In order to which St. Peter explicates this article most excellently, saying, "Be subject to every ordinance of man," dià Tòv Kúpiov, "for the Lord," that is, for his commandment, and for the interest of his kingdom, and his power, and his glory for it is a portion of his kingdom, it is the deputation of his power; and he is glorified by our obedience, when the princes of the world, by seeing our ready subjection, have no cause to speak evil of us: which was the very argument which the Apostle' uses in this question. And therefore St. Peter, who in this inquiry takes notice of our liberty, gives express caution, that though we be free from many fetters and hard services, yet we should not pretend Christian liberty as a cover for sedition and rebellion and disobedience, which he signally calls kakía, we render it "maliciousness:" and if it be used to express the effects and evil consequents, it is very well; but it relating here to the principle of the mischief, it is better rendered, "craftiness," μn we iкáдvμμa ἔχοντες τῆς κακίας τὴν ἐλευθερίαν, " not making this Christian liberty a pretence and cover for your craftiness:" for they well knew the artifices of the devil, and that he would endeavour to alien the hearts of subjects from their princes, upon pretence of Christian liberty, and of heathen princes from Christianity upon supposition it was no friend to government; and so it fell out in the Gnostics and Valentinians: but against these evils, the apostles, by the Spirit of God and the doctrine of the gospel, made excellent provisions. For as St. Peter, so also St. Paul, used the same caution in this article for having pressed upon the Galatians to insist upon their Christian liberty, and not to be brought under the yoke of Moses, lest they should stumble at the name of liberty, he charges them not to abuse it, not to extend it beyond its proper limit, not to use it as an occasion to the flesh; and that it may be manifest where it was he intended to fix his rule, he instances in the matter of government, adding, by way of explication, "By love serve one another":" that is, though you Christians be all free, yet there is a bond of charity, by which you are tied to the rules of government and service and subordination; in these things if you pretend e Isai. xxxiii. Luc. i. Apoc. i. et xix. f 1 Pet, ii. 13. your liberty, it will be but an occasion to the flesh, and a dishonour to the spirit. For our liberty is not a 'carnal' liberty, but it is a 'spiritual. If a slave be called to Christianity, he is the Lord's freeman, but not man's; he is still a servant, and commanded to abide in it, if in that state he be called. And it is an excellent rule, which is given by Calvin in this particular, "We ought to account, that, by Christian liberty, there is nothing gotten to us before men, but only before God."—And it is a horrible folly which abuses some men, they think that they lose their liberty, unless they get possession of it, by doing against that part which is forbidden: not considering, that if the matter be indifferent, then they may as well do that which is by man commanded, as do the contrary,-they are as free to one as to the other; and therefore, for civility, and for government, and for order, and for humility's sake, since they must use their liberty one way, let them do it that way, which will at least please God as well, and man better. And for their Christian liberty, that is in the spirit, and they need no other testimony but the conscience itself: for the conscience in this also is a thousand witnesses. And therefore truly and plainly the liberty that the apostles speak of, is but a freedom from the "dominion of sin," and a freedom from the terrors and obligation of the law: the first is a freedom of duty, the second a freedom of privilege; the first is a commandment, the second a state of advantage; that is but a working, this is completed; that is designed by Christ, this already wrought, and is the effect of Christ's death, while the other is the product of his Spirit, and the business of the kingdom of grace. But let us see, what is the proper and explicit effect of all this. 1. It is true that we are freed from sin, that is, we are asserted into the liberty of grace and pardon; the band of sin is broken, and we may be rescued from the power, and from the punishment of it: and what then? St. James' answers this inquiry, "Whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, must be a doer of the work," that is, of the righteousness evangelical; and "this man shall be blessed in his deed." For it is Christ who hath set us free; but yet be * Lib. 3. Instit. cap. 19. sect. 10. 1 Cor. vii. 20, 21. 24. 1 James, i. 25. servants of Christ; his Spirit hath made us free, and asserted us. "into the glorious liberty of the sons of God"; therefore we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh," but we must live a spiritual life, for to do so is to persist in our liberty; it is entering upon that possession which God hath given, us; but this is like the gift given to the sons of Israel; all the land of Canaan was their portion, but they were to fight for it, and win it by degrees; but it was long before they were in quiet possession; and so shall we, when we are in the land of promise. 2. It is also true, that we are freed from the curse of the law and the spirit of bondage or servile fear, which was produced by the curses threatened to every tr ansgressor without the abatements of infirmity and the allowances of repentance; and we are adopted into a liberty of the sons of God, we can "cry, Abba,' 'Father;'" and God will use us not with the severe rights of a Lord, but with the sweetest measures of a father's government. And what then? what is the effect of this liberty?-By the Spirit of God we cry, ́Abba,' 'Father,' by him we have this liberty, therefore "we must live in the Spirit" for though we be not under fear, yet we are under love; we are not under the curse of the law, yet we are under the duty; not under the coercive power of the first covenant, yet under the directive power of the eternal commandment. For the Spirit of God makes us sons, yet none are sons but such as are "led by the Spirit";" and we freed from the curse and condemnation of the law; but not unless we "walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." 3. It is also true that we are freed from the ceremonial law, the law of circumcision, of meats and drinks and carnal ordinances. And what then? "Use it charitably, and take heed lest this liberty of yours become a stumbling-block to them that are weak "." Some there are that extend this to a liberty from all things, that are indifferent, as meats, and garments, and days, and ceremonies, and the like. Now if they mean that we are not bound to these things by any law of God under the gospel, it is very true; that is, Christ gave us no commandment concerning them. But if it be meant, that these things are left so free, that there can be no accidental and temporary obligation, rule, or limit, made con Rom. viii. 12. n Rom. viii 1. 14. 1 Cor. viii. 9. cerning them, this is that I am now disputing against. But that this is no part of Christian liberty purchased by the blood of Christ, is evident,-because things, in their nature indifferent, that is, concerning which there was no commandment given, were always free; and to say otherwise were a contradiction in the terms; and no drop of Christ's blood could so vainly fall as to purchase for us what was done already by the nature of the thing. He only rescinded the laws of Moses, concerning the instances commanded there; that is, those which were not indifferent, as being positively commanded, he returned to their own nature, to be used in another dispensation, to be disposed of in another government, in a distinct manner, to other purposes, or, as occasion should serve, to be wholly let alone. But although Christ broke the yoke of Moses, and so left the instances and matters there used to their own indifference; yet he left it as indifferent to the lawgivers to make laws concerning them'; for he gave no commandment, that they should always be left indifferent as to external usages. Under Moses they were tied upon the conscience by God himself, and therefore unchangeably during that whole period; but now they are left to a temporary transient use and ministry, to do good, or to promote order, or to combine government: and if governors had not a freedom to use them in government, as well as private persons to use them, if they would, in their own persons, Christian liberty had been made for subjects, and denied to Christian princes and Christian priests. P 4. There is yet another liberty called " the liberty of glory," or "the glorious liberty of the children of God;" that is, the "redemption of our bodies" from disease and pain, from death and corruption: but for this we must stay till the last adoption: for what Christ is by generation and proper inheritance, that we shall be by adoption, if we belong to him. Now of Christ in his resurrection it was said, "Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee." That was the last generation or right of sonship, to which when we are adopted, we shall be partakers of the glory; but that was at Christ's resurrection, and this shall be in ours. 5. Now there being in the days of the apostles so much talk of liberty, and that in so many instances, and, without question, made the subject of many sermons, and much tabletalk, and manydisputes, and used as an argument to persuade strangers, and to comfort the faithful, and the devil being so ready to make use of any prepared lust, or mistake, or ignorance, or fancy; it could not be but many weak and many false persons did instantly dream of a temporary liberty, that sons were free from the laws of parents,-wives, of husbands, servants, of masters,-subjects, of princes: the apostles, knowing how great a confusion this would be to all relations and states of men, and what an infinite reproach it would be to the religion, stopped this avenue of mischief, and not only dogmatically described the duties of all inferiors, but took care also to do it in those places where they had occasion to speak of Christian liberty, that there might be no pretence to do evil. For Christianity neither could nor ought to have been received, if the preachers of it had destroyed governments. The effect of this discourse is plainly this, that Christian liberty does not warrant disobedience to human laws, or liberty from their obligation. Whereas therefore the Apostle says, "Ye are bought with a price, be not ye the servants of men," it is not to be understood of the conscience or mind of men, as the objection affirms, but only is an advice of prudence, to the purpose of the preceding words (in the twenty-first verse), “If thou mayest be made free, use it rather:" that is, 'Since it is more convenient for the advantages of religion, and the service of Christ, by the price of whose blood you are redeemed, that ye may serve him all your days, therefore you are free, be not easy to give or part with your liberty, but use your state of liberty for the advantage of the service of Christ;' for that nothing else is meant, appears in the words' he immediately subjoins, "Brethren, let every man wherein he is called, therein abide with God:" that is, your being the servants of men is not inconsistent with your service of God, nor that servitude incompossible with Christian liberty. But yet suppose that the interpretation, used in the objection, be right, and that, "Be not ye the servants of men," is to be understood of the conscience or mind of man; yet, save only that it was not so intended by the Apostle, it can do no harm to this question: for the understanding and the mind may be |