The Spirit of Bondage and Adoption, Treatise 1 · Chapter 2 – Chapter 4
CHAP. II. Wherein the firſt grand Theſis or Propoſition concerning this ſtate of Bondage is explained.
I Shall begin with this ſtate as a work of the Spirit of God, laying this Theſis or propoſition for a foundation of our following diſcourſe.
That thoſe convictions, ſhakings, and terrours The firſt Propoſition or Theſis.of conſcience under which unregenerate ſinners ſuffer bondage, when the Law chargeth them home with the guilt of ſinne, and apprehenſions of wrath, are (ordinarily) the works of Gods bleſſed Spirit.
I ſay (ordinarily) becauſe ſometimes Satan brings, or at leaſt keeps ſouls (and thoſe the ſouls of Gods Elect too) under this bondage. He promiſeth liberty when he tempts to ſinne; but brings into bondage when he accuſeth for ſinne. And therefore we muſt make a diſtinction between the bondage which the holy Spirit, and the bondage which the wicked ſpirit brings into, or keeps under.
Firſt, (therefore) There is a bondage, which admits, and is mitigated by the conjunction of hope of liberty, and works towards a deliverance: and there is a bondage that excludes all hope and poſſibility in the apprehenſion of a ſinner of ever being removed. A bondage in which the chains with which the conſcience is held, and fettered, are of the ſame nature with the Devils, bonds of death, chains of darkneſſe and deſpaire. Now ſuch as theſe the holy Spirit knits not (except the deſpair be partial, and bear relation only to humane helps and means of eſcape, and ſuch a deſpair is in every ſoul that makes out after Chriſt) thoſe that we ſpeak of now, Satan lays on the conſcience; theſe muſt needs call him Father, becauſe they are black, diſmal apprehenſions like him. Such he wrought in Kain and Judas, that made the former deſperately blaſpheme the mercy of God, & the other de…perately to lay violent hands on himſelfe: and to thoſe deſpairing terrours is a ſoul given up when juſtly excommunicated, and therefore is ſaid to be delivered 1 Cor. 5. 5.to Satan; for (that cenſure binding ſinne upon a man, and God having promiſed to ratifie that ſentence in Heaven) the Devill, the tormentor is at hand to load ſuch a ſoul with Matth. 16. 19.terrors enough; if he do not contemptuouſly go on adding ſin to ſin, but be any way ſenſible of it, he endeavors to drive him to deſpair; whence the Church is bidden upon this knowledge of Satans devices, to comfort ſuch a man, and confirm comfort to him, by abſolution, leſt he be ſwallowed up of ſorrow. foreign.2 Cor. 2. 8. 11.
Theſe ſatanical terrours have ſin in them, and ther…fore (as ſuch) can no way be the effects of the Spirit of God. Indeed, the Spirit of God may cauſe them inchoativè, by diſcovering to a man his ſinne and miſery; but the improvement of theſe diſcoveries in ſuch a meaſure, and to ſuch an iſſue, is the work of Satan, who in this (as in things of other nature,) can counterfeit the very Spirit of God, and ſo perſwade a poor ſoul that 'tis his duty to refuſe comfort, and deſpair of Salvation.
2. I ſay, theſe terrours, when they are wrought by the Spirit of God are in unconverted ſinners: (which makes a farther diſtinction between the worke of the Spirit of God, and the ſpirit of Satan herein) the Devil makes it moſt of his buſineſſe to trouble converts; As for unconverted wretches, that are his faſt enough, he ſeldome diſturbes them; as a Souldier will not diſturbe his own Quarters but his enemies; & a Magiſtrate will not (if he be well adviſed) harraſle his own dominions. But the Spirit of God ſpeakes terrour to the Conſciences of unregenerate ſinners to whom it belongs; when he ſpeaks Law, he ſpeaks to them that are under the Law. Rom. 3. 19.
3. But therin is a difference alſo. If the Spirit of God lay the conſcience under terrours, it is for converſion, they are not penal only, but medicinal alſo; they are one ſort of Gods …ods by which he brings men within the bonds of the Covenant Ezek 20 37 makes them to enquire, what th…y ſhall do to be ſaved, Acts 2. 37. brings them into ſuch a condition that (as the Apoſtle ſpeaks in another caſe) they have the …entence of death in themſelves, that they may fly out of themſelves, and truſt in his mercy, power, and goodneſs alone, who raiſeth the dead. 2 Cor. 1. 9. perſecutes them with his ſtorms (as the Mariners) and brings them to their wits end, that they may cry to the Lord, P…alm … …ollows them with the hot beams of his ſcorching wrath, and vexeth them in his hot diſpleaſure, that they may fly to the ſhelter, the ſhadow of the rock: which he ſhews them in the promiſes of the Goſpel. But when Satan ſets home any horrors, it is for deſtruction; when he ſees that the ſenſe of a ſinners diſeaſe makes him look out after a Phyſician, he labours, if poſſible, to ſharpen it ſo as to deſtroy him before he can come at him. As Pharaoh, when God would bring Iſrael out of Aegypt in ſpight of him, purſues them to drive them into the Sea: and Jaylors when a priſoner contrives an eſcape, lay more irons upon him. Thus therefore you muſt underſtand the point.
All the cramps, and convulſions, and palſies of conſcience in a man unconverted, as farre as they lead not to deſpair, or may further converſion, are the work of the Spirit of God. It is true indeed, that theſe in whom ſoever they are, do not always end in converſion; ſometimes rebells break theſe bands, and caſt theſe cords from them; but this is not becauſe the Spirit uſeth them not for that end, but becauſe they harden their hearts, and make their face braſſe, and reſiſt, and do deſpite to the Spirit of Grace. Theſe are media ad converſionem deſtinata, as phyſick to the body; yet (as that always works not, becauſe the patients diſorder themſelves, and ſo hinder its operation; ſo) this phyſick is often turned into poiſon by the malignity or negligence of thoſe whom it is adminiſtred unto.
CHAP. III. Wherein this propoſition is proved by ſome Scriptures, and evidences of Reaſon.
THat this propoſition is true, theſe places of Scripture will evince. It is the office of the Spirit to convince of ſin. Jo. 16. 9. In ſinne there be two things to be convinced of; the guilt and filth of it. By the diſcovery of the former, the ſoul is brought under this bondage, and ſtirred up to ſeek releaſe by juſtification; by the later, it is brought to loathing of it ſelfe, and ſelf abhoring, and perſwaded to come to Chriſt for ſanctification. In this ſenſe is the Spirit of God ſaid to ſtrive with ſinners. Gen. 6. 3. ſtriving is for conqueſt, and when God ſtrives for conqueſt, he ſhoots ſuch arrows as theſe, theſe are foreign the Arrows of the Almighty, the anger whereof drinks up the Spirits, Job 6. 4. Thence the Miniſters of the Goſpel are made binders, as well as looſers of the conſcience, Mat. 16. 19. & 18. 18. Jo. 20. 23.
And indeed they can in Reaſon commonly have no other Author. For the Devil (as was before ſaid) will not, if he can help it, trouble ſuch men: And when he doth, 'tis to carry them from God. A mans own heart is ſo altogether ſtony in it ſelfe, that nothing will affect it, it is ſo dead in treſpaſſes and ſins, that except the Spirit of God ſet Law and wrath home, and beſtow a ſpiritual ſenſe on a man to feel it, all the thunder of mount Sinai will not pierce his ears, all the lightenings of Hell it ſelfe will not affect his eyes, all the whippings, pinchings, lancings, rackings of the ſevereſt anatomiſts of conſcience will not affect his heart. He will ſleep on the top of a maſt, Prov. 23. 34. he will gallop on in ſinfull courſes on the brink of hell, play with the ſting of the Old Serpent, and the pawes of the roaring Lyon, nay ſend a challenge to heaven, and laugh at God himſelf, and call him coward if he will not accept it; and all this while flatter himſelf in his own eyes, and ſay, I ſhall have peace, Deut. 29. 19.
CHAP. IV. Wherein the premiſes are improved by way of ſupport to troubled ſinners.
THat which hath been ſaid may yeeld ſome ſuppo…t to troubled ſpirits. You who are unde… this b…ndage, whi…es it tends only to drive you ou… of your ſelves to Chriſt, O k…ſſ… thoſe chains and thank God that he hath ſpread that net over your ſouls. Many a man bleſſeth God, for being caſt in priſon, and brought to the gallowes, when a pardon meets him there: ſuch a pardon not only ſ…ves his body but his ſoul; he had been hanged & damned, but that he was ſo near it. You may truly ſay, periiſſemus niſi periiſſemus, you had been undone but for that und…ing; you had been diſſolutely looſe, but for thoſe fet…ers; nay you had been the Devils eternal gally-ſlaves, had not God changed your priſon. O! the Spirits priſon is a Palace to the Devils Dungeon. Say, Lord, theſe ſorrowes might have been ſorrowes of hell, and theſe chaines, chaines of eternal darkneſſe, had either the Devil or I had our wills; hadſt thou not hedged up my way with theſe thornes, and put theſe locks upon my feete, I had irrecoverably ruined my ſelf in the error of my ways. I had been in hell, hadſt thou given me my deſire or deſervings long ago, whereas now I am but in the ſuburbs of it. I had been in that eternal dungeon, where I had fallen lower and lower for ever, and found no bottom; in a dungeon whence there is no way to return, in a cave of horror in which there is not one gleame of light, not one cranny of hope to let in the leaſt glimpſe of comfort, but I am yet in the Land of the living, where I find ſome footing for hope, ſome poſſibility of recovery. It is the bleſſed Spirit that hath led me into this valley of the ſhadow of death, he hath ſhut me up under this bondage, and he can (when he pleaſeth) ſet open a door of faith & let me out again. Acknowledge, as Joh. 10. 12. that this viſitation of Gods hath preſerved thy ſpirit.
Obj. Yea, but my bondage of ſpirit is helliſh & deſperate, ſometimes I am apt to blaſpheme the mercy of God, as not able to pardon me, and out of deſperate horour of my ſpirit to chooſe ſtrangling, or any thing, that I might be but out of my preſent terrors, and know the worſt of my condition; and is there, or can there be any thing of Gods Spirit in ſuch a diſmal bondage?
Anſ. I anſwer, No doubt theſe fearful ſuggeſtions & injections proceed from the Prince of darkneſſe emanativè, they are minted in hell, for they bear his image and ſuperſcription. But the Spirit of God hath an hand in them divers times diſpoſitivè, by way of diſpoſal and management; and that thou mayſt clearly ſee, in that he hath not utterly left thee to thy ſelf, hath preſerved thee many times from executing thoſe horrid temptations, and gratifying Satan by ſelf deſtruction.
If he would have given thee over to Satan, why not ſooner? If he hath preſerved thee hitherto, why may he not longer? Whiles thou liveſt there is hope. He that is above ground is inſight of heaven. See and acknowledge the gracious conduct even of the holy Spirit hitherto, and do not by too long and wilful adventuring to parle with the enemy of thy ſoul, drive him from thee.