Ver.21. the 8th Chapter to the ROMANS. 20 5 the greaten thraldom that can befal fuch a creature as man is ; it leaveth us no power to difpofe of our (elves; men often fee what they should do, but cannot do it, being drawn away by their own lulls ; and tho we have fore kind of remorfe from the re- mainders of reafon, efpecially being drifted by the Holy Spirit as to fore common help; yet we foully mifcarry trill, till it bath brought us to mifery, as it did Sampfon the ftrongeft, Solomon the whelk of men. Then therefore is a man at liberty, when reafon and confcience are again put into dominion, and a man is fitted to pleafe God, and Peek after his true happinefs with the contempt of all worldly things. 4. It muff be filch a liberty as bringeth us nearefi to the (late of innocency, which is mansítrft e Hate; and the Rate of glory, which is his lair and molt perfe& (late. Now this doth confin in a freedom from the Power of fin; the liberty of Innocency, was poffe non peccare;Adam might not have finned;the liberty of Glory will be non poffe pec- care, they cannot fin; as not with a moral cannot, 'tis abfurd, that may be obtained here; I John 3. 9. He cannot fn, becaufe he is born of God ; but with a natural cannot; 'cis impofíible; the Soul cloth indedinably adhere to God as the chiefef good; therefore now the nearer we come to this, the will of man is ben difpofed, and the more to be ac- counted as free. Divines ufually confider man in a fourfold mate; In Hate inllituto, in a fiate of integrity, and fo man might not have finned ; In flatu delitxto, in a ftate.of corruption, fo he can do nothing elfe but fin. That every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually, Gen. 6. 5. In flats refiituto ; and fo he hath an inclination, partly, to good; by the fpirit of grace dwelling in him ; partly, to evil ; by reafon of the relickes of fin and is only fo tàr freed from the bondage of corruption, as that it !hall not reign in him, Rom. 6. 14. In fiats preeflituto, in theflate to which he is appointed ; in the (tale of glory, in which he can will nothing but what is good; a bleffed neceffity it is, and our higher liberty ; for liberty is not oppofite to neceffity, but obligation or impulfion ; we are never more free, than when we are paffed all poffibility of finning 2. As it relateth to our felicity; and fo it implyeth two things. 1. Our immunities and priviledges. 2. Our rights and prerogatives. t. The immunities and priviledges of Gods Children : we are delivered from much mifery by Chrif ,Firfl, From the flavery of fin. Rom. 6.18. Being made free fromfin, ye became the fervants of righteoufnefs.Tho fin 11111 dwelleth in us,yet the guilt is remitted,rhe damning power gone, Rom. 8. 1. There is no condemnation to then; that are in Cbriff. The reigning power broken, Rom, 6. 14. For fin (hall not have dominion over you; and fo 'eis more and more mortified in us, by the grace of Regeneration, till at length it be abolifhed by death ; and fo the being is gone, and our inthralled fpirits are in Come rneafure let free, to know, ferve, and love God, and delight in him as our Lord, and life, and end, and all. Secondly, From death, as the curie of the law. And fo from chore everlafting torments which the wicked mull endure. The fecond death hash no power over fuch ; and tho we are obnoxious to the firfi death, let the venom and fting of it is gone, r Cor. 15. 56, 57. O death, where is thy fling r Ograve, where is thy victory j And of an enemy 'cis made a friend, t Cor. 3. 22. Death isyours. 'Tis made the gate and entrance into eternal reir. Thirdly, From the Bondage that did arife in ris from the fear of eternal death. Where fin is entertained, it bringeth another inmate along with it, and that is the fear and terror of death and damnation, which arifeth from the core fcioufnefs of fin ; now to be free from the acctjfations of a guilty confcience, and thofe fell tormentings which in the wicked are the foretans of Hell, is furely a great mercy, and this is the priviledge of Gods People, Heb. 2. 14, 15. To deliver them who through fear of death are all their lifetime fubjelï to bondage. And finners are fuch Bond-men that they dare not call themfelves to an account for the expence of their time, and cosine of their imployments, which all wife men (hould do ; and think ferioufly of God, and the day of judgment, and the World to come ; therefore it is a great- mercy tohave a quiet well fettled confcience. Fourthly, Frost the tyranny rand power of Satan, as a de eeiver, and enemy, and executioner of the wrath of God; who thereby taketh wicked men captive at his will and pleamure : He cannot totally prevail againfl the ele& Math. 16. t 8, 21pon this rock) build my church, and the gates of Hell (hall not prevail a- ping it. tho he vex and tempt them continually. He bath a kind Of right tdapotate Tools, Eph. 6. t a. Rulers of the darknefs of this7borld ; but his power is much broken a!
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