to thy corruption; to weaken the habit of sin, and at length slay it. And so there is another, and another chain of sin broken and gone. Blessed, blessed Jesus! "He hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder!"

Now, let sin come to such a man, and say, Serve me, as you were wont to do. What (think you) will be his answer? O God forbid, thou accursed enemy. The love of God, in Christ, has made thee hateful to me. Pardon, through grace, has broken thy yoke off my neck; and the Spirit of God, in Christ, has given me other principles; engaged me to another Lord. "I am dead to sin; but alive unto God, through Jesus Christ, my Lord." Yes; sin shall not have dominion over us; for we are not under the law, but under grace. And so, sin has lost its strength; lost that power, which the curse already incurred, and a commandment impossible to attain to, had given it. From both these the believer is delivered, in Christ. He is "not under the law." O flee, my brethren, to Christ, and sin shall tyrannize no more. Its power is

gone. Note, further,

2. The extent of the deliverance from sin, here assured to believers. Sin shall not have dominion shall not lord it (Kupivo) over you, as once it did. Mark, my brethren, (for it is a

great matter that you should know this, lest you be discouraged, and faint, in conflict,) You are not to expect, that sin shall have no existence; that it shall ever cease to molest, and worry you, and war against the law of your mind, while you are in a body of sin and death. "Sin shall not have dominion," saith God. Bless God for that. It is of the utmost importance, to you, thoroughly to understand, that you must make up your mind to constant strife against sin, until you put off the flesh, and enter into your rest. Some persons have talked much about sinless perfection, as attainable in this life. I am sure, this text gives them no countenance and I am also sure, that the experience of believers gives them as little. Nothing less can satisfy the renewed mind. Nothing below perfect holiness will the believer aim at: but depend on it, my brethren, as long as you are in this world, so long, sin, in one way or other, will be endeavouring to entangle your affections, and saying, Serve me; Yield yourself to me, as heretofore. Now, saith the apostle, "Yield not your members, as instruments of unrighteousness, unto sin:" where he evidently implies, that sin will solicit us, and do all it can, to recover the use of our powers, for its service. Happy are they, who know the power which grace gives, to refuse, and disappoint it, and cause it to serve, in

stead of rule. We may gather, further, from these words, what is,

3. The great desire, and aim, of the renewed mind. The apostle knew he could address no sweeter assurance to believers, than this, "Sin shall not have dominion over you." Yes, my brethren, if the flesh lust against the spirit, the spirit, also, lusts against the flesh. There is a deadly hatred of all iniquity, in the soul that is born of God. The principle that is implanted of God, in the regenerate soul,-the new man,— cannot tolerate sin and, in this respect, that word is true, "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." Just as the apostle, where he is groaning under the strivings, and vexings, of the sin that dwelt in him, yet comforts himself with this consideration, "It is no more I that do it, but sin, that

dwelleth in me." (Rom. vii. 17.)

That is, the new nature within me, my true and real self, regenerate Paul, does not, cannot sin.

Are there, then, any, who plead their being under grace, as a reason for continuing in sin? allowing sin? and plead that Christ's holiness will do for them, while they remain, willingly, unholy? The scripture declares of all such, "Their damnation is just." (Rom. iii. 8.) Such persons wilfully deceive themselves. It is true,

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"there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus," but such are, evidently, not in him for they that are his "walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit." They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh, with the affections and lusts." Look at what immediately follows, here.

"Shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid." If we yield ourselves to sin, to obey its dictates, we are the slaves of sin, and shall have the wages of sin, which is death. God uses this consideration, that we are under grace, as the surest motive, and encouragement, to us, to resist its yoke. Grace, and grace alone, gives liberty from sin and this is the reason why every one, who is, truly, a partaker of grace, loves, and prizes it. He finds the dominion of sin destroyed by it; and, ere long, shall the very being of it, also, be destroyed, for ever, within him, and

around him.

The Lord grant, to each of us, this experience, for Christ's sake! Amen.

R

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SERMON XII.

LOT'S WIFE.

LUKE xvii. 32.

Remember Lot's wife.

THESE few words are solemn words. They remind us of a very awful judgment of God, inflicted on a worldly woman; one of a professedly religious family; her husband, certainly, a true servant of God, in the midst of abounding wickedness. But she had no reality of grace. Her heart clung to earth and sense: and, in a time of trial, neither fearing the judgments, nor affected by the mercies of God, she disregarded the divine command on which her safety depended, and was turned, in a moment, into a pillar of salt: a dreadful instance, to every succeeding age, of the quick displeasure of God, against sin like hers. And our Lord, here, referring to times of similar trial, that were coming upon his disciples, when