VeR. 15.] SERMONS UPON ROMANS VIII. 105
ye would ; but if ye be led by ihe Spirit, ye are not under the law.' As spirit and flesh do hist against, and constantly oppose one another, and labour to suppress and diminish each other, so do law and grace. Tliose that are slaves to their sinful lusts, and are not enabled by the spirit of the new testament to do in some measure what the rule enjoineth, have their comforts obstructed ; and while sin reigneth, the law reigneth : Eom. vi. 14, ' For sin shall not have dominion over you, for ye are not under the law, but grace.' Partly, by its irritating power ; and partly, by its condemning power ; leaving them under a fear of condemnation, and urging them to do what they cannot do.
(3.) The children of God by regeneiation and adoption, while sin remaineth, may have somewhat of bondage remaining in them. Look ; as under the old testament, when the ingenuous and noble motives of the gospel were in a great measure unknown, there was somewhat of a free spirit in the eminent saints, Ps. li. 12, though but sparingly dispensed ; so under the gospel dispen.sation, there are many sad and drooping christians who do not improve the comforts provided for them, and when they are called upon to rejoice in the Lord always, Phil, iv, 4, rather go mourning all the day long ; but it is their fault. The people iinder the law-dispensation were eitlier the godly, or the wicked, or the middle sort ; the eminently godly then had a free spirit ; the wicked were either terrified, or stupified ; the middle sort, who were touching the righteousness of the law blameless, Phil. iii. 6, had a zeal for outward observances, but not according to knowledge, Rom. X. 2 ; were merely actuated by a legal spirit. So under the gospel there are the eminently godly, who evermore rejoice, 1 Thes. v. 16, or at least are swayed more with love, than fear ; the weak godly, who have much of their ancient fears, and the love of God in them is yet too weak to produce its effects ; though this love to God do prevail over sin, yet not ordinarily over fear of punishment ; but much of that influences their duties, more than their love to God. There is too great averse- ness in their hearts from God and holiness, and they seek to break it by the terrors of the Lord. Not sin, but fear is predominant.
3. Is this spirit of bondage good, or bad ? I answer, —
[1.] We must distinguish of the three agents in it. This bondage Cometh partly from a good cause,' the Spirit of God breeding in us a knowledge of our duty, and a belief of the threatenings of God, from whence ariseth a sense of our sinful and miserable condition ; so far it is good and useful. Partly from an ill cause, the devil, who delighteth to vex us with unreasonable terrors : 1 Sam. xvi. 14, ' The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord vexed him ; ' the devil both tempteth and troubleth ; as the huntsman hideth himself till the poor beast be gotten into the toils, then he appeareth with shouts and cries. Partly from the corruption of man's heart, which either turneth this work to an utter aversation from God, or some perfunctory and unwilling way of serving him. Some know the right use of the covenant, others not ; and therefore we must consider not only how it is wrought by the Spirit, but how it is entertained by man through our corruption ; our conviction of sin and misery by the Spirit turneth into bondage and servitude.
[2] The spirit of bondage is better thnn a profane spirit. Some
106' SERMONS UPON UOMANS VIII. [SeR. XXII.
. cast ofi' all thoughts of God and the world to come, and are not so serious and mindful of reliijion as to be much troubled with any fears about tlieir eternal condition ; it were happy for them if they were come so far as a spirit of bondage ; they that are under it have a con- science of their duty, but such as pcrplexeth them, and lasheth, and stingeth them with the dread and horror of that God wliom they serve. Now this is better than the profane spirit that wholly forgets God : Ps. X. 4, ' God is not in all their thoughts ;' whether he be pleased or dis- pleased, honoured or dishonoured. This may tend to good ; the gradus ad rem, gradus in re ; yea, it may in some degree be consistent with sincerity ; for though to have no love to God is inconsistent with a state of grace, or to have less love to God than sin ; yet to have moie fear than love is consistent with some weak degree of grace, especially if the case be so, that in act, love is less felt than fear ; and therefore, though men are conscious to nuich backwardness, yet keep up a serious- ness ; though to their feeling it is more tear than love which moveth them, yet we dare not pronounce them graceless ; for there may be a love to God, and a complacency in his ways, though it be oppressed by fear, that the spirit of adoption is not so much discovered for the time.