The third thing assigned unto this law of sin in its opposition unto Ood and the law of his grace is, that it leads the soul captive : Rom. vii. 23, " I find a law leading me captive" (captivating me) "unto the law of sin." And this is the utmost height which the apostle in that place carries the opposition and warringof the remainders of indwelling- sin unto ; closing the consideration of it with a complaint of the state and condition of believers thereby, and an earnest prayer for deliver- ance from it : Verse 24, " O wretched man that I am ! who shall deliver me from this body of death?" What is contained in this ex- pression and intended by it shall be declared in the ensuing obser- vations : —
1. It is not directly the poiuer and actings of the law of sin that are here expressed, but its success in and upon its actings. But success is the greatest evidence of power, and leading captive in war is the height of success. None can aim at greater success than to lead their enemies captive; and it is a peculiar expression in the Scripture of great success. So the Lord Christ, on his victoiy over Satan, is said to " lead captivity captive," Eph. iv. 8, — that is, to conquer him who had concpiered and prevailed upon others; and this he did when " by death he destroyed him that had the power of death, that is, the devil," Heb. ii. 1 4. Here, then, a great prevalency and power of sin in its Avarring against the soul is discovered. It so wars as to " lead captive ;" which, had it not great power, it could not do, especially against that resistance of the soul which is included in this expression.
2. It is said that it leads the soul captive " imto the law of sin;" — not to this or that sin, particular sin, actual sin, but to the " law of sin." God, for the most part, ordereth things so, and gives out such
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supplies of grace unto believers, as that they shall not be made a prey unto this or that particular sin, that it should prevail in them and compel them to serve it in the lusts thereof, that it should have dominion over them, that they should be captives and slaves unto it. This is that which David prays so earnestly against: Ps. xix. 12, 13, " Cleanse thou me from secret faults. Keep back thy servant also fi'om presumptuous sins ; let them not have dominion over me : then shall I be upright." He supposeth the continuance of the law of sin in him, verse 12, which will bring forth errors of life and secret sins; against which he findeth relief in pardoning and cleansing mercy, which he prays for. " This," saith he, " will be my condition. But for sins of jDride and boldness, such as all sins are that get dominion in a man, that make a captive of a man, the Lord restrain thy ser- vant from them." For what sin soever gets such power in a man, be it in its own nature small or great, it becomes in him in whom it is a sin of boldness, pride, and presumption ; for these things are not reckoned from the nature or kind of the sin, but from its prevalency and customariness, Avherein its pride, boldness, and contempt of God doth consist. To the same purpose, if I mistake not, prays Jabez: 1 Chron. iv. 10, " Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me ! " The holy man took occasion from his own name to pray against sin, that that might not be a grief and sorrow to him by its power and prevalency. I confess, sometimes it may come to this with a believer, that for a season he may be led captive by some particular sin ; it may have so much prevalency in him as to have power over him. So it seems to have been with David, when he lay so long in his sin without repentance; and was plainly so with those in Isa. Ivii. 17, 18, " For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him : I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart. I have seen his v^^ays, and will heal him." They continued under the power of their covetousness, so that no dealings of God with them, for so long a time, could reclaim them. But, for the most part, when any lust or sin doth so prevail, it is from the advantage and furtherance that it hath got by some powerful temptation of Satan. He hath poisoned it, inflamed it, and entangled the soul. So the apostle, speaking of such as through sin were fallen off from their hoKness, says, " They were in the snare of the devil, being taken captive by him at his will," 2 Tim. ii. 26. Though it were their own lusts that they served, yet they were brought into bondage thereunto by being entangled in some snai'e of Satan ; and thence they are said to be " taken alive," as a poor beast in a toil.