Vers. 18, 19.] sermons upon Romans vi. 331
servants of righteousness.' There is an order in our deliverance, and one part conduceth to another ; for righteousness and the conscience of our duty can have no hold on us till the power of our lusts be broken. As soon as we are freed from the slavery of sin, we are in part righteous ; but when we are freed from the being of sin, we are altogether holy and righteous; but where sin reigneth, there is an obstruction of the life of grace ; there the creature is valued above God, earth before heaven, the body before the soul ; neither faith, love, nor hope can produce any. thorough work in our souls Not faith: John V. 44, ' How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only. Nor love : 1 John ii. 15, ' Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world ; if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Nor hope : 2 Cor. iv. 18, * While we look not at the things that are seen, that are but temporal, but at the things that are not seen, that are eternal.' The person that hath not his heart and hopes in heaven, and looketh not at that as his only happiness, and doth not make it the business of his life to attain it, but setteth his heart more upon the things of this life, is certainly unconverted : 1 Coi'. xv. 19, ' If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.' This should be regarded by us, that we may look more after this, whether we have escaped the bondage of corruption, and that we do not return to bondage again, but that we maintain our liberty : Gal. v. 1, ' Standfast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free, and be not entangled again in the yoke of bon- dage.'
6. He that is a servant of righteousness shows it by doing as much for righteousness as formerly he did for sin. This is the end of the apostle's reasoning with them in this place ; therefore I shall a little insist upon it.
[1.] That in reason and strict justice more might be required of us ; for the reasons moving us to good are more than the reasons moving us to evil, if we consider either master, work, or wages.
(1.) The master ; shall we not do as much for God as we did for Satan? Whose are you? Christians, from whom did you receive your beings ? and from whom do you expect your happiness ? From God or the devil ? Whom will you call father or master ? Pre- tences will do nothing in the case ; it will be tried by your work : ' Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do,' John viii. 34 ; ' He that committeth sin is of the devil,' 1 John iii. 8. God be merciful to us ! we have done too much of the devil's work already, it is time to give over ; the business is for the future ; whose work do you mean to do, and how will you do it, haltingly, super- ficially, perfunctorily, or in the greatest earnest ?
(2.) The work ; sin is a dcordination, a prostituting of the noble faculties of our souls to our base lusts and vain pleasures : Titus iii. 3, ' Serving divers lusts and pleasures ; ' whereas by holiness we obey the rational appetite, the will guided by the highest reason, which is the law and will of God: 1 Peter iv. 2, 'That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.' The business is, whether for the future we will be beasts or men, and employ our remaining time in the service of the flesh, oriu
332 SERMONS UPON ROMANS VI. [SeR. XIX.
obedience to tlie will of God; whether the beast should ride the man, or reason and conscience be i)ut in dominion again over sense and appetite ?
(3.) The wages. Surely reason will teach you that there should be greater care to secure your life and salvation than to ruin and damn yourselves. Now you went on earnestly in a way of sin, as if you could not soon enough or sure enough be damned : the sure ' wages of sin is eternal death/ ver. 23, determined by the righteous appointment of God's law ; and though through the patience of God it be not pre- sently executed, yet conscience showeth the justness of it, and the word showeth you how sin hath made it your due ; and therefore, should you not do as much for salvation as you have done in order to damnation, especially when your eyes are opened, and you begin to have eternal blessedness in view and pursuit ? Well, then, reason will inform you that you should do more for God, and more for heaven, and more for holiness than ever you did for sin ; so that it is an equitable proposal, or the rule of our duty expressed after a modest manner, there is less than in strict reason may be required of you. Men are weak, and cannot bear too much severity. What shall we say then? Do as much for righteousness as you did for sin.