"fires of the mind, and pushed me on to a performance of finful actions.' Thus the law entered, that the offence might abound. But,

"He at

3dly, By the entrance of the law of Mofes, Adam's fin appears exceeding finful, attended with aggravating circumftances. For though the eating of the forbidden fruit, may feem to be a finall offence, yet if you confider what an indignity was offered to the great God thereby, how his divine authority in his holy command was trampled upon, the glorious perfections of his juftice, truth and power were defpifed, his pure and perfect image in man, which conftted in righteoufnefs, and true bolinefs, defaced, and alfo that glory which the creature by its fervice fhould have brought to him, lott thereby, it was great. "one clap (as it is well expreffed by a learned divine) breaks both the tables, "and all the commandments. 1. He chofe him another God when he fol"lowed the devil. 2. He idolized and deified his own belly. 3. He took the "name of God in vain, when he believed him not. 4. He kept not the rest "and estate wherein God had fet him. 5. He dishonoured his father which was "in heaven; and therefore his days were not long in that land, which the Lord "his God had given him. 6. He maffacred himself, and all his pofterity. 7. He committed spiritual tornication in eyes and mind. S. He stole that "which God had fet afide not to be meddled with. 9. He bare witness again!t God, when he believed the witness of the devil above him. 10. He co"veted an evil covetoufnefs, which cost him his life, and all his progeny P." Thus he broke all the commandments. Now it is the law, which thus difcovers the heinoufnels of this fin, in those particular inttances. And in this fenfe the law entered, that the offence might abound.

By the offence we may also understand any, or all actual fins and tranfgreffions; now let us fee in what fenfe they abound by the law.

First, The law makes a plain and open difcovery of them, and fets them forth in their own proper colours; for by the law is the knowledge of fin, yea, the apostle tells us, that he had not known fin but by the law; it is a glafs wherein we may behold in the light of the Spirit, our inward deformities, as well as the groffer fins of life; though it is neither a magnifying, nor a multiplying glafs, it does not make fins to appear greater than they are, nor more than they really be; but it difcovers those fins to be great ones, which before were looked upon to be but imall; and thofe to be fins, which before were not esteemed fo; and thus fin abounds by the law's entrance.

Secondly, It makes fin to abound by a prohibition of it; not that any fault is to be charged upon the law; but upon the corrupt heart of man, which, the more it is reftrained and prohibited from doing any thing, the more eager it is to effect it. It is just like a person in a violent fever, who the more he is restrained from

P Lightfoot, Vol. 1. p. 1027, 1028.

X X 2

Rom. iii. 20. and vii. 7.

from drinking, the more he thirfts after it; or like a torrent of water, which when attempts are made to stop it, it rifes, fwells, rages, and overflows the more; fuch is the untoward, perverse and corrupt heart of man: thus when the Lord would have the Ifraelites go into the land of Canaan, then they refuse; but when the Lord had forbid them to enter, then they muft needs go in all hafte; fo alfo when circumcifion was God's ordinance, then the nations round about lothed it, and the Jews for it; but when it was abolished by Chrift's death, then it needs must be taken up, as neceffary to falvation. Oh, the abominable corruption of man's heart!

Thirdly, The law being given, fin committed against it, is attended with more aggravating circumftances; it is committed against light and knowledge; here can be no plea of ignorance, no cloke for fin; for he that knows his Lord's will, and does not according to it, fhall be beaten with many ftripes; it is bidding an open defiance to heaven, and a despifing and trampling under foot the majesty and authority of God, inftamped on his law; for according to the majesty and greatness of the lawgiver, does the offence in proportion arife: This law, which fin is the tranfgreffion of, being given forth by that great lawgiver, who is able to fave and to deftroy, makes the offence to be the more heinous. And thus by the entrance of the law fin abounds. This may suffice for the first head of difcourfe. I fhall now,

II. Discourse concerning the abounding of grace over the aboundings of fin. First, I fhall endeavour to fhew where it does fo. Secondly, Give fome instances of God's fuperabounding grace.

First, I fhall endeavour to fhew where it does do fo; that is, where grace does so much abound, more than fin. 1. In the human nature; fin did and does abound therein. No fooner did fin enter into the world, but, like a fretting leprofy, it overspread and infected it; all human nature being then in Adam, the blood of all being then in his veins, was tainted by fin; and he then representing all his pofterity, they finned in him, according to Romans v. 12. Wherefore as by one man fin entered into the world, and death by fin, and so death paffed upon all men, for that go w, in whom all have finned. Sin fo abounded in, and by Adam to all his pofterity, that there is not one, who defcends from him by ordinary generation, who is free from it. Jews and Gentiles are all under it; there is none righteous, no not one: the disease is universal and epidemical.

Now our Lord Jefus Chrift, in the fulness of time affumed the fame human nature; because the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself took part of the fame "; and the nature which Christ affumed, was attended with all u Heb. ii. 14.

• Luke xii. 47.

• James iv. 12.

• Rom. iii. 9,

all finless, though not finful infirmities; therefore he is faid to be sent in the likeness of finful flesh, and not in finful flesh itself; now in this nature Chrift appeared full of grace and truth; there is an infinite, inexhaustible, overflowing, and fuperabounding fulness of grace dwells in him, that we from thence might receive grace for grace. Thus in the fame kind of nature, where fin abounded, grace does much more abound.

2. In the feveral powers and faculties of the foul, where fin abounded, grace does much more abound. Sin has abounded, and does abound, in every power and faculty of the foul of a natural man; as the disease is univerfal, with regard to perfons, the defcendents of Adam, so it is with regard to the several parts and faculties of the fouls of those perfons. What is faid of the Jews, in their political state; is true of every man in his natural state; the whole head is fick, and the whole heart faint; from the fole of the foot, even unto the head, there is no foundness in it, but wounds and bruises, and putrifying fores"; they are not only deftitute of all righteousness, but filled with all unrighteousness; empty of all that is good, and full of all that is evil; fin abounds and overflows in their corrupt hearts, which are continually cafting up the mire and dirt of fin; from thence proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witnefs, blafphemies. O, what an abounding, what an overflowing of fin is here? The heart is hardened, and dead in trespasses and fins, the will obftinate and perverse, the judgment depraved, the understanding darkened, the mind and confcience defiled, and the affections become inordinate. What wretched work has the abounding of fin made in the foul of man!

Now where fin has thus abounded, grace in effectual vocation fuperabounds; for by powerful efficacious grace, in converfion, the ftony heart is taken out of the flesh, and an heart of flesh is given; new principles of life and love infused, and all forts of grace implanted; the will is fubdued and brought into fubjection to Chrift, the judgment is informed, and the understanding enlightened; nay, an understanding given to know him, whom to know is life eternal; the mind and confcience are purged from dead works to ferve the living God, and the affections set upon things which are above. What an amazing, furprising change is this! O, abounding, fuperabounding grace!

3. This is true of the poor Gentiles, among whom fin has abounded, and grace also has much more abounded; and this the Syriac fcholiaft particularly takes notice of in this place; fin exceedingly fpread itself, and overflowed in the Gentile world; there being nothing but the dim light of nature to guide, and no pofitive laws and commands of God to direct them, no wonder that fin should so much abound among them; it having no other bounds nor limits, but the weak law of nature to reftrain it; but the greatest wonder is, that grace fhould

■ Ifai. i. 5, 6.

* Matt. xv. 19.

Syr. Schol. in Lud. de Dieu in loc.

should here fuperabound. This was the great mystery, which in other ages, preceding the gospel-difpenfation, was not fo made known to the fons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; that the Gentiles fhould be fellow-beirs, and of the fame body, and partakers of his promise in Chrift by the gospel. How was the grace of God magnified in their vocation! the abounding of fin among them made the fuperabounding grace of God appear the more glorious: what beauty and glory does the apostle caft upon the free, and rich grace of God, manifested in the converfion of Gentile finners? Who, when he had drawn up a large lift and catalogue of the vileft finners, adds, And fuch were fome of you; but ye are washed, but ye are fanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jefus, and by the Spirit of our God. Thus where fin lo much abounded, grace did much more abound.

4. This is eminently true of fome particular perfons, fuch as a Manaffeh, a Mary Magdalen, a Paul before converfion, who looked upon himself as the chiefeft of finners, and could not but admire fuperabounding grace in his converfion; saying, I, who was bef re a blafphemer, and a perfecutor, and injurious, I obtained mercy; and fo must every one, more or lefs, admire boundless grace, who have been plucked as brands out of the burning, and tranflated out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear Son. But I will now proceed,

Secondly, To give fome inftances of God's fuperabounding grace in the actings of it, to us-ward who believe.

ft, Superabounding grace manifefts and discovers itself in converfion and regeneration; the state out of which finners are brought, and the bleffings, which are then bestowed, as alfo the mighty grace, which is then wrought, and the furprising change, which is then effected in them, are fo many evidences of the overflowings of God's love and grace towards them, and in them. Well may the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift be faid to beget us again unto a livey hope, according to his abundant mercy, abundant mercy indeed! Abounding, fuperabounding grace! That he should, without any regard to our will or works, of his own will beget us with the word of truth, and quicken us when dead in trefpaffes and fins; is an inftance of his free, rich, fovereign, inconceivable and eternal love; here is the firft difplay and difcovery of grace and mercy to a poor finner; it is true, there was grace and mercy in God's heart before, grace and mercy in the covenant before, and grace and mercy fhewn in giving Christ, but until now the poor foul knew nothing of it. This river of God's love and grace ran under-ground from ali eternity, and is now broke up in effectual vocation, and comes with its full flows into the finners heart; which is now plentifully

tifully filled therewith, having as much as its narrow veffel can receive; fo that where fin abounded, grace does much more abound; an inftance of this we have in the apostle Paul, who tells us in 1 Timothy i. 14. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus; was exceeding abundant, úπepenko, there was an overplus of it; he had as much, nay more, than he could contain; it overflowed, it ran over and over; O abounding, fuperabounding grace !

Nay further, as there is a display of grace in the conveyance of it into the finner's heart at converfion, even to a redundancy, fo there is a fight and view given to the foul of exceedingly much more in the heart of God; it beholds God as the God of all grace, and views a boundlesfs ocean of love and grace in him; O glorious fight! O happy difcovery! this is what the apostle prayed for, for the Ephefians, that they might be able to comprehend with all faints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and heighth, and to know the love of Chrift, which paffeth knowledge.

Again, Superabounding grace manifefts itself in our juftification; how often does the apostle in the preceding verfes, when he takes notice of the grace of God, difplayed in Chrift's juftifying righteoufnefs, use those words, much more, in order to let forth the great abundance thereof? The grace of God is manifelt in fending Chrift to bring in this righteoufnefs, by which we are justified; and the grace of Christ is as evident in working it out; and when it was wrought out, the grace of the Father appears in accepting it in our room and ftead, as alfo in imputing it to us, without works, and giving us faith to lay hold upon it: In short, there is fo much of the grace of God confpicuous herein, that we are faid to be juftified freely by it. And a learned interpreter, upon this place, is of opinion, that by this fuperabounding grace we are to understand, by a metonymy of the adjunct, the obedience of Chrift, which is of grace imputed to us for righteousness; it is certain that there is more virtue in Chrift's righteousness to justify, than there is in fin to condemn; for those who are once justi fied shall never be condemned, there being no condemnation to them who are in Chrift Jefus. Who fhall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? who dare do it? who can do it? and if they do, to what purpose will it be! feeing it is God that juftifies; who is be that condemneth? it is Chrift that died. Those who are juftified by Christ, are compleatly justified from all things, from which they could not be by the law of Mofes; they are perfectly juftified from all fin, and eternally fecured from all wrath and condemnation. O glorious grace!

Again, Superabounding grace appears in the forgiveness of our fins: what rich grace is this, that our fins, which are many, fhould be forgiven us ! Sins which are attended with aggravating circumftances, fins against light and know