Believers are the children of the new covenant, the denizons of Jerusalem which is above, which is free, and the mother of them all, Gal. iv. 26. The glorious liberty, viz. that which is spiritual and eternal, is the liberty of the children of God, Rom. viii. 21. Christ, and none but Christ, delivers his people out of the hand of their enemies, Luke i. 74.
In the doctrinal part of this point, I must shew you,
First, What believers are not freed from by Jesus Christ in this world.
Secondly, What that bondage is from which every believer is freed by Christ.
Thirdly, What kind of freedom that is which commences upon believing.
Fourthly, Open the excellency of this state of spiritual free- dom.
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First What those things are from which believers are not made free in this world : We must not think that our spiritual liberty by Christ, presently brings us into an absolute liberty, in all respects,
First, Christ doth not free believers from obedience to the moral law : It is true we are no more under it as a covenant for our justi- fication ; but we are, and must still be under it, as a rule for our di- rection. The matter of the moral law is unchangeable, as the nature of good and evil is, and cannot be abolished except that distinction could be destroyed, Mat. v. 17, 18. The precepts of the law are still urged under the gospel to enforce duties upon us, Eph. vi. 12. It is therefore a vain distinction, invented by Libertines, to say it binds us as creatures, not as Christians ; or that it binds the unre- generate part, but not the regenerate : but this is a sure truth, that they who are freed from its penalties are still under its precepts. Though believers are no more under its curse, yet they are still under its conduct : The law sends us to Christ to be justified, and Christ sends us to the law to be regidated. Let the heart of every Christian join therefore with David's in that holy wish, Psal. cxix. 4, 5. " Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently ; " O that my heart were directed to keep thy statutes." It is ex- cellent when Christians begin to obey the law from life, which others obey for life ; because they are justified, not that they may be justified. It is also excellent when duties are done in the strength, and for the honour of Christ, which is evangelical ; and not in our own strength, and for our own ends, which is servile and legal obe- dience : Had Christ freed us from obedience, such a liberty had been to our loss.
Secondly, Christ hath not freed believers, in this world, from the temptations and assaults of Satan : even those that are freed from his dominion, are not free from his molestation. It is said indeed, Rom. xvi. 20. " God shall shortly bruise Satan under your feet F But mean time he hath power to bruise and buffet us by his injec- tions, 2 Cor. xii. 7. He now bruiseth Christ's heel, Gen. iii. 15. i. e. bruiseth him in his tempted and afflicted members : Though he cannot kill them, yet he can and doth afflict and fright them, by shooting his fiery darts of temptation among them, Eph. vi. 16. It is true, when the saints are got safe into heaven they are out of gunshot ; there is perfect freedom from all temptation. A be- liever may then say, O thou enemy, temptations are come to a perpetual end. I am now arrived there, where none of thy fiery darts can reach me : But this freedom is not yet.
Thirdly, Christ hath not yet freed believers, in this world, from the motions of indwelling sin ; these are continually acting, and
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infesting tlie holiest of men, Rom. vii. 21, 23, 24. Corruptions, like Canaanites, are still left in the land to be thorns in your eyes, and goads in your sides. Those that boast most of freedom from the motions of sin, have most cause to suspect themselves still under the dominion of sin. All Christ's freemen are troubled with the same complaint : who among them complains not as the apostle did, Rom. vii. 24. " Oh wretched man that I am ! who shall de- " liver me from the body of this death ?"
Fourthly, Jesus Christ doth not free believers, in this world, from inward troubles and exercises of soul, upon the account of sin. God may let loose Satan, and conscience too, in the way of ter- rible accusations, which may greatly distress the soul of a believer, and woefully eclipse the light of God's countenance, and break the peace of their souls. Job, Heman, and David were all made free by Christ, yet each of them hath left upon record his bitter com- plaint upon this account, Job vii. 19, 20. Psal. lxxxviii. 14, 15, 16. Psal. xxxviii. unto ver. 11.
Fifthly, Christ hath not freed believers, in this world, from the rods of affliction. God, in giving us our liberty, doth not abridge his own liberty, Psal. lxxxix. 32. All the children of God are made free, yet what son is there whom the father chasteneth not ? Heb. xii. 8. Exemption from affliction is so far from being the mark of a free man, that the apostle there makes it the mark of a slave. Bastards, not sons, want the discipline and blessing of the rod : To be free from affliction would be no benefit to believers, who receive so many benefits by it.
Sixthly, No believer is freed by Christ from the stroke of death, though they are all freed from the sting of death, Rom. viii. 10. The bodies of believers are under the same law of mortality with other men, Heb. ix. 27. We must come to the grave as well as others ; yea, we must come to it through the same agonies, pangs, and dolours that other men do : The foot of death treads as heavy upon the bodies of the redeemed, as of other men. Believers, indeed, are distinguished by mercy from others, but the distin- guishing mercy lies not here. Thus you see what believers are not freed from in this world : If you shall now say, what advantage then hath a believer, or what profit is there in regeneration ? I answer,
Secondly, That believers are freed from many great and sad mi- series and evils by Jesus Christ, notwithstanding all that hath been said. For,
First, All believers are freed from the rigour and curse of the law : The rigorous yoke of the law is broken off from their necks, and the sweet and easy yoke of Jesus Christ put on, Matth. ix. 28. The law required perfect working, under the pain of a curse, Gal.
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iii. 10. accepted of no short endeavours ; admitted no repentance; gave no strength : It is not so now ; proportionable strength is given, Phil. iv. 13. Evangelical sincerity is reckoned perfection, Job i. 1. Transgression brings not under condemnation, Rom. viii. 1. O blessed freedom ! when duty becomes light, and failings hinder not acceptance ! This is one part of the blessed freedom of believers.