If they were not so strong, and sin so foul, redemption would not appear so plenteous. His office is chiefly exercised about those; when those are fully conquered in all the elect, his office ceaseth, and the kingdom is to be resigned to the Father. Till then he is a Shepherd, and in that respect his office is to find his sheep out when they wander, and bring them home. If he came to seek that which was lost, it is no less for his honour to preserve that which he hath found. The choicer the thing, and the stronger the opposition, the more glory accrues to the preserver of it. Is it for his honour to begin a work in thee, and start back from it? Is it likely he would ever have struck a stroke at those hard hearts of ours, if he did not intend to make thorough work with them? He never yet did any work by halves, and shall he begin now?

(5.) It is already condemned by him. God condemned sin in the flesh by the sacrifice of Christ: "And for sin condemned sin in the flesh," Rom. viii. 3. As at his death there was a general condemnation of sin in its nature, so upon faith in this sacrifice, our faith in his blood, there is a particular condemnation of sin in its power, as an unrighteous thing, and not fit by reason of its malignity, to have a standing there. He condemned it by his holiness in the law, by his justice in the death of Christ, and by his mercy in the renewing of thy nature, which is always accompanied with a condemnation, and in part, an execution of sin. When the guilt of thy sin was pardoned, the power of thy sin was condemned. As the pardon of the one will not be reversed, so neither shall the condemnation of the other. If it be condemned by our Saviour in his flesh, it will be conquered in us by his Spirit; for

whatsoever was done by Christ as Mediator in his person, was an evidence of what he would do by his Spirit in his members according to their capacity. Hence they are said to be crucified, risen, ascended, and to sit in heavenly places with him, not only virtually in him, as their Head, but spiritually in themselves. Shall a dying, gasping sin overpower a living, thriving grace? Sin therefore shall be conquered. The Father by his Spirit will purge away the worms and suckers which may hinder the growth and ripening of the fruit : "Every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit," John xv. 2. If a

branch, though it be small, he will take care to remove the hinderance to its fruitfulness. God foresaw what infirmities thou wouldest have, before he gave Christ this commission; and Christ foresaw them before his acceptance of the charge. If their prescience could not stop God in his gift, nor cool Christ in his acceptance, why should it

now.

But,

[1] This conquest is by degrees. It is victory promised in the text, therefore a conflict is implied, and must be endured. Victory doth not attend the beginning of a war just at the heels. Some time must be allowed between the smoke and flame. Christ must not quench the smoke; but grace may smoke, and only smoke for a while. His charge is to keep that which is committed to him, not presently to overthrow its enemies. He will eye his authority and instructions, as he is God's Servant; for as he hath received a commandment from his Father, John xiv. 31, so he acts. He will not perfect it in an instant, but at length he will.

L

Light, and a fulness of it, is sown for the righteous. It is but sown, time must be allowed between that and the harvest. The new creation is not perfected at once, any more than the old was. Can you expect your Saviour should make quicker work with you than with his disciples when he was upon the earth? It was his pleasure not to reduce them presently to a perfect state. Neither can we expect more than our Saviour prayed for, which was not that you should be without foils to your faith, but without the failing of your faith. He did not desire his Father presently to take them out of a world of sin, or sin presently from them, but to preserve them under it, from being conquered by it. God works to will and to do, but of his own good pleasure. Not as we please, but as he himself pleaseth.

[2.] Yet while thy infirmities do continue, the love of God to thee is not hindered by them. The incorruptible seed, which is his own, will more prevail to draw out his love, than thy infirmities to engage his hatred against thee. When Christ hung upon the cross with all the sins of believers about him, God did not withdraw his love from him, because of that righteousness, holiness, and love to God found in him; yet he withdrew his comfortable presence, to show his hatred of sin. As God dealt with the Head, so he will with the members. Especially if your hearts begin to hanker after any sin; though he hath engaged not to take away his loving-kindness from you, yet he may withdraw his comfort, till you have repented of your sin. He may chastise you with rods, but will not suffer his faithfulness to fail. He will, as a mother, raise you when you fall, but chide you for

your carelessness, to cause you to take more heed. Christ seems to have had as much reason to cast off his disciples, as ever he had to cast off any believing soul since. None could ever forsake him in such extremity as they did, for his person will never be in the like straits again. Yet having once loved them, he loved them to the end, and after the end, after his resurrection, as appears by viewing the history. And it is to be observed, that though their unbelief, ignorance, and pride did often fume from them in the presence of their Master, yet Christ mentions none of them in his prayer to his Father; only their grace: "They have kept thy word; they have believed that thou didst send me," John xvii. 6, 8. They had indeed received the word of God, but it was lodged in souls very muddy.

[3.] While they do continue, God by his wisdom and grace draws profit to you from them. The very stirring of one sin is sometimes the ruin of another; a gross sin sometimes is the occasional break-neck of spiritual pride. The high thoughts Peter had conceived of himself upon the confession of Christ, were not scattered, till he had as shame. fully denied him, as before he had gloriously confessed him. The thorn in the flesh of the apostle Paul, whether it was an outward temptation, or inward corruption, kept him upon his level from being lifted up above measure. Thus doth Christ make good his charge by ordering things so by his wisdom, that that which would in itself quench the smoking flax, is an occasional means to inflame it. The fogs which threaten the choking the sun, make his heat more vigorous after the dispersion of those vapours. Neither can sin, because it hath no

positive being, be excluded from the number of those things which by the over-ruling grace of God are ordered to our good, Rom. viii. 28, though it be not so in its own nature, since the penmen of scripture spake not alway according to the rules. and terms of philosophy

For a close therefore of this :-Perhaps it is our own fault that our corruptions are no more shattered. God hath given you success against some sin. But have your hearts been as much elevated in praise for it, as they were before fervent in prayer? If corruption gather strength, charge not God with want of love, but yourselves with want of thankfulness. Prayer procures mercy, but praise is a means to continue it. As we must depend upon his strength for a victory, so we must acknowledge his strength in our success; else he may withdraw his power, and our enemies may thereupon re-assume new life, and assault us with a greater courage. Again, let not anything you have heard of the faithfulness and power of Christ make you neglect your duty. Let Asaph be your pattern, Psa. lxxiii. who after a strong conflict with sin, had an assurance that God would guide him by his counsel to glory, ver. 24. This makes him not lazy, but quickens him into a resolve, that it was good, and good for him too to draw nigh to God, ver. 28. God is ready with his counsel to guide us, but we must be ready with our petitions.

Third Use. Matter of Duty.

1. How should men labour to get into a state of grace! To get within the verge of Christ's commission, into such a security which may at last bring them to an eternal triumph over death and hell! Security of estate, and security of person