(3.) The law judgeth the person, or lets the sinner plainly know what he is to expect upon the account of this sin. This is the law's proper work, its discovering property is but preparative to its judging. The law is itself, when it is in the throne. Here it minceth not the matter with sin- ners, as we use to do one with another, but tells him plainly, * Thou art the man,' in whom this exceeding sinful sin doth dwell, and you must answer for the guilt of it. And this, methinks, if any thing, should rouse up a man to set himself in opposition to it, yea, utterly to destroy it. The law lets him know that upon the account of this sin, he is obnoxious to the curse and wrath of the great God against him ; yea, pronounceth the sentence of everlasting condemnation upon him upon that account : abide in this state and perish, is its language. It leaves not the soul without this warning in this world, and will leave it without excuse on that account in the world to come.
(4.) The law so follows on its sentence, that it dis- quiets and affrights the soul, and suffers it not to enjoy the least rest or quietness in luubouriug its sinful inmale. WJieu-
198 THE NATURE AXD POWER
ever the soul hath indulged to its commands, made provision for it, immediately the law flies upon it, with the wrath and terror of the Lord, makes it quake and tremble ; it shall have no rest, but is like a poor beast that hath a deadly ar- row sticking in its sides, that makes it restless wherever it is, and whatever it doth.
(5.) The law stays not here, but also it slays the soul, Rom. vii. 3. that is, by its conviction of the nature, power, and desert of this indwelling sin, it deprives him in whom it is of all that life of self-righteousness and hope, which for- merly he sustained himself withal ; it leaves him as a poor, dead, helpless, hopeless creature. And all this in the pur- suit of that opposition that it makes against this sin. May we not now expect, that the power of it will be quelled, and its strength broken ; that it will die away before these strokes of the law of God ? but the truth is, such is its power and strength, that it is quite otherwise ; like him whom the poets feign to be born of the earth, when one thought to slay him by casting him on the ground, by every fall he recovered new strength, and was more vigorous than formerly. So is it with all the falls and repulses that are given to indwelling sin by the law. For,
[1.] It is not conquered. A conquest infers two things in respect of the conquered ; first, loss of dominion ; and secondly, loss of strength. Wherever any one is conquered, he is despoiled of both these. He loses both his authority and his power. So the strong man armed, being prevailed against, he is bound, and his goods are spoiled. But now neither of these befalls indwelling sin by the assaults of the law ; it loseth not one jot of its dominion nor strength by all the blows that are given unto it. The law cannot do this thing, Rom. viii. 3. it cannot deprive sin of its power and dominion, for he that * is under the law is also under sin ;' that is, whatever power the law gets upon the conscience of a man, so that he fear to sin, lest the sentence and curse of it should befall him, yet sin still reigns and rules in his heart. Therefore, saith the apostle, Rom. vi. 14. * Sin shall not have dominion over you, for ye are not under the law but under grace ;' intimating plainly, tliat though a person be in never so much subjection to the authority of the law, yet that will not exempt and acquit him from the dominion of
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sin. Yea, the law by all its work upon the soul, instead of freeing and acquitting it from the reign of sin and bondage unto it, doth accidentally greatly increase its misery and bondage ; as the sentence of the judge on the bench against a malefactor adds to his misery. The soul is under the do- minion of sin, and it may be, abides in its woful condition in much security, fearing neither sin nor judgment. The law setting upon him in this condition by all the ways foremen- tioned, brings him into great trouble and perplexity, fear^ and terror, but delivers him not at all. So that it is with the soul, as it was with the Israelites when Moses had de- livered his message unto Pharaoh, they were so far from getting liberty by it, that their bondage was increased, and ' they found that they were in a very evil case ;' Exod. v. 17. Yea, and we shall see, that sin doth like Pharaoh, finding its rule disturbed, it grows more outrageously oppressive, and doubles the bondage of their souls. This is not then the work of the law to destroy sin, or deprive itof that dominion which it hath by nature. Nor doth it by all these strokes of the law lose any thing of its strength. It continues both its authority and its force ; it is neither destroyed, nor weakened. Yea,