SERMON IIL Hath made me free from the laio of sin and death. — Eom. viii. 2.
We now come to the second point.
Doct. 2 — That the new covenant giveth liberty to all that are under it, from the slavery of sin, and the condemning power of the law. Let me explain this point : and here I shall show you, —
1. That liberty supposeth precedent bondage.
2. That our liberty must answer the bondage.
3. I shall show you the manner of getting our liberty.
First, Liberty supposeth preceding bondage ; for when Christ spake of liberty, or making them free, the Jews quarrelled at it : John viii. 33, ' We were never in bondage to any man : how sayest thou then that ye shall be made free ? ' So much Ave gather from their cavil, that it is the first thought, or the ready sentiment and opinion of mankind, that to be made free, implieth a foregoing bondage. Now, our bondage consisteth in a slavery to sin and Satan, and being under the condemn- ing power of the law, or obligation to the curse, and eternal damnation.
1. That man is under the slavery of sin, which the law convinceth him of ; that it is so with ns, the scripture showeth : Titus iii. 3, ' We were sometimes foolish and disobedient, serving divers lusts and pleasures.' (1.) There is the condition of natural men ; they serve. (2.) The baseness of the master, lusts, and divers lusts. (3.) The bait or motive by which they are drawn into this service, intimated in the word pleasures ; for a little brutish satisfliction a man selleth his liberty, his soul, his religion, his God, and all. The word hovXevovTe'i is most proper to our purpose ; for that notetli his slavery. Carnal affections so govern Us, that we know not how to escape and come out of this
VeR. 2.] SERMONS UPON ROMANS VIII. 413
thraldom ; we suffer the beast to ride the man. It were monstrous in the body, for the feet to be where the head should be, or to have the limbs distorted, to have the arms hang backward ; yet such n de-ordin- ation there is in the soul, when reason and conscience is put in vassalage to sense and appetite. The natural order is this : reason and conscience directs the will, the will moveth the affections, the affections move the bodily spirits, and they the senses and members of the body ; but natural corruption inverts all : pleasures affect the senses, the senses corrupt the phantasy, the phantasy moveth the bodily spirits ; the affections, by their violence and inclination, enslave the will and blind the mind ; and so man is carried headlong to his own destruction. This slavery implieth three things : —
[1.] A willing subjection : Kom. vi. 16, ' Know ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom you obey, whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness ? ' Servants were made so, either by consent or conquest. The apostle speaketh there not of servants by conquest, but of servants by consent and covenant. When a man yieldeth up himself to be at the disposal of another, he is a servant to liim ; so in moral matters, by whatever a man is employed, and to which he giveth up his time and strength, life and love, to that he is a servant, be it to the flesh or to the spirit, as we make it our business to accomplish or gratify the desires of the one, or the other. A godly man hath sin in him, but he doth not serve it, yield up himself to obey it ; he doth not walk after his lusts.
[2.] Customary practice and observance : Johnviii. 34; 'Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.' ttolmv, that liveth in an habit and course of sin ; he is brought under the power of it, enslaved by such pleasures as he affects.
[3.] Inability to come out of this condition. ' The law is spiritual, but 1 am carnal, sold under sin : ' Kom. vii. 14. By the law of na- tions, service was brought in by conquest, and those that were taken in war were venditi sub hasfa — sold under a spear, merely at the disposal of him that took them : 2 Pet. ii. 19, ' They are servants of corruption : for of whom a man i.s overcome, of the same is he brouglit into bondage.' This our service under sin is in part represented by a captive, in regard we cannot rid ourselves of it ; in part by an hired servant, because we willingly, and by our own default, run into it. This impotency is most sensible in them that are convinced of better, but do that which is worse ; they see their duty, but are not able to perform it, being over- come by their lusts ; they have some kind of remorse and trouble, but cannot help themselves.
But how came this servitude upon us? Partly by the natural incli- nation of our own corrupt hearts. There are servi natura, fools and brutish men ; so in a spiritual sense are all men : Gen. viii. 21, ' The imaginations of man's heart are evil from his youth.' (2.) It is in- creased by custom in sinning; these lusts are not only born with us, but bred up with us, and so plead prescription because religion coraeth afterwards: Jer. xiii. 23, 'Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots ? then may ye also do good that arc accustomed to do evil.' It is hard to shake off inveterate customs. Strict education, though it changeth not the heart, hindereth the growth of sin. (3.) Ex-