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his uprightnefs. No unregenerate profeffor does really delight in God, as the holy and righteous governor and Judge of the world: and therefore no unregenerate perfon can truly fay, as the apoftle here, I delight in the law of God, after the inward man.'

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I may likewise add, that it is the distinguishing character of a child of God, to groan under the burthen of the body of death, to long for deliverance from it, and to have a war maintained between the law of his mem bers, and the law of his mind. Awakened finners may groan under a fenfe of guilt and danger; and have a war between their confciences and their lufts. But they are believers, and none but they, who groan under the burs den of their heart corruptions: and after a further progrefs in holiness. Unrenewed finners may have a law in their members, warring against their awakened confciences: but they have no contrary law in their minds, no fuch habitual bent of foul, or itated and settled difpofition of their affections, as has the force of a law with them, and maintains a constant war with their inward corruptions, their vain imaginations, finful appetites and paffions. They do indeed love the Lord, that thus hate evil, Pfal. xcvii. 10. And they who thus fight the good fight of faith, will lay hold on eternal life, 1 Tùn. vi. 12. It is one characteristick of a true believer, that he resists fin, in all the lufts thereof, even the moft fecret, and hidden from the eye of the world. Every creature has its antipathies: the new creature, as well as any other; and as fin is the greatest contrariety to its temper and tafte, to its interefts and comforts, the divine nature always is difpofed to exert itself in an opposition to indwelling fin, ftudying to mortify it more and more.

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3. The apostle is here giving the character of a perfon who has a twofold principle in him the one a governing principle, that may be called himself: the other a fubdued principle, which is not be, but fin that dwel leth in him. Now can any unconverted perfon in the world truly fay, it is not he, that tranfgreffeth the law, when the natural bent and difpofition of his foul is to evil, only to evil, and that continually, notwithstanding all the restraints of the law and checks of confcience and when all the fins of his heart and life are imputed

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to him, and will be punished upon him, if he remain in his prefent ftate? Can any unconverted perfon in the world fay, that he himself (all in him which in God's account can be called himfelf) ferves the law of God, though with his flesh (his remaining carnal affections and appetites) the law of fin, when it is certain, that every unconverted man is, both with his mind and flesh, a fervant to fin, and free from righteousness, as the a poftle affures us, in the fixth chapter of this epiftle, ver. 16. 17, 20.

4. What juftifies my interpretation beyond all reafonable oppofition, is, that the apoftle draws that conclufion from thofe very characters here given of himself, There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Chrift Jefus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the fpirit: for the law of the Spirit of ife, in Chrift Fefus, hath made me free from the law of fin and death. chap. vii. 1. 2. Two things do here appear to me cer tain and unquestionable. One is, that the firft verfe of this 8th chapter is here reprefented (as plainly as any thing can be reprefented by words) as a neceffary confe quence or juft inference from the premises, and from the characters the apoltle had there given of himself; and is therefore a full proof, that every one in the fame fpiritual ftate described in the latter part of the preceding chapter, is in Chrift Jefus, and freed from condem. nation. There is therefore now no condemnation, &c. Wherefore? Because they who are in Christ Jefus are freed from fin, and do not walk after the flesh, but after the fpirit, as before defcribed and particularly because they themselves do ferve the law of God, as expreffed in the verie immediately foregoing. This conftruction is neceffary, to make the connection of this verfe with what went before, congruous and rational. Nay, it is the conftruction on which the apoftle himself purposely leads us to, in the 2d verfe. For the law of the spirit of life, in Chrift Jefus, hath made me free from the law of fin and death. As if he had faid, they who are in Christ Jefus cannot be under condemnation, fince they are made free from the law (from the dominion though not from the remains) of fin and death; which I have already hewn you to be my cafe, in the foregoing defcription

of my fpiritual state and experience, and in the characters I have given of myself. Another thing that appears to me most certain and evident is, that the apoftle speaks of himself here (in this 2d verse of chapter 8th) in the fame manner, and to the fame purpose, as he spoke of bimfelf in the latter part of the foregoing chapter: and that these words, with the following verfes, are the fum and conclufion of that whole difcourfe. This was the point the apostle was undertaking to explain; this the fubject of the preceding chapter, as I have already fhewn; in this he speaks in the first perfon, as in the former chapter; this is a natural and rational fumming up or drawing the conclufion of the whole, the law of the fpirit of life, in Chrift Jefus, hath made me free from the law of fin and death. Whence it follows, that those characters in the latter part of the feventh chapter, belong to none but fuch who are in Chrift Jefus, and by him freed from condemnation, and from the law of fin and death.

-And now, I leave it to you, Sir, to judge whether we have not reafon to conclude, that the apoftle is here fpeaking of him felf when in a renewed or regenerate ftate; and thereby representing the conflict, which the children of God in their higheft attainments have with their remaining corruptions: fince there is fo plain a transition (by the change of the tenfe) from confidering what he once had been, to a reprefentation of what he now was, at the time of writing this epiftle. Have we not reafon to conclude this, when all (the very beft) of the children of God, do always experience the fame truggle with their corruptions, as is here defcribed ? May we not confidently draw this conclufion, when we find that the characters here given are applicable to none but the regenerate only? None but they hate that which is evil; and have a will prefent with them to that which is good. To be fure none but they hate all evil and have a will to all good, without referve or diftinction. None but they delight in the law of the Lord after the inward man. None but they groan under the burthen of the body of death; and maintain a conftant war with the law of fin in their members. May we not fafely main tain this conclusion against all oppofition, when we find

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a perfon defcribed under the influence of a twofold prins ciple, corruption and grace? The former fo brought into fubjection, that its actings are not to be attributed, ftrictly fpeaking, to him (being fo contrary to the new man, his predominant principle, according to which God accounts of us, and denominates us) but are imputable only to the remains of the old man, or indwelling fin. The latter having fuch an empire in his foul, as to be called himself, fo that (notwithstanding his corruptions and the out-breakings of them) he can fay, I myself ferve the law of God. In fine, this conclufion moft certainly appears to be neceffary and unquestionable, that they must be in a regenerate ftate, who are delivered from condemnation, and who walk not after the flefb, but after the Spirit; and who are by the law of the Spirit of life, in Christ Jefus, made free from the law of fin and death; as the apoftle fhews to be his own cafe, according to the defcription he had before given of himself. To fuppose that he here perfonates a profeffor unregenerate, must upon the whole appear utterly inconfiftent with the cafe defcribed in these paffages: and therefore fuch an expofition, as altogether forced, is not to be received.

But after all, you'll perhaps object, that my interpretation tends to make men fecure and careless, bold and prefumptuous, in a flate and courfe of fin.

I anfwer, it is fo far from this, that it has a direct contrary tendency. It is a folemn admonition to the children of God, to be upon their guard, fince they have such a domeftick enemy to deal with; and a like admonition it is to all careless fecure habitual finners, not to flatter themselves with a vain presumptuous hope of their regenerate ftate, on any pretences whatsoever.

It is here the character of a Christian indeed, that he hates evil, without reserve. If therefore they who retain any favourite luft, and roll it as a fweet morfel under their tongue, cry peace to their fouls, they are fleeping upon the top of a malt: There is no peace, faith my God, to the wicked. The peace of fuch is all a delufion; a moft falfe, abfurd and dangerous peace.

It is here likewife the character of a true Chriftian, that he does not allow fo much as his imperfections; that when these obtain, they are without his consent and

against his will. These are what he would not, and among the evils, which he hates. They therefore are entertaining but a vain dream of a safe ftate,who are knowingly and deliberately living in any way of finning, and who cuftomarily allow any moral imperfection. They will certainly in the conclufion be rejected, among the workers of iniquity.

It is here alfo reprefented as the property of every fin cere Christian, that he has a will prefent with him to that which is good, that he confents to the law that it is good; and that he delights in the law of God after the inward man; that is, in other words (as I have thewn) he truly loves God and godlinefs. Here is therefore no foundation for them to think well of their ftaté, whofe whole religion is constrained by fear; and whofe hearts and affections are not fincerely engaged in the fervice of God. As for them who love the world and their idols, more than God and a life of fincere univerfal obedience to him, fuch are in the bonds of iniquity, and have no part or lot in this matter.

It is moreover given as the mark of a true Chriftian, that he groans after the deliverance from the body of death; not only from guilt and danger, but from the remainder of his corruption; and maintains a constant war against the law of fin in his members. What encouragement is there therefore for fuch an one to hope well of his ftate, that does not make it his business to keep his heart, and to watch over his lips and life; that does not wrestle with God for deliverance from, and greater victory over his corruptions; and that does not look upon his remaining imperfections, as the great burden of his life?

It is furthermore given in character of the true Chriftian that he thankfully expects his deliverance only by Jefus Chrift. The apoftle's answer to the question, Who ball deliver me? is, I thank God through Jefus Chrift our Lord. q. d. I thankfully look unto God, in and through Jefus Chrift, as a fure refuge in this difficulty; and as the fountain of life, from whence I may fafely expect my needed fupplies. All unbelievers therefore, as excluded from any juftifiable pretence to this character, have no room left them to think well of their ftate

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