4. Though all the unregenerate are void of righteousness, yet they are not all alike sinful. There is a difference between unrenewed men ; some are more, some less gross in the outbreaking of their sin ; some are more filthy, but ' all are gone out of the way ; there is none that doeth good, no not one,' Ps. xiv. 3, They all agree in this, that none of them doth, or can do, anything at all commanded by God, as commanded, from righteous principles and for right ends. Some may be free from outward vice, as Paul was, ' touching the righteousness of the law blameless,' Phil. iii. 6. Our Lord saith. Mat. v. 20, ' Except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes and pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven ;' though there is some external conformity to the law, outward austerity and strictness, yet no inward purity and holiness.
5. That where men are changed by grace, certain it is they must away with their former sinful life ; partly because the gospel rule requireth it: Mat. ix. 13, 'I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance ; ' and repentance is a turning of the soul from sin to God. God may be reconciled to our persons, never to our sins. Partly because this is the end of that grace that hath wrought the change in us : Luke i. 74, 75, ' That we, being delivered out of the hands of our enemies, sliould serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our lives.' Partly because the nature of the thing showeth it. If there be any sound change, we have changed masters and work, way and end, business and hopes ; and therefore our conversation will be quite otherwise than it was before, and the course of our endeavours will be turned into another
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338 SERMONS UPON ROMANS VI. [SeR. XX.
channel : Eph. v. 18, ' And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess^ but be ye filled with the Spirit.' We have other work to do, and other happiness to seek after: Phil. iii. 19, 20, ' Who mind earthly things, but our conversation is in heaven.'
6. When men shake off the yoke of sin for righteousness, they should be as free from sin as formerly they were from righteousness. Now here I will show —
1. How far this should be.
2. Why this should be.
First, To state it, how far this can or should be ? For the difficulty iieth here, how we can be as free from sin as formerly from right- eousness, since after conversion there is a mixed principle in us. I answer — This is to be considered two ways — quoad conatum, et quoad eventum.
1. Quoad conatum, as to endeavour, which is to get rid of all sin. A sincere christian doth so give up himself to a holy life, as to watch and pray and strive against all sin ; this is his endeavour, and if it were possible, he would root out all ; this is his aim, business, and constant care ; but because he obtaineth not his end, he is troubled : Kom. vii. 24, ' 0 wretched man that I am ! who shall deliver me from the body of this death ? ' In the meantime he hath the settled bent of his will and conscience to satisfy him : Heb. xiii. 18, ' Pray for us, for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly.' His soul is bent, and his endeavours are accordingly,
2. Quoad eventum. He is so far free from sin, as carrieth a good pro- portion with his freedom from righteousness in his carnal estate. His freedom from righteousness was consistent with urgings of conscience, which pleaded God's right with great earnestness. God doth not so far forsake mankind as to leave them without all convictions of their duty, or some inclinations to it, but it is weak and ineffectual. So now, his freedom from sin is not altogether to be free from the urgings of sin ; for the carnal principle is still within him, and a warring work- ing principle it is, and doth not lie idle in the soul. But as then men were free from righteousness by fheir carelessness of it, or averseness from it, so now they that have changed masters and estates are to be so far free from sin as not to sin wilfully, and by way of opposition to grace any more, nor yet negligently and carelessly to go on with their former course ; for if there be any known sin which they do not hate, but had rather keep than leave it, and do not pray and strive and watch against it, they are not sanctified. For the sanctified ' hate every false way,' Ps. cxix. 104 ; they pray against it, ver. 133, 'Order my steps in thy word, and let not any iniquity have dominion over me ; ' they watch and strive against it to some degree of prevalency : Ps. xviii. 23, ' I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from my iniquity.' They cannot bear with sin ; they have a nature whi<3h beareth an enmity and repugnancy to it ; as the carnal mind doth to the law of God, so doth this new nature to sin : 1 John iii. 9, * Who- soever is born of God doth not commit sin, for his seed remaineth in him, and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.'