restored to his innocence again and the favor of Godthat that sin, which was as a separating wall between them, must be taken out of the way. A convicted sinner, pressed down under the heavy burden of his iniquity, and standing at hell's door, is easily taught the truth that, he must be born again. That is a simple, elementary truth to the man who has learned something of the extent of sin and the moral ruin which it leaves in its track.

We expect that carnal, worldly men will quarrel with this doctrine of sin-that systems of theology will deny it-those systems which are in league with Satan and shaped to his purposes. Yet the truth of God will stand; while at the same time we can demonstrate to the conviction even of worldly men that this is both the doctrine of Scripture and of common sense; and, however unwelcome to the heart, is in accordance with all the facts of human nature-the only true philosophy, and will stand to the confusion of the sinner and all his self-delusions.

CHAPTER XVI.

BONDAGE OF SIN.

We have dwelt upon the nature and extent of sin, showing, in respect to the latter point, that it makes a wreck of human character, and that the only restoration is by a regeneration, which secures "a new man." shall pursue this subject still farther in a little different line of thought, and attempt to show

WHAT THE BONDAGE OF SIN IS.

We

There is a prevalent idea, exerting a wide and powerful influence, that religion abridges the liberty of men

that they are free when they can continue in sin at their pleasure, following the inclinations of their own wicked hearts; but that they at once renounce their liberty and subject themselves to a yoke of bondage when they take upon themselves the obligations of religion, and bind their souls by solemn vows to the service of the Lord. Under the influence of the same thought and feeling many have looked upon the temperance reformation and the pledge of total abstinence as little less than a despotism, by which they were to be robbed of their liberties and subjected to a yoke of bondage. In their view of the subject, the liquor drinkers, sellers, and drunkards are the independent men in the community, who know their rights and stand up manfully for them; while the temperance men have thrown away their liberties, and then turned to wage war upon the rights of others. Thus intemperance with all its deadly train of woes boasts of its freedom, while temperance puts its yoke of bondage upon the necks of men and robs them of their rights. Across the waters, also, we find a class of men who reason and feel in the same way toward republicanism. This to their apprehension is nothing but a brood of serpents a very cockatrice's den, every egg of which is ready to break out into a viper. It is the very embodiment of licentiousness and anarchy, a contempt of all authority and law; so that if men desire to be free under a good government which shall protect all their most precious rights, let them beware of republicanisin and maintain their loyalty to established law and order. Thus are the despotisms of Europe fighting under the uplifted banner of freedom.

This is the defence which iniquity and wrong always seek to make for themselves. It is eminently so in respect to sin. The servants thereof think and claim that liberty and enjoyment are to be found with them alone; while religion imposes a heavy yoke-abridges liberty, denies

all rational enjoyment; in short, makes a hard master, to whom they never could submit. The devil thus claims all freedom for his service, and declares of Christ that His yoke is a yoke indeed, a yoke of bondage.

This, however, is a fearful delusion and lie. The truth is exactly the opposite. "If the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed," John viii. 36. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin,” viii. 34; becomes enslaved to it, so that it is his master. Nor is there any bondage so dark and terrible as that which sin imposes upon the soul.

This point we shall now endeavor to illustrate so as to make it plain to all, and not to be denied.

I. By sin a man is sold and bound to the service of Satan.

We know that many will rebel against this statement. They have never imagined that they were under any such bondage, being sold unto sin and pledged by a covenant which they cannot break, to do iniquity. They flatter themselves that they are free, having the control of themselves, with none to lord it over them. The devil never

makes an effort to undeceive them in this. He is willing that his subjects should indulge in this fond delusion. It is a part of his system, by which he cheats men on to their destruction. He is willing that the votary of the wine cup should please himself with the idea that he can innocently indulge his appetite, and stop the moment he sees danger; knowing that he is winding the fatal coil around his unsuspecting victim, and leading him on with syren song to destruction. The votaries of sin are always under a delusion; nor do they discover the fatal cheat until it is too late, and their ruin is secured.

Let us examine now and see if the transgressor, when he yields first to temptation and consents to iniquity, does not, from that moment, surrender his liberty and

independence, and covenant with Satan to be his and do his bidding. Although not put into so many words, does not the transgressor find this to be the understanding to which he is compelled to yield his assent, however reluctantly, and to which the adversary sternly holds him as, in fact, part of the bargain? This is the doctrine of Christ as already referred to, "Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.'

We shall argue this subject by facts, appealing to human experience.

Let us take those numerous cases so often to be found, where persons are assailed by temptation to commit iniquity, such deeds as they have heretofore not supposed themselves capable of doing. When the crime was first suggested, the tempted one recoiled in horror and refused to listen. But the temptation is renewed again and yet again, until the mind begins to be familiar with it and to parley. The appeals made to passion or self-interest are now listened to, and that with increasing interest, while the ear is being turned away from the warnings of conscience, until at last, in a fatal moment, the consent of the soul is obtained-the mysterious, awful boundary between innocence and guilt is overstepped, and the deed of transgression is done. The man finds himself, to his dismay, on the fatal side of that line, and he awakes, as did our first parents when their eyes were opened, to discover his nakedness-that his character, innocence, and virtue are gone; gone beyond his recall. And what is his situation-what the new relation in which he stands to the adversary? How does that tempter approach now? As he did before, with flatteries and falsehoods to allure and deceive? Ah! he knows the helplessness of his poor victim-knows that he is ruined, that he has sold himself, having parted with his liberties forever; and he comes now as the master to tell the slave what he

must do-comes to dictate, and obtain a fulfillment of the bargain. He points, it may be, to a repetition of the offence, or to a further step onward in guilt, requiring the subject now to do his bidding. And what can the poor victim of sin do? Can he stand up in the might of his innocence and fling the vile tempter from him? He might once have done this; but that time is gone by. The power with which he could have hurled the fiend from him is gone; and now like a trembling slave he crouches, and begs that he may not be compelled to proceed any further. He asks as a favor that he may not be driven to put his hand again to that deed of shame. But his master knows his power, and is inexorable. He bids his enslaved subject go forward. Nor dare he disobey. He is dragged as with a halter about his neck, and driven on in the way of transgression.

How many sinners are there who, after the first fatal step taken in iniquity, would draw back and place themselves in their innocence, where once they stood, releasing their souls from the covenant of hell into which they find they have entered! But they have put their hands to that covenant, and cannot disown it. They have sold themselves to do evil, and Satan holds them to the engagement. Is this all fiction? Oh! is there not awful truth in it, to which the history of many a transgressor will bear most painful witness?

II. We see this bondage of sin in the fact that the transgressor is not at liberty to put himself on the side of truth and righteousness, or to follow the call of conscience and duty.

We assert that the sinner has surrendered his liberty to do what God, conscience, and duty require, and left himself no alternative but to sin and be the slave of sin. Doubtless many will start back at this proposition, prepared at once to deny it; but be not too hasty. The