Second, ' Where the Spirit is, there is liberty.' Again, inmatter of justi- fication there is a liberty and freedom of conscience from sin and the curse of sin, and all the danger that follows upon sin, by the Spirit.
Obj. But you will say, the liberty of justification is wrought by Christ ; we are justified by the obedience of Christ ; and the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us.
Ans. It is true Christ is our righteousness. But what is that to us except we have something to put it on ? Except we be united to Christ, what good have we by Christ if Christ be not ours ? If there be not a spiritual marriage, what benefit have we by him if we have not him to pay
220
EXCELLENCY OF TnC GOSPEL
our debt? For Lis riches to be oiirs, and our debt to bo bis, there must bo a union first. Now this union is wrouj^ht by the Spirit. It is begun in cilectual calling. From this union there comes to be a change ; his righteousness is mine, as if I had obeyed and done it by myself ; and my debts and sins are his. This is by the Spirit, because the union between Christ and mo is by the Spirit. For whatsoever Christ hath done, it is nothing to me till there be a union. And then freedom is by the Spirit likewise, because the Spirit of God works faith in me, not only to unite and knit me to Christ, but faith to persuade me that Christ is mine, and that all his is mine, and that my debts are his. This supernatural hand of faith the Spirit works to lay hold upon Christ, and then to persuade me. For the Spirit is a lightsome thing, and together with the graces it tells mo the graces it works. As i-eason, besides reason, it tells mc that I use reason when I do. It hath a reflex act. So the Spirit of Christ it hath a reflex act upon itself ; for, being above reason, it doth not only lay hold upon Christ, it doth not only do the work, but it tells me that I do so when I do. Therefore it not only tells me that Christ is mine when I believe, but it assures me that I do believe. It carries a light of its own. I know the liglit by the light, and reason by reason, and faith by faith, together with the reflex act joining with it. So that the reflex act joining with it, the Spirit is the cause of liberty in justification in that respect, as it is a means of union, whereupon there is a passage of all that is Christ's to be mine, and mine to be Christ's. And likewise it assures me that I do believe, when I do believe without error. For the Spirit is given me to know the things that I have by Christ, not only to know the privileges by Christ, but the graces of Christ.
And, beloved, unless the Spirit should do it, it would never be done ; for the soul of man is so full of terrors and fears and jealousies, that except the Spirit of God witness to my spirit, that God is reconciled in Christ, and that Christ's righteousness is mine, I could never be persuaded of it. For the soul it alway thinks God is holiness itself, and I am a mass of sin. What reason have I to think that God will be so favourable to such a wretch, to such a lump of sin as I am, were it not that God the Son hath satisfied God the Father ? God hath satisfied God ; and the Spirit certifies my conscience. So the Spirit, that searcheth the deep things of God, that knows what love is in the breast of God, and therefore he searcheth the heart, he searcheth the heart of God, and he searcheth my spirit. Except the Spirit should tell me that God the Son hath satisfied (and God the Father will accept of the satisfaction of God the Son), I should never believe it. Therefore God must stablish the heart in a gracious liberty of justification, as well as that God the Son hath wrought it.
It is no wonder that men of great parts without grace are full of terrors and despair ; for the more parts and wit a man hath without the Spirit of God, the more he disputes against himself, and entangles himself with desperate thoughts. But when the Spirit is brought to speak peace to the soul in Christ, and makes the soul to cast itself on him for salvation, then God's Spirit is above the conscience. Though conscience be above all things else, yet God is above conscience, and can still the conscience ; and the Spirit tells us that God the Father is reconciled by the death of God the Son. And when God witnesseth what God hath wrought, then con- science is at peace. Thus we see how the Spirit sets us at liberty in the great matter of justification.
Third, So likewise in the matter of holy life, in the whole course of a holy
ABOATi: THE LAW. 221
life, ' where the Spirit of Christ is, there is liberty,' and freedom from the slavery of sin. For there the understanding is freed from the bondage of ignorance, and there the will is freed from the bondage of rebellion ; there the aflections likewise, and the whole inward and outward man is freed. But this liberty of holiness, inherent liberty, it doth spring from the liberty that we have % justification, by the righteousness of Christ, whereby we are perfectly righteous, and freed from all the title that Hatan hath in us. We are freed from the curse of God, from the law, and enabled in a course of sanctification to go on from grace to grace. The Spirit of Christ comes after justification. For whom God gives forgiveness unto, he gives his Spirit to sanctify them. The same Spirit that assures me of the pardon of my sin, sanctifies my nature. "Where the Spirit is of sanctification, it breaks the ruling power of sin. Before then the whole life is nothing but a con- tinual sinning and ofiendiug of God ; but now there is a gracious liberty of disposition, a largeness of heart which follows the liberty of condition. When a man is free in state and law from wrath, and from the sentence of damnation, then he hath a free and voluntary disposition wrought to serve God freely, without fear or constraint.