CONFIRMED CHRISTIAN. 483 the natural principles of self -love and common honesty, with the outward persuasions of company:and advantages, his religion is maintained, without the regeneration of the Spirit; John iii. 6. V. From hence it followeth, 1. That a Christian indeed Both not serve God for fear only, but for love; even for love both of himself, and of his holy work and service. Yea, the strong Chris- san's love to God, and holiness is not only greater than his love to creatures, but greater than his fear of wrath and punishment. The love ofGod constraineth him .to duty; 2 Cor. v. 14. "Love is the fulfilling of the law," (Rom. xiii. 10. ;) therefore the gospel cannot be obeyed without it. He saith not, ' O that this were no duty, and O that this forbidden thing were lawful ;' though his flesh say so, the Spirit, which is the predominant part', dotfi not. But he saith, "O how I love Ihy law! O that my ways were sodirected that I might keep thy statutes!" Psal. cxix. 5. For the Spirit is willing, even when theflesh is weak. Heserveth not God against his will ; but his will is to serve him more and better than he doth. He longeth to be perfect, and perfectly to do the will of God, and taketh the remnant of his sinful infirmities to be a kind of bondage to him, which he groaneth to be delivered from. To will even perfection is present with him, though not perfectly ; and though he do not all that he willeth. And this is the true meaning of Paul's complaints; Rom. vii. Because the flesh warreth against the Spirit, he cannot do the good that he would ; that is, he can- not be perfect, for so he would be ; Gal. v. 17. His love and will excel hispractice. 2. The weak Christian also hath more love to God and holiness than to the world and fleshly pleasure. But yet hisfear of punish- ment is greater than his love to God and holiness. To have no 'love to God, is inconsistent with a, state of grace ; and so it is to have less love to God than to the world, and less love to holiness than to sin. But to have more fear than love is consistent with sincerity of grace. Yea, the weak Christian's love to God and holiness is joined with so much backwardness and averseness, and interrupted with weariness, and with the carnal allurements anddiver- sipns of the creature, that he cannot certainly perceive whether his love and willingness be sincere or not. He goeth on in a course, of duty, but so heavily, that he scarce knoweth whether his love or loathing of it be the greater. He goeth to it as a sick-man to his meat, or labor. All that he doth is with so much' pain or indispos- edness, that, to his feeling, his averseness seemeth greater than his willingness, were it not that necessity maketh him willing. For the habitual love and complacency which he bath towards God and duty is so oppressed by fear, and by averseness, that it is not so much felt in act as they.
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