104 SERMON 6 upori Serm.XV 1 am the Lords: Thu foul, this body, this time, this ítrength, is his ; my bufinefs is not to pleafe the flefh, but to pleafe the Lord. Nothing will bè fuch an help in defeating temptations, as to confider his full right and intereft in us, and how juftly he may expeú fidelity from us, from whom we recefte and expe& all things. 2. U S E is, To exhort us to pay the debt of obedience. Common honefty requireth that every man pay his debts: Now we are debtors onto God. 1. Confider how reafonable this debt is , that creatures Ihould Cerve their Creator; that thole that cannot live of themfelves, Ihould not live to themfelves 5 and not do what they pleafe, but what they ought. If God fhould put us to preferve our felves,or keep our felves but for one day, how foon Ihould we difappear, and return into our original nothing l As God fendeth his people to their idols for deliverance, Judg, to. t4. Go and cry to the gods which you have chafen, lit them deliver you in the time of tribulation. This would make the cafe fenfible, If you can keep your felves, pleafe your (elves. As prote- Qiön draweth allegiance, fo doth dependance enforce fubje &ion. Since therefore in him we hives and move, andhave our being, let us live to him, and for him. .2. Confider how unavoidable it is. You are the Lords whether you will or no. No creature is free from this debt; not the Angels, who have many immunities above us ; yet Pfal. r o3.20, 21. Blefs the Lord ye his angels that excel in ftrength, that do his com- mandments, hearkning to the voice of his word : blefi ye the Lord all ye his hefts, ye mi- niJlers of his that do his pleafure. Not. the humane nature of Chrift, Gal. 4.4. The De- vil and wicked men are, but 'cis againft their wills : But his people are a voluntary people, Pfal. Ito. 3. they own Gods right in them ; his they are, and him they will ferve, At', 27. 23. 3. How comfortable the debt is madeby Gods new title of redemption. The forryer cea- fed not, but will continue whilft there is a relation between the creature and the Crea- tor. But this is a power cumulative, not deftrudive, but fiiperadded to the former; and is more comfortable and beneficial to us, that Chrifi would fet us in joint again, and re- (tore the creature to a capacity of ferving and pleating God. O what a bleffed thing is it to take a law of duty out of the hand of a Mediator I a double advantage, both to ajfi(lance and acceptance; now God will help us, and will accept of it, as we can perform it; from the Mediator we have this fpirit, and his righteoufnefs ; heft, his fpirit to help us, and give us grace to ferve God acceptably, to break the bondage of fin, Rom. 8.2. To help us againft it, all along, v.13. and by his fpirit of Grace we are inabled to love him, and ferve him, whom 1 ferve in the fpirit; and the more we ufe this grace, the more 'tis increafed upon us ; and the more we pay this debt, themore we are inabled to pay, Arov. to. 29. The way of the Lord is firength to the upright. We grow the richer for paying, for we pay God out of his own Exchequer, I Chron. 29. 14. Of thine own have we given thee. 1 Cor. 15. ro. But by thegrace of God I ant what I am; and his grace which was bellowed upon me was not in vain ; but I laboured more abundantly than they all ; yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. The laborious diligent foul hath more abundance of his fpirit. Secondly, As we have his Righteoufnefs ; God ac- cepts of our impeded endeavors, Eph. 1. 6. He bath made us accepted in the beloved, Mal. 3. 17. I will fpare them as a man fpareth his own fan that ferveth him. This double comfort we have by the Mediator. 4. The debt is increafed by every benefit which we receive from God, Luke 12.48. To whom much is given, of him fhall be much required; and to whom men have committed much, cf him will they askmore. As our gifts increafe, fo doth our debt ; as otir debt, fo doth our account; they that have receivedmoft, are bound to. love him more; andferve'him better, becaufe they are more in debt than others. g. How necejary it is for as to be debtors to God. If not debtors to God, we are deb- s fors to the flefn ; there is no medium; and if debtors to the flefh, fervanis tö"every bate lull, Tit. 3. 3.. Serving divers lufis; quam multos habet dominos qui unum habere ne cult. We are Haves to every thing, if not debtors to God, and behave our felves as fuch. Eve- ry fancy and humor captivateth us. 6. By paying this debt, we receive more than we pay in prefent comfort and peace, but cer- tainly in future gloryand ble ffednefs, Rom. 6. 22. Te have your fruit to holinefs, and the .end everlafling hie. The fruitof holinefs for the prefent is peace, no greater comfort than in the difcharge of our duty,!Gal.6. 16. As many as walk according to this mule,peace andmer- cy be upon them. 7: If
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