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or that which is pretended; that which is real refpects a twofold iffue of law, and fin. The moral unchangeable law of God, and fin, being in conjunction, meeting with reference to any perfons, hath, and hath had a twofold iffue.

1. An oeconomical inftitution of a new law of ordinances, keeping in bondage those to whom it was given, Col. ii. 14.

2. A natural (if I may fo call it) preffing off thofe perfons with its power and efficacy against fin, whereof there are these parts.

1. Its rigor, and terror in commanding.

2. Its impoffibility for accomplishment, and fo infufficiency for its primitively appointed end.

3. The iffues of its tranfgreffion, which are referred unto two heads, 1. Curfe, 2. Death. I fhall speak very briefly of thefe, because they are commonly handled, and granted by all.

2. That which is pretended, is the power of any whatever over the confcience, when once made free by Christ.

First then, Believers are freed from the inftituted law of ordinances, which upon the teftimony of the apostles, was a yoke which neither we nor our fathers (in the faith) could bear, Acts xv. 10. Wherefore Chrift blotted out this hand-writing of ordinances that was against them, which was contrary to them, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his crofs, Col. ii. 14. and thereupon the apoftle after a long difpute concerning the liberty that we have from that law, concludes with this inftruction, Gal. v. 1. Stand faft in the liberty wherewith Chrift hath made us free.

2. In reference to the moral law, the first thing we have liberty from, is its rigor, and terror in

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commanding, Heb. xii. 18, 19, 20, 21, 22. We are not come to the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, to the whirl-wind, darkness, and tempeft, to the found of the trumpet, and the voice of words, which they that heard befought that they might hear it no more; but we are come to mount Sion, &c. As to that administration of the law wherein it was given out with dread, and terror, and fo exacted its obedience with rigor, we are freed from it, we are not called to that eftate.

2. Its impoffibility of accomplishment, and fo infufficiency for its primitive end by reason of fin. Or we are freed from the law as the inftrument of righteoufnefs, fince by the impoffibility of its fulfilling as to us, it is become infufficient for any fuch purpose, Rom. viii. 2, 3. Gal. iii. 21, 22, 23. There being an impoffibility of obtaining life by the law, we are exempted from it as to any fuch end, and that by the righteoufnéfs of Chrift, Rom. viii. 3.

3. From the iffue of its tranfgreffion.

1. Curfe. There is a folemn curfe enwrapping the whole wrath of God, annexed to the law, with reference to the tranfgreffion thereof: and from this are we wholly at liberty, Gal. iii. 13. By being made a curfe, he hath delivered us from the curfe.

2. Death. Heb. ii. 14, 15. and therewith from Satan, Heb. ii. 15. Col. i. 13. and fin, Rom. vi. 14. 1 Pet. i. 18. with the world, Gal. i. 14. with all attendancies, advantages, and claim of them all, Gal. iv. 3, 4, 5. Col. ii. 20. without which we could not live one day.

That which is pretended, and claimed by fome, wherein indeed and in truth we were never in bon

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dage, but are hereby eminently fet free, is the power of binding confcience by any laws and conftitutions, not from God, Col. ii. 20, 21, 22.

2. There is a liberty in the family of God, as well as a liberty from the family of Satan; fons are free, their obedience is a free obedience; they have the Spirit of the Lord, and where he is, there is liberty, 2 Cor. iii. 18. as a fpirit of adopti on he is opposed to the fpirit of bondage, Rom. viii. 15. Now this liberty of our Father's family, which we have as fons and children, being adopted by Christ through the Spirit, is a fpiritual largenefs of heart, whereby the children of God do freely, willingly, genuinly, without fear, terror, bondage, and constraint go forth unto all holy obe dience in Chrift.

I fay this is our liberty in our Father's family; what we have liberty from, hath been already declared.

There be Gibeonites outwardly attending the. family of God, that do the fervice of his house, as the drudgery of their lives; the principle they yield obedience upon, is a fpirit of bondage unto fear, Rom. viii. 15. the rule they do it by, is the law in its dread and rigor, exacting it of them to the utmost, without mercy and mitigation; the end they do it for, is to fly from the wrath to come, to pacify confcience, and feek righteoufnefs, as it were, by the works of the law. Thus fervily, painfully, fruitlefly, they feek to ferve their own conviction all their days.

The faints, by adoption have a largeness of heart in all holy obedience; faith David, I will walk at. liberty, for I feek thy precepts, Pfal. cxix. 4, 5. Ifa. Ixi. 1. Luke iv. 18. Rom. viii. 2, 21. Gal. xlii. 5.

i. 13. James i. 25. John viii. 32, 33, 36. Rom. vi. 18. 1 Pet. ii. 16. Now this amplitude, or fon-like freedom of the spirit in obedience, confifts in fundry things.

1. In the principles of all spiritual fervice, which are life, and love; the one refpecting the matter of their obedience, giving them power, the other refpecting the manner of their obedience giving them joy, and fweetnefs in it. It is from life, that gives them power as to the matter of obedience, Rom. viii. 3. The law of the Spirit of life in Chrift Jefus, fets them free from the law of fin and death: it frees them, it carries them out to all obedience freely. So that they walk after the Spirit, ver. 1. that being the principle of their workings, Gal. ii. 20. Chrift lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, is by the faith of the Son of God; the life which I now live in the flesh, that is, the obedience which I yield unto God, whilft I am in the flesh, it is from a principle of life, Chrift living in me: there is then power for all living unto God, from Chrift in them, the Spirit of life, from Chrift carrying them out thereto. The fruits of a dead root, are but dead excrefcencies; living acts are from a principle of life.

Hence you may fee the difference between the liberty that flaves affume, and the liberty which is due to children.

1. Slaves take liberty from duty, children have liberty in duty; there is not a greater mistake in the world, than that the liberty of fons in the house of God, confifts in this, they can perform duties, or take the freedom to omit them; they can ferve in the family of God; that is, they think they may

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if they will, and they can choose whether they will or no. This is a liberty ftoln by flaves, not a liberty given by the Spirit unto fons.

The liberty of fons is in the inward spiritual freedom of their hearts naturally and kindly going out in all the ways and worship of God. When they find themselves ftraitened, and fhut up in them, they wrestle with God for enlargement, and are never contented with the doing of a duty, unless it be done as in Chrift, with free genuine and enlarged hearts. The liberty that fervants have is from duty, the liberty given to fons is in duty.

2. The liberty of flaves or fervants is from miftaken deceiving conclufions; the liberty of fons is from the power of the indwelling Spirit of grace; or the liberty of fervants is from outward dead conclufions, the liberty of fons from an inward living principle,

2. Love, as to the manner of their obedience gives them delight and joy, John xiv. 15. If ye love me (fays Chrift) keep my commandments: love is the bottom of all their duties; hence our Saviour refolves all obedience into the love of God, and our neighbour; and Paul upon the fame ground tells us, that love is the fulfilling of the law, 1 Cor. xiii. 10. where love is in any duty it is compleat in Christ. How often doth David even with admiration exprefs this principle of his walking with God; Oh, faith he, how love I thy commandments. This gives faints delight, that the commandments of Chrift are not grievous to them; Jacob's hard fervice was not grievous to him, because of his love to Rachel; no duty of a faint is grievous to him, because of his love to Chrift. They do from hence all things with delight and complacency; hence do they long

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