Ver. I f. the fixth Chapter of the Ro n-r A N s. 57 that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjiff, adulterer?, or even as this Pablicati. Thefe feem to be dead to fin, but are alive, whilft worldly things lit neareft their hearts. V. The Apoftle oppofeth God to Sin , that by the confideration of both Matters we may return to our rightful Lord. It is otherwife expreffed elfewhere, 1 Per. t. 24. That we might dye unto fn, and live unto rigbteoofnefi 5 but here it is, die to fin, and live to God : And this for two reafons. Fill, That Chrift came to reftore us to our rightful Lord and Matter. Sin and the Devil and the World are Ufurpers, and therefore are exauftorated, we are no longer bound to ferve them; but God hath a right to require love and fervice at our hands, Ails 27. 23. The God whof I am, and whom I ferve. He bath a title by Creation , as our proper Owner, Pfd. too. 3. Know ye that the lord he is God , it is he that hath made to, and not we our felves. By Redemption, t Cor. 6. t9, 20. Te are not your own, for ye are bought with a price : Therefore glorifie God inyoar body, and in your( irit, which are Gods. Chrift came to recover us from our flavery. Secondly , To (hew the difadvantage between having Sin and God for our Matter.. What is more filthy than fin, and more mifchievous than fin, and more holy and bene- ficial than God ? To ferve fin is a brutifh captivity , and will prove our bane in the iffue ; but to ferve God is true liberty , and it will be our.prefent and eternal Happi- nefs : Rom. 6.2 2. But now being made free from fin, ye have your fruit unto bolinefi , and the end everlafting life. Secondly, The Grace to perform this Duty. 7hrougb our Lord jefus Chrift. We are to die to Sin and live to God, not only ex pr efcripto Chrifli, according to the pre- cepts of Chrift , which every where run ftrongly againft fin , and pleading Gods right with us : nor only ex imitatione Chrifi, to imitate our Pattern and Example , that we may be like Chrift in thefe things, and exprefs his dying and riling in our converfati- ons; but virtute Chrifii, by the power of Chrifis Grace, as by the force of his Example. This power of Chrift may be confidered as purchafed , or as applied , or as our intereft in it is profeffed in Baptrlm. r. As it is purchafed. He died and rofe again to reprefent the Merit of his Death to God , that he might obtain Grace for us to kill fin , and live unto God, and that in fuck a continued courfe of obedience , till we live with God : 1 Tie!: 5. to. He dyed for tes,thae whether we wake or fleep,we fhould live together with him; i.e. to redeem us from all iniquity, and to prelerve us in our obedience to eternal Life. While we wake , or are alive, we live with him, and when we fleep, after we are dead, we (till live with him, we live a (piritual Life here, and afterward an eternal Life in Glory. So that place, which otherwife hath fome difficulty in it, may be expounded by Rom. 14.8, 9'. Whether we live , we live unto the Lord ; or whether we dye, we dye unto the Lord : Whe- ther therefore we live or dye, we are the Lords. For this Chrift died. 2. As it is applied. It is applied by the Spirit of Chrift., by virtue of our Union with him. Jefus Chrift is the Root and Foundation of this Life , in whom we do flab- lift : For it is in the Text, cm Xele -â 'Intro, and in the Context it is Paid , verf. S. we are planted into his likenefi: fo that this conformity is the fruit of our Union , and wrought in us by his Spirit, which is the lap we derive from our Root. 3. As our intereft in him is profeffed in Baptifm; for then we are,vifibly graffed into Chrift, Gal. 3. 27. As many w are baptized into Chriff, bave put on Chrifi. Thence an obligation refulteth, we ought to be like him : So that in (bort, the fumm of the whole is this, the Precepts and Example of Chrift do (hew us our Duty ; the Grace whereby we perform it is wrought in us by the Spirit, by virtue of our Union with Chrift ; and our Bapti(mal ingagement bindeth it on our hearts. Or thus, it it purchafed by Chrift, effelled by the Spirit, fealed and profeffed in Baptifm, which partly bindeth to to our Duty, and a(Tureth us, we (hall not want Grace, but have help and ftrength from Jefus Chrift. Thirdly, The means of improvement , AoyíCs11, reckon your felves. It may be inqui- red, why the Apoftle faith not limply , we are dead, or be ye dead indeed , but reckon your felveo to be dead indeed unto fin, &c. Shall our reckoning our (elves dead or alive make it fo? Anfwer. 1. Let us cbnfider the import of the word. 2. Why it is ufed. T. For the import of the word. It is equivalent with yavoimisaes, ver.6. mertíowo, ver. 8. EiNrne, ver. 9. what they lignifie this frgnifieth. It is an a& of judgment, the power of the wind is put forth in it. H h h h h 2. The
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