Secondly. Now, by way of confirmation, we must show the fit connec- tion between these two things, the carnal living, and this terrible death ; and there we must show you, — [1.] That this threatening is everyway consistent with the justice, and wisdom, and goodness of God. [2,J Since it is threatened, the certainty of its accomplishment.
[1.] Its consistency with the justice, wisdom, and goodness of God.
(1.) His justice : Fir.st, because those that live in the flesh, continue in the defection and apostasy of mankind ; and so the old sentence is in force against them, ' in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt die: ' Gen. ii. 17. To shew you this, let me tell yon, that by the creation man was to be subject to God, and by his own make and constitution was composed of a body and soul, which two parts were to be regarded according to the worth and dignity of each ; the body was subordinated to the soul, and both body and soul to God ; the flesh was a servant to the spirit, and both flesh and s])irit unto the Lord. But sin entering, defaced the beauty, and disturbed the order and harmony of the creation, for man withdrew his subordination and obedience unto God his maker^ and set up himself instead of God, and the flesh is preferred before the soul; reason and conscience are enslaved to sense and appetite; and the benst doth ride the man, the flesh becoming our principle, rule, and end. Now it is horrible wickedness, if you consider either of these disorders; our contempt of God, — for it is great depreciation, and disesteem of bis holy and blessed majesty, which is neglected and slighted for a little carnal satisfaction, and every perishing vanity is preferred before his favour. The heinousness of the sin is to be measured by the greatness of him who is oft'ended by it : 1 Sam. ii. 25. ' If one man sin airainst another, the judge shall judge him ; but
VeR. 13.] SERMONS UPON ROMANS VIII. 41
if a man sin against the Lord, who shall entreat for him ? ' Now for creatures to seek their happiness without God, and apart from God, in such base things, deserveth the greater punishment. The other disorder is, we love the happiness of the body above that of the soul ; man carrieth it as if he had not an immortal spirit in him : Ps. xlix. 12, 'is as the beast that perisheth;' and is altogether flesh, his wisdom and spirit is sunk into flesh, and sin hath transformed him into a brutish nature. Well now, if men will continue in this apostasy, what then more jnst, than that God should stand to his old sentence, and deprive them of that happiness which they despise ; that those who dishonour their own souls, should never be acquainted with a blessed immortality ; and those that contemn their God, and banish him out their thoughts, and do in effect say to the Almiglity, Job. xxi. 14, ' Depart from us, we desire not the knowledge thy ways,' that they may spend their days in mirth— that God should banish them out of his presence with a cur.se never to be reversed ? They do in effect bid God be gone, the very thoughts of him are an interruption to that sort of life they have chosen, — that he should bid them ' depart ye cursed,' who bid him depart first ? In short, that the carnal life, which is but a spiritual deatli, should be punished with eternal death: 1 Tim. iii. 6, ' She that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth,'— a kind of carcase, or rather a living creature dead, estranged from the life of God, and then deprived of eternal life ?
Secondly. They refuse the remedy. The great business of the christian religion, is to dispos.sess us of the bruti-sh nature which is gotten into us. I say, this is the drift and tenure of Christianity, to recover us from the flesh to God ; to tuin man into man again, tliat was become a beast ; to draw him off from the animal life, to life spiritual and eternal ; to drive out the spirit of the world, and intro- duce a divine and heavenly Spirit purchased by Jesus Christ, and offered to us in the promises of the gospel. The world is mad and brutish, enslaved to lower things ; but this healing institution of Christ is to make us wise and heavenly ; to recover the immortal soul, that was embondnged to earthly things, and depressed and tainted by the objects of sense, into its former liberty and perfection, that the spirit might command the flesh, and man might seek his happiness and blessedness in some higher and more transcending good, than the beasts are capable of In short, as sin was the transforming of a man into a beast ; so Christianity is the transforming of beasts into man again ; to restore humanity, and elevate it from the state of subjection to the flesh. John iii. 6, ' That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.' 2 Pet. i. 4, ' Whereby are given us great and precious promises, that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature ; having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.' 1 Cor. ii. 12, 'Now we have received,- not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we may know the things that are freely given us of God.' Now, after this is done with such cost and care, if men will love their bondage, despise their remedy, surely they are worthy of the severest punishment : John iii. 19, ' And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil.'