through them all into hell? It is fome internal miracle only that will do the bufinefs; and, indeed, the strength of God is in nothing more known, than in fubduing the ftrength of fin, which requires the exceeding greatnefs of his power, Eph. i. 19. even the power of his power. Hence believers are faid to be ftrong in the Lord, and in the power of his might; that is, in the power of his power, the very quinteflence of power. Was it a miracle for God to make a world out of nothing? It is yet a greater miracle for him to make a faint out of a finner, that was under the power and ftrength of fin. Indeed, miracles are not ceafed, fo long as there are any converts in the world.

5. If fia be fofrong and powerful, then fee the happinefs of believers in Chrift, that are delivered from the Ring of death, and the ftrength of fin. The leaft branch of that vine that is in Chrift, is too high for Satan's reach; yea, while there is fap in the root, they fhall not want it: they will not want the Spirit, that, thro' the Spirit, they may mortify the deeds of the body. There is a power in Chrift, which will bring down every contrary power, and difanul the law of fin. Chrift hath fo handled that fnake, by taking out the fting and teeth of it, that, though it hifs, it cannot hurt. Though fin be not killed out-right in the children of God while here, yet it is fo maimed and fo weakened, that, like the proud king Adonibezek, when once his hands and toes were mangled, and he faft in chains, he could not endanger Ifrael in any thing; fo neither can fin or Satan with refpect to the children of God: "The God of peace shall bruife Satan under their feet fhortly." Strong is the devil, but ftronger is the Captain of their falvation; great is the power of fin, but greater is the power of Chrift, whofe ftrength will be perfected in their weakness..

6. If fin be ftrong, then fee to whom falvation from fin is to be afcribed, and in whom it is to be fought, namely, Chrift the valiant conqueror. It is fo mighty and fo glorious a work to defeat his ftrength, that our glorious Lord thought it not unbefeeming omnipotency to meddle with it: O Ifrael, thou haft deftroyed thyself; but in me is thy help. Our perdition is of ourselves;

but

but our falvation belongs to the Lord, and to the Lamb that fits upon the throne. No part of the glory of this work must be afcribed to any elfe: "His glory will he not give to another." The believer's fong, therefore, will be, as in the context, "Thanks be to God, that giveth us the victory, through Jefus Chrift:" Not by our own righteoufnefs or our own ftrength; nay, "In the Lord only have we righteoufness and ftrength: Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, faith the Lord of hofts." And hence,

7. If the ftrength of fin be fo great, then, how great is the ftrength of grace that can conquer fin! "By grace we are faved, from the power of fin, through faith, and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, left any man fhould boaft." It is the fin-pardoning grace, the fin-fubduing grace, the free mercy of God in Chrift, offered to finners in the gofpel, that is mighty, through God, to the deftroying of the power of fin. All hearers of the gofpel that are not believers, are impenitent finners and they that will venture to fay, that it is an affront to God, to offer pardon to the impenitent, they know not what they fay; for it is by offers of pardoning grace and mercy to impenitent hard-hearted finners, that God breaks their heart, and destroys the ftrength of their fin and impenitency: "Let the wicked forfake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return to the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." Why, what influences fuch a finner to turn and repent? Even the offer of pardoning mercy; "For our God will abundantly pardon," Ifa. Iv. 7. He will multiply to pardon. O Sirs! when the impenitent finner gets an ear to hear fuch an offer as this, that God will multiply pardons even upon one that hath multiplied tranfgreffions, this goodness of God leads him to repentance, and melts his heart. If any thing in the world break the ftrength of fin, it will be the strength of grace, and of God's love and mercy, through Christ, held out in the gospel.

8. If the ftrength of fin be fo great, then hence I infer, that there can be no gofpel-repentance before faith: No repentance, or turning from fin to God, till a man come

to

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to Chrift for righteoufnefs and strength, against the ftrength of fin. It is another piece of the new and odd divinity of fome in our day, that gofpel-repentance, or fome acts of it, are before faving faith: but this doctrine of the ftrength of fin declares the contrary; for, when true gofpel-repentance takes place, then the ftrength of fin is broken, and the man is actually in arms against it. But where got he his armour, if he never came to Chrift by faith for ftrength? Repentance is a turning to God; but, who ever turned to God, without taking Chrift by the way? For no man comes to the Father but by him. Much hypocritical, and feigned, and legal repentance there may be without faith; but, true, actual, gofpel-repentance is always the fruit both of Chrift's look to the foul, as he did to Peter, whereupon he goes out and weeps bitterly; and alfo of faith looking to Chrift; "They fhall look upon him whom they have pierced, and mourn." And this, by the bye, may ferve to glofs feveral abufed texts of fcripture, where repentance is first named before faith, which never import that true gofpel-repentance is before faith; but only, as we may firft fpeak of the end, and then of the means to accomplish that end; fo repentance may be the first named, which is the end, even turning to God; and then faith comes in, as the mean to that end. Thus, Repent, and believe the gospel, there is the end; repent and turn to a right mind, by turning to God: Why, he must even come to Chrift by believing the gospel, otherwise he will never repent fo as to turn unto God: thus we read of repentance towards God, and then faith towards our Lord Jefus Chrift; where, tho' repentance towards God, be first named, yet, faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ, without which there is no coming to God, is firft acted. If I fhould fay, Go up to heaven, and climb the ladder; though going up to heaven is first named, yet the mean of this, though laft named, must be firft ufed; for, who will ever win up to heaven, unless they get up by the true Jacob's ladder, the Lord Jefus Chrift? In a word, the ftrength of Christ must be improved by faith, and fet against the ftrength of fin; otherwife no part of its ftrength is in the leaft broken.

9. If the firength of fin be fo great, then, hence I infer, that our Lord Jefus Chrift is the great and eternal Ged, becaufe he alone could deftroy the ftrength of fin, and through him alone we can have complete victory over it. Oh! curfed Arianifm! that would diminish cur only firength, by denying the fupreme Deity of our Lord Jefus. If he had not been true God, eflentially one with the Father, as well as perfonally equal to him, when the ftrength of fin and the whole power of it was laid upon him, it would have deftroyed him. The power of fin, which ftrikes against an infinite Majefly, brought the power of infinite vengeance upon him, which would have ruined him to eternity, if he had not been God; but, becaufe he was the infinite and eternal Ged, he was able, by his death in the flesh, to condemn fin in the fiefh, Rom. viii. 3.; and fo to deftroy the ftrength of fin. And hence,

10. If the ftrength of fin be fo great, fee the duty of poor finners, that are captives to the power of fin, viz. to look to him who is the Strength of Ifrael, that they may be faved from the firength of fin; Ifa. xlv. 22. "Look unto me, and be ye faved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none elfe." None elfe can fave from the ftrength of fin: fet the ftrength of angels against it, it will be too hard for them; the ftrength of means and ordinances, the ftrength of minifters and fermons, the ftrength of duties and prayers will not do of themfelves. I have already fhewed that fin is ftronger than all these; but here is a firength that is able to fave to the uttermoft from it, even the ftrength of Chrift; therefore, Let him take hold of my firengib, Ifa. xxvi. 3. But, fay you, why defire you one, that is under the ftrength of fin, to lay hold on the firength of Chrift? The strength of fin weakens me, fo that I have no ability to lay hold on his ftrength. It is true, you have no ftrength, nor ever will have ftrength in yourself, or power in your own hand, while you, are in this broken ftate; but as you are called to lay hold on his ftrength, so you are called to go out of yourself, for ftrength to lay hold on his ftrength if you had ftrength in yourfelf to lay hold on

to poor finners, if they could be faved without him. But, though you have contemned him all your days, to your own fhame, in defpifing your own mercy; yet now again he is offering himfelf anew to you, as fully and freely as ever: and think not the lefs of fin, that falvation from it is fo freely offered to you, and fo freely boded upon you by this gofpel; for, I declare to you, in the Lord's name, that this free difpenfation of the grace of God to you, is a greater bufinefs, and more momentous, than the tongues of men and angels can exprefs for God to come and offer his Chrift, and for Chrift to come and offer himself, to fave you from the ftrength of fin, is more than if he fhould offer you ten thousand worlds.

There is more of the glory of God in one word of the gofpel, in one line, one fentence of the gofpel, than in all heaven and earth befide; more of God's glory fhines in this gofpel of grace, wherein he freely offers his pardoning and purifying grace, to take away the guilt, and filth, and power of fin; more of his glory fhiaes here, than fhines in the making of heaven and earth: for, here the great Counsel of God, working from all eternity, is dif played. In the work of creation he opens his hand, as it were; but in this gofpel-difpenfation he is opening his heart, and difcovering his deep defign, efpecially of redeeming love through Chrift, to the glory of all his perfections, in destroying fin and faving the finner.

Think not the lefs of fin then, that falvation from it is offered fo freely, and at fuch an eafy rate: for as you cannot have it at all, unless you have it freely, confidering your loft, doleful, and deftitute circumstances; fo the thing offered to you is moft becoming to infinite Majefty to offer, and moft declarative of the infinite evil of fin. For the things offered amount to no lefs than an infinite price to fave from the guilt of fin, and infinite power to fave from the ftrength of fin: for, Chrift, in all his fulnefs of merit and Spirit, is laid to your hand. And therefore, lay your hand to your heart, and fee if it be panting after, and welcoming a Saviour or not, and clofing with him for righteoufnefs and ftrength. Say not, the ftrength of fin is great, the

ftrength

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