An Expojition of the Epiftle - --- --- ~ To exemplifie this unto you to de!hoy the power of fin, ha)¥ great a power mufr Sermott it needs bel You all yield that to take away the guilt of lm, re.q~ireth an infinite XXIV, power, an infinite righteoufnefs. Saith our Saviour Chrifl, Matt. g. 6. Whrthrr ~ ts it eajier to[t~Y to the mt~n, (and mnk.e tt good when you have done,) . thy fins areforgiven, or to fay ari(e and walk 1 le was aharder dung to forg.'ve fins; only faith he, that ,,emtgbt know that the Son of Mmt bath power to forgtve fins ; for they would deny. that l<e had power to f<;>rgi~e fins, : he e.xe!UI'l~lieth it by aMiracle, but to forgtve fins ( fatth he,) that ts hts meanmg, ts mtmuely harder. Now, as we fay of the Attributes of God that they are alike, of equal extent, fo are the Two Attributes of Sin, as I may call them,the guilt offin and the aow– er of fin are of a like extent ; to def\roy the power of fin in a man's Soul ts as great awork as to take away the guilt of fih, all miracles are in it, faith he, th< /;/i 11 dreceive theirfight, thelamewalk, and the poor receive the Gojpel; it is eafier to fay to a blind man fee, and to a lame man vlk, than to fay fo a man that lies under the power of fin, hve, be holy, for there IS that that will not. be fubje~ ou will fay to me, that the expelling.of fin is but the putting in of grace, as of darlmefs by light. But let me tell you this, that fin is too bard for grace if grace had not, a pack. Adamhad grace eoough, but fin feized on his heart, threw ,it Oljt; The flrrt~gth offin u the Law faith he, and fin would keep poifeiiion,. it hath the Law i:o plea<) for it· but faith he on the contrary,the flrenglhof gra(f u the Gojpel,and that is it that keepeth grace now .that it is not tl~rown out~ otberwife fm would quickly throw your grace out,tt ts too hard for it. That IS the fir!l: thmg, 11 u 1101 fi;6jrl1 to the Law of God. . · · Not only to, but it is faid to be enmity. It is not only ('aid it cannot be fub}eCl: and it muf\ be def\royed or elfe it will never yield, but it is Enmlly,in the abf\raCl:, itisinthenatureofit. InColoff. 1,21. we are not only faid to 6e enemirsby evil works, it is not a grudge, but we are faidto be memies i1tourmi11d too. · ' · Now, my Brethren, if there' be fuch an Enmity, and if there be fuch a powe~ in fin as there is, to detain a man, that will not yield, will hold a man to the ut– mofl, there mufi be anAlmigh~y power of God to fubdue it, You ihalf find in Coloff. 1, the Apof\le at the 11th. verfe, having mentioned the glorious pm,ver of God that enabled the Saints to do what they did; upon occafion ofit what follow– cth? Givittg thtmks (faith he verfe q.) unto the Father who bath madeur meet to he parttlkers of the i11herita11ceof the Sai1tts in light, who bath delive. red U< from the power of darklufs, and trm;jlated us into the ki11gdom of his dear Son. When he cometh to give thanks for the works-of Grace upon them, what doth he mention? Not only making t~em holy_,ma~i~ them meetfor the !11heritmlce .( tbe Samts wlzght, but hkewtfe for deltverm11 them from the p.ower of darkneJS. The word<iiJ.,., implieth not meerly a delivering or freeing, but a freeing by violence, a fnatching o,ut ofa power that elfe would never yteld. I remember Za11chie faith upon it,they are Ireed faith he, not only that have a de– fire to be free, but they are fnatched out, Eripiumur, that have no defire to be free : And that ts the condition of a man in the O:ate of Nature. But you will fay, all thefe are but Metaphors, all that is fpoken of the flare of corruption and the power of God in delivering a man. Shall I tell you in a word l When you come to Hell,you will not then f~y they ;~re Metaphors, you Wtll then find all thefe thlDgs true of your natural condition. And let me tell you thts too~ If ever you come to be humbled,you will not find them Metaphors but realltles; for the foul of a man is humbled under the real fenfe of all thefe things when he turneth unto God; and yet when it cometh to~ difpute upon the power of God in working upon a mans heart, Creation,and the like,thefe are you fay but Metapors.My Brethren, they have the greatofl reallity in them in the world. To give you but an inf\ance, that now your own heart jllay be judges; go take all the powers of man, when a man cometh to turn unto God, and do but fee what a mighty oppofition there is; go take the underflandmg of a man : God begin·
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