zio SERMONS upon Serm. XVII. SERMON XVII. ROM. VI. i6. ,Know ye not, that to whom ye yieldyourfelves fervants to obey, his fervants ye are to whom ye obey, whether of fin unto death, or of obedience unto righteoufnefs ? IN this Verfe the Apo(tle proveth, that it is unreafonable and abfurd to conclude, That we may ftn, becaufe we are not under the Law, but under Grace ; Why ? Becaufe it deftroyeth the cute to which we pretend, for men cannot be under Grace that ferve fin. He proveth it by a general Maxim, evident by the common Beaton of Mankind , Know ye not , that to whom ye yield your !elves fervants to obey, his fervants ye are, &C. So that in the words we may obferve two things: I. A general Maxim evident by the Light of Nature. 2. The Application of it to the matter in hand. I. The general Maxim, That whatfoever or whomfoever a Man voluntarily obeyeth, he maketh it or him his proper Lord and Matter. There take notice of the evidence of it, Know ye not, q. d. you may eafily know this by the common courfe of affairs of the World. Here four things are evident, Fir. fl, That omnis fermis eft illicit* Domini fermis , that every Servant hath fouie particular Lord and Matter. Secondly, That the intereft of this particular Lord and Matter is grounded upon Come fpecial Title. Thirdly, This Title, as matters are carried in the World , is either voluntary Con.. tra&, or Content, or plain Conqueft, getting another into his Power. By voluntary Contra& one is a Servant, that bargaineth with another to ferve him ; either wholly, that felleth himfelf as a Slave , or in part for fuch fervices and minifteries: the one is Servos, a Bondman or a Slave ; the other is Famsdus, an Attendant or Apprentice, not abfolurely, but for fuch a time; and for fuch ends. By Conqueft, 2 Pet. 2. 19. While they promif themfelves liberty, they themfelves are the fervants of corruption; for of whom a man is overcome, of the fame is he brought into bondage. Fourthly, Where a Matter hath fuch a legal Title, every Servant is bound to obey his Matter. Ar ftotle maketh it the property of a Servant, .td qer; sb ss 0 éhé1a<, to live not as himfelf lilteth, but as his Matter pleafeth. All thefe things are plain and obvious to every mansunderttanding. 2. The matter of it, there are two things obfervable, 1. Yielding our felves to obey. 2. Actual Obedience. a. Confent, To whom ye yield your felves f ruants to obey, his fervants ye are, as a man contratis with another to ferve him. 2. The A&, His fervants ye are to whom ye'obey, whether there hath been a formal Contra& yea or no He that attually obeyeth another , is to be accounted his Servant, and becometh his Servant. The firft Notion teacheth us , That none can be a Servant to another , but by the ele &ion and content of his own proper Will, and whatfoever fervice men enter, they enter it of their own accord ; the Devil cannot force us to evil, and Chrift will not force us to good. The fecond Notion teacheth us, That we mutt not judge of our fervice to any, eitherto Sin or God, by our profef ed Confent barely, but by our Pra &ice and Obedience : if we obey fin , we are fervants to fn , whatever we profefs or fay to the contrary ; and if we do not live in obedience to God, whatever Profefîions, Vows and Covenants we make to him, or with him, we are not Servants of Cod. 2. In
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