath purchased a Right unto us, to give Salvation to whom he will; he conquered, and by his Power obtains this fupream Authority of Life and Death. Now, having this Authority established in his Perfon, the next Work is to apply this Purchase, actually to confer this Life; and therefore, he hath Almighty Power to raise up dead Sinners, to create ur again to good Works, to redeem us from the Tyranny of Sin and Satan, whofe Slaves we are. He hath a Spirit of Life, which he communicates to his Seed, he breathes it into these Souls that he died for, and difpoffeffeth that powerful Corruption that dwells in us. Hence it comes to pafs, that they walk after the Spirit, though they be in the Flesh; because the powerful Spirit of Chrift hath entred, and taken Poffeffion of their Spirits, Ifa. lix. 20, 21. that must be done by his Almighty Spirit," and cannot be otherways done. I know not whether of thefe is Matter of greatest Comfort, that there is in Chrift, a Redeniption from the Wrath of God, and from Hell, and that there is a Redemption too, from Sin, and Corrup tion which dwells within us; but fure I am, both of them will be most sweet and Comfortable to a Believer, and without both, Chrift were not a compleat Redeemer, nor we compleatly redeemed. Neither would a believing Soul, in which there is any measure of this new Law, and divine Life, be fatisfied without both these. Many are miferably deluded in their Apprehenfions of the Gospel, they take it up thus,as if it were nothing but a Proclamati on of Freedom from Mifery, from Death and Damnation, and fo the most Part catch at nothing else in it, and from thence takes Liberty to walk after their former Lufts and Courses; this is the woful prác make of the free Intimation of Pardon, and Forgivennefs of Sin, and Delivery from Wrath; they admit fome general Notion of that, and ftops there, and ex Let us not be difcouraged in our Aptical Ufe, that the generality of Hearers, prehenfions of Chrift, when we look on our ruinous and defperate Estate, let us not conclude, it is paft Hope, and past his Help too. We do proclaim in the Name of Jefus Chrift, that there is no Sinner, how-amines not what further is in the Gospel, foever juftly under a Sentence of Death and Damnation, but they may in him find a Relaxation from that Sentence, and that without the impairing of God's, Juftice, and this is a marvelous Ground of Comfort, that may establish our Souls, John i. 9. even this, that Law and Juftice is upon Chrift's Side, and nothing to accufe, or plead against a Sinner, that imploys him for his Advocate. But, know this alfo, that you are not delivered from Death, that you may live under Sin; nay, you are redeemed from Death, that you may be freed from the Law of Sin, but and fo you will fee the Slaves of Sin, profeffing a kind of Hope of Freedom from Death, the Servants and Vaffals of Corruption, who walk after the Course of this World, and fulfill the Lufts, and Defires of their Mind and Flesh, yet fancying a Freedom and Immnunity from Condemnation, Men living in Sin, yet thinking of efcaping Wrath, which Dreams could not be entertained in Men, if they did drink in all the Truth, and open both their Ears to the Gospel, if our Spirits were not narrow and limited, and fo excluded the one half of the Gospel, that is, our Redempti 1 tion from Sin. There is too much of this, even among the Children of God, a ftrange Narrowness of Spirit, which admits not whole and intire Truth; it falls out often, that when we think of Delivery from Death and Wrath, we forget in the mean Time the End and Purpose of that, which is, that we may be freed from Sin, and ferve the living God without fear. And if at any Time we confider, and bufy our Thoughts about Freedom from the Law of Sin, and Victory over Corruption; fuch is the Scantinefs of Room and Capacity in our Spirits, that we lofe the Remembrance of Delivery from Death, and Condemnation, in Chrift Jesus; thus we are toffed between two Extreams, the Quick-fands of Prefumption and Wanton nefs, and the Rocks of Unbelief and Def pair, or Difcouragement, both of which, do kill the Chriftian's Life, and make all to fade and wither. But this were the Way, and only Way, to preferve the Soul in good Eafe, even to keep these two continually in our Sight, that we are redeemed from Death and Mifery in Chrift, and that not to serve our felves, or to continue in our Sins, but that we may be redeemed from that Sin, that dwells in us, and that both these are purchased by Jefus Chrift, and done by his Power; the one in his own Perfon, the other by his Spirit within us. I would have you correcting your Mifapprehenfions of the Gospel: Do not fo much look on Victory and Freedom from Sin, as a Duty and Task, though we be infinitely bound to it; but rather as a Privilege and Dignity conferred upon us by Chrift: Look not upon it, I fay, only as your Duty, as many do; and by this Means are difcouraged from the Sight of their own Infirmity and Weaknefs, as being too weak for fuch a ftrong Party: But look upon it as the one half, and greater half of the Benefit conferred by Chrift's Death, as the greater Half of the Redemption which the Redeemer by his Office is bound to accomplish: He will redeem Ifrael from all his Iniquities; with him is plenteous Redemption, Pfal. cxxx. 7, 8. This is the Plenty, this is the Sufficiency of it, that he redeems not only from Mifery, but from Iniquity, and that, all Iniquities. I would not defire a Be liever's Soul to be in a better Pofture hereaway, than this, to be looking upon Sin in dwelling, as his Bondage, and Redemption from it, as Freedom; to account himself in fo far free, as the free Spirit of Chrift enters and writes that free Law of Love and Obedience in his Heart, and bolts out thefe bafe Characters of the Law of Sin. It were a good Temper to be Groaning for the Redemption of the Soul; and why doth a Believer groan for the Redemption of the Body, but because he fhall then be freed wholly from the Law of Sin, and from the Prefence of Sin? I know not a greater Argument, to a gracious Heart, to fubdue his Corruption, and ftrive for Freedom from the Law of Sin, than the Freedom obtained from the Law of Death; nor is there any clearer Argument and Evidence of a Soul delivered from Death, than to ftrive for the Freedom of the Spirit from the Law of Sin, thefe jointly help one another; Freedom from Death, will raise up a Chriftian's Heart to afpire to a Freedom and Li berty from Sin; And again, Freedom from Sin will witnefs and evidence that fuch a one is delivered from Death. Freedom from Death is an Inducement to feek after Freedom from Sin, and Freedom from Sin a Declaration of Freedom from Death, then all is well; and indeed thus it will be in fome Measure with every Soul that is quickned by this new When Law Heart: And now the Law is not a Ro above his Head, as above a Slave, but it is turned in a Law of Love within his Heart. and hath fomething like a natural Instinct in it: All that Men can do, either to themfelves, or others, will not purchase the leaft Measure of Freedom from predomi nant Corruptions, cannot deliver you from your Sins, till this free Spirit that blows where be pleafes, come. "Tis our Part to hoife up Sails, and wait for the Wind; to use Means, and wait on him in his Way and Order: But all will be in vain, til this ftronger One come, and caft out the Arong Man, till this arbitrary and free Wind blow from Heaven, and fill the Law of the Spirit of Life, for 'tis the Entry SERMON X. Verf. 3. For what the Law could not do, in that it was weak through the Flesh, God fending his own Son in the Likeness of finful Flefb, and for Sin condemned Sin in the Flefo. fpecial in this Expreffion, importing fome peculiar Excellency in the Work it felf or fome fpecial Depth of Design about it. But what think you of this Confultation, let one of us be made Man, after Man's Image and Likeness, that must be a ftrange Piece of Wisdom and Grace: Great is the Mystery of Gadlinefs, God manifefted in the Flefb. No Wonder though Paul cryed out, as one fwallowed up with this Mystery; for indeed it must be fome odd Matter, beyond all that is in the Dd Crea |