SERMON VII.

Rom. vi. 16.

Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourfelves Servants to obey, his Servants ye are, to whom ye obey; whether of Sin unto Death, or of Obedience unto Righteouf ness?

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HAT the Gofpel is the Power SERM. of God unto Salvation is the VII. the fundamental Doctrine of Christianity, and as fuch St. Paul labours moft ftrenuously in this Epiftle to eftablish it against thofe, who denied it on the one Hand, and thofe, who abused it on the other, ---against thofe, who maintained, that Men could not be faved by Chrift without an Obfervance of the Law,

SERM. and thofe, who concluded, that they fhould VII. be faved without the Practice of Righteoufnefs.

THE former Error the Apoftle refutes in the four first Chapters, and in the fifth he fets himself to oppofe the latter: And as he had fhewn the Neceflity of the Gofpel-method of Juftification from the Defects of the Jewish Difpenfation, fo he here proves it from the univerfal Prevalency of Sin. He discovers what the utmoft Stretch of unenlightened Reafon was never able to account for, how, Sin having entered into the World and Death by Sin (d), we are rescued from the tyrannical Dominion of the one, and the flavish Fears of the other; and how, as by the Offence of One Judgment came upon all Men to Condemnation, even fo by the Righteoufnefs of One the Free Gift came upon all Men unto Juftification of Life (e).

BUT that no Man fhould have the leaft plaufible Excufe for perfifting in a finful Course, because of the Free Gift of God in Chrift Jefus, St. Paul begins the Chapter, out of which I have taken my Text, with this Question, What shall we fay then? Shall we

continue in Sin, that Grace may abound? SERM. God forbid, fays he. This is by no Means VII. the Purport of my Argument; but the quite contrary is the Conclufion, I would draw. For bow fhall we, that are dead to Sin, live any longer therein (f)?

THIS Death unto Sin, he proves we underwent in Baptifm; by which, we are buried with Chrift our Saviour into Death, that like as be was raised from the Dead by the Glory of the Father, even so we alfo fhould walk in Newness of Life (g). After the Example of the Death and Refurrection of our bleffed Lord, we are obliged by our Baptifmal Covenant to die to Sin, and rife again to a new and heavenly Life: For being in that Sacrament grafted into Chrift, and made Members of his mystical Body, we ought to be conformable to him, oùr Head. As when he died, he died unto Sin once, to destroy and abolifh it effectually, and being raised from the Dead, he dieth no more, Death hath no more Dominion over him (b), fo fhould we die one final Death to it, never more rcturning to the Practice thereof; and being

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(f) Rom. vi. 1, 2. (b) V. 9, 10.

(g) V. 4.

SERM. raised to a new Spiritual, or Chriftian Life, VII. being planted together in the Likeness of

his Refurrection, as well as of his Death, we should reckon ourselves to be dead indeed unto Sin, but alive unto God (i), henceforth. wholly dedicating ourselves to his Service.

A VIGOROUS and hearty Obedience is most justly due to the Almighty for freeing us from the Curfe of the Law, and the Bondage of Satan, and calling us into the gracious Difpenfation of the Gofpel; which affords fufficient Strength to withstand Sin, and preferves us from being still kept under the Tyranny of our corrupted Nature. And it is equally vile and ungrateful to take Occafion from God's tender Offers of Grace, not to reform, but to aggravate our Of fences. Far be it from us to make fo ill an Ufe of the Divine Goodnefs and Forbearance (the proper Defign of which is to bring Men out of the Servitude of Sin by. encouraging the most prefumptuous Offenders not to defpair of Mercy upon Repentance) as to turn it into an Argument for continuing in Ungodlinefs, abfurdly expecting, that there will be Forgiveness yet in Store even for them, who wilfully render themselves

(i) Rom. vi, 11.

themselves Veffels of Wrath fitted to De- SERM. struction,---that their being God's Servants VII. in Name, will entitle them to their heavenly Master's Bounty, though they have been in Reality Slaves to their own Lufts,---and that the Reward of Righteoufness will be their Portion, when they have taken all poffible Pains to earn the Wages of Sin.

To fuch Confidence the Paffage of Scripture, which I have read to you for the Subject of this Difcourfe, gives a very powerful Check: Wherein the infpired Writer peremptorily afferts, that whatever Profeffion a Man may boast of, whatever Character he may make Pretenfions to, he is in Fact a Servant of that Master, whofe Work he performs, and fhall receive his Wages accordingly; and then inculcates on us this úfeful Caution, That there being two quite contrary Services, in one or other of which all Mankind are, and must be engaged, oppofite both in the Employ and the Pay, it imports us very much duly to diftinguish between them, left by placing ourselves under the wrong Mafter we fail of our Expectations, and in the End meet with Ruin, inftead of Ad

vancement.

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THESE