5. They who _walk after the Spirit_, are also led by him, into all holiness of conversation. Their speech is _always in grace, seasoned with salt_, with the love and fear of God. _No corrupt communication comes out of their mouth, but_ only _that which is good_; that which is _to the use of edifying_, which is _meet to minister grace to the hearers_. And herein likewise do they exercise themselves day and night, to do only the things which please God: in all their outward behaviour to follow him, _who left us an example that we might tread in his steps_: in all their intercourse with their neighbour to walk in justice, mercy and truth; and _whatsoever they do_, in every circumstance of life, to _do all to the glory of God_.
6. These are they who indeed _walk after the Spirit_. Being filled with faith and with the Holy Ghost, they possess in their hearts, and shew forth in their lives, in the whole course of their words and actions, the genuine fruits of the Spirit of God, namely, _love_, _joy_, _peace_, _long-suffering_, _gentleness_, _goodness_, _fidelity_, _meekness_, _temperance_, and whatsoever else is lovely or praise-worthy. They _adorn in all things the gospel of God our Saviour_; and give full proof to all mankind, that they are indeed actuated by the same Spirit, _which raised up Jesus from the dead_.
II. 1. I proposed to shew, in the second place, How _there is no condemnation to them, which are_ thus _in Christ Jesus_, and thus _walk, not after the flesh, but after the Spirit_.
And, first, To believers in Christ, walking thus, _there is no condemnation_ on account of their past sins. God condemneth them not for any of these: they are as tho’ they had never been. They are _cast as a stone into the depth of the sea_, and he remembreth them no more. God having _set forth his Son to be a propitiation for them, thro’ faith in his blood, hath declared_ unto them _his righteousness, for the remission of the sins that are past_. He layeth therefore none of these to their charge; their memorial is perished with them.
2. And there is no condemnation in their own breast; no sense of guilt, or dread of the wrath of God. They _have the witness in themselves_; they are conscious of their interest in the blood of sprinkling. _They have not received again the spirit of bondage unto fear_, unto doubt and racking uncertainty; but they _have received the Spirit of adoption, crying in their hearts, Abba, Father_. Thus being _justified by faith, they have_ the _peace_ of God ruling in their hearts: flowing from a continual sense of his pardoning mercy, and _the answer of a good conscience toward God_.
3. If it be said, But sometimes a believer in Christ, may lose his sight of the mercy of God; sometimes such darkness may fall upon him, that he no longer sees him that is invisible, no longer feels that witness in himself of his part in the atoning blood; and then he is inwardly condemned, he hath again _the sentence of death in himself_: I answer, supposing it so to be, supposing him not to see the mercy of God, then he is not a believer; for faith implies light; the light of God shining upon the soul. So far therefore as any one loses this light, he for the time loses his faith. And no doubt a true believer in Christ, may lose the light of faith. And so far as this is lost, he may for a time fall again into condemnation. But this is not the case of them who now _are in Christ Jesus_, who now believe in his name. For so long as they believe and walk after the Spirit, neither God condemns them nor their own heart.