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fin; for that our Saviour tells us, is a ftate of flavery and bondage; he that committeth fin, is the fervant of fin. This ufe indeed fome made of the Chriftian doctrine, to encourage themfelves in fin, under the pretence of Christian liberty, and that in the Apostles days. So St. Peter tells us, 2 Epift. ii. 19. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the fervants of corruption, and in bondage to their lufts. But nothing can be more directly contrary to the great defign and intention of the gofpel, which indeed promiles and declares liberty; but not from the laws of God, and the obligation of their duty, but as the Apostle calls it, from the law of fin and death. Chriftian liberty does not confift in being free from our duty, but in doing thofe things which really tend to our perfection and happiness, in being. free from fin, and becoming the fervants of God. This is the proper ufe and exercife of our liberty, to do what we ought, to live according to reafon and the laws of God, which are holy, juft, and good.. The freedom which the Son of God defigned, was our being refcued from the bondage of fin and corruption, of the Devil and our own lufts, that being delivered from the hands of these enemies, we might ferve God without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our lives.

Secondly, To perfuade us to affert our liberty, and ftand faft in it. The Son of God hath done that which is fufficient on his part to vindicate mankind from the flavery of their lufts and paffions and if we will vigorously fet about the work, and put forth our endeavours, we may refcue ourselves from this bondage. And because it must be acknowledged that this is no eafy work, therefore by way of di rection and encouragement, I would commend to men these following particulars:

1. To confider feriously the mifery and danger of this condition, and the neceffity of freeing ourfelves from this flavery. I have fhewn that it is the worst kind of bondage, and it hath the faddeft confequences. Some fervice, though it be hard and grievous, yet men are content to endure it, because it may

prove beneficial to them, and is in order to a greater freedom; but the fervice of fin is altogether un profitable. What fruit had ye then, fays the Apostle, in those things whereof ye are now afhamed? For the end of thofe things is death. The wages of fin is death. All the reward that fhall be given us for this fervice, is mifery and punishment, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, to every foul that doth evil. So that it is neceffary that we should fhake off this yoke, as we defire to efcape the chains of darkness, and the unspeakable and infupportable mifery of another world. He that now makes us his flaves to do his work, will torment us for the doing of it to all eternity.

2. Seeing this condition is fo infupportable, and the confequences of it fo dreadful, let us take up a firm and manly refolution to free ourselves from this flavery. It is no eafy matter to break off a vicious habit, which we have been long accustomed to ;nay, perhaps it is one of the most difficult things that human nature can attempt; and therefore it requires great firmnefs of mind, and ftrength of refoJution. It is next to the going against nature, and the conquering of that; for cuftom is a fort of nature, and every habit is a bowing of nature a certain way, and when nature hath once Tong ftood bent one way, it is hard to restore it to its former condition; and nothing but a great refolution, taken up upon a full conviction of the neceffity of the thing, will carry us through.

3. For the encouragement of this refolution, confider what affiftance God hath promifed us. Indeed when we confider the difficulty of the thing, and the weakness and unftedfaftnefs of our own minds, how apt we are to give over when we meet with great oppofition and refiftance, we might juftly be difcou raged in our attempts, if we had nothing but our own ftrength to truft to. But God hath promised to stand by us, and fecond us in the conflict; and if he be for us, what can stand against us? There is nothing too hard for à ftout refolution backed by the grace of God.

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4. That we may not be difcouraged by an apprehenfion of too much difficulty in the thing, confider that the main difficulty is at firft. So foon as we have refolutely begun, the work is half done; if we can but fuftain the first brunt, the enemy will give ground apace; every day we fhall get more ftrength, and the habits of fin will be weakened. . In all cafes there is difficulty in breaking off a habit, and doing contrary to what we have been used and accustomed to do but after we have practifed the contrary a while, it will every day grow more eafy and pleafant; for custom will make any thing fo.

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5. Confider that the longer we continue in this ftate, the harder we fhall find it to refcue ourselves from it; for fin will every day get more ftrength, and we fhall have lefs; for vice is fo far from being mortified by age, that by every day's continuance in it we increase the power of it; and fo much strength as any one adds to his disease, he takes from himself, And this is a double weakening of us, when we do not only lofe our ftrength, but the enemy gets it, and will employ it against us. Therefore let us prefently fet about this work, to-day, while it is called to-day, left we be hardened through the deceitfulness of fin. The longer we continue in fin, the farther God withdraws his grace from us; and not only fo, but the Devil gets a greater dominion over us, and a firmer poffeffion of us, till by degrees we do infenfibly flide into that ftate, in which, without the mi raculous grace of God, we are like for ever to continue, Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his Spots then may ye alfo do good, that are accustomed to do evil. It is next to a natural impoffibility for a man to rescue himfelf out of this state.

6. And lastly, be not difcouraged, though ye do not meet with that fuccefs at firft, which ye expected and hoped for; though after feveral attempts to reco ver your liberty, ye be foiled and caft back. It fometimes fo happens that fome are by a mighty refolution, and very extraordinary and overpowering degree of God's grace, reclaimed from a wicked life at once but in the ordinary methods of God's grace,

evil habits are mastered and fubdued by degrees; and though we be refolved upon a better courfe, and entered upon it, yet the inclinations to our former courfe will frequently return upon us, and may fometimes too prevail. And we are not to think this strange, it is nothing but what is natural, and may reasonably be expected. It is no juft ground of difcouragement to us, if after we have engaged in a good courfe, we be fometimes pulled back again, and the habits which we are breaking off from, gather ftrength, and make head again; as an enemy after he is routed, and hath begun to fly, does frequently rally, and makes as if he would renew the fight again, and may perhaps prevail in a little skirmish: but for all this, we are nevertheless in a fair way to victory, if we will purfue our first advantage, and profecute it vigorously. Nay, this fhould be fo far from difcouraging us, that it fhould make us refume new courage, that we may not lofe what we have got.

I the rather mention this, because many miscarry upon this account, and many good refolutions and attempts to vindicate our liberty from the bondage of corruption, are given over and come to nothing, because men make falfe accounts of things, and expect to conquer and get a complete victory at first: and indeed they are taught by thofe who are not well skilled in this fpiritual warfare, that this work is done in an inftant, and the habits of grace and virtue are infufed into men at once; and if men give back, all they had done is loft, and that they are in a worfe condition than if they had never begun whereas ufually it is quite otherwife, and the habits of goodnefs are acquired, as other habits are, by flow degrees at first, and with a great deal of conflict; and it is a good while before a man comes to that confirmed ftate, that he may be faid to have conquered; but if he perfift in his refolutions, and when he hath reeived fome foil take heart again, he is in the way to victory and though he be not in a perfect ftate of acceptance with God, yet his endeavours have the acceptance of good beginnings, and he hath no reafon to be difcouraged at what he had reafon to expect

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when he began this work, if he calculate things aright: and they that tell men otherwife, have taken up false notions in divinity, but do not confult human nature, and the ufual progrefs of God's grace in the converfion of a finner, and reclaiming him from a wicked courfe; and have not taken fufficient care to reconcile their notions of divinity, with the nature of things, and the certain and undoubted experience of mankind. Therefore let no man be faint and difcouraged upon this account, and think the thing is not to be done, because he doth not meet with perfect fuccefs at first; for this feldom happens, and therefore ought not to be expected but let him ftill go on and reinforce his refolutions, and the oppofition and difficulty will abate, and the work continually grow eafier upon his hand, and the God of peace will at last tread down Satan under his feet.

SERMON CCXLVIII.

The duty of improving the prefent oppor tunity and advantages of the gofpel.

JOHN xii. 35.

Then faid Jefus unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you; walk while ye have the light, left darkness come upon you.

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Preached Feb. 15. 1685.

Hen faid Jefus unto them; that is, upon the difcourfe he had just before had with them, concerning his approaching death, and departure out of this world; at the mention whereof, they were offended and troubled; but instead of that, our Saviour puts them upon that which would

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