[2.] With earnest longing : Eom. vii. 23, ' 0 wretched man that I am ! who shall deliver me from this body of death ? ' 2 Cor. v. 2, ' In this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven.'
3. As to faith.
[1.] Fix it, and be at a greater certainty against all doubts and fears, not only as to your interest, but the truth of the promise of eternal life. These doubts may stand with a sincere faith, but not a confirmed faith ; we have much of the unbeliever in our bosoms. Venture all your happiness temporal and spiritual upon this security.
[2.] Improve it ; it is the work of faith to overcome the world and the flesh : 1 John v, 4, 5, ' This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God ? ' to overrule our sense and appetite, and to teach us to make nothing of all that would dis- suade us against our heavenly interest : Acts xx. 24, * But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.' This is the true mortification.
220 SERMONS UPON EOMANS VI. [SeR. VIII.
SERMON VIII.
Knoiving that Christ, being raised from the dead, dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once ; but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. — EoM. VI. 9, 10.
That I may the better explain the drift of these words, let us take the apostle's method along with us. His intent is to prevent an abuse of the doctrine of the gospel, which publisheth the free grace of God to sinners : ' Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.' From hence some did infer that therefore under the gospel they might take liberty to sin ; the more their sins were, and the greater they were, the more they should occasion God to manifest the abundance of his grace upon them. The apostle answereth this —
1. By way of detestation : ' Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound ? God forbid ! '
2. By way of confutation. The argument by which he confuteth it is our baptismal vow and engagement : ' How shall they that are dead to sin live any longer therein ? ' To clear this, he explaineth our baptismal vow in the two branches of it, dying to sin, and living to righteousness; the one direct, and the other consequential. Directly, ' We are baptized into the death of Christ,' ver. 2, but so as that ' we also rise again to newness of life,' ver. 4, 5, for we are united to Christ as dying and rising, and we are by virtue of the union to express a conformity to both : ver. 5, ' For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resur- rection.' He proveth the former part, ver, 6, 7, ' Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin, for he that is dead is freed from sin.' The latter he begins to prove, ver, 8, ' If we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him.' How live with him? As our spiritual death was answerable to the death of Christ, so our spiritual life must be answerable to his resurrection from the dead ; as Ave have a copy and pattern for the mortifying sin in his death, so we have also a copy and pattern for newness of life in his resurrection ; and therefore we do not in vain believe that we shall live spiritually and eternally with him : ' Knowing that Christ, being raised from the dead, dieth no more ; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto siti once, but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.'
The better to state the analogy and proportion between Christ's resurrection and our rising to the life of grace first and then of glory afterward, the life of Christ after his resurrection is set forth by two things — (1.) The perpetuity or immortality of it ; (2.) The perfection and blessedness of it.
First, The perpetuity and immortality of it is delivered in three expressions —
1. Actual dying again is denied: 'Christ, being raised from the dead, dieth no more.' Christ's resurrection was not a return to a single
Vers. 9, 10.] sermons upon Romans vi. 221
act of life, or life for a while, to show himself to the world, and no more ; but to an immortal endless estate.
2. His fm'ther liableness or subjection to death is denied : ' Death hath no more dominion over him.' That is thus expressed for two reasons —
[1.] Death had once dominion over Christ; when he gave up him- self to die for us, he for a while permitted, yea, subjected himself to the power of it; but Christ overcame death, and put an end to its power by his resurrection : Acts ii. 24, * Whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was impossible that he should be holden of it.'