Sto The NATURE and Pow ER ing its finful inmate. Whenever the foul bath indulged to its commands, made provifion for it, immediately the law flies upon it, with the wrath and terror of the Lord, makes it quake and tremble : it shall have no reft, but is like a poor beaft that hath a deadly arrow flicking in its fides, that makes it reftlefs wherever it is, and whatever it doth. (5) The law flays not here, but alfo it flays the foul, Rom. vii. 3. that is by its conviction of the nature, power, and defert of this indwelling fin ; it deprives him in whom it is ofall that life of felf-righteoufnefs and hope, which formerly he fuftained himfelf withal : it leaves him as a poor, dead, helplefs, hopelefs creature. And all this in the purfuit ofthat oppo- fition that it makes againft this fin. May we not now expert, that the power ofit will be quelled, and its ftrength broken ; that it will die away before thefe ftrokes of the law of God ; but the truth is, fuch is its power and ftrength, that it is quite otherwife. Like him whom the Poets feign tobe born ofthe earth, when one thought to flay him, by calling him on the ground, by everyfall he recovered new ftrength, and was more vigo- rous than formerly : to is it with all the falls and repulfes that are given to indwelling fin by the law. For, [r.] It is not conquered. A conqueft inferstwo things in refpeil ofthe conquered : f eji, Lofs of dominion ; And,fecondly,Lofs offtrength. Where- ever any one is conquered, he is defpoiled of both thefe : he lofeth both his authority and his power. So the ftrohgman armed being prevailed a- gainft, he is bound, and his goods are fpoiled. But now neither of thefe befals indwelling fin by the al-faults ofthe law; it lofethnot one jot of its dominion nor ftrength by all the blows that are given unto it. The law cannot do this thing, Rom. viii. 3. it cannot deprive fiti of its power and dominion; for he that is under the law, is alío under fin ; that is, whatever power the law gets upon the confcienceofa man, fo that he fear to fin, left the fentence and curie ofit fhould befal him, yet fin dill reigns and rules in his heart. Therefore, faith theapoftle, Rom. vi. rq. Sin flail not have dominion overyou, foryou are not under the law but undergrace; intimating plainly, that tho' a perfon be innever fo much fubjeftion to the authorityof the law, yet that will not exempt and acquit him from the dominion of fin. Yea, the law by all its work upon the foul, inftead of freeingand acquitting it from the reign of fin, and bondage unto it, duth accidentally greatly mcreafe its mifery and bondage ; as the fentence of the judge on thebench againft a malefaftor adds to his mifery. The foul is under the dominion of fin, and it may be, abides in its woful condi- tion in much fecurity 3 fearing neither fin nor judgment. The law fetting upon him in this condition by all the ways forementioned, brings him in- to great trouble and perplexity, fear and terrour, but delivers him not at all. So that it is with the foul, as it was with the Ifraelites, when Mofe; had delivered his meffage unto Pharaoh, they were fo far from getting li- berty by it, that their bondage was increafed, and theyfound that theywere in a very evil cafe; Exod. v. 17. yea, and we (hall fee, that fin doth like Pharaoh; finding its rule difturbed, it grows more outragioufly oppreffive, and doubles thebondage of their fouls. This is not then the work of the law, to deftroy fin, or deprive it of that dominionwhich it bath by nature. Nor doth it, by all thefe ftroaks of the law, lofe anything ofits strength. It continues both its authority and its force; it is neither deftroyed, nor weakned. Yea, [a.] It is fo far from being conquer'd, that it is only enraged. The whole work of the lawdoth only provoke and enragefin, and eaufe it as it bath
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