Captives bound in chains, made free by Christ their surety

2. Man might be considered in a state of Corruption, and so his condition is quite contrary to what it was in his first estate; as before he was free, so now he is a slave, before at liberty, but now in bondage; and this bondage is opposite to the former three fold Liberty.

1. In man there is now a bondage to sin, in slavery to his own lusts and to his own vile affections, that there is no part in him free from sin; his understanding is not free from ignorance, darkness and error, his will is not free from obstinacy and rebellion, his affections are not free from disorder and confusion, hating what he should love, and loving what he should hate, shunning what he should desire, and desiring what he should shun, rejoicing in that which should be the matter, cause and reason of his sorrow, and grief, and grieving and being weary of that which should be the matter of his delight and joy. This is man's sinful bondage.

2. The very will of man is enthralled. That though man hath a liberty of will as to natural actions and to civil actions, and to outward and spiritual actions, he can come and hear if he will, he can set upon the outward ⟨p. 176⟩duty of prayer if he will: he can read the Word of God, if he will, yet he hath no liberty of will to supernatural actions without the grace of God as to believe on Christ, to love God above all; man must have a will as well as a power from God to do these things. Phil. 2.13. It is God that giveth us to will and to do of his own good pleasure. And this is a sore bondage, tho' a natural man feel it not, and is not sensible of it.