In Romans vii. 7-24, we have the struggle of a soul quickened but not emancipated—a regenerated soul under the law. The proof that we have before us here a quickened soul, is found in such utterances as these: “That which I do, I allow not.”—“To will is present with me.”—“_I delight in the law of God after the inward man._” None but a regenerated soul could speak thus. The disallowance of the wrong, the _will_ to do right, the inward delight in the law of God—all these are the distinct marks of the new life—the precious fruits of regeneration. No unconverted person could truthfully use such language. But on the other hand, the proofs that we have before us in this scripture a soul not fully emancipated, not in the joy of known deliverance, not in the full consciousness of victory, not in the assured possession of spiritual power—the plain proofs of all this we have in such utterances as the following: “I am carnal, sold under sin.”—“What I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.”—“O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me?” Now, we know that a Christian is not “carnal,” but spiritual; he is not “sold under sin,” but redeemed from its power; he is not a “wretched man,” sighing for deliverance, but a happy man, who knows himself delivered. He is not an impotent slave, unable to do the right thing, and ever compelled to do the wrong; he is a free man, endowed with power in the Holy Ghost, and able to say, “I can do _all_ things through Christ that strengtheneth me.” (Phil. iv.)