Verf. 18, 19. the fixth Chapter to the ROMAN s. 1 27 5. No man can be a Servant of Righteoufnefs, but he that is firft by the Goodnefs and Mercy of God freed from the power and flavery of fin : for the Apoftle faith, Being made free from fin, ye became the fervants of righteoufnefs. There is an order in our deli- verance, and one part conduceth to another; for Righteoufnefs and the Confcience of our Duty can have no hold on us, till the power of our Lufts be broken. Affoon as we are freed from the flavery of fin, we are in part righteous; but when we are freed from the Being of fin , we are altogether holy and righteous; but where fin reigneth, there is an obftru&ion of the Life of Grace, there the Creature is valued above God, Earth before Heaven, the Body before the Soul, neither Faith, Love, nor Hope can pro- duce any thorow work in our Souls ; not Faith , ph. 5.44. Ham can ye believe , which receive honour one of another , and fek the honour that cometh from God only ,z Nor Love, s yob. 2. 15. Lave not the world, neither the things that are in the world; if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Nor Hope , 2 Cor. 4. t8. While we look not at the things that are feen, that are but temporal, but at the things that are not feen, that are eternal. The perfon that bath not his heart and hopes in Heaven , and looketh not at that as his only Happinefs, and doth not make it the bufinefs of his Life to attain it, but fetteth his heart more upon the things of this Life , is certainly unconverted : t Cor. 15. tg. If in this life only we have hope in Chrifi? , we are of all men moll mifirable. This fhould be regarded by us, that we may look more after this, whether we have efcaped the bondage of Corruption , and that we do not return to Bondage again , but that we maintain our liberty , Gal. 5. e. Stand fail therefore in the liberty wherewith Chrifi bath made you free, and be not intangled again in the yo4e of bondage. 6. He that is a Servant of Righteoufnefs, (hews it by doing as much for Righteouf nefs, as formerly he did for Sin. This is the end of the Apoftles reafoning with them in this place ; therefore (hall a little infift upon it. I. That in Reafon and ftri& Juftice more might be required of us ; for the Reafons moving us to good, are more than the Reafon moving us to evil , if we confider either Matter, Work, or Wages. Firfi, The Matter, (hall wenot do as much for God, as we did for Satan ? Whofe are you ? Chriltians! From whom did you receive your Beings ? And from whom do you expea your Happinefs ? From God or the Devil ? Whom will you call Father or Ma- ftee? Pretences will do nothing in the cafe, it will be tryed by your work , Te are of your Father the Devil, and the tufts of your Father ye will do, Joh. 8.34. He that cow - mitteth fin , is of the Devil, r Job. 3. 8. God be merciful to us ! we have done too much of the Devils work already, it is time to give over, the bufinefs is for the future, whofe work do you mean to do ? and hope will you do it, halfingly, fuperficially, per - funitorily, or in the greaten earneft. Secondly, The Work , Sin is a deordination , a pronituting of the noble Faculties of our Souls to our bate hilts and vain pleafures, Tit. 3. 3. Serving divers !Os and pleafures : whereas by Holinefs we obey the rational Appetite, the Will guided by the higher Rea- fon, which is the Law and Will of God : s Pet. 4. 2. That he no longer fhould live the refi of his time in the flefh to the Infis of men, but to the will of God. The bufinefs is, whe- ther for the future we will be Beans or Men ? and imploy our remaining time in the fervice of the Flefh, or in obedience to the Will of God ? Whether the Bean thould ride the Man ? or Reafon and Confcience be put in Dominion again over Senfe and Ap- petite? Thirdly, The Wages. Surely Reafon will teach you, that there fhould be greater care to fecure your Life and Salvation, than to ruine and damn your felves; now you went on earneftly in a way of fin, as if you could not foon enough, or Cure enough be damned : the lure wages of fin is eternal dead i ver. 23. determined by the righteous ap- pointment of Gods Law ; and though through the Patience of God it be not prefently . executed, yet Confcience fheweth the juftnefs of it, and the Word fheweth you how that fin had made it your due ; and therefore fhould you not do as much for Salvation, as you have done in order to Damnation ? efpecially when your eyes are opened , and you begin to have eternal Bleffednefs in view and purfuit. Well then, Reafon will in- form that you fhould do more for God , and more for Heaven , and more for Holinefs, than ever you did for Sin ; fo that it is an equitable Propofal, or the Rule of our Duty expreffed after a moden manner, there is lefs than in aria Reafon may be required of you. Men are weak, and cannot bear too much feverity, what (hall we fay then ? do as much for Righteoufnefs as you did for Sir, 2. That in exa& proportion even this equitable Rule will not always hold good ; why ?
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