Ver.2. the 8th Chapter of the ROMANS. 23 This Thought haunts men living and dying; living, Heb. 2. r5. And deliver them who through fear of death were all their life time fibjeíltobondage. But chiefly dying, r Cor.r5. 56. The fling of death is fn. For then men are molt ferious, and apprehend themfelves neareft to dan'gér. Stings of confcience are moft quick and fenfible then, and a terri- ble Tempeft arifeth in (inners fouls when they are to die. 3. Scripture ( if we take Gods Word for it ) is exprejr;the frrfl Threatning, Gen. 2.27. In the day thou eatefi thereof tbou (halt furely die ; and Rom. 6. 23. The wages of fin is death ; and 21. What fruit haveyou is thole things whereof ye are now afhamed ? for theend of thofi things io death. Will you believe this, or venture and put it upoh the Trial ? Oh ! Take heed of fin. The dead are there,and her prep are in the depths of hell, Prov. 9. r8. Men are deftroyed by their jreedlefsnefs and incredulity ; in what a wo- ful cafe are you, if it prove true? and prove true it will, as fore as God is true. 3. Confider the terriblenefo of this death. The Lifeto come, and the Wrath to come, are both eternal; Punifhment in one fcale holdeth conformity with the reward in the other; as thole that efcape have an eternal and far more exceeding weight of glory ; fo they that (till remain under the fentence of death, for fn, are condemned to an eternal abode both in body and foul under torments, Mat. 25. 46. Thefe /hall go away into everlafiing punifhment;but the righteous into life eternal. Oh how woful is their conditi- on whofe bodies and fouls meet again at the Refurreélion ( after a long feparation ) but a fad meeting it will be when both 'mutt prefently be, raft into everla(ting fire : if we did only deal with you upon flight and cheap motives, you might refufe to hearken g they are but flight matters that can be hoped or feared froni.man, whole power of doing good or evil is limited to this life; but it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, Heb. ro. 3r. Theaflíi &ions and farrows of this life are a part of this death; our tuiferies here are the fruit of fin, and after them followeth that death which con - fifts in the feparation of the foul from the body, called in the book of Job the King of Terrors ; but after that,there is a fecond death, which is far more terrible, which con fills in an eternal feparation from the Bleffed and. Glorious Prefence of the Lord. In all Creatures that have fenfe, death is accompanied with fome pain ; but this is a perpetual living to deadly pain and torment, from which there is no releafe; there is no change of eftate in the other world after our trial is over, and things of faith become meer matter of fenfe ; the gulf is then fixed, there is no paffage from torments to joys, Luk. e 6. 26. Things to come would not confiderably counterballance things prefi nt, if there were not eternity in the cafe; therefore this death is the more terrible, that men might abhor the pleafiires of fin. Well then, this is the condition of all men,once to be under fin ,and under the fentence Of this death, which is a woful bondage. 2. Oar liberty mull anfwer the bondage. To be redeemed from wrath,is a great Mercy; fo it is allo to be redeemed from fin; thefe are the branches, Chrift delivered us from Wrath to come, 2 Thef r. ro. He bath redeemed its alfo from all iniquity, Tit. 2. 14. The firft part of freedom from the power of fin, is fpoken of, Rom. 6. s8. Being then made freefromfin, ye became the fervants of righteoufnefs. Man in his natural eftate is free from rightepufnefs, v. ro. That is, Righteoufnefs or Grace had no hand and power over him ; but in his renewed e(tate he is free fromfin. To be under the dominion of fin, is the greaten flavery ; and to be under the dominion of Grace is the greaten liberty and en- largement; theythat are free from righteoufnefs, have no inclinations or impreffions of heart to that which is good, no fear to offend, no care to pleafe God; are not brought under the awe and power of Religion ; on the other fide, then are we free from fin, when we refill ourluts fo as to overcome them, and have a prong inclination and bent of heart to pleale God in all things,and accordingly make it our bufrnefs, trade, and courte of Life, Luk. 1.75. That being delivered from the hands of our enemies, we might ferve him without fear, in holinef and righteou reefs before him all the days of our .life. The other part of the Liberty ii when we are freed from the fentence of death , paffed up- on us by the law, and acquitted and difcharged from the guilt of fin, and being pip- fed by faith are made heirs according to the hope of eternal life, Tit. 3. 7. That I will not fpeak of now, becaufe before in the firft Verle. I now proceed to open unto you the lait Thing at fire propounded ; which war, 3. The manner of getting oar liberty. There are three words in the Text, Law, Spirit, and Chrifi jefas. Let us begin with the laft. Chrifl procureth this liberty for as by the me- rit of his death and interceffion. The Law or Gofpel offereth this liberty to us, and the Spirit firft applieth it and fealeth it W the Confcience. t. Chrifi
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