2 Cor. 1. 9. upon the pronouncing whereof the Law lays heavy fetters and chaines of darkenesse upon the soul that keep it shut up to the hope that afterwards by the Gospel is revealed 3. The proper impressions of this condition must needs be fearfull And thence is this Spirit said to be the Author of bondage to fear And is therefore called the Spirit of fear 2 Tim. 1. 7. This is that fear which the Author to the Hebrews 2. 15. tells us that men may be all their lives long enslaved unto til Christ deliver them A fear of Death i. e. of eternal death the wages of sinne A fear that gives a convinced sinner a tast of hell here it is the very anguish and smart of the arrows of God sticking fast in Job 6. 4. a mans spirit the very wales and furrowes which when the back of conscience is plowed up with the knotted whips of its own guilt do fester and stinke and corrupt as David Psal 38 5 expresseth it that is make the spirit of a man a burthen to it selfe and that intolerable This is the condition which the Apostle expresseth and I am to handle under the notion of the Spirit of bondage i. e. That Work of Gods Spirit whereby he convinceth and terrifieth sinners in order to conversion 4. And when he doth so in the fourth place we are said to receive him that is to be through free grace the patient and submissive subjects of this influence of his bearing the indignation of the Lord because we have sined Lam. 3. 29 against him and laying our mouth in the dust if so be there may be hope until God shall command deliverance for us and pull us out of the horrible pit and out of the deep mire and clay and break those chains of hell and snares of death wherein we are fettered and bring us forth into a large place 5. The Subjects of this Work of the Spirit the Apostle expresseth under the pronoun Ye including the generality of believers among the Romans and in them the generality of beleevers among all Nations in all times these works being of a common nature to all the people of God there being nothing in any one Saint which renders him a more incapable subject of this work then in another and nothing in the Word elsewhere to priviledge one above another herein 6. And lastly the time of the Saints being under this work the Apostle plainly expresseth not to be then when by faith they could call God Father the influence of the Spirit of Adoption enabling them so to do delivered them out of that fearful condition whence it follows that the experience they had of this work was before their Adoption and relation to God thereby as before I have declared And so much shall suffice for this first Chapter the clearing of our Subject And this done wee will proceed to the handling of it in the following Chapters 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 deâ—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 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Cor. 2. 8. 11. These satanical terrours have sin in them and therâ—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 't is 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 â—ods by which he brings men within the bonds of the Covenant Ezek 20
might occasion some trouble to themselves hereby as conceiving themselves excluded from the comfort of the Doctrine because though they have other works of the Spirit that accompany salvation yet they have not had experience of this assuring act For their sakes therefore let it suffice once for all to tell them that if the Spirit of God have wrought in them any work that accompanies salvation all that which shall hereafter be said concerning the priviledge of Assured souls is no less proper to them R. 1. For if there be but the least spark of grace in the soul the Spirit that works it will not undoubtedly go so ready a way to quench it as this in all likelyhood would be 2. Besides if the Spirit should do so it would testifie contrary to the Scripture which says that there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus c. Rom. 8. 1. Besides it were a flat counteracting of himself 3. For he would divide peace from grace when that is the fruit of this To understand the point in the sense propounded farther take notice by way of explication 1. That this Doctrine denies not but the best Saints of God after assurance may be under troubles of conscience again I told you upon the last Doctrine that a Saint may lose the actual Assurance of Gods love and there is nothing more frequent in Scripture then the sad complaints of precious people of God under such darknesse The Lord to take off all ground of expecting such an exemption from his people was pleased to hide his face from his own natural sonne and to withdraw from him the sensible comfort of his divine nature upon the crosse and before that left him to grievous temptations from Satan himselfe True there is difference in our Saviours case thine for Christ under his desertion was under part of that satisfactory punishment which Gods justice inflicted upon him for sinne Thy after troubles are not of that nature But herein the parallel holds that height of enjoyment of God and height of communion with God are no sufficient security to a soul of never losing the sense and comfort of them A prisoner many times may be detained even by the keeper after the Judge acquits him till hee pay his fees And it may be the holiest man may be unthankfull and so be clapt up again in the house of Bondage 2. That the dearest Saints of God after Assurance may fall not only into trouble of spirit again but into bondage of spirit also They may fall so low out of the assurance of Gods love that they may conclude him an Enemy and feele all the Terrours of GOD in the same kind as they did under the Spirit of Bondage at the first They may come to question all again and their Consciences may be as full of horror and blacknesse and as full of the hell of anguish and confusion as ever before I am perswaded David after his great falls was under as great fears of Hell as ever he was in his first conversion The answer of Nathan to him implyes so much The Lord hath put away thy sinne thou shalt not dye If David had not been afraid of death eternal which is the proper wages of unpardoned sinne 2 Sam. 12. 13. why doth Nathan adde that promise from God to encourage him Beside when he speaks of the horrible pit out of which God pull'd him where he stuckfast in mire and Psalm 40. 2. clay and could not lift a foot to relieve himself certainly we can rationally understand no other then the dungeon of Terror of which we are speaking A man whom the Judge and Jury acquits at the Assise may bee arrested at anothers suit and layd up again And so may a child of God after a discharge from the suit of conscience in his first conversion bee arrested again and as much fear the Law as ever 3. Nay possibly his after-terrors may be greater and longer then the former Hee may have a far more hideous dungeon and heavier chains then ever he was in before and lie longer by it For it may be 1. God intended providentially such a condition to him before but saw his weaknesse at the first conversion for the under-going of so heavy a burthen and therefore in pity forbare that rigor then til by the warme influence of some glances of love from his countenance he had fitted him with a proportion of strength to glorifie him in greater trials In measure saith he when it shooteth forth will he debate with it He stayeth his rough wind in the day of his east wind Isa 27. 8. He spares a tender bud when it first buds forth that he may exercise it with more hardship afterwards when it is able to bear more He wil not put new wine into old bottels Matth. 9. 17. i. e. proportion our work and strength 2. Such soules come out of light into darknesse and so their last enjoyments make their present troubles more intolerable Bitternesse upon our peace is mar mar Bitter bitterness Isa 38. 17. Had they continued in a dungeon of horrour stil after conscience had first committed them their continued experience of that condition by long acquaintance might have made it lighter But to be taken out of prison and cherished with some flashes of liberty and then shut up againe is an addition to their present Torment from the most grievous torture of all others in such a case the fresh remembrance of the comforts last parted withall Eclipses of the Sun because they come but seldome appeare more terrible 3. Conscience in such a case is apt to take all former experiences for meere dreames and delusions and is more difficultly brought to accept of any comfort now then formerly for feare of being so deluded againe and so bolts the door of the prison faster upon the soul then formerly Aprisoner that hath once had his prison-door set open to him and been permitted quietly to depart if after he hath enjoyed a shadow of liberty an Hue and cry fetch him back again will scarce adventure to goe forth againe when the doores are set open to him a second time for saith he I had better stay whiles I am here then goe forth and be fetched back againe So saith a poore soule in such a case Surely it is better for me not to receive any comfort then to take it and lose it againe as I have done once already I was deluded then with a fallacious liberty and peace and I may be so againe 4 Sins which trouble the conscience in such a second bondage are aggravated by the evidences of Gods love formerly enjoyed and so terrifie the soul more under their guilt Then every sin looâ—… like a blasphemy against the Holy Ghost an unpardonable sinne A man can tell what to plead before but now his mouth is stopped Ezr. 9. 10. Psal 51. 15. 40. 12 5 Then supports from God are
hady our bones broken on its wheele had you fed upon ashes and drunk tears and been whipt with scorpions every morning and ever and anon been doused over head and ears in the gulfe of Gods wrath shaken over hell fire and carryed the coals of it in your bosomes as I have done for divers weeks moneths years it may be you would find out some other way of spending your times and not treasure up sorrow for your souls here and wrath against the day of wrath hereafter One saith Sweetnesse before sense of sinne is like cordials to a foul stomack Shepherds Sound Believer I shall easily grant that the love of Christ is a very effectual and the most effectual restraint to sinne when it is manifested to the soul and set home effectually by the spirit but so dull are we to improve such ingenuous inducements that we have but too much need of experience of the bitternesse of sinne to second that consideration And indeed though that be most effectual where it works yet this is effectual with the most And moreover as before was shewed the argument from love is strengthened by this experience The experience of the bitternesse of sinne makes the love of Christ in delivering us from it more engaging 5. Hereby the Spirit terrifies others and restrains them from sinne As publique prisons and gallows do not only punish malefactors but prevent many evils that would be committed but for the severity used against some The World must needs read the torments of Hell to unconverted sinners by an easie deduction from those terrors that they see in converts or at least the hard termes upon which they must be delivered from them And this works often more effectually by comparing their lives who are made the butts of these divine arrowes with their own when they consider that if others smart so heavily for the fewer and smaller sins which they to appearance are guilty of their own more and greater deserve worse 6. Hereby the Spirit teacheth us to pray to sigh and grone out unutterable requests Jesus Christ upon earth when he suffered for our sinnes was under a Spirit of Bondage The Law said to him when he stood in our stead whoever is under the Law is under the curse of God and under the sentence of eternal death but thou art under the Law And this had the same effects which it hath on us it wrought horrour and anguish and such a despair of help every way but from his Father that was able to deliver him from death and that made him powre out strong cries and groanes Heb. 5. 7. Thus David cried to the Lord in the cords of hell Ps 18. 5 6. 116. 3 4 he groans and roares c. 7. Hereby the spirit keeps us the more humble all our dayes And for my part I may suspect the other way by the pride that attends it in those that boast of it as when a man whose life hath been forfeited to justice and saved by meer mercy growes proud we say Sir remember you were in another garb in such a Prison at such a place of Execution so will the Spirit make use of such admonitions ever after to such persons Remember my fetters the gall and wormwood c. Hereby it makes us contented with Gods slow and gradual way of comforting which is usual with him which our pride and tenderness cannot endure 8. That it may provoke pity and tendernesse and prevent censoriousnesse in one to another in such cases This made Christ a merciful and compassionate High Priest Heb. 2. 18. that he had the experience of our griefs and sorrowes God will have heart answer heart as face face Were such works not usual even Prov. 27. 19 Saints would look upon such as Monsters whom the hand of the Lord hath smitten Christ was so stared on as a Monster Psalm 22. 17. They look and stare upon me And Isai 8. 18. Behold I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signes and wonders As the World looks upon troubled spirits so would other Saints but for this experience 9. That he may fit them for the comfort of several Gospel Promises which without this work they are not qualified for Such as that to hungring and thirsting after Righteousnesse poverty of spirit Matth. 5. 3 4 6. To wearinesse and being heavy laden with sin Matth. 11 28. To an humble and contrite heart Isai 57. 15. To a Saint in a Wildernesse Hosea 2. 14. How can men be the subjects of these promises without this work Many comfortable promises of the Scripture signifie nothing but stand for cyphers to souls who have had no acquaintance with this Work 10 That it may make us prize and take care to keep the favour of God when we have it Seeing we know by experience that if he hide his face we are like them that go down into the pit Ps 143. 7 11 That he may make the yoak of duty appear more desirable to the heart and feel more easie to the neck of Saints by comparison with the heavinesse of the yoak of sin 12 That he may settle comfort the more by such shaking at first As the tree growes more downward and roots deeper when it is exercised with storms and shaken at first and broken bones grow stronger if new set again These are some of many Reasons that might be given why the Spirit usually converts this way CHAP. XII A Case of Conscience eoncerning the measure of this work Quest 5 VVHat measure doth the Spirit work by in this bringing souls under bondage Answ He observes not the same measure with every soul nor continues it so long on one soul as on another Only so much must be wrought of all the forementioned works as will accomplish the saving ends of those works Now the end of one of these works is the begetting of the other and the end of all Christ Christ is the end of the Law to a Rom. 10. 4 Believer as soon as a man is brought to a full close with Christ the works mentioned are at an end and so they will when they have done the immediate preparatory work to faith which is to drive the soul out of all other shelters and make it conclude it self under a necessity of coming to Christ So much conviction saith a godly and a learned man now with God is necessary as breeds Shepherds Sound Believer compunction and so much compunction as breeds a through Humiliation And when is that When the soul thinks no more of by-wayes to escape but accepts the bonds and kisseth the fetters of the Spirit and acknowledgeth its imprisonment just and that justice might without any wrong done condemn it to perpetual imprisonment These are wrought generally in all Converts but not in al so visibly nor do the Converts themselves alike long stay in one as the other some have lesse horror and anguish yet perhaps a more kindly self-denying
work is called conviction and because the Spirit convinceth in a rational way all its acts of that nature are comprized in this Syllogism Every one that is in a state of sinne is in a state of wrath But thou sinner art in a state of sinne Therefore thou art in a state of wrath In this master-syllogism there are many others included but they are all in effect comments on or proofs of the particular tearms and propositions of this Sometimes it varies thus Every unjustified person every unbeliever every one in a state of nature every unregenerate person and lower every swearer sabboth breaker c. living in and allowing himself in such sins c. is under the curse or is a condemned person or is in a state of damnation c. But thou A. B. art such a person ergo thou art a condemned person c. But to be more plain and particular This work includes these several and distinct convictions 1. Conviction of Law The Charge 2. Conviction of fact or case The Indictment Evidence 3. Conviction of state The Sentence As also 4ly The proper consequents of these 1. Conviction of Law is no more then the illumination of the understanding in the truth of common Principles and Rules of Scripture which determine in general the state and condition of such as fal under them such as these Eph. 2. 3. By Nature all are the children of wrath Rom. 5. 18. By the offence of one death came on all men Gal. 3. 10. As many as are under the Law are under the curse Jo. 3. 18. He that believeth not is condemned already Jo. 3. 3. Except a man be born again c. Gal. 3 10. Cursed be every one that continueth not in every thing c. Rom. 1. 31. Those that do such things are worthy of death Neither fornicators nor idolaters c. 1 Cor. 6. 9. These and the like common truths when we give a fixed and firm consent unto this makes up the first part of the Spirits conviction of bondage because it is the Spirit of God that leads us into all truth Jo. 16. 13. and so into convincing truth This is the major of the former syllogisme and may be planted in nature or believed barely by an historical belief and may not affect or if it doe 't is but in general except it be farther backt by 2. Conviction of Fact This makes up the minor of the former syllogisme And this is a particular application of the Law to the person As if he should say Thou art the man of whom this Law speaks This fact thou hast done Psal 70. 21. and this sin thou art guilty of livest in this omission of duty this or that notorious actual commission thou art clearly chargeable withal This indictment conscience is called in to witnesse and this witnesse because it is sometimes asleep and sometimes blind and sometimes dead and sometimes bribed the Spirit enlightens and quickens and disengageth and makes it speak out to the case in hand This is that prick in the heart that Peter by the home-application of their sin to their consciences gave those Converts Acts 2. 37. He tells them ye have taken and slain and crucified that Jesus who is Lord and Christ and their hearts by a confessing guilty application say we are the men This is a cord that will hold it will bring the soul under some acknowledgments which it would not grant before but it is not yet a Spirit of bondage till the third conviction of state And this is the conclusion of the former syllogisme and the sentence in the Spirits legal processes against any soul And this results from the two former This is the work of the Judge the enlightened conscience in its judicial capacity This is attended with a large formality of circumstances As in every sentence the matter and manner of the suffering is expressed as to return to jayl and be carryed thence to the place of execution and there to be hanged or pressed or burnt or drawn and quartered c. So here the Spirit doth not barely say to the soul thou art a condemned creature but he enlightens the mind to understand in the most frightful appearances the nature of its misery He represents a curse hunting and power seizing and wrath rending a poor soul shews hell open and heaven shut the Devil tormenting and God deriding eternal life in eternal death without light tormenting heat yet gnashing of the teeth for cold a lake of fire and brimstone nay a running stream which the breath of the Lord for ever kindles Isay 30. 33. And assures the soul all this and inexpressibly more will be his portion to eternity if he continue on this side Christ the City of refuge 4. The consequents of all these must needs be 1. Soul-confounding horror This was the Jaylors case Acts 16. 29. He came in trembling to Paul and Silas This sentence works like the hand-writing upon Belshazar looseth the joynts of the loines and makes the knees smite against each other Dan. 5. 6. Or Habbakuks voice c. 3. 16. it makes the belly tremble and the lips to quiver and rottennesse enter into the bones c. And no wonder for it is the justice and wrath of an infinite eternal and Almighty God that he hath to encounter and can thy heart endure or thine hands be strong in the days that God shall deal with thee Ezek. 22. 14. This was it that made Christ himself sweat like drops of bloud Luke 22. 44. 2. Soul-distressing anguish By which the mind vexeth and feeds upon its own sad condition thus bound fast by horrour It is perpetually vexed with the representations of its misery it can take no comfort in the World that is not hereby imbittered As a condemned man eats and drinks and sleeps not for thinking upon the execution or if he do he finds no relish in those contents if he sleepe he can nothing but dream of the Gallowes and the hangman if he talk and converse with friends he is scarce present where he is scarce thinks what he saith Thus a soul under this binding sentence with David eats ashes like bread or rather bread like ashes mingles his drink with weeping Ps 102. 9. his life abhors bread and his soul dainty meat tasts no sweetnesse in any comforts they are all as Job saith like the white of an egge Job 6. 6. His words are swallowed up Job 6. 2. He sleeps it may be but he is scared with visions and terrified with dreams Job 7. 14. Speak to the man in this case of any diversions and you do but labour to dig a channel to let out the sea present him any of his formerly welcomest refreshments Prov. 26. 1. you are but like snow in summer and rain in harvest speak the most encouraging words to him that may be if you cannot speak a pardon he is in the case of the Israelites in