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240 DISCOURSE VIII.
here is, I think, pretty evident. But, to
clear the Matter before us, we must more
particularly examine what he says of the
unregenerate Man's Condition. He defcribes
him as under the moft wretched Slavery,
obeying Sin, with the greatest Reluctance
to his own Mind and Reason: That which
I do, I allow not: For what I would, that
do I not; but what I hate, that do I, Ver. 15.
His Mind he allows to be uncorrupted, and
to ftand firm to the Law of God, approving
the Things which are good; but then the
Lufts and Appetites of the Flesh are too
strong for it, and force it into the Obedience
of the Law of Sin, which it hates and
condemns: I find a Law, fays he, that,
when I would do Good, Evil is present with
me: For I delight in the Law of God after
the inward Man. But I fee another Law in
my Members, warring against the Law of my
Mind, and bringing me into Captivity to the
Law of Sin, which is in my Members,

Ver. 21, 22, 23.

See then the divided Em

pire of Sin and Reafon: Reafon approves what is juft and holy, confents to, and delights in the Law of God; but Sin сарtivates and enthrals it, and makes the Man the Slave of Sin, though the Admirer and Approver

2

Approver of Virtue. The Upshot of the whole Matter is, as St. Paul in the last Verse expreffes it; With the Mind, or Spirit, I ferve the Law of God, but with the Flesh the Law of Sin. And now confider what Affistance

this Condition requires: The Man's Spirit is right and pure; it loves, it delights in, it approves the Law of God; and, could he follow the Dictates of his Reason, and obey the Law of God as well as love it, and practise Holiness as well as approve it, he would want no other Evidence of his being the Son and Servant of God: His Servants ye are, fays the Apostle, to whom ye obey. The Man who is taken captive, and carried into Slavery, obeys by Force his Tyrant's Law; but he loves his own Country and King, and longs to come under the Obedience of his natural Prince again. As to his own Mind, he knows whofe Subject he is, and would be; but outward Neceffity fhews him that he is a Slave by the constrained Obedience he yields to the foreign Law. Take off Force, and the Man's own Inclinations will return him foon to his natural Obedience. And this is not unlike the Cafe St. Paul puts the unregenerate Man in: He loves God and his Law; but he obeys the Tyrant, Sin. Deftroy the Power VOL. I.

R

of

of Sin, and Reason will return him to the Obedience of God, and foon fhew whofe true Son and Servant he is. So that the Evidence of Reafon, even in the State of Nature, fhews us that we are the Servants and Sons of God: But Power conftrains us, Luft and Appetite rule over us, and woeful Experience fhews us that we are the Slaves of Sin. Now, to complete this Evidence of our Minds, and to render it convincing to ourselves and others, that we are indeed the Children of God, what more is wanting, than to destroy the Power of Sin, and to give us up to follow the Dictates of Reason in obeying the juft Laws and Commands of God? For this is a complete Evidence that any Man is the Son and Servant of God, that he loves him, that he obeys him, and keeps his Commandments. You see then what the Evidence of our own Spirit is: It loves and delights in the Law of God, and is restless to obey the Law it loves: With the Mind I ferve the Law of God, but with the Flesh the Law of Sin: Which Words I defire you to bear in your Memory, whilft I fet forth to you the Evidence of the Spirit of God.

In the eighth Chapter St. Paul tells us, that the Redemption by Chrift Jefus has put

an

an End to the wretched Captivity we lived under: The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jefus bath made Law of Sin and Death.

me free from the Law here fignifies

But

Power; for Power is a Law to those who live under it. Now then the Power of the Spirit has destroyed the Power of Sin. The Power of Sin was oppofite to the Mind and Reason of Man; fo that Man, whilft he lived under that Power, was a Slave. the Power of the Spirit is on Reason's Side, and works together with it; fo that to be under this Power is a State of Freedom and Liberty: And therefore 'tis justly said, that the Law of the Spirit of Life hath made us free. The Confequence of our being under the Power of the Spirit is, that we walk not after the Flesh, but the Spirit, Ver. 4; that we mind the Things of the Spirit, Ver. 5; that we mortify the Deeds of the Body, Ver. 13; that we are the Sons of God, Ver. 14; that we cry Abba, Father, Ver. 15. These are the Fruits of the Spirit. Now, to walk after the Spirit, and to do the Deeds of the Spirit, is to walk according to our own Mind and Reafon; for Reafon approved the Things of God, and the Things of the Spirit are the Things of God. To cry Abba, Father, proceeds from a fettled and undisturbed Mind,

from filial Duty and Reverence. Children, who live in Difobedience to their Parents, are not apt to meet them with these endearing Expreffions: But, when the Child loves, and is under no Rebukes of Confcience for Mifbehaviour towards his Parent, he meets him with thefe Words of Love and of Confidence. This therefore we owe to the Spirit: For before, however our Minds confented to his Laws, yet ftill we were Sinners, and Confcience ftood between us and our Father; fo that we could not approach without Fear and Trembling, our Minds still representing him to us rather as an injured Lord, than as a tender Father. But, fince the Power of the Spirit hath ftilled the horrid Contest that was in us between Reason and Sin, and that we both love and obey him, we now no longer fear his Presence; but, like Children longing for the Return of a kind Father, we run out to embrace him, with Words of Friendship and Affection in our Mouths, crying Abba, Father: And by this Means, fays St. Paul, the Spirit itself beareth witness with our Spirit, that we are the Children of God. With the Mind, fays the Apostle before, I ferve the Law of God: And now, fays he, by the Spirit you obey the fame Law; and the Spirit of God and your Spirit agree to