Ver. 2. the 8th Chapter of the ROM ANS. 21 righted::fnefs? Servants were made fo either by confer.[ or conqueft. The APo;7le (peak - eth there not of fervants by conquefl,'but of fervants by confent and covenant: When a man yeildeth up himfelf to be at the difpofal of another, he is a fervant to hid) ; fo in moral matters,by whatever a man is imployed,and to which he giver!) up his time and ftrength, life and love, to that he is a fervant, be it to the f/esrh or to the fpirit, as we make it our bufinefs to accomplifh or gratifie the delires of the one, or the other. A godly man hath fin in him, but he doth not ferve ir, yield up himfèlf to obeyit, he doth not walk after his lulls. a. Cnfiomary pra1ifeand obfervance, John 8. 34. Whofaevereommittetb fn, is thefervant of fn ; ó ,;(aethat liveth in an habit and courfè of fin, thefe are brought under the pow- er of it, inflaved by fuch pleafures as they affe&. 3. Inability to come oat of this condition. The Law is fpirit:ral, but lam carnal, fold ma- der fin, Rom. 7. 14. By the law of nations Service was brought in by conyuefl, and thole that were taken in War were vendaii fah Hafla, fold under a (peer, merely at the dif- pole of him that took them, 2 Pet. 2. 19. They are fervants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome , of thefame is he brought into bondage. This our fervice under fin is in part repref nted by a Captive, in regard we cannot rid our (elves of it in part by an hiredfervant, becaufe we willingly, and by our own default run into it. This impotency is molt fenfible'in them that are convinced of better, bukdo that Which is worfe; they fee their duty, but are not able to perform it, being over me by their lofts ; they have fomekind of remorfe and trouble, but cannot help themfelves. But how came this frvitode upon us ? Partly by the natural inclination of oar own corrupt hearts.. There are fervi natura, Fools and brutifh Men ; fo in a fpiritual fenfe are all men, Gen. 3. 3 r. The imaginations of mans heart are evilfrom his youth. aly. 'Tis in- creafedbycuflomin finning, there lints arendt' only born with us, but bred up with 11F, and fo plead prefcrip :ion, becaufe Religion cometh afterwards, Jet. 13. 23. Can the Ethiopian change his Ain, or the Leopard his (pots? then may ye a fo do good that are accuflo. med to do evil. 'Tis hard to (hake off inveterate cnflams; feria education, tho it changeth not the heart, hindreth the growth of fin. 34. Example doth firengtben and increafe it, Eph. 2. 3. Among whom we alfo had our converfations in timespa fi, in the loft of our fle/v, fulfilling the defres of the flejb and the mind, and were by rateare children of wrath, even as others: and Ira. 6. 5. lam a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in thernicJi of a pecple of un- clean lips. 4. By the Devils craft, who obferveth our tempers and inclinations who fuiteth every dif emper with a diet proper, 2 Tim. 2. 26. That they may recover themfilves out of the fare of the Devil, who are taken captive by him,at his will. Now this is our bondage till we change Maflers,and devote and give up our felves to God. 2. By nature men are under the power of fn, and fo by confiquence tinder the f ntence of death. ( for Gn and death gohand in hand) There two cannot be put afunder, being joined together by the ordination of Gods righteous Law; if fin rule in us, 'twill certainly damn us, for none are freed from the damning power of fin, but thole that are freed from the dominion of it; the fame law that convinceth of fin, doth allo bind over to death; fin and death fuit together like work, and wages, Rom. 6. 22. The wages of fin is death. To affe& you while we are explaining this matter, confider Three things. i. The fuitablenefs of deatb to fn. 2. The certainty of it. 3. The terriblenefs of this death. I. The fuitablenefs or correfpondence that is between fin and death : This fuitablenefs will appear, if we confider the Wfdom, 7ufice, and Flolinef of God. 1. The Wifdom of God, which doth all things according to Weight, Meafure and Or- der, cannot permit the disjun &ion of thefe two Things, fo clofely united together, as fin and punifhment; but there will be an appearance of deformity and incongruity, if there be loch things as good and evil,bonnm & maim morale ( as he is unworthy of the name, not only of a Chriftian,but a man,that denieth it). Again if there be Inch a thing as pleafre and pain, joy and farrow ( as the fence telleth us) or that which we call La. nietas 6. malum naturale, natural good,''and natural evil : Then 'tis very agreeable to the Wifdom of God, that thefe things fhould be rightly placed and forted, that a moral evil ( which is fin) fhould be punned with a natural evil, which is pain and mifery; and moralgood, which is Vertue,(hould end in joy and pleafcre ; or in (hart, that there fhould be rewards and punifhments. God is naturally itnclinttd as the Creator of mankind to man
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