fought after." Therefore, to be given up to fin, is a greater evil than to be poffeft., Ye that are parents, and have children whom you have caufe to fear that they are given up to the power of fin, know, it is worfe than if they were poffeft with the devil; therefore, fuch fhould come more earnestly to Chrift with their children, than these in the gospel that brought to Chrift their children poffeft with devils: they are worse than bewitched.

7. Sin is the ftrongeft wafter. Oh! how mightily does fin wafte you! Sin waftes your foul and body; it waftes your time, and waftes your talents; it wafles your opportunities, it waftes your ftrength, and waftes your fpirit, and all to no purpofe. Oh! how many wafted Sabbaths, fermons, wafted communions, wafted meals, and wafted mercies, all wafted and abused by fin!

8. Sin is the ftrongest death. Sin itfelf is fpiritual death, and spiritual death is the moft ftrong and powerful death; inafmuch as the foul is fuperior to the body, fo much is fpiritual death more powerful and terrible than temporal or bodily death; and infomuch as the cause is more confiderable than the effect, fo much is fpiritual death more powerful and dreadful than eternal death: I mean, fin is more dreadful than hell itself, as it is a place of torment; for, as the ftrongeft cord that draws people to hell is fin; fo the strongest flame to torment the finner there, is fin. The wrath of God would ceafe, if fin did not feed and increase it.Thus much of the ftrength of fin.

III. The third thing here propofed was, To fhow how the ftrength of fin difcovers itfelf. Here I may fhow you, 1. At what feafons efpecially does the ftrength of fin difcover itself. 2. By what effects.

Ift, At what feafons more efpecially does the firength of fin difcover itself?

1. When men fhould be moft holy, fin readily difcovers itself to be moft ftrong. In the unregenerate, fin is equally ftrong at all times, but not equally evident. Some, will fay, Oh my heart is never fo ill as on the Sabbath-day why, perhaps it is just the fame thing at other times, only the ftrength of it may be more evi

dent

SER. LXXIII. dent then. In the regenerate, fin is fometimes ftronger, fometimes weaker; but ordinarily it discovers its ftrength most when they would moft gladly be quit of it; "When I would do good, evil is prefent with me," Rom. vii. 21. It is in this cafe many times, as with the children of thefe that obferve the worfhip of God daily in their families, they find the children moft fretful and ill-natured in time of worship, when they ought to be beft. Perhaps. it may be fo, indeed; and the tempter may have a hand in it for difturbing the worship of God: but, for ordinary, it is not then that they are worst, but then they are most noticed.

2. Sin difcovers its ftrength moft, when a heartchange comes to be fought after. It is eafy to wear Chrifl's livery for a while, by a fair profeffion; but when he comes to feek the heart, there is no hearing on that fide of the head. People may foon be induced to give fome compliment to Chriít, to give him the outward man, to give him the hand: but to give him the heart, is another matter; for, when it comes to that, the ftrength of fin appears. And then,

3. When a darling luft is demanded, then the ftrength of fin appears; for the man will quit any thing for Chrift but that. Naaman will part with any thing fave a bow in the house of Rimmon: the young man in the gospel will hold on with Chrift, till Chrift touch him on the fore, and ftrike upon his covetoufnefs; then he goes away forrowful.

4. When long cuftom hath taken place, then the ftrength of fin appears; for, Can the Ethiopian change bis colour, or the leopard bis fpots ? No more can ye that are accustomed to do evil, learn to do well. It is hard, yea, extremely difficult to pull up an old tree by the roots.

5. When a time of fpiritual droufinefs takes place, then the ftrength of fin discovers itself. Take the heart while awake, and it can then pray, and wait, and praife, and worship: but let droufinefs come on, it cannot watch with Chrift one hour, for all his intreaty; for then the eyes are heavy; then is the hour and power of darkness. When the believer is waking and watchful, believing and holy, then the power of God appears; it

is the hour of God's power: but when fpiritual droufinefs comes on, then the power of fin appears; the foul cannot ftir hand nor foot.

6. When a time of temptation comes, then the ftrength of fin appears. The perfon will be very meek, very modeft, very chafte, very moderate, very devout, and very innocent like, when there is no temptation, no op portunity for fin's working; and at fuch a time fin will be very filent, very quiet, very ftill, and faft afleep: but let a ftrong temptation, and a ftrong luft meet together, then the ftrength of fin flirs up itfelf. Sin is like a thief, who would feem to be a very honest man till a fit opportunity come, and then his hand falls to.

It is, as one fays, like the fpider, that never appears "out of her hole till the flie be intangled in her net; "then the appears, and deftroys the poor creature, and "carries it along with her." When temptation is at a distance, perhaps, you hope you will withstand it; you pray, and promife, and what not? and fin lets you be faying, and never a word from it, till the new temptation comes, and then it appears with new ftrength.

7. When a time of trial and temptation comes, fin difcovers its power. It may be, you can preach patience and fubmiffion to others in affliction; but when it comes to your own door, then you will find the heart rebelling against the providence, and that it is easier to give an advice than to take it. The power of enmity falls a working, as against the preceptive, fo against the providential will of God.

8. When difficult duties are preffed, then the ftrength. of fin appears.--When duties crofs to flesh and blood, crofs to felf and felf-righteoufnefs are preffed, what! muft I reprove even my fuperiors and great enes when they err? This fays fin, will expose you to their wrath and indignation. Muft I profefs Chrift, even before a wicked company? Nay fays fin, this will expofe you to fhame and reproach. Muft I bear with injuries and affronts? Nay, fays fin, flesh and blood cannot bear with that. I deny myself, and all my beft duties and righteousness? Nay, fays fin, this is a hard faying, who can bear it? May I not hope that my duties will profit me as to my

Muft

accept

acceptance and juftification before God? No, no; the heart cafts out with God, and fin fhows its ftrength in thefe cafes. Again, in a time when all diligence in duty is required, as well as deniednefs thereunto; and when the law is urged to be regarded as a rule of obedience, as well as renounced as a rule of acceptance: What! to be ftedfaft and immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord; to make religion the constant trade; to be holy in duties, and holy in the intervals of duties: the ftrength of fin here appears in its mighty oppofition to this kind of life. A man will be content to pray, and hear, and read, and fing, if he may be allowed a latitude when he is done; but to be always praying, always watching, and always waiting on the Lord, the carnal heart refifts this like death: it may be reftrained a while, like a stream that is dammed up for a time; but it breaks out with greater violence at laft.

9. When the commandment comes powerfully, fin revives, and difcovers its power, Rom. vii. 9. The fpirituality of the law, wakens up the malignity of fin.

10. In a time when gospel-light fhines moft clearly, then the ftrength of fin appears moft evidently. The law of works, and legal doctrine may be preached, and yet the strength of fin never touched, never truly dif covered; yea, the legal heart may fall in with the legal ftrain, and comply with all the legal duties and means of life, and yet the ftrength of fin more and more increased, though hidden under a legal covert; for, The ftrength of fin is the law; and therefore fin does not differ with the law as it is a covenant of works: But, let the gofpel-light fhine clearly, then fin will difcover itself more evidently, and rage more defperately, unless it be conquered by gofpel-grace. Why, becaufe though the law of works, or the works of the law and the power of fin, are no oppofites, but friends that live and die together; yet the gofpel of grace, and the power of fin, are direct oppofites: for nothing in the world can deftroy the power of fin, but the graces of the gofpel; and therefore the ftrength of fin refifts the grace of the gospel with main force. Gofpel-grace feeks no lefs than the very life of fin; therefore fin muft now fight for its life. Wonder not that the world oppofes the gofpel fo

much, in conjunction with the god of this world, who blinds the minds of them that believe not, &c. Neither wonder if fin appear very strong, where the gospel fhines very clear; or if there be the greateft oppofition, where there is the cleareft light. Men naturally understand fomething of the law, that fays, Do, and live; work, and get your wages: and this natural understanding is what men pride themselves in, fo as in the pride of their heart they reject the gofpel, which is wholly fupernatu ral and divine, and wherein Chrift is fet up as the only Potentate that can demolish the ftrength of fin, by executing his faving offices in us. But, behold, pride of wisdom opposes him as a Prophet, and fo man's folly is increased; pride of righteousness opposes him in his prieftly office, and fo the guilt of fin is increased; pride of ftrength opposes him as to his kingly office, and fo the power of fin is increased: and thus, through an evil heart of unbelief, they depart from the living God. The gofpel fets up Chrift against the ftrength of fin, and therefore the strength of fin appears in arms against the gofpel. Thus you fee at what feafons, and on what occafion, efpecially, the ftrength of fin appears.

2dly, By what effects does the ftrength of fin discover itself? I am not here to run through all the fad effects of fin otherwife I might fhow how it brought angels out of heaven, and Adam out of Paradife; how it brought fire and brimftone upon Sodom, and a deluge of water on the old world; and what confufion, calamity, and mifery it hath brought into the world; what temporal, fpiritual, and eternal judgments it brings on: thefe are common topics, and too large a field for me now to infift upon; therefore I confine myself to that effect of fin that the text and context leads me to. Know then, that the strength of fin appears in the STING of it, and the fting of death is fin: there is the great discovery that the ftrength of fin makes of itself.

And there are two deaths I would here fpeak a little of, as the greatest difcoveries of the ftrength of fin, namely, 1. The death of the finner. 2. The death of the Saviour. Both thefe deaths difcover the powerful fting and mighty ftrength of fin.

[1.] The