2. The necessity in point of evidence ; hereby we show that we have utterly shaken off the yoke of sin ; otherwise it will remain as a nice debate whether your change be sincere or no. It is certain you did much for sin ; conscience is sensible of that. The only sen- sible evidence of your change is when the vigour and fervency of your spirits is turned into another channel, and you are as earnest to please God as ever you were to serve your lusts ; otherwise you never sensibly and plainly distinguish yourselves as renewed from yourselves as carnal. There is no question then but that there is a thorough change wrought in you. Therefore, that your sincerity may not be a doubtful thing, and hard to interpret, you should be as free from sin as formerly from righteousness. When men are unlike themselves, there is no doubt: 1 Cor. vi. 11, ' Such were some of you ; but you are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God ; ' Philem. 11, ' Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me.' This is no small or obscure change, but such as may be felt of our- selves and discerned by others. Paul a persecutor and Paul a preacher showeth the same fervour, but his earnestness was employed about other matters, therefore plainly different from himself,
3. It is convenient it should be so, that we should do as much good, or far more good, than we have done hurt by our ill example ; therefore the worse we were before our calling, the better we must be afterwards. This was that which made Paul go beyond the rest of the apostles in pains and zeal, because of the hurt he had done by the sins of his unregeneracy : 1 Cor. xv. 10, ' I laboured more abundantly than they all.' This made Mary Magdalene to exceed in love to Christ above others, because she had been so excessive before in the love of her unlawful pleasures : Luke vii. 47, ' Her sins, which are
VeR. 20.] SERMONS UPON ROMANS VT. 341
many, are forgiven her, for slie loved much ; but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.' Therefore it concerneth us to repair our errors, especially when they have been noxious to others, that by eminency of grace we may awaken those whom we have hardened by our sins, or joined with in their sinful courses. Dives would have his brethren and companions believe : surely this charity will possess the hearts of the converted.
Use 1. To press those that are, or would be, accounted renewed by grace, to free themselves from sin yet more and more. The chain is broken by grace, and you have had experience of both masters , now show it, that you do heartily forsake the one, and cleave to the other.
1, Be more tender and fearful to offend. As long as j'ou make little reckoning of sin, you are in danger of committing it. It is said : Prov. xiii. 13, * Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed, but he that feareth a commandment shall be rewarded.' Those are the two opposite parties, those that despise and those that fear a command- ment ; there is not a worse or a better frame than the one or the other. They are properly free from righteousness that despise a com- mandment, and so in the high way to destruction. They say, Tush 1 it is folly to stand so scrupulously and nicely upon our duty. But on the other side they are free from sin that fear a commandment, that dare not venture, when God hath hedged up their way. The one are profane, they will speak and do as they list, say God what he will to the contrary ; the other godly, and have a deep reverence of God, and so of his word upon their hearts : * My heart standeth in awe of thy word,' saith David, Ps. cxix. 161. Many fear the punishment of man, or a judgment, when to visible appearance it is likely to tread upon the heels of sin ; and some may fear a threatening ; but a gracious heart feareth a commandment. If a commandment standeth in the way, it is reason enough to a gracious heart to forbear, more than if there were a lion in the way, or a band of armed enemies, or an angel with a diawn sword, such as stood in the way to stop Balaam. They have a deep reverence of God's authority, and it is no more than needeth ; for this direction is given to us, 1 Peter i. 17, ' Pass the time of your sojourning here in fear,' to those that take themselves to be renewed ones.
2. Be more resolved against sin. We shake off the yoke by a solemn entering into covenant with God, wherein we renounce the devil, the world, and the flesh, and heartily dedicate ourselves to live unto God ; now the more resolved we are in either, the more sincere is our covenant. A wavering purpose maketh us neither wholly off from sin, nor wholly on upon God's service, but hangeth between both ; the heart is not biassed and engaged, and so there is a consider- able and notable inconsistency in the life : James i. 8, * A double- minded man is unstable in all his ways.' Therefore, till the purpose cometh to be full, we are not freed from the power of sin. Some kind of willingness and unsound consent there is in the half converted ; yet for want of this true resolution, ' their hearts are not right with God, neither are they steadfast in his covenant,' Ps. Ixxviii. 37. It is long ere men will yield to live to God, and when they seem to yield,