This is the spirit of
bondage; the slavish, superstitious spirit in religion, into which
all men fall, in proportion as they are mean, and sinful, and carnal,
fond of indulging themselves, and bearing no love to God or right
things. They know that God is stronger than they; they are afraid
that God will take away comforts from them if they offend Him; they
have been taught that He will cast them into endless torment if they
offend Him; and, therefore, they are afraid to do wrong. They love
what is wrong, and would like to do it; but they dare not, for fear
of God's punishment. They do not really fear God; they only fear
punishment, misfortune, death, and hell. That is better, perhaps,
than no religion at all. But it is not the faith which WE ought to
have.
In this way the old heathens lived: loving sin and not holiness, and
yet continually tormented with the fear of being punished for the
very sins which they loved; looking up to God as a stern taskmaster;
fancying Him as proud, and selfish, and revengeful as themselves;
trying one day to quiet that wrath of His which they knew they
deserved, by all sorts of flatteries and sacrifices to Him; and the
next day trying to fancy that He was as sinful as themselves, and was
well-pleased to see them sinful too.
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