Again, by the Spirit of Christ in sanctification we are made kings, to rule over our own lusts in some measure ; not kings to be freed altogether from them, but kings to strive against them. It is a liberty to fight, and in fighting to overcome at last. When the Israelites had a promise that God would give their enemies into their hands, the meaning was not that he would give them without fighting a blow, but I will give them into your hands. You shall fight ; and be of good comfort, in fighting you shall overcome. So this liberty of sanctification, it is not a liberty that we should have no combat with our corruptions, but a gracious liberty to keep
ABOVE THE LAW. 223
them under, till by subduing them by little and little, we get a perfect victory. What greater encouragement can a man have to fight against his enemy, than when he is sure of the victory before he fights, of final victory ! You see then how the Spirit brings a liberty into the soul. It brings us out of that cursed kingdom of Satan and sin. It brings us out of the curse of God and the law in justification ; and it brings us from the dominion and tyranny of sin, by a spirit of sanctification.
But this is not all that is in liberty ; for the Spirit doth not only free us from all that is ill, fi'om sin, but from that that follows it. There is some ill that follows, as fear and terrors of conscience, &c. They follow sin and death and wrath, and such like, the subjection to these. Now, where the Spirit of God is, it frees from the ill consequents, from the tail that follows sin. Where the Spirit is, it frees us from fear ; for the same Spirit that tells us in justification that God is appeased, the same Spirit frees us from the fear of damnation and death and judgment ; from the terrors of an evil conscience. Being ' sprinkled with the blood of Christ,' 1 Pet. i. 2, we are freed from fear.
And it frees not only from the fear of ill things, but it shews immunity and freedom to good. Liberty implies here two things : a freedom from ill, from a cursed condition, and likewise a liberty to a better ; a liberty from ill, and to good. We must take it in the just latitude, because the benefits of Christ are complete, not only privative but positive ; not only to free us from ill, but to confer all good to us, as much as our nature is capable of. As much as these souls of ours are capable of, they shall be made free and gloi'ious and happy in heaven, God will leave no part of the soul unfilled, DO corner of the soul empty. By little and little he doeth it, as we shall see in the next verse. 'V\1ien we are called out of Satan's kingdom we are not only called out of that cursed state, but we are made free of a bet- ter kingdom ; we are made the members of Christ ; we are enfranchised. And so in justification we are not only freed from damnation, from the jus- tice and wrath of God, but likewise we can implead-'-- our righteousness whereby we have title to heaven, which is a blessed privilege and preroga- tive. We are not only free from the curse of the law, but likewise we have other gracious prerogatives and privileges. We are not only freed from the dominion of sin, but we are likewise set at liberty by the Spirit to do that that is good. We have a voluntary free spirit to serve God with as great cheerfulness as we served our lusts before ; and as we are freed from the rigour and curse of the law, so we have prerogatives to good answerable. We are now by the Spirit set at liberty to delight in the law, to make the law our counsellor, to make the word of God our counsellor. That that terrified and afirighted us before, now it is our direction. Even as he that was a severe schoolmaster to one in his under years, after, when he comes to years, becomes a wise tutor to guide and direct him ; so the law that temfied and whipped us when we were in bondage, till we be in Christ, — it scares us to Christ, — that law after comes to be a tutor, to tell us this we shall do, to counsel us, and say this is the best way ; and we come to delight in those truths, when they are discovered to us in the inward man. And the more we know, the more we would know, because we would please God every day better. So that besides freedom from that that is ill, and the consequents of ill, there is a blessed immunity and prerogative and privilege. That is meant here by liberty.
For God's works are complete. We must know when he delivers fr'om * That is, = ' use the plea.' — G.
224 EXCELLENCY OF THE GOSPEL
ill he advfinccth to good. His works are full works always. He dotli not things by halves. Therefore we have through Christ, and by the Spirit, not only freedom from that that is ill, but advancement to all that is com- fortable and graciously good.