Ver. io,i i. the Epiftle to the Romans. 213 cation onely,and that by the deceit of ftnabuing it. T e M. In what meaning doth the A- pple fay, that the Comraandement it ordai- ned to life? . S I L, It teacheth what end and ule there is of the Law,in refpea of its own nature:that is,ifCo it be obferved,it doth give life eternall.For CO it for biddeth e- vili things , and commandeth good things, as it propoundeth the promife of lite to the perfeft dooers of it: as it is written, He that doth theft thing! fhall live in them, Lev.I S. 5. Indeed the Apoftle faith, Gal. 3. ce. That the Law cannot give life: and Rom. 8.3. That it is im- poffrblefor the Law togive Iif .Bet the fault hereof is not in the nature oft he Law ; which ofit (elfe is a word and oracle of life,like to the fountain whence it flow- ed, but in our weakneffe which cannot fulfill the perfe& righteoufneffe of the Law : whence it is that it cannot give life, as the Sunne cannot give light to him that bath no eyes to lee it ; nor Chrifl cannot give righteoufneffe to him that hathno faith to receive it. Tr M. Flow dothtbe ApojUe mean that the commandement war found tobee to him to death? S i L. Thus much:that at length he feltit to be fo; for the Law when bee rightly underftood it , made him per - ceive that having in its own nature a good nfe, even to give life, that acciden- tally and betides the nature of the Law, it proved to him the cauCe of death;in- fomuch asby breaking it, he felt him(if Dee.pis t.: guilty of death and damnation. For the Lulu, par - f.eelout. Í proper caufe of death and damnation,it f "'". -r' is fin or our natural] corruption dece i- fervi.. r.yi- rr"r.'. ving us, which abating the Minifiry of t l'' "" ". the Law, (by being flirted up by it the the more )bringsforth of its ownena- ture properly,and by it fèlfe, death and damnation. Thus fin as the true caufe, doth produce death, and the Law oeca- fionally doth produce it. T a M. Open tbi, fomewhat moreplainly and fully unto ut,bew death comes of fin by *e oeraPion of the Law,and how fin deceived Paul:he alpofil ,being in bit Pbarifaifine? S I L. Thus:whenwe begin to know the Law rightly,we fee and feel our fins which before we did not, and that wee are thereby worthily adjudged to dam- nation in hel fire. This cannot bee ear- nelhly thought on,but that it will bring us to Come tafte ofdeftruftion,inwhich refpet though we do live in our bodies, yet are wee laid to be (lain by fin , and to be dead.Foras a malefaaorcondem- ned , who by feare and feeling of his death approaching( looking for it eve- ry minute with terror,) may be (aid to talk of death, and to die before he bee dead :fo it was with Paul, being unrege- nerate; and fo it is with all the cleft , when the Law hath effectually convi&ed them of death through fin, they have a fenfe 9f death eternal!, which breedeth great heavineffe and difquietnefT'e in their minds. T i M. What inflrullionit to be gathered from hence? S I L, That there is none of yti t, which are partakers of the life ofChrift and his righteoulnel %,untilby the prea- ching of the Law,they have fach a fence in regard of their finites, that they feel tt;emfelves dead : this is the courfe that God taketh with all his children to kill them, before bee make them alive, to humble them in feeling of their owne dead ficke,anddamnable eftate, before he heal them and fave them.The reafon hereof is,becaufè till men be brought to a through fight and fence of their owndamnition, they will never feet after Chrilt, nor delire him : with- out which they can never find him nor have him: God having fo ordained it, that by feeking we fhall find him. Se- condly, the health and falvaticzn by Chrift, becomes more Tweet and preci- ous to men that firft have felt them - felves loft and damned without him: as health is more pleafant after fecknelTe, liberty after bonds, plenty after fcarfity, fair weather after foul, peace after war; therefore to have his grace highly eltee- med, God ufeth to bring them very low that (hall enjoy it. T t M. What it the ufe oftbit do/lrine? S I t. Firft, to flirre up fecure fin- ners, to labour much to be brought to the
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