72 SERMONS upon Serm. XII. (ban hath this anfwer ready, I am dedicated to God: I Cor. 6. t5. Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Chrifl? tall I then tale the members of Chrifl, and make them the members of an harlot ? God forbid ! Nor will you flick at intereft , 2 Cor. 8. 5, They firfi gave their own felves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God. (2.) Then for Comfort , Joh. 14. I. Let not your hearts be troubled, ye believe in God , believe a f in me. t Tim. 6. 8. Having food and raiment , let us be therewith content. t Pet. 5. ]. Calling all your care upon him , for he careth for you. This eafeth you of all your cares and fears, you are Gods 5 nay it fecureth you againft eternal miferies, Yoh. I2, 20. Where 1 am, there tall my fcrvant be. Vfe 3. To put us upon felf -reflel ion. Is your Dedication to God fincere ? If fo, 1. In the whole courfe of your Converfations you will prefer his Intereft before your own, and when any intereft of your own rifeth up againft the intereft of God, you will let light by it, as if it were nothing worth, and then no felf refpehfs will tempt you to difobey God, though never fo powerful ; no hire draw you to the fmalleft fin, nor danger fright you from your Duty, Dan. 3. 57, 18. Our God whom we ferve it able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; and he will deliver us out of thine hand, 0 King ! But if not, be it known unto thee, 0 King ! that we will not free thy gods , nor worfhip thy golden image, that thou hall fit up. Alts 20. 24. But none of thefe things move me, neither count I my life dear unto my flf, fo that I might (nit my courfe with joy. If we can but forget our (elves and remember God, he will remember us better than if we had re- membred our felves. We fecure whatever we put into Gods hands, and venture in his fervice. 2. You will make Confcience how you fpend your time and ftrength, God keepeth account, Luke 19.23. Wherefore gavefi' not thou my money into the banl¿, that at my co- ming I might have required mine own with ufery ? So you will keep a faithful reckoning, how you lay out your felves for God, that (hare he path in all things we have and do. God obferveth , fo mutt we, whether God have his own, and we do not defraud him; whole work are you a doing? 3. You will have a liberal heart , you will think no fervice too much , or lofs too great for God : Phil. I. 2 t. For me to live it Chrifl, all other things come from God. Certainly you muff not put him off with what the flelh will fpare. SERMON XII. ROM. VI. 14. For fin fhall not have dominion over you ; for ye are not under the Law, but under Grace. TH E Apoftle had exhorted them to Mortification, verf 12. to Vivification, verf 13. in both to Caution, that fin may not ufurp the power and place of God , who alone fhould command and govern both our Souls and Bo- dies. To fight for fin is to fight againft God , which fhould be an horrid thing to Chriftians, who fhould imploy all their powers and faculties to keep up Gods intereft in their Souls, by maintaining that new Life that is given them by God. If we have any Weapons or Inflruments, they fhould be imployed for God, and not for fin , becaufe fin was not their Lord now as heretofore , it neither had , nor lhaul have dominion over you. If a man fhould fpeak to any City (fuppofe in Hungary, or other Frontier of Chriflendom) newly freed from Turkifb flavery, Care not for the commands and threatnings of the Turks any more, they do not Lord it over you as they were wont to do : the very fame is the Argument of the Apoftle , Sin bath not the fame ftrength
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