sin, even then when he is worsted by sin and led captive by sin. A tyrant m obeyed unwillingly ; the wills of his subjects rise up against his commands, and if his power were not superior to their wills, they would never obey him. Sin is no king, but a tyrant in the souls of the saints, and therefore tbeir wills, so far as they are renewed, cannot but rise against it.^ O sirs ! remember this for ever, that the molesting, vexing, and tempting power of sin, does not speak out its dominion ; for sin may molest, and vex, and tempt as an enerny, where it doth not rule and reign as a king ; as you see this day in many nations of the earth, there, are many enemies that do molest, vex, and tempt the sul>- jects of those nations, who yet are far enough off from having any rule or dominion over them ; but then sin is in dominion, when it commands in the heart as a king in his throne, or as a lord in his house, or as a general in his army, freely, boldly, universally, cheerfully; and when the soul doth as freely, boldly, universally, and cheerfully subject itself to sin's commands. Where men commonly yield up their wills and affections to the commands of sin, there sin reigns ; and this is the case of every unregenerate man ; but where the Avill does commonly make a stout opposition to sin, there it reigns not ; now this is the case of every regenerate man. That prince cannot truly be said to reign in that king- dom, where commonly he meets with stout opposition ; so it is here. A sincere Christian makes it the s^reat business and work of his life, above all other things in this world, to make all the opposition he can against his lusts, and is thoroughly resolved to die fighting against his sins, as Pietro Candiano, one of the Dukes of Venice, died fighting against the Nauritines, with the weapons in his hand. As Csesar said in a battle he fought against one of Pompey's sons, ' At other times I fought for honour, but now I fight for my life ;' so a sincere Christian fights against his sins, as for his life. Castellio's opinion was vain, viz., that men were of three sorts, some unreoenerate, some rec^enerating, and others regenerated, and that these last have no combat betwixt flesh and spirit, which is quite cross to Scripture, Rom. vii. l-i-24!. Gal. v. 17, &c., and contrary to the experience of all saints, in all the ages of the world,'^ &c. But,
[3.] Thirdly, When a Ttian is usually peremptory in his sinnings, in the face of all reprehensions and arguments that te^id to dissuade liim froon sin, then sin is in dominion, Prov. xxix. 1 ; Jer. v. 3, 4 ; and xliv. 15—17. When the constant bent of the heart is inflamed to- wards sin, and when the desires of the soul are insatiably carried after sin, and when the resolutions of the soul are strongly and habitually set upon sin, then sin is in the throne, and then it reigns as a king. When God hedges up the sinner's way with thorns, yet the sinner will break through all to his sin, Hosea ii. 6, 7 ; when life and death, heaven and hell, glory and misery, are set before the siimer, yet the sinner will be peremptory in his sinnings, though ho lose his life, his soul, and all the
' Tlie apostle, as Chrysnstom and Tlieodoret ob.sorvos, on Rom. vi. 12, dolli not say. Let not sin tyrannize, for tliat is sin's own work, and not ours ; but lie says, Let it not reif^n in yon ; for when a king reigns, the subjects do, as it were, actively obey and em- brace his command, whereas they are rather patients than agents in a tyranny.
' It is a hardfir tiling to figiit with a mau'a lusts, than to light with the cross. — Augus- tine [Confessions. — G.].
Chap. I.] a cabinet of jewels, 277
glory of another world, then sin reigns, Deut. xxx. 15-19, and xi. 26-29. But,
[4.] Fourthly, When men ordinarily, habitually, commonly are very careful, studious, and laborious to m^ake -provision for sin, then sin reigns: Rom. xiii. 14, 'Make no provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof ;' or, as the Greek has it, ' Make no projects for the flesh,' or ' cater not for the flesh.' When a man's head and heart is full of projects how to gratify this lust, and how to satisfy that lust, and hoAV to fulfil the other lust, then sin reigns, then it is in its throne : James iv. 3, ' Ye ask and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.'' Both the law of God and nature requires me to make provision of raiment, food, and physic for my body, and for theirs that are under my charge; but it may cost me my life, my estate, yea, my very soul, to make provision for my lusts. Such as ask amiss shall be sure to ask and miss. He that would make God a bawd to his lusts, may ask long enough before God will answer. Of all affronts there is none to thi^ of making God a servant to our lusts ; and where this frame of spirit is, there sin is in dominion, Hosea ii. 8. He that abuses mer- cies to serve his lusts, fights against God with his own weapons, as David did against Goliath, and as Benhadad did against Ahab, with that very life that he had newly given him ; such a soul, like the waters of Jordan, will at last certainly drop into the dead lake. But,
[5.J Fifthly, When sin is commonly, habitually sweet, and the soul takes a daily 'pleasure and delight in it, then it reigns ; as you may see by comparing the scriptures in the margin together/ When a man daily takes as joyful contentation and satisfaction in his lusts, and in walking after the ways of his own heart, as he does in his highest out- ward enjoyments, or in his nearest and dearest relations, then certainly sin is in dominion. Such men as can go constantly on in a way of wickedness, merely to delight and content the flesh, such men are cer- tainly under the power and reign of sin. Many of the heathens, who knew what rational delights were, scorned sensual delights as inferior to them. These will one day rise in judgment against many of the professors in our days. I know there is no real pleasure or delight in sin. If intemperance could afford more pleasure than temperance, then Heliogabalus should have been more happy than Adam in para- dise ; yea, if there were the least real delight in sin, there could be no perfect hell, where men shall most perfectly sin, and most per- fectly be tormented with their sins. ' Hark, scholar,' said the harlot to Apuleius, 'it is but a bitter sweet that you are so fond of* When an asp stings a man, it doth at first tickle him, and make him laugh till the poison by little and little gets to his heart, and then it pains him more than before it delighted him. It is so with sin, it may tickle the soul at first, but it will pain it at last with a witness. I have read of a gallant addicted to uncleauness, who at last meeting with a beautiful dame, and having enjoyed his fleshly desires of her, he found her in the morning to be the dead body of one that he had formerly been niiught