Secondly, The reasons why we are to take care that sin reign not over us.
First, Because in giving way to the dominion of sin, we renounce the government of Christ, and transfer the kingdom from him to Satan. Let me —
1. Prove that we do so, and that to do so is — (1.) A great wrong and injury to Christ ; (2.) A great folly and disadvantage to ourselves. [1.] He that givethway to the reign of sin taketh the sceptre out of Christ's hands, and puts it into the hands of Satan. What though he doth not formally intend this, yet virtually he doth it, and so God will account it. It is fi^iis operis, the end of the work, though not operantis, of the workman. Look, as the setting up of an usurper is the rejection of the lawful king, so the setting up of sin is the setting up of Satan : John viii. 44, ' Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.' And the setting up of Satan is the laying aside of Christ. As no man can serve two masters, God and mammon, so every man serveth one of these two, God or mammon. In being a servant to sin you become a servant of Satan, and every degree of service done to Satan doth include in it a like degree or portion of treason and
VeR. 13.] SEEMONS UPON PSALM XIX. 13. 371
infidelity towards Christ. All will grant that the heathen, that lived in abominable idolatries, were slaves and bondmen of Satan ; and may not christians be such as work iniquity with greediness? Though they profess Christ to be their Christ, to be their Lord, yet they may be as true slaves and bondmen to Satan as the heathen were, which offered sacrifice to him. A drunken and a wanton christian gives the devil as much interest in him as he had in those that sacrificed to Bacchus and Venus. Satan desired that worship from them but as a means to gain an interest in their souls. Now, if you give him a power to dispose and command your affections, you are his by possession or occupation. The bond of your servitude to Satan is altogether as firm and strong as theirs was. Barely crying, Lord, Lord, will not excuse : Mat. vii. 21, ' Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.' And we were all formerly made over to Satan as well as they : Titus iii. 3, ' We ourselves were sometimes foolish and disobedient ; ' and the god of this world ruleth in the hearts of the dis- obedient.
[2.] This is a very great wrong to Christ, to put ourselves in sub- jection to Satan, for we have no power to dispose of ourselves, being Christ's by purchase and covenant. By purchase : 1 Cor. vi. 19, 20, ' What ! know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own ? For ye are bought with a price : therefore glorify' God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.' The buyer hath power over what he hath bought. We weie lost, but Christ came to seek and to save that which was lost. We were sold, we sold ourselves against all right and justice, and Christ was pleased to redeem us, and that with no slight thing, but with his own blood : 1 Peter i. 18, 19, ' Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from our vain conversation received by tradition from our fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.' How can you look your Redeemer in the face at the last day ? If you have any sense and belief of christian mysteries, you should be afraid to rob Christ of his purchase : 1 Cor. vi. 15, ' Know yc not that your bodies are the members of Christ ? Shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot ? God forbid.' He hath bought us to this veiy end, that we may be no longer under the slavery of sin, but under his blessed government and the sceptre of his Spirit : Titus ii. 14, ' Who gave himself for us, that lie might redeem us from all iniquity.' This was his end, to set us at liberty and free us from our sins. Therefore for us to despise the benefit, and to count our bondage a delight, this is to build up what he came to destroy. This is as great an affront to Christ as can be. But we are not only his by purchase, but by covenant : Ezek. xvi. 8, ' I entered into covenant with thee, and thou becamest mine.' This was ratified in baptism, when we dedicated ourselves to the Lord's use and service ; and shall we rescind our baptismal vows, and give the sovereignty to another, after we have resigned ourselves to Christ, and the hands of consecration have passed upon us ? When Ananias had dedicated that which was in his power, and kept back part for private