(3.) After grace received much of our old bondage remaineth with us ; for ' all their life-time they are subject to bondage,' Heb. ii. 15. We carry these shackles with us to heaven's gates. Which cometh to pass, partly through the imperfection of our graces : 1 John iv. 17, 18, ' Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as he is so are we in the world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath torment : he that feareth is not perfect in love.' It is possible a man may be justified ; but because his love doth not prevail to a greater obedience to God or conformity to Christ, therefore some of that fear which hath torment in it yet remaineth, and we have not that confi- dence which may embolden us against the fears of condemnation, or the terrors of the judgment. As faith worketh by love, and love pro- duceth its effect, which is obedience to God and conformity to Christ, the fear of being condemned is cast out, and the conscience is more soundly established. And partly because God seemeth to revive these condemning fears by many harsh corrections, which look very wrath-like. An instance we have, 1 Kings xvii. 18. The woman of Sarepta, when her only son died, said to Elisha, ' What have I to do with thee, thou man of God ? art thou come to call my sin to remembrance, to slay my son?' She thought that that providence intimated that God began to reckon with her about her sins ; this may be a mistake, for God's providence must be expounded by his word. The grievous bitterness is intended for good, not for evil ; to prevent condemnation, not establish it as the concluded determination and sentence of our judge : 1 Cor. xi. 32, ' We are chastened of the Lord that we may not be condemned with the world.' However, you see these fears are soon revived in us by bitter and grievous providences, which make us unravel all our hopes, and question whatever God hath done for us. And partly too, God may do it by some judicial impression on the con- science : Job xiii. 26, 27, ' Thou writest bitter things against me, and makest me jDossess the iniquities of my youth ; thou puttest my feet into the stocks, and lookest narrowly unto all my jmths ; thou settest a print upon the heels of my feet.' He speaketh there as if God did pursue him as one that was not justified. The wounds of a healed con- science may bleed afresh, and sins long ago committed may be raked out of their graves, and like walking ghosts stare in the face of con- science ; and they may be apt to suspect all is wrong, and that they are still liable to the condemnation of God. God may permit this upon new provocations, when we walk not humbly and cautiously with him, and do not cherish the fervency of our love to him, and the ten- derness of our consciences. Now all this showeth how hard a matter it is to get rid of the fear of condemnation. Before justification there is guilt, law, conscience against us — 'the law condemneth, hearts con- demn, and God himself seems to condemn us; after justification, imperfection of grace, sharp afilictions, and sad thoughts about past sins, these seem to condemn us.
362 SERMONS UPON ROMANS VIII. [SeR. XLIV.
3. The sure and solid grounds of a believer's peace. Before our conscience can be established these three things must be done —
1.] God's lionour secured.
2.] The law satisfied.
3.] The conditions of the gospel fulfilled.
1.] God's honour secured by a fit demonstration of his justice and holiness, which are the two attributes which do revive our guilty fears. His justice concerneth the rewarding of the obedient, and punishing the transgressors according to his law. The government of the world is secured by keeping up the honour of his justice : Gen. xviii. 25, ' Shall not the judge of all the earth do riglit ? ' and Rom. iii. 5, 6, ' Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance ? God forbid ; liow then shall God judge the world? ' Certainly the government of the world is not provided for if there be not a means to keep up the honour of his justice ; for God is not to be looked upon as a private party wronged, but the governor and judge of the world, who must have satisfaction, or declare his rigliteousness. His holiness must be demonstrated also, or his displeasure against sin, which is sufficiently done by the suffer- ings of Christ, which put an everlasting brand upon sin : Eom. viii. 3, ' God sending his own Son, in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the 'flesh.' At Golgotha we have the truest sight of sin.
[2.] His law satisfied, and the authority thereof kept up : Gal. iv. 5, 6, ' Christ was made under the law, to redeem them that were under tlie law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.' Christ was made under the law moral, which all are subject unto ; as obedience unto natural parents, Luke ii. 51 ; positive and ceremonial, which the Jews were bound to obey, Mat. iii. 15 ; more particularly, the law of a redeemer and saviour ; so he was obliged to die for us : Ps. xl. 6-8, ' Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire ; my ears hast thou opened : burnt-offering and sin-offering hast thou not required, Then said I, Lo, I come ; in the volume of the book it is written of me : I delight to do thy will, 0 my God ; yea, thy law is in my heart.' This was the noblest piece of service, or the highest degree of obedience, that ever could be performed to God : Eom. v. 19, ' By the obedience of one shall many be made righteous ; ' Phil, ii .8, ' And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, the death of the cross;' and Heb. v. 8, 9 ; ' Though he was a son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered ; and being made perfect, he is become theauthor of eternal sal vation unto all that obey him ; ' and was carried on with such humility, jjatience, and self-denial, resig- nation of himself to God, faith on him, and charity and pity to men, that such an act of love, and such a piece of service or obedience, can- not be done by men or angels. Then for the penalty and curse — ' He was made a curse for us,' Gal. iii. 13. Our curse and condemnation is legible in what Christ endured for us, the loss in his desertion, pain in liis agonies and bloody sweat, and painful and shameful death. They were not light things which Christ endured, but such as extorted prayers, tears, and strong cries.