I find then a law
This is to be understood either of the corruption of nature,
which he found by experience to be in him; and which, because of
its force, power, and prevalence it sometimes had in him, he
calls "a law"; it forcibly demanding compliance with its lusts;
and is the same with what he calls "evil", and which the Jews so
frequently style (erh ruy)
"the evil imagination", by which they mean the corruption of
nature; and one of the seven names, and the first of them, by
which it is called, they tell us F11, is, (er) , "evil"; the very name it goes by here, and
which they say God calls it, ( Genesis 6:5 ) ; and
well may it be so called, since it is originally, naturally, and
continually evil; it is evil in its nature and consequences; it
is the source and spring of all evil:
that when I would do good;
says the apostle, as soon as any good thought arises in me, any
good resolution is entered into by me, or I am about to do
anything that is good,
evil,
the vitiosity of nature,
is present with me,
and hinders me; it came into the world with me, and it has
continued with me ever since; it cleaves close unto me, it lies
very nigh me, and whenever there is any motion to that which is
good, it starts up, which seemed to lie asleep before, and exerts
itself, so that I cannot do the good I would. The Jews say
F12, there are (twbbl ytv) , "two hearts" in man, the good
imagination, and the evil imagination. The apostle here speaks as
of two wills in regenerate men, one to good, and another to evil:
or this may be understood of the law of God, which he found
agreed with his mind, willing that which is good, though sin lay
so near to him; or he found that willing that which was good was
the law of God, very agreeable to it; and that the law was on his
side, favouring him, encouraging him to that which is good,
though sin kept so close to him; to which sense agree the
following words.