. There are many secret heart jealousies among us, that Christ
is a hard master, and cannot be served. But would you know the true
original of our apparent and threatened bondage? Come and see; come and
consider something expressed in these words. All your thoughts are busied
about civil liberty; but you do not consider that you are in bondage while
you are free, and that to worse masters than you fear. We are under a law
of sin and death, that hath the dominion and sway in all men's affections
and conversations; and when the glorious liberty of the sons of God is
offered unto us in the gospel, when the Son hath come to make us free, we
love our own chains, and will not suffer them to be loosed. Therefore it
is that a nation that hath despised such a gracious offer of peace and
freedom in Jesus Christ, is robbed and spoiled of peace and freedom. When
this law of the Spirit of life in Christ is published, and proclaimed
openly unto congregations, unto judicatories, and unto persons, yet few do
regard it. The generality are in bondage to a contrary law of sin, and
this they serve in the lusts thereof. Yea,--which most of all aggravates
and heightens the offence,--even after we have all of us professed a
subjection to the law of God, and to Jesus Christ, the King and Lawgiver,
we are in an extraordinary way engaged to the Lord, by many oaths and
covenants, to be his people; we did consent that he should be our King,
and that we should be ruled in our profession and practice by his word and
will, as the fundamental laws of this his kingdom; we did solemnly
renounce all strange lords, that had tyrannized over us; and did swear
against them, never to yield willing obedience unto them; namely, the
lusts of the world, ignorance of God, unbelief, and disobedience. Now what
became of all this work, you may know. The generality of all ranks have
rebelled against that Lord and Prince, and withdrawn from his allegiance,
and revolted unto the same lusts and ways--these same courses against which
we had, both by our profession of Christianity and solemn oaths, engaged
ourselves. And so men have voluntarily and heartily subjected themselves
unto the laws of sin, and desires of the flesh. Hence is the beginning of
our ruin. Because we would not serve our own God and Lord in our own land,
therefore are so many led away captive(169) to serve strangers in another
land, therefore we are like to be captives in our own land. Because we
refused h