38 SERMONS upon Serm. VI. lufts ; the evils are leffer and greater according to the rate of our fins or negle &s of grace. Thefe penal withdrawings of his Spirit (hould therefore be obferved : for God iheweth much of his pleafure or difpleafure by giving and withholding the Spirit. His Bleffing and Favour is (hewed this way, Prov. r. 23. Turn ye at my reproof, behold I will pour out my Spirit upon you, and I will make known my words unto you. But when God is refuted, or negleeted, or highly provoked , Pfd. 81. r 1, 12. My people would not hearken to my voice, and Ifrael would none of me : fo I gave them up unto their own hearts lull , and they walked in their own cosenfels : This is more than all the calamities of the World. 4. Where the work is really begun and duly fubmitted unto, we have hopes of a better eftate , itflill increafeth towards that petted Bleffednefs, when we (hall be with- out fpot and blemifb, or any 'itch thing, Eph. 5.27. What a life do Gods holy Ones live in Heaven, who are wholly freed from fin ? There is no worldly mind, nor pride, nor paffion , nor flefhly luff to trouble them. Here many wallow in their own dung , o- thers are in a great meafure defiled and blemifhed : but there they are freed , not only from the Reign, but Being of fin. Hath God been fo kind to them in glory ? And will he not do the fame for us alto ? There is none in Heaven by the firft Covenant, all that are there come thither as fan&ified and juftified by Jefus Chrift , and in the way of his pardoning grace. Surely fine we have the fame Redeemer, depend upon the Merit of the fame Sacrifice , and wait for the fame Spirit in the ufe of all holy means and en- deavours, he will not be ftrange to us. Chrift is willing if we are willing , there you will find it fticketh , he came to take away fin , but we will not give way to his Spirit ; we are neither fenfible of our ficknefs, nor earneft for a cure, at leaft a found cure. We, Peek cafe and comfort more than the removing of the diftemper g but if we were throughly willing, will he fail a ferious Soul ? It is Chrifts Office to expiate fin, and de- ftroy it , his Blood was ihed'for his Church for this purpofe : Eph. 5. 26. That he might frntlife and cleanfe it with the wafhing of water by the word. For the fame end be inter - cedeth now in Heaven : Ileb.7. 25. Wherefore he k able alfa to Pave them to the uttermofi, that come unto God by him , feting he ever liveth to make interceffion for. them. He that hath undertaken this work counteth it his honour and glory to perform if : Eph. 5. 27. That he might prefect it to himfeif a glorious Church , not having fpot or wrinkle or any fuch thing, but that it Amid be holy a.d without blemifh. And pude 24. Now unto him that it able to keep ye from falling, and to prefent you faultlefs' before the pretence of his glory with exceeding great joy. It is matter of rejoycmg not only to us, but to him. iiI. The value of the Benefit ; Cutely it is a great mercy to be freed from the power of fin, and to have our enthralled Souls let at liberty. 1. Becaufe fin is thetaufe of all the controverfie and variance between God and us: Ifa. 59. 2. Tour iniquities have fparated between you and your God, and your fns have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. This is the abominable thing which he ha- teth, yer. 44. 4. O do not that abominable thing, which 1 hate!. It is fin that maketh the great diftance between Man and God, not in pofition of place, for fo he is every where prefent, with bad and good; but in difpofition of mind and affe&ion of heart, it hash caufed him in anger to withdraw his gracious Pretence from you. Would you not be glad to have the great difference between God and you compromifed and taken up, and all enmity to ceafe between you and Heaven ? It can never be till fin be mortified as well as pardoned : For till man be converted, as well as God fatisfied for the breach of his Law , there is no due provifion made for our entring into fellowfhip with him , w (hall (land aloof from him as an Holy , fin-hating and condemning God , and fo have no heart to Communion with him. 2. It is a defacing Gods Image in us, and a bringing in of a contrary image, the image of the Devil. Gods image is defaced while we live in fin, Rom. 3.23. We bave eilhn- ned, and are come fhort of the glory of God. By the glory of God there is meant his image, not his glorious reward , but his glorious image, as 1 Cor. 11.7. The man is the image and glory of God, and the woman is the glory of the man; that is, bath force likenefs of his Power and Ma jelly. Similitude and likenefs is often called Glory So 2 Cor. 3. 18. We all with open face beholding as in aglafs the glory of the Lord, are changed into the fame image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. Now this is loft which is the beauty, as fin is the deformity of the Soul. And on the contrary, the image of the Devil is introduced into the Soul, as we are proud, envious, revengeful : Yoh. a. 44. re are of your father the devil, and the lulls of your father ye will do, he was a mur- derer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, becaufe there is no truth in him; when he
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