minds of men: but how miferably do we delude ourselves, when we feek for it in the paths of fin! where none ever was, or ever will be found, worthy of our ambition. It is virtue only that can anfwer fuch a demand; that can procure true honour, and immortal fame. As it fhines at all times with its own rays, and even fheds a luftre over this prefent life; fo an inheritance of glory awaits it in the next; and that of the pureft and the nobleft kind. What inexpreffible honours will there crown the heads of the righteous! what mutual joy and exultation, what gratulations from faints and angels, with the world's Redeemer at their head! In fine, what praise from God himfelf! what honours in his prefence! what glories at his right-hand! His faithful fervants will ever be most precious in his fight. Them that honoured him he will honour in a moft peculiar manner; make them fine as the brightness of the firmament, and as the ftars for ever and ever.

VOL. I.

C

SER.

SERMON II.

The Servitude of Sin.

JOHN VIII. 34.

Jefus answered them, Verily, verily I fay unto you, whofoever committeth fin is the fervant of fin.

T

HESE words are a part of one of our Saviour's conferences with the Jews; wherein he had been informing those who believed on him, how they might become bis difciples indeed; namely, by continuing in his word; nor barely in the belief or profeffion of it; but in a stedfaft conformity of their minds and manners thereto. The confequence of which we find fet forth in the verse immediately following; and ye Shall know the truth, and the truth fhall make you C 2

free.

free. The fews miftaking his meaning, and being startled at any thing that looked like an imputation of fervitude, presently answered, that they had no occafion for the freedom he offered them. We be Abraham's feed, fay they, and were never in bondage to any man; how fayeft thou then, ye shall be made free? To undeceive them, therefore, our Saviour gives them to understand, that however free they might be in a civil or political fenfe (though even in that refpect they had then no reason to boaft), yet in a moral fenfe they were certainly not fo. Supposing them as independent of all foreign powers as they pretended, or imagined; yet might they not groan under a domeftic bondage? Might they not be fubject to the dominion and tyranny of fin? To affure them that this was a true fubjection, a real bondage, he proceeds in the words of my text; Verily, verily I fay unto you, whofoever committeth fin is the fervant of fin.— Abftracting from the occafion of thefe remarkable words, I fhall go on to explain and account for the general proposition contained in them. Accordingly I fhall,

First, Endeavour to fhew the perpetual and unavoidable connection between fin and fervitude. And,

3

Secondly

Secondly, I fhall point out fome peculiar properties and circumftances in the fervitude of fin, tending to deter us from it, and excite our refolutions against it.

Firft, Iam to fhew the perpetual and unavoidable connection between fin and fervitude. We find in scripture, that a state of sin is conftantly represented as a state of fervility and flavery; that finners are confidered as captives and vaffals; and fin as a master, a ruler, a tyrant. It is defcribed as reigning in us; as having dominion over us; as holding us in captivity. The natural, carnal man is said to be fold under fin, and his converfion is called being made free from fin. Know ye not, fays the Apoftle, that to whom ye yield yourfelves fervants to obey, his fervants ye are to whom ye obey: whether of fin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? Hence it appears, that ferve and obey we muft; either sin, or righteousness; but with this material difference, as will be fhewn afterwards, that one fervice is intolerable flavery, and the other perfect freedom. The laws of righteousness are fo many wife rules effential to our happinefs, and directly tending to liberty; the laws of fin, chains and fetters, misery and bondage. Conformably hereto we are to