calls the law of sin which is in the members,' which rules and governs in the unregenerate, and from which we are freed by Christ, as he immediately declares: The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.' So that now the weakness of the flesh is done away, and we, having received the Spirit of life and of Christ, must fulfil the righteousness of the law; and may, if we walk according to the Spirit we have received. Nothing is plainer than that St. Paul opposes the law of sin, and the law of the Spirit of life; and the condition of him who was under the law of sin, in whom is the weakness of the flesh, and of him who is under the law of life, in whom is the Spirit of righteousness. Yet some will have St. Paul speak in his own person without a figure, that is, in the person of a regenerate Christian, when he describes the state of the law of sin; and have learned to make grace and sin consistent, and taught that grace once received can never be effaced by actual sins, of what number or quality soever, or the sinner made less the child of God. A doctrine, of which it is hard to say, whether it has less of Christianity or common sense.

In this argument St. Paul more than once speaks thus: If I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me;' which is thought by some to come very near to the case of sins of infirmity: for the excuse from infirmity is made up of willingness and want of power; willingness to obey, and want of power to withstand the temptations and powerful impressions of sin. In all moral actions there is a proportion between the ability to perform, and the guilt of not performing; and the one must be estimated by the other : but if we consider ourselves as Christians, who do not depend purely on our own strength, but likewise on the assistance of God, the measure of which depends on the application we use to obtain it, the terms of the proportion will be altered, and the guilt of our disobedience will be measured by the ability we might have had to perform our duty. For, if we fail in

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ability through our own default in using the means prescribed by God to enable us, the guilt of our sins will be according to the ability we might have had; and therefore the excuse may be true, and yet insignificant. It may be true that you had not power to withstand the temptations you fell under; and yet this may be no justification, because it was your own fault that you had not power: the not observing which is the true foundation of men's relying so much for excuse on their infirmities. They are conscious to themselves how violent the temptation to sin was, and how much it overpowered their strength; on which they ground their excuse: but then they leave out of the consideration, how much more strength they might have had, if they had not neglected the means of obtaining it. St. Paul tells us, ' We are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwells in us;' and therefore we shall be judged, not according to the strength of the flesh, but of the Spirit, which we have, or may have, if it be not our own fault. A man may as justly be punished for not being able to perform his duty, when he had it in his own hands to make himself able, as for not doing his duty when he was able. And there is not much difference between these two; for it is one part of our duty to enable ourselves to perform our duty, and all the consequences of our weakness and infirmity are justly chargeable on the neglect of it. This is but little more than what all moralists have agreed in the case of vicious habits: it is hardly to be imagined, how great a necessity an ill habit brings us under; yet no man ever urged this as an argument to excuse sin; but thought the first neglect in suffering the habit to grow up, intitled men very justly to the guilt of all the sin consequent on it. If we know how to remedy our infirmities, why do we still boast of them, or place our security in them? St. Paul complains of a thorn given him in the flesh,' for the removal of which he thrice prayed; to which he had no other answer from the Lord, than, My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.' On which St. Paul triumphed and gloried in his infirmity. But how? Not as we glory in our infirmities, using them as an excuse for sin; but, because through his infirmity the power of Christ rested on him.' The law of the

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Spirit of life having then so plentifully provided against this weakness and depravity of the flesh, there can no longer any color of excuse be had from it.

Next to this general sense of infirmity come the particular infirmities included in it. As every disease of the body is called an infirmity, as our Saviour, when he healed the sick of their particular distempers, is said to cure their infirmities; so, by the same analogy, every particular sin may be called an infirmity. Thus David, speaking of his distrust of God's goodness, calls it his 'infirmity.' So the author to the Hebrews, speaking of the Jewish high priests, says, 'The law maketh men high priests which have infirmities.' But in the Scripture it is no where used in this sense as an alleviation of guilt.

But the sense of Scripture is the least thing regarded in setting up this plea of infirmity, which has been invented and used to shelter some particular darling sins, and seldom or never for the universal imperfection of all, even the best of our actions, in which sense only it can be reasonably used; but that men think not worth excusing. The bosom sin is the thing to be defended in which case two things are generally urged, a natural passion, and the violence of the passion. A natural passion has the same author with nature, and belongs to us as we are men, and therefore not to be avoided. For the violence of the passion, the particular constitution and temperament of the body are alleged, which expose some more to this or that passion than others perhaps are liable to. But it is the misfortune of some arguments to prove too much, and, like an arrow too strongly drawn, miss the mark by going beyond it. What sin is there that may not thus be excused? St. Paul reckons among the works of the flesh, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and the like;' then adds,' they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.' Now try these round, they all immediately, or by consequence, arise from passions which are called natural, and, as they meet with a suitable temper, some may prevail in one, some in another; and then either the excuse is vain, or the Apostle's judgment is vain, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.'.

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The Scripture uses weakness in another sense, as opposed to knowlege; as 'weak Christians' are those newly converted, and not yet confirmed in the knowlege and mysteries of Christianity but this sense is nothing to our purpose.

So likewise weakness is applied to them who have weak and tender consciences, easily offended, who scrupled eating meat offered to idols, the use of which the Apostle allows to such as had sense enough not to be offended at it. Their infirmity was a nice and scrupulous fear of sin, where there was no reason to fear: a weakness we are pretty well got over.

These are the most usual, if not all the Scripture senses of infirmity; and I think it appears that none of them have infirmity enough in them to be an excuse for sin. All sin iş weakness; the more perfect any creature is, and the nearer it approaches to Him who is all perfection, the more remote is it from a possibility of sinning. It was our weakness made it necessary for the Son of God to come to our assistance, to rescue us from the law of sin and death; which he did by condemning sin in the flesh, and by the powerful effusion of his Holy Spirit. But to what purpose is the Holy Spirit promised or given, but to overcome our infirmities, that the strength of God may be made perfect in weakness?'

But yet, after all these helps, we are not nor cannot be perfect creatures. St. James says, ' In many things we offend all.' How shall these errors be excused, which the best of men are liable to? Is there a foundation for an excuse, or must all alike perish in the error of their ways? This will receive an answer, if we consider,

Secondly, what sort of sins they are which will admit of an excuse, because of the infirmity from which they proceed.

And here you are not to expect a catalogue of sins, for I know no kind of sin that can be otherwise excused than by repentance and amendment; and at best there is an impropriety of speech in sins of infirmity. The necessary effects of our infirmities are not sinful where they are not necessary, they may be sinful; but why they are called sins of infirmity in distinction to other sins, is hard to say. There is an imperfection in the obedience of the best of men. The five wise virgins slumbered,

and their lamps grew dim, and wanted trimming, when the bride

groom came; but yet they soon made ready, and were received to the marriage-feast: and without question, God will favorably look on the failings of good men, and accept their sincere though not perfect obedience. This, I hope, we have reason to allow: but yet the common notion of sins of infirmity gains nothing by it; for let any one say what is the sin of infirmity that all good men are guilty of. There is an imperfection which flows from the weakness of our present condition, and shows itself, not regularly, but in various instances. Many good Christians have complained of a coldness sometimes in their devotion, and of wandering and roving thoughts; which is, without doubt, one of those weaknesses that shall be forgiven to pious and sincere Christians. Will then make this one of your sins of infirmity, an evil that carries its excuse always with it? Surely no: for though it shall be forgiven some, it will be an aggravation of the guilt of others, who have not the same sincere obedience and good disposition to plead in their excuse. Some are troubled with impious and blasphemous thoughts, unworthy conceptions of God and Christ, and suffer a prodigious torment and anxiety of mind because of them, who are objects of pity and compassion both to God and man: and when this is the case of well-disposed persons, who are no ways consenting to them, there seems to be as little guilt in them as in a fever

or an ague.

you

On the whole then, since there is so little reason to depend on this excuse, and since all men in some degree stand in need of it, I will show you the way, and I know but one way, of intitling ourselves to this plea, which is, by endeavoring sincerely and universally to obey the will of God; then shall we be in the number of those whose infirmities, for the sake of Christ, shall be forgiven.