Obs. 4. That the gospel, or word of God, is a ' law of liberty.' As it is a perfect, so it is a free law. So it is in divers respects. (1.) Be- cause it teachebli the way to true liberty, and freedom from sin, wrath, death. Naturally we are under the law of sin and death, entangled with the yoke of our own corruptions, and bound over to eternal misery ; but the gospel is a doctrine of liberty and deliverance : John viii. 30, ' If the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.' There is no state so free as tluit which we enjoy by the gospel. (2.) The bond of obedience that is laid upon us is indeed and in truth a perfect freedom. For, —
1. The matter itself of our obedience is freedom.
2. We do it upon free principles.
3. We have the help of a free Spirit.
4. We do it in a state of freedom.
1. The matter is freedom. Duty is the greatest liberty, and sin the greatest bondage. You cannot have a worse restraint than to be left to ' walk in the ways of your own hearts.' The sinning angels are said to be ' kept in chains of darkness,' Jude 6. A wicked man is in l)ondage here and hereafter ; now in snares, then in chains ; here ' taken captive by Satan at his will' and ])leasure, 2 Tim. ii. 2(5, and liereafter bound up with Satan in chains of darkness. Sin itself is a bondage, and hell a prison, 1 Peter iii. V.). Were there nothing in sin but the present slavery, it is enough to dissuade us. Who would 1)0 a vassal to his own lusts P at the command of pride, and every unclean motion? But, alas! the present thraldom is nothing to what is future. The condition of a sinner for the present is servile, but
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hereafter woful and dreadful. Satan's work is drudgery, and Iiis reward is death. How can we remain in sucli an estate with any pleasure ? From the heginning to the end it is hut a miserable ser- vility. Why should we account Christ's service a burthen, when it is the most happy liberty and freedom ? The world is all for ' castinsj aside the cords, for breakinj:^ these bonds,' Ps. ii. 3. Which would you have ? the cords of duty or the chains of darkness ? We cannot endure the restraints of the word, or the severe, grave precepts of Christianity ; we look upon them as an infringement of our carnal ease and liberty. Oh! consider these are not gyves, but ornaments: Ps. cxix. 45, ' I shall walk at liberty, for I seek thy precepts ;' heddachah,
* at large.' That is the only free life that is spent in loving, enjoying, and praising God. Oh ! do not count it, then, to be the only free and pleasant life to know nothing, to care for nothing, in matters of reli- gion. Who would dote upon his shackles, and think gyves a liberty ? 2 Peter ii. 19, ' While they promise themselves liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption ; for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought into bondage.' The apostle alludeth to the law of nations, by which it is lawful to make slaves of those that are over- come and taken in war. Now those that preach carnal doctrine, and tell men they may live as they list, they help on the victory of sin, and so bring men into a vassalage and servitude to their own lusts. So Kom. vi. 20, ' When ye were servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.' You would expatiate, and run out at large, and you thought this was a freedom ; but all the while yon were servants, and servants to the basest master, your own sin. It was Ham's curse to be a servant of servants. It is a goodly preferment, is it not, to be Satan's vassal, lust's slave? I remember Austin saith of Eome, that she was the great mistress of the world, and the drudge of sin.^ And Chrysostom saith, that Joseph was the freeman, and his mistress was the servant, when she obeyed her lusts. ^
2. We do it upon free principles. Whatever we do, we do it as
* the Lord's freemen,' 1 Cor. vii. 22, upon principles of love and thankfulness. God might rule us 'with a rod of iron,' but he urgeth the soul with ' constraints of love.' In one place, ' I beseech you by the mercies of God/ &c., Kom. xii. 1 , in another, ' Grace tcacheth us,' &c., Titus ii. 12. The motives of the gospel are mercy and grace ; and the obedience of the gospel is an obedience performed out of gratitude or thankfulness.
3. We have the assistance of a free Spirit, that disentangleth our souls, and helpeth ns in the work of obedience. David prayeth, ' Uphold me by thy free Spirit,' Ps. Ii. 12. A free Spirit, because he maketli us free, helpeth us to serve God willingly and freely. There is spirit and life in the commandment, somewhat besides a dead letter, and that maketh it a ' perfect law of liberty.' Of old, there was liglit in the commandment to guide their feet, but not fire to burn up their lusts ; there was no help to fulfil it : the light was directive, but not persuasive.