Sermons Volume 2, Romans 8 · Sermon 22
SERMON XXII.
ROM. VIII.15.
For ye have not received the spirit of bondage, again to fear; but ye have received the spirit of Adoption, whereby we cry, Abba Father.
THE Words contain a Reason, why those who are led by the Spirit, are the children of God: The Reason is, because they have received the Covenant of Grace; and the Spirit which accompanieth the New Covenant, is not the Spirit of Bondage, but Adoption. 'Tis propounded,
1. Negatively.
2. Affirmatively.
1. Negatively: They were freed from the servile fear of condemnation, which the legal Covenant wrought in them.
2. Affirmatively: They were endowed with the Spirit of Adoption, or a perswasion of their Father's Love, or of God's admitting them into his Family, and the right of inheritance; and so were drawn to obedience by noble motives suitable to the Covenant they were under.
For the First Clause in the Text, Ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear. In which words observe,
1. The State of men under the Law-Covenant: 'Tis a State of Bondage.
2. The operation of the Spirit, during that Dispensation, it made men sensible of their Bondage: Ye have not received the spirit of bondage: There is the Spirit mentioned, and, foreign, again, implying, That during that Dispensation they had it.
3. The impression left upon the heart of man, foreign, fear. There is a Twofold Fear, filial and servile, child-like and slavish: The one is a lawful and necessary Fear, which doth quicken us to our Duty, Phil. 2.12. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling; and is either the fear of Reverence, or the fear of Caution. The fear of Reverence is nothing but that awe which we, as Creatures, are to have of the Divine Majesty, or an humble sense of the condition, place, and duty of a Creature towards its Creator: The fear of Caution is a due sense of the importance and weight of the business we are ingaged in, in order to our salvation. Certainly none can consider the danger we are to escape, and the blessedness we aim at, but will see a need to be serious; and therefore this fear is good and holy. Secondly, There is besides this, a slavish fear, which doth not further, but extreamly hinder our Work: For tho we are to fear God, yet we are not to be afraid of God. This servile fear may be interpreted either with respect to the Precept, or the Sanction of the Law: First, with respect to the Precept; and so it sheweth us how men stand naturally affected to the duty of the Law: Whatever they do, is meerly for fear of being punished. Secondly, to the Sanction, Penalty and Curse: The fear of evil is more powerful upon us than the hope of good: The greater the evil, the greater the fear, and the more tormenting.
Doct. That men under the Law-Covenant, are under a Spirit of Bondage.
Here I shall enquire,
1. What is the Spirit of Bondage?
2. How is it the fruit of the Law-Covenant?
3. Whether it is good or bad?
1. What is the Spirit of Bondage? To open it, we must explain Three Things,
The Nature of the Object: 2. The Work of the Spirit: 3. The Disposition of man.
1. The Nature of the Object: The Law requiring Duty of the fal'n creature, and threatning punishment in case of disobedience: For the Law hath a Twofold Office, to convince of sin, Rom. 3.20. Now by the Law only cometh the knowledg of sin: and to bind over to punishment: Therefore 'tis said, The law worketh wrath, Rom. 4.15. In both respects the Old Covenant is called the Law of sin and death, Rom. 8.2. The Law, as a covenant of Works, is called a Law of sin, because it only sheweth our sin; and a Law of death, because it bindeth us over to death.
2. The Work of the Spirit: Every Truth is quickned by the Spirit, and made more powerful upon our hearts. The comfort which we have from the Truth of the Gospel, is by the Spirit, and therefore 'tis called Joy in the Holy Ghost. So Law-Truths are applied to the conscience by the Spirit, Jer. 31.19. After I was instructed, I smote upon the thigh: and when the commandment came; that is, in the light and power of the Spirit, sin revived, and I died, Rom. 7.9. That is, was made sensible of his sinful and lost condition. And indeed the usual Work wherewith the Spirit beginneth with men, is to shew them their sin and misery, their alienation from God, and enmity to him, and insufficiency to help themselves.
3. The disposition of man, which is corrupted, under the workings of the Spirit of Bondage: And so this Spirit of Bondage, or servile Fear, worketh several ways, according to the Temper of men: First in the prophane it giveth occasion of further sinning, as conscience being awakened by the Spirit, urgeth either the Precept or the Curse: the Precept, as a Bullock at first yoking, groweth more unruly, or a River swelleth when it meeteth with a dam and restraint, Rom. 7.5. For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sin, which were by the law, did work in our members, to bring forth fruit unto death. Sinful practices were more irritated by the prohibition; and so our obligation to death increased: or else by urging the Curse, which produceth the sottish despair, Jer. 18.12. And they said, there is no hope; we will walk after our devices.
There is a double despair, of pleasing, or being accepted: There is a lazy sottish despair, as well as raging and tormenting despair, by which men cast off all care of the Souls welfare: There is no hope. Secondly, in a middle sort of men, that have a legal conscience; it puts them upon some duty and course of service to God: But 'tis not done comfortably, nor upon any noble motives: That which is defective in it, is this; First, 'tis constrained service; This Bondage, which is a fruit of the Law, doth force and compel men to some unpleasing Task: A Christian serveth God out of love; but one under the Spirit of Bondage serveth God out of fear: A love to God and true holiness, prevaileth with the one, more than the fear of wrath and punishment: for the Spirit of Adoption disposeth and inclineth him to God, as a Father; but one under the Spirit of Bondage, is forced to submit to some kind of religiousness, for fear of being damned. Indeed both are constrained, the one by love, the other by fear, 2 Cor. 5.14. only the constraint of love is durable, and kindly, and sweet; the other, his Task, is grievous and wearisome, Mal. 1.11. and holdeth most in a fit; when danger is nigh, they are frighted into some devotion, Psal. 78. from 34, to 38. Secondly, That service which they are forced and compelled to yield to God, is outward service and obedience, Isa. 58.7. hanging the head for a day, like a Bulrush; and as they do, Micah 6.7. offer Thousands of Rams, and Ten Thousands of Rivers of Oyl, or the first born of their body, for the sin of their souls: 'Tis a Sin-Offering rather than a Thank-Offering; more to appease conscience, than to please God; consists in Rituals rather than Substantials; and those invented by men, rather than commanded by God: Whereas the true Christian is otherwise described, Phil. 3.3. For we are the circumcision which worship God in the Spirit, and rejoyce in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the fiesh. But the false Christian is one (Matth. 15.8.) that draweth nigh to God with the mouth, but their heart is far from him: their heart is averse from God, tho they must have an outward Religion to rest in: and so they serve God not as children do a father, but as slaves serve an hard and cruel master. Thirdly, In some the Lord may make use of it to bring on conversion: for according to our sense of sin and misery, so is a Saviour and Redeemer welcome to us, and prized by us. There must be a sensible awakening knowledg of our great necessity, before we will make use of Christ for our Cure and Remedy. None but the sick will care for the Physitian, Matth. 9.12. the burdened for ease, Matth. 11.28, 29. the pursued for a Sanctuary and Refuge, Heb. 6.18. None but the condemned, to be justified and acquitted, Rom. 8.33, 34. the lost and miserable to be saved, Luke 19.10.
2. How is it the fruit of the law covenant? The law covenant is double, either the covenant of nature, which concerned both Jew and Gentile; or the first administration of the covenant of Grace, made with the Jews only. First, the covenant of nature, which we are all under, naturally breedeth Bondage and shyness of God; we are sensible that we are his creatures, and so owe him duty and subjection; that we have fail'd in our duty to him, and therefore lye obnoxious to his wrath, and punishment. Heathens that had but some obscure notions of God, felt somewhat of this Bondage, Rom. 1.32. They knew the judgment of God, and that they which commit such things are worthy of death. They stood in dread of angry justice, and not only they, but all mankind are under it, Rom. 2.15. according to that natural sense which men have of religion, so is their Bondage more or less; still under fear of death, and the consequents thereof. This sense or conscience of sin, and wrath, which the breach of Gods law hath made our due, is so ingrained in the nature of man, that he cannot disposess himself of it. The Apostle compareth it to the bond of marriage, which is indissoluble, till one of the parties die, Rom. 7.1, 2, 3. The conscience of man is either married to the law, as its husband; or Christ, as its husband: not to the latter, till it be dead to the former, v. 4. Ye are become dead to the law, by the body of Christ, that ye might be marrid to another, even to him that was raised from the dead. Well then, this Bondage is the effect of the law, or covenant of Nature, impressed upon the heart of man, and ariseth from a consciousness of guilt, and obnoxiousness to Gods wrath and displeasure, because of Gods broken covenant.
Secondly, The first administration of the covenant of grace, That bred a spirit of Bondage; witness that allegory, Gal. 4.22, to 26. Abrahams two Wives did represent the two Covenants: the first and second administration of the Covenant of grace. The first gendred to Bondage, men of a servile spirit, doing what they did, not out of love, but slavish fear, 2 Cor. 3.9. But if the ministration of death, written and ingraven in stones, was glorious; so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses, for the glory of his countenance, which glory was to be done away; for if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness excel in glory. foreign their Gospel was dark, and had little efficacy to change the heart of man, it did little allay and vanquish this shyness of God; rather increased it, as it conduced to revive the knowledg of God in their minds, and held forth the ransom and way of appeasing Gods angry justice; obscurely and darkly, rather shewed our distance from God. Israel was Gods first-born, and so his heir, but an heir in non-age, Gal. 4.1, 2. Their ordinances was a Bond, ours an Aquittance; but what is this to us? Answer. Much every way:
1. That we may bless God for the greater advantages that we have to breed a Childlike spirit in us by the new Covenant; where the Lord who is offended by sin, is propitiated by the death of Christ, and willing to admit man into his presence; and bless him, that God as a Judge driveth us by the spirit of Bondage to Christ as Mediator; that Christ as Mediator by the spirit of adoption may bring us back again to God as a Father; and then having God for our Father, we may have Christ for our Advocate, and the Spirit for our Comforter and Sanctifier, to inable us to observe the Gospel precepts of repentance towards God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ: and so be made capable of the promises of pardon and life; one covenant maketh us sensible of the grace of the other. Christ dealeth with us as children of the family, requiring duty from us upon reasonable and comfortable terms.
2. Because those that live under the Gospel-dispensation, and have not received the power of it, may be yet under a spirit of bondage, and cherish a legal way of religion. In every one that entertaineth thoughts of Religion, Law and Gospel are at conflict in his heart, as well as flesh and corruption; this is clear, by Gal. 5.17, 18. For the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary the one to the other; so that ye cannot do the things that ye would; but if ye be led by the spirit, ye are not under the law; as spirit and flesh do lust against, and constantly oppose one another, and labour to suppress and diminish each other; so do Law and Grace; those that are slaves to their sinful lusts, and are not inabled by the spirit of the new Testament to do in some measure what the rule injoyneth, have their comforts obstructed; and while sin reigneth, the law reigneth, Rom. 6.14. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for ye are not under the law, but grace. Partly, by its iritating 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 regeneration and adoption, while sin remaineth, may have somewhat of bondage remaining in them. Look as under the Old Testment, 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, Psal. 51.12. though but sparingly dispenced: so under the Gospel dispensation, there are many sad and drooping Christians who do not improve the comforts provided for them, and when they are called upon to rejoyce in the Lord always, Phil. 4.4. rather go mourning all the day long, but 'tis their fault. The people under the law dispensation were either 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. 3.6. had a zeal for outward observances, but not according to knowledg, Rom. 10.2. were meerly acted by a legal spirit: so under the Gospel there are the eminently Godly who evermore rejoyce, 1 Thes. 5.16. 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 effect; 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 aversness 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.
Thirdly, 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 knowledg of our Duty, and a Belief of the threatnings of God, from whence ariseth a sense of our sinful and miserable condition; so far 'tis good and useful; Partly, from an ill cause, the Devil, who delighteth to vex us with unreasonable terrors, 1 Sam. 16.14. 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 toile, then he appeareth with shouts and cryes; Partly, from the corruption of mans 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 'tis wrought by the spirit, but how 'tis 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 than a profane spirit. Some cast off all thoughts of God, and the World to come, and are not so serious and mindful of religion, as to be much troubled with any fears about their 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 conscience of their duty, but such as perplexeth them, and lasheth, and stingeth them with the dread and horror of that God whom they serve. Now this is better than the prophane spirit that wholly forgets God, Psa. 10.4. God is not in all their thoughts; whether he be pleased, or displeased, 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 more fear than love, is consistent with some weak degree of grace, especially if the case be so, that love is less felt in act, than fear: and therefore though men are conscious to much backwardness, yet keep up a seriousness, though to their feeling 'tis more fear 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.
3. That 'tis an ill frame of spirit, to be cherished or rested in. For while men are under the sole and predominant influence of it, they are never converted to God; fear doth begin the work of conversion, but love maketh it sincere: the spirit by fear doth awaken men to make them see their condition, terrifying them by the belief of Gods threatning, and the sense of his indignation, that they may flee from wrath to come, Matth. 3.7. Or cry out, What shall I do to be saved? Acts 2.37. But yet, tho they have a sensible work, they have not a saving work: Some by these fears, are but troubled and restrained a little, and so settle again in their sensual course, but to their great loss: for God may never give them like advantages again: Others betake themselves to a kind of religiousness, and forsake the practice of those grosser sins, which breed their fears; and so resting here, continue in a state of hypocrisie, and self-deceiving religiousness.
1. USE is Information, and Instruction; to teach us how to carry it as to the spirit of Bondage: First, 'tis not to be slighted; partly, from the matter which breedeth the fear and bondage, which is the law of God, the supreme rule and reason of our duty, by which all debates of conscience are to be decided; partly, from the Author, this sense of sin and misery is stirred up in us, and made more active by the Operation of the Spirit of God; partly, from the faculty wherein 'tis seated, the conscience of a reasonable creature, the most lively and sensible power of mans soul, which cannot be pacified, but upon solid grounds and reasons; partly, from the effect the fear of eternal death, the greatest misery that can befall us; for surely 'tis a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God, Heb. 10.31. To smother and stifle checks of conscience, doth increase our misery, not remove it, and produceth hardness of heart, and contempt of God; therefore when our souls are at this pass, that we see we are in bondage to sin, and know not how to help it; in bondage to wrath, and know not how to quench these fears which are awakened in us by the spirit, surely we should look after solid satisfaction, and peace of soul, setled on us upon Gospel Terms; Run to the blood of sprinkling, Heb. 10.20.
2. Yet 'tis not a thing to be chosen, prayed for, or rested in; Partly, because 'tis a judiciary Impression, a spark of Hell kindled in the conscience; a tender conscience we may and must pray for, but not a stormy conscience; when we ask legal terrors, we know not what we ask; a belief of the threatnings belong to our duty; as well as a belief of the promises; but we must not so reflect upon terrors, as to exclude the comfort and hope of the Gospel; when under a spirit of Bondage, we are in a most servile condition, far from all solid comfort, courage and boldness; but is it not an help to conversion? Answer, Let God take his own way, we are not to look after the deepness of the wound, but the soundness of the cure; not terrible representations of sin and wrath, but such an anxiousness as will make us serious and solicitous; partly, because the Law-Covenant is an antiquated dispensation, the law of nature bindeth not as a Covenant; for the promise of life ceased upon the incapacity of the subjects, when under a natural impossibility of keeping it; the threatning and penalty lieth upon us indeed, till we flee to another court and covenant: The Jewish Covenant was abolished, when Christ repealed the Law of Moses, that Covenant dealt with us as servants, the Gospel dealeth with us as sons, in a more ingenuous way, and inviting us to God upon nobler motives; and partly, from the nature of that fear that doth accompany it, it driveth us from God, not to God, Gen. 3.5. Adam hid himself among the bushes; and he gives us this reason, because he was afraid; and still we all fly from a condemning God, but to a pardoning God we are incouraged to come nigh, Psal. 103.4. There is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. In the wicked, the fear of Gods Wrath once begun, it increaseth daily, till it come to the desperate fear of the damned, and the fault is not in the law, or in the spirit, but in man, who runneth from his own happiness, and maketh an ill use of Gods Warnings.
2. USE, is to put us upon tryal, and self-reflection: All that attend upon Ordinances, receive some spirit or other; a spirit of bondage, or a spirit of adoption; now with what kind of spirit are we acted withall? Gods children, who are adopted into his family, may have some degree of the spirit of bondage, great mixtures of fears and discouragements; for only perfect love casteth out fear, 1 John 4.18. but these fears are over-ballanced by the spirit of adoption; they have some filial boldness, a better spirit than a slave; do not wholly sin away the love of a father, tho the delight and comfort be much obstructed; 'twas a sad word, for a child of God to speak, Psal. 77.3. I thought of God, and I was troubled: The remembrance of God may augment our grief, when conscience representeth his abused favours, as the cause of his present wrath and displeasure with us, but this is not their constant temper, but only in great dissertions; for a constancy, while sin remaineth, somewhat of bondage remaineth; but there is a partial, predominant legality; the partial may be found in the regenerate, who do by degrees overcome the servile fear of condemnation, and grow up more and more into a Gospel Spirit; certainly where that prevaileth, there will be liberty, 2 Cor. 3.17. Tho for a while, the heir differeth nothing, or nothing to speak of, from a servant, yet in time he behaveth himself as a son, and is treated as a son; and they get more comfort and joy in the service of God; but the predominant legality is in the carnal; it may be known by the governing principle, fear, or love; the inseparable companion of the spirit of bondage is fear; and love and sonship, or the spirit of Adoption, go together; and where slavish fear prevaileth, and influenceth our Religion; it may be known by these two things: First, By their unwillingness and reluctancy to what they do for God; The good they do, they would not, and the evil they do not, they would do; that is, they would fain live in a sinful life if they durst, and be excused from religious duties, except that little outward part which their custom and credit engages them to perform; like Birds that in a sunshine day sing in the Cage, tho they had rather be in the Woods; They live not an holy life, tho some of the duties which belong to it, they observe, out of a fear to be damned; if they had their freest choice, they had rather live in the love of the creature, than in the love of God; and the pleasures of the flesh, than the heavenly life: But now they that have the spirit of Adoption, are inclined to the love of God and Holiness, have hearts suited to their work, Psal. 40.8. Thy law is in my heart, and Heb. 8.10. I will put my laws into their minds, and write them upon their hearts. They obey not from the urgings of the law from without, but from the poise and inclination of the new nature; not barely as enjoined, but as inclined. They do not say, O that this were no duty, or this sinful course lawful! but, O how I love thy law! Psal. 119.97. O that my ways were directed, Psal. 119.5. They do not groan and complain of the strictness of the law, but of the remainders of corruption, Rom. 7.24. Not who will free me from the law? but who will free me from this body of death? Their will is to serve God more and better, not to be excused from the duties of holiness, or serving him at all.
2. By the cause of their trouble about what they have done, or left undone: They are not troubled for the offence done to God, but their own danger; not for sin, but merely the punishment; as Esau sought the blessing with tears, when he had lost it; Heb. 12.17. He was troubled, but why? Non quia vendiderat, sed quia perdiderat; Not because he sold it, which was his sin; but lost the priviledges of the birthright, which was his misery; so, many carnal men, whose hearts are in a secret love and league with their lusts. yet are troubled about their condition, not because they are affraid to sin, but affraid to be damned; 'tis not Gods displeasure they care for, but their own safety; the Youngman went away sad and grieved Mark 10.22. because he had great possessions; because he could not reconcile his covetous mind with Christs counsel and direction; Felix trembled, being convinced of sins, which he was loath to discontinue and break off; slavish fear, tho it doth not divorce the heart from its lusts, yet it raiseth trouble about them.
3. USE is to press you to get rid of this spirit of bondage; and to prevail upon it more and more. For Motives.
1. 'Tis dishonourable to God, and supposeth strange prejudices and misrepresentations of God; as if his government were a kind of Tyranny, grievous and hurtful to man; and we think him an hard Master whom it is impossible to please, as the evil and sloathful servant, Matt. 25.24, 25. I knew that thou wert an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sowed, and gathered where thou hast not strawed; and I was affraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth. His fear was the cause of his negligence and unfaithfulness, which fear is begotten in us, by a false opinion of God, which rendreth him dreadful, rigorous, and terrible to the Soul; while we look upon God through the Glass of our guilty fears, we draw a strange Picture of him in our minds, as if he were a ridgid Lawgiver, and a severe Avenger, harsh, and hard to be pleased, and therefore unwilling to submit to him.
2. 'Tis prejudicial to us, in many regards.
1. It hindereth our free and delightful converse with God. The legal spirit hath no boldness in his presence, but is filled with tormenting fear and horror at the thoughts of him: The Spirit of adoption giveth us confidence and boldness in prayer, Heb. 4.16. and Eph. 3.12. but on the contrary, the spirit of bondage maketh us hang off from God. As Adam was affraid, and run to the bushes, Gen. 3.12. and David had a dark and uncomfortable spirit, and grew shy of God after his sin, Psal. 32.3, 4. fain to issue forth an injuction or practical decree in the Soul to bring his backward heart into his presence, v. 5. And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord of Hosts, Gen. 4.16. as unable to abide there, where the frequent Ordinances of God might put him in remembrance of him. And Jam. 2.29. The Devils believe, and tremble. They abhor their own thoughts of God, as reviving terror in them: The Papists think it boldness to go to God, without the mediation and intercession of the Saints: The original of that practice was slavish fear, when God had opened a door of access to himself.
2. It breaketh our courage, in owning the ways of God, and truths of God. The Apostle when he presseth Timothy not to be ashamed of the testimony of the Lord, nor his servants, and to be partakers of the afflictions of the Gospel; he urgeth this Argument, 2 Tim 1.7, 8. For we have not received the spirit of fear, but the spirit of love, and power, and of a sound mind: foreign is foreign, a poor cowardly dasterdly spirit, mated or overcome with every difficulty; but now a spirit confirmed in the love of God, and the faith and hope of the Gospel, is a fruit of power and fortitude, the righteous is as bold as a Lion, Pro. 28. 1. Dan. 3.17, 18. If it be so, our God whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king! but if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up; and Rom. 8.37, 38. I am perswaded, that neither life, nor death, nor Angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
3. It hindreth the readiness and chearfulness of our service, and crippleth our endeavours. The sloathful servant was affraid, Luke 19.21, 22. when we do not know whether we shall please or be accepted or no, 'tis a very discouraging thing, and we drive on heavily, when nothing appears to us but fear; but love maketh a willing people, 1 Joh. 5.3. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments; and his commandments are not grievous.
4. It resisteth sin unwillingly; we had rather let it alone, than go about it; the mortifying of lust, is like the cutting off of an Arm with a rusty Saw; rather let go any thing than sin; but grace furnisheth us with the most powerful arguments.
For means,
1. Cherish good thoughts of God; the spirit of bondage is increased upon us by unreasonable fears and jealousies of God; the Lord is good, and doth good, Psal. 119.68. his commands are not greivous, Matt. 11.30. My yoke is easy and my burden is light. The tryals sent us by him, are not above measure, nor beyond strength, 1 Cor. 10.13. Who will not suffer you to be tempted above what you are able. Nor his punishments above deserving, Neh. 9.13. thou hast punished us less then than we deserved; he is not hard to be pleased, nor inexorable upon our infirmities, Mal. 3.17. And I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him, Heb. 11.6.
2. Study the nature and constitution of the Gospel, which maketh rich preparation of Grace, Help and Comfort for you; this is Gods Act of Oblivion, which easeth you of your troubles; for here God promiseth to blot out your transgressions, and remember your sins no more; this is a Sanctuary and Refuge for your distressed souls to fly unto, when pursued by the laws curse; the Charter of your hopes, or the word of salvation which secureth you aginst the laws curse, or the fears of the damnation of Hell; the law is good, as a rule of duty, but the Gospel is glorious. 2 Tim. 1.8, 11. In short, Your souls will never sit easie within you, till you resolve not to seek for that in the law which is only to be found in the Gospel, peace of Conscience, and Reconciliation with God; The law can only save the innocent; but the Gospel pardoneth the penitent sinner; Look not for that in self, which is only to be found in Christ, a perfect Righteousness and Merit to appease Gods Justice, and propitiate him to us; this is only by the Blood and Obedience of Christ; never look for that on earth which is only to be had in Heaven, which is exact and unspotted holiness, Jude 21. Then we are presented faultless in his presence.
3. An hearty and sincere love to God, 1 John 4.18. There is no fear in love, for perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment, and he that feareth is not made perfect in love. He speaketh not of a childlike Reverence of the Divine Majesty, or a carefulness not to displease him; but of slavish fear of Condemnation, which is the life and soul of many mens Religion; but they are never soundly converted, till God hath their hearts, that is, their love: Now this strong and fervent love arising from faith in Christ, driveth and forceth this tormenting fear out of the heart, and will never be affraid of him whom they love; and on the other side, will not love him whom they look upon as ready to condemn them, and cast them into Hell. Surely God will never damn the soul that loveth him; therefore if we would get rid of the fear of wrath, or hell, let us love God with our highest and best affections; we have reason to love him, if we consider the wonder of his love and good will to sinners, manifested to us in and by Jesus Christ.
4. Live holily, and obey the motions of the sanctifying spirit; We deprive our selves of comfort by falling into sin; the more the spirit is a Sanctifier, the more a Comforter; Holiness breedeth a generous confidence, 1 John 3.2. Behold now we are the Sons of God, Gal. 5.18. But if ye be led by the spirit, ye are not under the law. If we are not watchful against sin, our bondage returneth; therefore David saith, Psal. 51.12. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me by thy free spirit. The Holy Spirit withdraweth and suspendeth his comforts, when we walk vainly and loosely; then we cannot serve God with any delight and readiness of mind; 'tis not a free spirit, but a servile, that then governeth us, and influenceth our actions.