THIRDLY, The law doth not supply us with effectual motives and encouragements to endeavour the ruin of the dominion of sin in a way of duty; which must be done, or in the end it will prevail. It works only by fear and dread, with threatenings and terrors of de- struction; for although it says also, “Do this, and live,” yet withal it discovers such an impossibility in our nature to comply with its com- mands, in the way and manner wherein it enjoins them, that the very promise of it becomes a matter of terror, as including the con- trary sentence of death upon our failure in its commands. Now, these things enervate, weaken, and discourage, the soul im its conflict against sin; they give it no life, activity, cheerfulness, or courage, in what it undertakes. Hence those who engage themselves into’ an opposition unto sin, or a relinquishment of its service, merely on the motives of the law, do quickly faint and give over. We see it so with many every day. One day they will forsake all sin, their beloved sin, with the company and occasions inducing them thereunto. The law hath frightened them with divine vengeance. And sometimes they proceed so far in this resolution that they seem escaped from the pollutions of the world; yet soon again they return to their for- mer ways and follies, 2 Pet. ii, 20-22. Their “goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away.” Or if they do not return to wallow in the same mire of their former pollutions, they betake themselves to the shades of some superstitious obser- vances, as it isin the Papacy: for they openly succeed into the room
GROUNDS OF THE ASSURANCE GIVEN IN THE TEXT. 551
of the Jews, who, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and not submitting thereunto, went about variously to establish their own righteousness, as the apostle speaks, Rom. x. 8, 4; for in that apostate church, where men are wrought on by the terrors of the law to relinquish sin and set themselves in opposition unto its power, finding themselves altogether unable to do it by the works of the law itself, which must be perfectly holy, they betake themselves to a number of superstitious observances, which they trust unto in the room of the law, with its commands and duties. But the law:makes nothing perfect, nor are the motives it gives for the ruin of the inte- rest of sin in us able to bear us out and carry us through that undertaking.
But the motives and encouragements given by grace to endeavour the utter ruin of sin in a way of duty are such as give life, cheerful- ness, courage, and perseverance; they continually animate, relieve, and revive the soul, in all ats work and duty, keeping it from faint- ing and despondency: for they are all taken from the love of God and of Christ, from the whole work and end of his mediation, from the ready assistances of the Holy Ghost, from all the promises of the gospel, from their own with other believers’ experiences; all giving them the highest assurance of final success and victory. When the soul is under the influence of these motives, whatever difficulty and opposition it meets withal from soliciting temptations or surprisals, “it will renew its strength, it will run and not be weary, it will walk and not faint,” according to the promise, Isa. xl. 31.
FourtTHLY, Christ 1s not in the law; he is not proposed in it, not communicated by it,—we are not made partakers of him thereby. This is the work of grace, of the gospel. In it is Christ revealed; by it he is proposed and exhibited unto us; thereby are we made partakers of him and all the benefits of his mediation, And he it _ is alone who came to, and can, destroy this work of the devil. The dominion of sin is the complement of the works of the devil, where all his designs centre. This “the Son of God was manifested to de- stroy.” He alone ruins the kingdom of Satan, whose power is acted in the rule of sin. Wherefore, hereunto our assurance of this com- fortable truth is principally resolved. And what Christ hath done, and doth, for this end, is a great part of the subject of gospel reve- lation. :
The like may be spoken of the communication of the Holy Spirit, which is the only principal efficient cause of the ruin of the dominion of sin; for “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty,” and nowhere else. But we receive this Spirit not “by the works of the law,” but “by the hearing of faith,” Gal. iii. 2.
552, OF THE DOMINION OF SIN AND GRACE.
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CHAPTER VI.
The practical observations drawn from, and application made of, the whole text.
HAVING opened the words, and made some improvement of them, I shall now take one or two observations from the design of them, and issue the whole’in a word of application.
Obs. 1. It is an unspeakable mercy and privilege to be delivered fromthe dominion of sin. As such it is here proposed by the apostle; as such it is esteemed by them that believe. Nothing is more sweet, precious, and valuable, unto a soul conflicting with sin and temptation, than to hear that sin shall not have the dominion over it. Ah! what would some give that it might be spoken unto them with power, so as that they might steadfastly believe it and ~ have the comfort of it? “ Fools make a mock of sin,” and some glory in the service of it, which is their shame; but those who understand any thing aright, either of what is present or what is to come, do know that this freedom from its dominion is an invaluable mercy; and we may consider the grounds which evidence it so to be.