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Note here —

1. The combatants or champions — the law of the mind, and the law of the members. Grotius distinguisheth of a fourfold law —

(1)  The law of God; recorded in Scripture.

(2)  The law of the mind; the judgment between things honest and dishonest.

(3)  The law of the members; the carnal or sensual appetite.

(4)  The law of sin; the custom of sinning. To complete which we must add —

(5)  The law of original sin propagated by generation, which is strengthened by custom, and, together with our sensual appetite depraved, makes up the law of sin.

(6)  The law of sanctifying grace infused in regeneration; which completes the law of the mind.

2. The equality of this fight; sin indwelling fighting against grace indwelling, there being a pitched battle, in which some graces and corruptions bear the office of commanders, others of common soldiers.

3. The disparity of the fight, managed by way of "rebellion" on the part of sin, by way of loyalty and authority on the part of grace.

4. The dubiousness of the fight, both parties often fighting, as it were, with equal prowess and success; sometimes one, sometimes the other, seeming to get the better (Exodus 17:11).

5. The sad event too often on the better side which is led captive. In which term yet there is a mixture of comfort; sin, when in triumph, acting as a tyrant, not as a lawful sovereign. The law of the mind may be overborne by, but never indents with, the law of the members. Withal, note in the text a mixture of civil and military terms to illustrate the spiritual conflict; there being a lawsuit, as well as a pitched battle, between grace and corruption.

I. IN EVERY MAN, ESPECIALLY IN THE REGENERATE, THERE IS A CONFLICT BETWEEN THE LAW OF THE MIND AND THE LAW OF THE MEMBERS.

1. This appears —

(1) By the testimony of nature speaking in the heathen — "Video meliora, proboque: Deteriora sequor."(2) By testimony of Scripture —

(a)  As to the godly (Galatians 5:17).

(b)  As to the unregenerate (Mark 6:26; Romans 2:14, 15).

(3) By every man's experience.

2. Concerning this conflict note as follows —

(1) As the great, so the little, world (man) is made up of contraries. The outward man of contrary elements, health, and sickness; the inward man, of contrary principles, reason and passion, conscience and sense.

(2) Man is both an actor in, and a theatre of, the greatest action and noblest conflict in the world. He that conquers himself is a nobler hero than Alexander, who conquered a great part of the world (Proverbs 16:32).

(3) In the state of innocency there was no conflict: in the state of glory there will be no conflict, there being no corruption to combat with grace, in infants there is a conflict; in a state of corruption there is no spiritual conflict, because there is no renewing grace to combat with corruption (Luke 11:21, 22).

(4) The natural conflict is in every godly man, the spiritual conflict is in no natural man. This I note to allay the fears of drooping saints.

(5) As the great wisdom of God lies in governing the great world made up of contraries, so the great wisdom of a godly man lies in governing the little world made up of like contraries.

(6) This government lies principally in discerning these conflicting contraries, and improving their contrariety for the advantage of the outward and inward man. In this government Christ is principal (Psalm 110:2); a saint instrumental (Hosea 11:12).

(7) This singular wisdom is attainable in the use of ordinary means, and that by the meanest who have grace to follow Christ's conduct; yet not by the power of free will or human industry, but by the bounty of free and special grace (2 Timothy 3:15; James 1:5; Romans 9:16).

(8) It cannot be expected that any unregenerate person should understand to purpose the difference between these two conflicts; because he hath no experience of this double state, and double principle.

II. WHEREIN DOTH THE NATURAL AND SPIRITUAL CONFLICT DIFFER?

1. In the ground or cause of the fight; which —

(1) In the unregenerate, is —

(a) Natural principles, or the relics of God's image in the understanding. The notion of a deity, and of loving my neighbour as myself, cannot be razed out of any man's heart; nor can these principles lie always idle, but will more or less be in action against corrupt inclinations.

(b) Acquired principles, from education and custom. This light discovers more of sin's obliquity and danger, thereby laying on stronger restraint, through fear, shame, etc.

(c) The natural temper of the body, which indisposes to some special sins, and disposes to some special graces, or the reverse.

(d) The contrariety of one lust to another. Thus ambition says, "spend"; covetousness, "spare"; revenge incites to murder; self-love restrains, for fear of a halter. Here, now, is a combat, but only between flesh more refined and flesh more corrupted.

(2) On the other hand, in the regenerate, the combat ariseth from the antipathy of two contrary natures perfectly hating each other (Galatians 5:17). Of all affections, love and hatred are most uncompoundable. A godly man hates sin as God hates it, not so much for its danger as for its loathsomeness. As in persons, so much more in principles, there is a mutual abomination (cf. Psalm 139:22; Proverbs 29:27; Psalm 97:10; Psalm 119:128; Romans 8:7). Enemies may, but enmity can never, be reconciled.

2. In the object or matter of conflict; which —

(1) In a natural man, is —

(a)  Grosser evils that startle the conscience.

(b)  Infamous evils that are attended with worldly fear or shame; or —

(c)  Some particular evils that cross temper, education, or custom, etc.

(2) But in spiritual persons it is —

(1)  Little sins, as well as great.

(2)  Secret sins, as well as open.

(3)  The first risings, as well as the gross acts.

(4)  Sins which promise worldly safety, credit, profit, contentment, as well as those sins that threaten the contrary.

(5)  In a word, all moral evil; hatred and antipathy being of the whole kind (Psalm 119:128); especially of those evils which most endanger the new man (Psalm 18:23); and such as are beloved sins (Matthew 18:8, 9).

3. In the subject of the conflict. In natural men the fight is in several faculties; reason fighting against sense and passion, or the conscience against the corrupt inclination of the will; whence the fight is more at a distance by missile arms. But in the regenerate the fight is more close in the same faculty; the wisdom of flesh and spirit counteracting, in the same understanding, the lustings of the flesh and spirit in the same will; whence the fight is between veterans of approved courage, grace and corruption immediately; which at first, haply, was managed by the spearmen and targetiers, reason and interest. The former is like the fight of the soldiers of fortune, more lazy, and by way of siege; the latter more keen and vigorous, by way of assault and onslaught, like that of Scanderbeg, who fought with his enemies breast to breast in a box or grate.

4. In their weapons. The natural man's weapons are, like himself, carnal; to wit, natural or moral reason, worldly fears or hopes, and sometimes spiritual fears or hopes, but carnalised — i.e., slavish and mercenary. But the regenerate man's weapons are spiritual (2 Corinthians 10:4); to wit, gracious interest, and all the spiritual armour (Ephesians 6:11-18).

5. In the manner of the fight. The natural man's combat is more mercenary; admits of more parleys. But the spiritual man, as such, fights it out to the last, and will give no quarter. The former is like the strife between wind and tide, which often come about, and are both of one side; the latter is like the dam and the tide, that strive till one be borne down; or like stream and tide meeting and conflicting till one hath overborne the other.

6. In the extent of the conflict, in relation to its subject and duration.

(1) The extent of the subject is double —

(a) As to the faculties; the seat of war in the regenerate is every faculty, flesh and spirit being ever mixed; as light and darkness in every point of air in the twilight (1 Thessalonians 5:23). So that, in the regenerate, there is at the same time both a civil and a foreign war; that in the same faculty, this in one faculty against another. Contrariwise, in the unregenerate, there is usually nothing but a foreign war between several faculties, there being nothing of spiritual good in their wills and affections, to set the same faculty against itself.

(b) As to acts, it extends to every act of piety and charity, especially if more spiritual (ver. 21); for which the natural man hath no conflict, but against them. Nor, indeed, doth he know experimentally what spiritual acts of piety are. But the regenerate find it by constant experience; faith and unbelief, humanity and pride, ever opposing and counterworking each other; whence he is forced to cut his way through his enemies, and to dispute it step by step. Others may seek, but he strives (Luke 13:24), and takes the kingdom of heaven by a holy violence (Matthew 11:12).

(2) As to the extent or duration of the war, which, being in the regenerate irreconcilable, must needs be interminable, like the war between the Romans and Carthaginians; or as fire and water will fight forever, if together forever. In the natural man, contrariwise, the quarrel is soon taken up; as between the Romans and other nations; there being not that antipathy between reason and corruption as there is between grace and corruption.

7. In the concomitants and consequents of the fight.

(1) Godly men sin more with knowledge, but wicked men more against knowledge.

(2) The fight in natural men seeks only the repression, not the suppression, of sin; to lop the superfluous branches, not stub up the root; to charm the serpent, not to break its head. But the spiritual fight seeks the full mortification and abolition of sin (Romans 6:6), and the complete perfection of grace (Philippians 3:10-14).

(Roger Drake, D. D.)

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KJV: I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.

WEB: I find then the law, that, to me, while I desire to do good, evil is present.