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Vers. 12. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bo∣dies, that you should obey it in the lusts thereof.
The second part of the Chapter follows, wherein the Apostle infers, out of what went before, an exhortation to all that are justified by Faith, that they follow after
Holiness. The Proposition to bee proved is the same with the former, viz. They that are justified, ought not to continue in sin, but labour after Holiness. Hee produceth thirteen Arguments, whereof the three former are inclu∣ded in the following Exhortation.
The branches of this Exhortation are three, and the Arguments as many, couched in the Exhortation, to the confirming of the Proposition.
The first branch of the Exhortation is, that they would not obey sin, by indulging the sinful lusts of the body.
Argum. 1. The first Argument is this; To obey the sinful lusts of the body, is to suffer in your mortal body the reign of sin, or of the Devil, from whence yee are freed, which they that are justified should tremble at. Therefore being now justified, you ought not to follow af∣ter sin, but holiness.
Vers. 13. Neither yeeld you your members as instru∣ments of unrighteousness unto sin, but yeeld your selves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteous∣ness unto God.
The second branch of the Exhortation is, that they would not fight for this Tyrant, viz. sin, making use of the faculties of their souls or bodies as servants to con∣tend for it, wherein is the second Argument: To serve sin, is to yeeld the faculties of the Soul, and members of the body, as weapons of iniquity to fight for sin and the Devil against God, and our own Salvation, which all that are justified ought to abhor. Therefore they that are justified, ought not to serve sin.
Yeeld] The third member of the Exhortation, that they would yeeld themselves Souldiers and Servants unto God, who hath freed them from death, wherein is the third Argument. God hath called you back from death in sin, and Eternal Perdition, unto Life, that you might bee Servants unto righteousness, and might contend for God against his enemies; therefore ought you to labour after Holiness.
Vers. 14. For sin shall not have dominion over you; for yee arae not under the Law, but under Grace.
Argum. 4. If you contend and fight against sin, the Tyrant shall not recover his dominion over you, which hee hath lost, neither shall sin reign over you, but you shall become Conquerours through Christ; therefore ought you to labour after Holiness.
For you are not] Argum. 5. Confirming the former, you are not under the Law, under the Covenant of works, wherein the Commandment exacted strict obedience, but affords no strength to assist in our obedience; but you are under Grace, or the Covenant of Grace, wherein the Grace of God, with the Command, confers life to Be∣lievers, and strength to obey; therefore certain of the victory against sin, yee ought to endeavour after Holi∣ness.
Vers. 15. What? then shall wee sin, because wee are not under the Law, but under grace? God forbid.
Hee repeats and rejects the absurd objection of Liber∣tines, who take occasion from the grace of God to sin more freely, when the contrary follows, viz. because wee are under grace, therefore wee ought not to indulge to our selves a liberty of sinning.
Vers. 16. Know you not, that to whom you yeeld your selves servants to obey, his servants yee are to whom yee obey, whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
Argum. 6. Serving by the way to confute the objecti∣on; seeing there is a necessity that you bee servants to him whom you obey, and that you receive a reward pro∣portionable to your work, whether you obey sin, or the Divine Commands, unless you will bee accounted the servants of sin, and will receive the reward of eternal death, it behoves you to beware that you indulge not your selves in sin, and if you will bee accounted the Servants of God, that you may bee pronounced Righteous, and Heirs of Life, of necessity you must labour after Holi∣ness.
Vers. 17. But God bee thanked that yee were the ser∣vants of sin: but yee have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered to you.
Argum. 7. By the grace of God, the time of your bondage is past, in which you were servants to sin, before your regeneration, and now converted, you have begun to yeeld sincere obedience to the Gospel, the impression whereof you have received as from a print: Therefore to return to the service of sin, or to depart from the sound Doctrine, is unworthy, but it behoves you to per∣severe in your obedience to the Doctrine into which you were delivered.
Vers. 18. Being then made free from sin, yee became the servants of righteousness.
Argum. 8. Being now freed from sin, by the Omnipo∣tent Arm of God, yee are servants of righteousness to holiness: Therefore by the Law of servitude, being ser∣vants to righteousness, yee are bound to become servants also unto holiness.
Vers. 19. I speak after the manner of men, because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as yee have yeelded your members servants to uncleanness, and to iniqui∣ty, unto iniquity; even so now yeeld your members servants to righteousness, unto holiness.
After his excuse of his homely similitude, which in many things holds no proportion with these spiritual things, yet notwithstanding the Holy Ghost is pleased to use, because of the infirmity of the Romans, for the sake of those that were carnal, which could not so easily apprehend an higher, or more spiritual way of speaking: Hee repeats the exhortation, and addeth:
Argum. 9. You have sometimes yeelded your members unto uncleanness, and have been altogether servants to unrighteousness; therefore now 'tis fitting, that with e∣qual industry at least, you yeeld your members servants unto righteousness, and to holiness, not to bee less studi∣ous of doing well, than heretofore you have been of sin∣ning, and doing ill.
Vers. 20. For when yee were the servants of sin, yee were free from righteousness.
Argum. 10. Confirming the former: When you were servants of sin, yee were free from righteousness, for you were not at all servants unto righteousness: Therefore now 'tis equal, seeing you are the servants of righteous∣ness, that you should bee free from sin, and not at all servants unto it.
Vers. 21. What fruit had you then in those things, whereof yee are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.
Argum. 11. You have gained no other fruit for your former sinful course of life, but shame, which is now up∣on you, nor could you expect any other fruit for the fu∣ture but eternal death, which is the end of sin; There∣fore it behoves you to beware that you serve sin no lon∣ger.
Vers. 22. But now being made free from sin, and be∣come servants to God, yee have your fruit unto ho∣liness, and the end everlasting life.
Arg. 12. After you gained your liberty from the bon∣dage of sin, you became servants unto God, and have your fruit unto holiness, encreasing and abounding dai∣ly therein, at length you shall obtain eternal life; there∣fore ought you diligently to follow after holiness.
Vers. 23. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life, through Iesus Christ our Lord.
Arg. 13. Confirming those which went before, after this manner; Whatsoever hath hitherto been spoken in this Argument, is sufficient and firm; for it is decreed by a Divine Sentence, to render a reward to sinners accord∣ing to their deserts, which is eternal death; and to be∣stow
life eternal, with Justification and Sanctification, which are chained to eternal life, not of debt, but freely of his grace, and that no way but in our Lord Jesus Christ: Therefore ought wee not to continue in sin, lest wee perish, but with Faith in Christ wee must joyn the practice of holiness, which holiness with eternal life, God will freely give to those that believe in Christ, and follow after holiness, as it is largely proved before.