Vera 5. the 8th Chapter to the ROMAN S. 1157 doth awaken men to make them fee their condition, terrifying them by the belief of Gods threatning, and the fenfe of his indignation, that they may flee from wrath to come, Matth. 3. 7. Or cry out, What {hall I do to be Caved? Aas 2. 37. But yet, tho they have a fenftble work, they have not a laving work: Some by thefe fears, are but troubled and reftrained a little, and fo fettle again in their fenfual courte, but to their great lofs : for God may never give them like advantages again : Others betake them - felves to a kind of religioulnefs, and forfake the pra &ice of thofe groffer fins, which breed their fears; and fo selling here, continue in a (tale of hypocrite, and felf decei- ving religioufnefs. ;. U S E it Information, and Inftru &ion ; to teach us how to carry it as to the fpi- rit of Bondage : Firß, 'tit not to be flighted; partly, from the matter which breedeth 'the fear and bondage, which is the law of God, the fupreme rule and reafon of our du ty, by which all debates of confcience areto be decided ; partly, from the Author, this feule of fin and mifery is flirted up in us, and mademore a hiveby the Operation of the Spirit ofGod ; partly, from the faculty wherein 'tis feated, the confcience of a reafo- nable creature, the molt lively and fenftble power of mans foul, which cannot be paci- fied, but upon fond grounds and reafons ; partly, from the effe& the fear of eternal death, the greate(t mifery that can befall us ; for furely'tis a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God; Heb. 10. 31. To fmother and (tilie checks of confcience, doth increafe our mifery, not remove it, andproduceth hardnefs of heart, and contempt of God ;. therefore when our fouls are at this pats, that we fee we are in bondage to fin, and know not how to help it ; in bondage to wrath, and know not how to quench thefe fears which are awakened in us by the fpirit, Purely we Ihould look after folid fa- tisfa&ion, and peace of foul, retied ors us upon Gofpel Terms ; Run to the bloòd cf fprinkling, Heb. 1o. 20. 2. Tet'tïs not athing to be chofen, prayed for, or retied in; Partly, becaufe 'tis a judi- ciary Impreffaon,a fpark of Hell kindled in the confcience -; a tender confcience we may and mutt pray for,but not a flormy confcience; 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 promifes ; but we mull not fo relied upon terrors, as to exclude the comfort and hope of the Gofpel ; when under a fpirit of Bondage,we are in a moll fervile condition, far from all folid comfort, courage and boldnefsrbut is it not an help to converfion ? An- fwer, Let God take his own way, we are not to look after the deepnefs of the wound, but the foundnefs of the cure ; not terrible reprefentations of fin and wrath, but fuch an anxioufnefs as will make us ferions and folicitous ; partly, becaufe the Law - Covenant is an antiquated dilpenfation, the law of nature bindeth not as a Covenant ; for the pro - mife of life ceafed upon the incapacity of the fubje&q when under a natural impofli- bility of keeping it ; the threatning and penalty lieth upon us indeed, till we flee to another court and covenant : The Jewilh Covenant was abolilhed, when Chrift repeal- ed the Law of Mofes, that Covenant dealt with us as férvants, the Gofpe! dealeth with us as Cons, 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. g. Adam hid himfelf among the bullies ; and he gives us this reafon, becaufe he was afraid ; and Rill we all fly from a condemning God, but to a pardoning God we are incouraged to come nigh, Pfal. 103. 4. There is forgivenefi with thee, that thou mayefi be feared. In the wicked, the fear of Gods Wrath once begun, it increafeth daily, till it come to the defperate fear of the damned, and the fault is not in the law, or in the fpirir, but in man, who runneth from his own happinef, and maketh an ill ufe of Gods Warnings. 2. Li S E, is to put us upon tryal, and felf- refe5i000 : All that attend upon Ordinances, receive force fpirit or other ; a fpirit of bondage, or a fpirit of adoption ; now with what kind of fpirit are we a&ed withal! ? Gods children, who are adopted into his fami- ly, may have tome degree of the fpirit of bondage, great mixtures of fears and difcou- ragements; for only perfeïí love rafteth out fear, 1 John 4: 18. but thefe fears are over - ballapced by the fpirit of adoption; they have tome filial boldnefs, a better fpirit than a flave; do not wholly fin away the love of a father, tho the delight and comfort be much obttru &ed'; 'twas. a fad word, fora child of God to (peak, Pfal. 77. 3. I thought of Gad, and I rnas trembled : The remembrance of God may augment our grief when confcience reprefenteth his abuled favours, as tl* caule of his prefent wrath and difplea lure m."."- ,,,:
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