, o{Rei:ningor M4}ter Sinms~ What is itfor thee to bea Maller -of fo many 'fervants, and thou afervant to fuch avile !inne? One is aflave to unclean– neffe, anorher to ambition, another to covetoufneffe; fo that the whole world is like an Egjpt, an iron·fornace, a .place for drudgery to !inne: Oh the pains that men take to go to hell ! Oh the labour and care they are at toda_mn themfelves ! Suchfervanr~ and bond-men are all unr-egene– rate men to finne 1 Tit-3> J17e were M others, unbelie'oing~ dif– obedient, ferving divers lufts ~tnd plea{Hrn, So that we may truly fay of mankirlde., that which Tibrrim of the Roman Nation, 0 Gentemadfervitutem natam. Ij[achar is oompared to a.n Aff~ for couching down under her burdens, and we 'are more bmtifh, who wilfully fubject our fdves eo fin and Satan for onr utter deftrucHoit. , . · Thirdl.y, We are to k.._now, that jinne may ha'tlea twofold pre· valency or dominion over a mt~n, either with a full .md. pJenary confent, or el[e unwillingly wt'th re/uaancy or cont~adia/on. Ai rofephm faith of Herod, tbat he reigned over the Jews for many years by meer, force, they oppofing and refilling of him, but afcerwa~ds they willingly confented to him: As there is fuch a ruling in the world by force and by f{)<?ntane– ous fubjeClion; fo finne hath fucb adominion in wicked men, it reignech, as tbofe .who readily, willingly, and with great delight obey the lulls thereof; they choofe and imbrace no– thing fo mu£h as this; now on the- godly fi!lne may Come– times prevail. as we fee in D~vid bimfclf and others, but then there is not a total and full poffefiion given to fin. . Though firine be the llroog one, yet the houfe is not at quiet, or if it be, as in David, yet afterward~ a llronger then fin cometh, which is che f~ed of Gods grace, and chat overcometh; So tha by tb'is difiinClion Divines ufe to refolvc that cafe of Confcience, whether 11 godly mPln may be fa.id to be under A rrigringfimu? For as yoa underlhnd or explain the word reigni~zg, fo it is true or falfe ; if by reigning be underil:ood a quiet, total and full po1Ieffion, fo that thewhole heart is given up to finne, fo agodly man cannot be, bccaufe of that feed of God abiding in him; but if by _reigning be meant. fuch adominion that brings a man into obedience, though Gg! with . '
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