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402 SERMONS UPON ROMANS VIII. [SeR. II.
it ?' And eminently dispensing his blessing where the gospel is favoured and obeyed, and prospereth, as lie blessed the 'house of Obed-edoni for the ark's sake; ' but more fully at the day of judgment the wicked have their full punishment : 2 Thes. i. 8 ; ' Coming in flaming fire, rendering vengeance to all those that know not God, and obey not the gospel.'
Secondly, I shall show you wherein the gospel, as a law, diiFereth form ordinary laws among men. (1.) Men in their laws do not debate matters, but barely injoin them, and interpose their authority ; but God condescendeth to the infirmity of man ; and seemeth to come down from the throne of his sovereignity, and reasoneth, and persuadeth, and beseecheth men that they will not forsake their own mercies : Isa. xlvi. 8, ' Eemember this, show yourselves men, bring this to mind again, O ye transgressors : ' and Isa. i. 18, ' Come, let us reason together.' God is pleased to stoop to sorry creatures, and to plead, and argue with them : so 2 Cor. v. 20, ' We as ambassadors in God's stead, do beseech you to be reconciled.' Men count it a lessening to their authority to proceed to entreaties ; but the clemency of the Redeemer's government is otherwise,
(2.) The law of God bindeth the conscience and the immortal souls of men ; condemneth not only acts, but thoughts and lusts : Mat. v. 28, ' The law is spiritual, ' Rom. vii. 14. With man, thoughts and desires are free till they break out into act. (3.) Man's laws do more incline to punishment than reward. For robbers and murderers, death is appointed ; but the innocent subject hath only this reward, that he dotli his duty, and escapeth those punishments. In very few cases doth man's law promise reward. The inflicting of punishment is the proper work of man's law, and the great engine of government, because its use is to restrain evil ; but God's law propoundeth rewards equal to the punishment. Eternal life on one hand, as well as eternal death on the other : Deut. xxx. 15, ' See, I have set before you life and good, death and evil ;' because the use of God's law is to guide men to their happi- ness. It is legis candor, the equity and favour of man's law to speak of a reward ; it commands many things, and forbids many things, but still under a penalty ;• its natural work is punishment, and it doth not invite men to a duty by a reward : ex, malis moribus humance leges, to restrain evil is their w^ork. (4.) Human laws threaten temporal pun- ishment ; but God's law threateneth eternal punishments and rewards : Mark ix. 44, ' Where the worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.' He is a living God : Heb. x. 31, into whose hands we fall when we die.
Use 1. Is to humble us that we bear so little respect to the precepts of the gospel, and do so boldly break them, and so coldly perform the duties thereof. We fear temporal power more than eternal, a prison more than hell ; and therefore can dispense with God's law'to comply with our own lusts. A little profit or a little danger will draw men into the snare, when eternal death will not keep them from it. Oh rouse up yourselves. Are you not Christ's subjects ? Is not he a more powerful sovereign than all the potentates in the world ? Doth he not in his gospel give judgment upon the everlasting state of men ? and will this judgment be in vain? Hath he not appointed a day when all matters shall be taken into consideration? Will not sin, when it comes to be
VeR. 2.] SERMONS UPON ROMANS VIII. 403
reviewed, have another countenauce ? Awaken then your sleepy and sluggish souls. If you can deny these truths, go on in the neglect of Christ, and breach of his laws, and spare not ; but if conscience be sensible of his authority, break off your sins by repentance, sue out your pardon in his name ; devote yourselves to God, walk more cautiously for time to come. God will not wink always at your disloyalty.
Use 2. is direction to us. If you would not be flighty in the duties of the gospel, look upon it as a law, and let me commend these rules to you.
1. Never set Christ's mercy against his government. He is a saviour, but he is also our lord, and must be obeyed ; and faith implieth a consent of subjection, as well as dependence.
2. Cry not up his merits against his Spirit. His merit is your ran- som, but his Spirit is your sanctifier ; and this law is the law of his Spirit, the one implieth the other ; his Spirit implieth the merit of Christ, by bringing you under the law of grace.
3. Set not the ends of Christ's death one against the other. He that died that he might reconcile you to God, died also to bring you into obedience ; it is a mercy to be redeemed from wrath ; but it is as great if not a greater mercy to be redeemed from sin. Titus ii. 14.