the rigour and curse of the law ought to bind us the more strongly to God, to love and serve him, to glorify and obey him. Learn, 2. That all true believers, who are freed from the rigour and curse of the law, ought to serve the Lord in true holiness both of heart and life, and to yield a new and universal obedience to him. This the apostle here calls, the newness of the spirit, to intimate to us, that new obedience is the work of the Holy Spirit in us, as the author of all grace and sanctification. And whereas the newness of the spirit is opposed to the oldness of the letter; that is, the ministry of the law, which of itself is a dead letter, discovering sin, but not discovering how sin may be either pardoned or subdued; we may gather, That the law of God, and indeed the whole word of God, without the Spirit, is but a dead letter, unable to work grace and holiness in us, or to excite and quicken us unto newness of life. Whenever then we place ourselves under the word, let us pray with David, Lord, open thou mine eyes, that I may see the wondrous things of thy law.

7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law : for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not

covet.

Observe here, 1. The objection (which the apostle answers) that some were ready to make against the holiness of the law. He had affirmed at ver. 5. that the motions of sin were stirred up by the law. "If so, say some, then the law may seem to be the cause of sin :" God forbid, says the apostle. The thought of such a conclusion ought to be abhorred. Hence learn, 1. That the holiest doctrines and truths of God are subject to be perverted and abused, and to have absurd inferences and conclusions drawn from them. 2. That the ministers of Christ must be able and careful, not only to propound the truth soundly, but to defend it solidly against all cavils and wicked objections whatsoever, and to declare their utter detestation and utmost abhorrence of any such opinion that reflects dishonour upon the holy law of God. Observe, 2. The apostle's argument to confute this wicked notion of the law's being the cause of sin: I had not known sin, but by the law. As if the apostle had said, "That which forbids sin,

discovers and condemns sin, cannot be the cause of sin; but so doth the holy law of God, it makes sin manifest in and to the conscience of the sinner: therefore the law is not sin, no exciter to it, or cause of it." Learn hence, That the law of God is so far from being the cause of sin, that by it men come to a more clear, full, distinct, and effectual knowledge of sin: I had not known sin, but by the law; that is, not so clearly and effectually, so as to be duly humbled for it, and turned from it. The light of nature shows a difference between good and evil, but the law of God represents sin as the evil of evils; in it, as in a glass, we behold the foul face of sin, and are convinced by it of the monstrous evil that it is. Observe, 3. How the apostle produces his own experience in this matter, and gives a particular instance in himself, that he had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet; that is, he should not have understood that the first irregular motions of the heart, the first inclinations and desires of the soul towards sin, (though not consented to by the will,) were evil, had he not by a more attentive consideration of the tenth commandment found that they were so. Learn hence, 1. That lust or concupiscence is sin, that is, original lust, the first motions of corrupt and rebellious nature, whereby our inclinations are towards evil, though our wills do not fully consent to evil. Learn, 2. That so holy and spiritual is the law of God, that it discovers the sin of nature, and condemns the first motions and inclinations of the soul to sin, even to the pit of hell. All the wisdom of the Heathen, yea, of the wisest and most learned persons in the world, was never able to discover the first motions arising from our rebellious natures to be sin: only the holy law of God makes them known, and discovers them to be sins. I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. Such is the holiness of the law of God, that it requires not only the purity of our actions, but also the integrity of all our faculties.

8 But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law, sin was dead.

Observe here, A concession or grant made by the apostle, that although the law was not the formal cause of sin, yet sin was an accidental event of the law, through

the depravity and corruption of our natures; lust or concupiscence in us being stirred up more strongly, and breaking forth more violently in us, by being prohibited and restrained by the law. As things forbidden us, are the more desired by us; the more the law would restrain sin through our corruption, the more it enrages sin; as the more you would dam up a torrent, the more it swells. The sin takes occasion by the commandment to work all manner of concupiscence in us. Learn hence, That such is the depravity and perverseness of our present natures, that there is found within us a propensity and inclination to all sin; and although the law of God doth not give the least countenance to sin, yet sin takes occasion from the restraints of the law to grow more impetuous, and is the more irritated by being prohibited: and consequently it is not from ourselves, but from God's restraining grace, that those evil inclinations which are in our hearts do not break forth in our lives. The apostle adds, Without the law sin was dead. that is, without the knowledge and due consideration of the law, sin is comparatively dead; that is, the corruption of nature lies hid, and is not so much known to be sin; nor had it so much power to terrify the conscience, and to stir up inordinate affections, as after the law is known and duly considered. Learn hence, That such as either know not the word and law of God, or do not duly consider it, have very little sense of inward pollution; but their corruption lies as it were dead in them, and they in that, without touching the conscience, or laying the soul under sensible apprehensions of its sin and danger. With out the law, sin is dead. Sin in the conscience is like a lion asleep in his den; it awakes not, stirs not, terrifies and accuses not, till the law of God rouses it; and then the sinner sees himself under the curse, and liable to perdition.

9 For I was alive without the law once but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.

As if the apostle had said, "Formerly, when I lived a Pharisee, and had the law in my hand, but did not consider in my heart what exactness and perfection it required in my life, I contented myself with an outward observation of it, and concluded my state to be very good and safe: but when I came to a right understanding of

the word and law of God, and to be convinced by it that the inward lustings and inordinate desires of the heart were sins, then I found myself a guilty creature, obnoxious to wrath, and in a state of death." Here note, 1. The good opinion the apostle had, and all unregenerate men have of themselves, before conversion: I was alive once. By life, understand liveliness, confidence, and assurance of his good estate and condition; he was full of vain hope, false joy, and presumptuous confidence. Learn hence, That natural and unregenerate persons are usually very full of groundless confidence and cheerfulness, without the least suspicion of their bad estate and sad condition: I was alive without the law once. Note, 2. The apprehension and opinion which St. Paul had, and others will have of themselves, when they come under the regenerating work of the Spirit by the ministry of the word and law of God: When the commandment came, I died. Death here stands opposed to life before, and denotes the sorrows, fears, and tremblings, which seized upon his soul, when he was convinced of the badness of his condition; it stabbed all his carnal mirth, joy, and jollity, at the very heart: I died. Note, 3. The cause and reason of this wonderful alteration and change of judgment in the apostle; it was the commandment and law of God: When the commandment came, that is, close and home to my heart and conscience with a divine efficacy. The commandment was come before to him by way of promulgation, and he had the literal knowledge of it; but now it came in the convincing power and spiritual application of it. Accordingly, sin revived, that is, the sense of sin was more lively imprinted upon his soul; and now he died, all his vain hopes gave up the ghost now, and his sin and guilt stared in the face of his conscience. Learn hence, That there is a mighty efficacy in the word or law of God to kill vain confidence, and quench carnal mirth in the hearts of men, when God sets it home upon their consciences: I was alive without the law once; but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.

10 And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death.

Observe here, 1. The natural end and use of the commandment or law of God, It was ordained unto life; that is, it was

given for a rule of life, and promised eternal salvation to the perfect fulfilling of it. But no man since the fall being able perfectly to fulfil the law in his own person, can be justified by the law in the sight of God: however, the proper end for which the law was ordained was to give life to them that should perfectly keep it. Ob. serve, 2. The contrary use which the apostle found the law to be of, with reference unto himself what was ordained to life, he found to be unto death: that is, through his own corruption and transgression it became an occasion of death to him, by binding him over to punishment, and rendering him obnoxious to the wrath of God. Thus the word of God, the sweet and saving word of God, that word which God had ordained to bring men to life and salvation, is found to some the savour of death unto death; but the fault is not in the word, but in themselves.

11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.

As if the apostle had said, "Sin, or the corruption of my heart and nature, being stirred up by the commandment which forbids lust, and condemns it, enticed me, and persuaded me, and prevailed over me, to yield to the lusts of my own heart, and then condemned me, and slew me for yielding to them." See here the true and genuine nature of sin; it first deceives, and then destroys. It deceived me, saith the apostle, and then slew me. Sin doth perfectly besot the creature, and renders it injudicious: it befools and deceives us, it pollutes and defiles us, it doth debase and degrade us, and without repentance damns and destroys us. God keep us from being hardened in sinning through the deceitfulness of sin; let no profit tempt us, no pleasure entice us, no power embolden us, no privacy encourage us, to adventure upon any known sin; for its embraces are deadly, it leads to death, and ends in death; after it has deceived us, it certainly destroys us: Sin taking occasion deceived me, and by it slew me.

12 Wherefore the law is holy; and the commandment holy, and just, and good.

Observe here, What care and holy caution the apostle uses to vindicate and clear the holy law of God from all fault and blame, charging his guilt not upon the

commandment, but upon the corruption of his own heart, which took occasion to be stirring in him, and by the commandment slew him; affirming nevertheless, that the law of God in itself, and in its own nature, is holy, just, and good. Here note, That the apostle adorns the law with the most excellent eulogy and commendation. 'Tis holy, 1. as it enjoins all acts of piety towards God; namely, adoration of his majesty, imitation of his purity, resignation to his providence, obedience to his commands. 2. 'Tis just, as it directs us in our duty to others in every capacity and relation wherein we stand, and obliges us to walk by that rule of equity, to do to others as we would they should do unto us. 3. 'Tis good to the man that keeps it, commanding nothing but what is influential upon his well-being both here and hereafter. Could we set aside the authority of the law-giver, yet all the precepts of the law for their moral and entire observation; nothing being regoodness deserve our esteem, and choice, quired of us but what is our duty and interest as men, and which tends to the perfecting and ennobling of our natures: Well then might our apostle determine that the law is holy, the commandment holy, and just, and good.

13 Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.

From what the apostle had said in the former verse, he moves an objection in this verse: "Seeing the law was holy, and just, and good, how comes it to be unto death? Was that which was good made death unto me ?" To this he replies both by way of negation, God forbid; for to find fault with the law, is to find fault with God himself; and also by way of affirmation, asserting that sin is the true cause of death. The commandment indeed condemns, or is death to the sinner, yet not of itself, but because of sin; as we say of a condemned malefactor, it is not the judge, but the law, that condemns him; or strictly speaking, it is not the law, but his own guilt, that condemns him; the judge is but the mouth of the law to denounce the sentence that guilt deserves. And hereby sin appears to be what really it is, sin, sinful, exceeding sinful, masculinely and vigorously sinful,

excessively and out of measure sinful, extremely and beyond all expression, nay, beyond our comprehension sinful. Learn hence, 1. That the law of God in whole, and in every part thereof, is holy and good, both in itself and in its own nature, and revelative in its institution with respect to man; for it was ordained unto life, ver. 10. Learn, 2. That this good and holy law, violated and transgressed, condemns and kills, and assigns a person over unto death. Learn, 3. That though the law condemns man's sin, and man for his sin, yet still the law is good, and not to be blamed; the law is to be justified by man, even when it condemns man: as man had no reason to break the law, so he has no cause to find fault with the law, though it binds him over to death for the breaking of it. Learn, 4. That 'tis not the law, but sin, that worketh man's death and ruin. Sin aims at no less, and will end in no less; for the wages of sin is death. Yet, 5. Sin certainly worketh man's death and destruction by that which is good, to wit, the law; for when sin hath used man to break the law, it then makes use of the law to break man; that is, to undo him by condemnation and death for breaking of it. Lastly, From hence it follows, that sin is therefore exceedingly, yea, unmeasurably sinful, poisonous, and pernicious, because it kills men; and not only so, but it kills men by that which is good, to wit, the law. That which was appointed for life, becomes the occasion of death; consequent ly sin is the most villanous, virulent, and deadly thing, that ever was in the world. Ah! sinful sin, hyperbolically and out of measure sinful, thou art a contempt of God's sovereign authority, a contrariety to his infinite holiness, a violation of his royal and righteous law, and the highest affront that can be offered to the majesty of the great and glorious God. Thou hast made

man like a beast, like the worst of beasts worse than the worst of beasts; yea, sin is worse than the devil himself, than hell itself. Sin made the devil what he is: a devil and hell never had an existence till sin had one. God was never angry till sin made him angry. O sin! 'tis thou that makest hell to be hell; and the more sin, the more hell. Well might the apostle then say here, Sin, that it might appear sin, worketh death in me, and is become exceeding sinful."

14 For we know that the law is spiritual ;

Still observe how the apostle goes on to assert the purity and spirituality of the law of God: The law is spiritual: spiritual in the author of it, God, who is an holy Spirit; spiritual in the matter of it, requiring spiritual obedience to be paid unto it, requiring perfect purity both of heart and life. Learn hence, That the moral law of God is in the nature of it purely spiritual, perfectly holy, being breathed forth by the Holy Spirit of God, and requireth perfect purity both of heart and life, and perfect conformity to it both in the inward and outward man. Hence some derive the word which we translate law, from a root which signifies to behold and consider, to contemplate and look about; intimating thereby, that the holy and spiritual law of God is diligently to be observed and considered, looked into, and meditated upon; it being so perfectly pure and holy, that it requires not only the purity of our actions, but also the integrity of our very faculties, our hearts and natures.

But I am carnal,

me:

he

So may, 1. every unregenerate man truly say, I am carnal, having not only flesh in me, but prevailing in me, sin having a regency and dominion over fights under the banner of corrupt nature, acting in a willing, ready, and full subjection to sin, and compliance with it; he is carnal, being under the power and unbroken strength of carnal lusts and sensual propensions, and following them in the daily course of his life. 2. I am carnal, may a regenerate person truly say, 1. With respect to that exact purity and spirituality both of heart and life which the holy law of God requires: the law is spiritual, and I, alas! compared with that spiritual law, am but a lump of corruption, coming infinitely short, God knows, of that uprightness and spirituality which the law of God requires. 2. A regenerate person may truly say, he is carnal, that is, in part so, having much, too much, carnality in his carnal affections found with him, and carnal infirmities cleaving to him. Such as are truly acquainted with the spirituality of the word and law of God, and, also well acquainted with their own hearts, do see sufficient cause to complain of carnal corruption abiding in them, and cleaving to them. I am carnal, have said, and may

say, the holiest of saints, with respect to Thus that holy and blessed martyr, Mr. the perfect measure and degrees of holiness. Bradford, complains, styling himself the

hard-hearted, unbelieving, earthly-minded Bradford; yet was a man of a very tender spirit, full of faith, fruitful in good works, and exceedingly mortified to the world. Dost thou groan under the burden of indwelling corruption? know, that the whole spiritual creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together with thee until now: But blessed be God for the hopes of a deliverer, and a deliverance.

-Sold under sin.

This phrase is borrowed from bondmen or captives, some of which are sold, others sell themselves into captivity. The unregenerate man, with Ahab, sells himself to work wickedness. This denotes wilfulness and obstinacy; such a person doth voluntarily prostitute himself to the lust of Satan. A regenerate person doth not, with Ahab, sell himself, but is sold like Joseph by his brethren, and Samson by his wife; being rather passive than active. He is sometimes sin's captive, but never sin's slave; he is never sin's willing servant, but sometimes its unwilling prisoner. The holiest and best of saints, though not held in wilful slavery, thraldom, and bondage unto sin, yet corruption holds them too much, though in part unwillingly, under the tyranny of sin; they do not yield to sin, as good subjects yield to their lawful prince, voluntary obedience, but as captives yield to a tyrant, paying him involuntary subjection. His soul is betrayed, says one, by corruption to temptation, and by temp tation to corruption.

15 For that which I do, I allow not for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.

These words are an argument to prove what the apostle had asserted in the foregoing verse; namely, that he was held under the power of sin unwillingly, because he did not allow or approve of any evil which he did contrary to the holy law of God, but did hate and abominate it, was displeased with it, and with himself for it. An unregenerate man's judgment and conscience is sometimes against sin; which makes him afraid to commit it; but a gracious person's will, heart, and affections, are all set against sin: Indeed there is regenerate and an unregenerate part in the christian's will, (he is sanctified totus, but not totaliter;) so far as the will is renewed, it hates all sin, and meditates the ruin and destruction of it. And observe, It was not this or that parti

cular evil, but all evil, which the apostle hated. A wicked man may hate a particular evil, as Absalom hated Ammon's uncleanness; but to hate all sin is the character of none but a regenerate person. Observe, lastly, That a good man sometimes, through the power of corruption, and the prevalency of temptation, doth that evil which is disallowed and disap. proved by him; yea, which is very odious and hateful to him: he loathes in part what he doth, and afterwards loathes himself for the doing of it; and when he doth evil, allows not of the evil that he doth.

16 If then I do that which would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. 17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

Note, 1. How readily the apostle conlaw: he did love the law of God, which sented to the equity and holiness of God's made holiness his duty; I consent, says he, to the law that it is good; he assented to it in his judgment, he complied with it in tions. So far is a person regenerate, as his his will, he clave to it in his inward affecheart doth correspond with God's law. But may not an unregenerate person consent in

his judgment to the law of God, own it to be good, approve it to be holy? Did not Herod hear the word with gladness, and the stony ground receive the word with joy? Answer, They may in their judg

ments approve, yet not in their hearts like and love, the law of God: at the same time that they commend it with their mouths, they cast it behind their backs. Note, 2. How the apostle disclaims, though not disowns, the evil done by him: It is no more I, but sin that dwelleth in me. As if he had said, My corrupt affections sometimes overpower me against the approbation of my judgment, and the inclination of my will: But it is not I, according to my better part, from which I am denominated, but sin dwelling in me." Learn hence, That if we can disclaim the evil done by us, as being contrary to us, contrary to the habitual frame and disposition of our hearts, contrary to the deliberate purpose and settled resolution of our wills, Almighty God will not charge our failings upon us to our condemnation, but mercifully distinguish between the weakness of the flesh, and the willingness of the spirit; between us, and