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let US every day labour to grow farther and farther both in the knowledge and in the tfisto and feelhig of this spiritual liberty.
Use 2. Oh beloved, what a blessed c())idltum it is to have tJiis spiritual lihertj/ ! Do but see the blessed use and comfort of it in all conditions. For if a man hath the Spirit of God to set him at spiritual liberty, in all temptations, cither to sin, he hath the Spirit of God to free him from temptation ; or, if temptation catch hold on him for sin, he hath the Spirit of God to fly to, the blood of Christ, to shew that if he confess his sins and lay hold on Christ, he hath pardon of sin ; and the blood of Christ ' speaks better things than the blood of Abel.' It speaks mercy and peace. If he by faith sprinkle it upon his soul, if he know the liberty of justification, and make use of it : what a blessed liberty is this when we have sinned !
In restraint of the outward man. If ever God restrain us to humble us, what a blessed thing is this, that the spirit is at hberty ! and that is the best part of a man. A man may have a free conscience and mind, in a restrained condition ; and a man may be restrained in a free state. In the guilt of sin, bound over to the wrath of God, and bound over to another evil day, a man in the greatest thraldom may have liberty. "What a blessed condition is this !
So in sickness, to consider that there is a glorious liberty of the sons of God, and a redemption of bodj', as well as of soul, that this base body of mine shall be like Christ's glorious body ; that there is a resurrection to glory — the resurrection will make amends for all these sicknesses and ills of body — what a comfort is it to think of the resurrection to glory !
And so when death comes, to know that by the blood of Christ there is a libert}^ to enter into heaven ; that Christ by his blood hath opened a passage to heaven.
And so in all necessities, to think I have a liberty to the throne of grace; I am free of heaven ; I am free of the company of saints in earth and in heaven too ; I am free to have communion with God ; I have a freedom in all the promises ; — what a sweet thing is this, in all wants and necessities, to use a spiritual liberty, to have the ear of God, as a favourite in heaven ! Not only to be free from the wrath of God, but to have his favour, to have his care in all our necessities : what a blessed liberty is this, that a man may go with boldness to the throne of grace by the Spirit of Christ !
Beloved, it is invaluable. There is not the least branch of this spiritual liberty but it is worth a thousand worlds. How should we value it, and bless God for giving Christ to work this blessed liberty ; and for giving his Spirit to apply it to us more and more, and to set us more and more at spiritual liberty. For both the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, all join in this spiritual liberty. The Father gives the Son, and he gives the Spirit ; and all to set us free. It is a comfortable and blessed condition.
Use 3. But how shall we know whether ice be set at liberty or no 1 Because all will pretend a liberty from the law and from the curse of God, and his wrath in justification ? And though it be the foundation of all, I will not speak of that, but of that that always accompanies it, a liberty of holiness, a liberty to serve God, a liberty from bondage to lusts, and to Satan. Therefore,
(1.) Wheresoever the Spirit of God is, there is a liberty of holiness, to free us from the dominion of any one sin. We ai'e freed ' to serve him in holiness all the days of our lives,' Luke i. 75. Where the Spirit therefore is, it will free a man from thraldom to sin, even to any one sin. For the
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Spirit discovers to the soul the odiousness of the bondage. For a man to be a slave to Satan, who is his enemy, a cruel enemy, what an odious thing is this ! Now whosoever is enthralled to any lust, is in thi*aldom to Satan bj that lust. Therefore where this liberty is, there cannot be slavery to any one lust. Satan therefore cares not how many sins one leaves, if he live in any one sin ; for he hath them in one sin, and can pull them in by one sin. As children when they have a bird, they can give it leave to fly, so it be in a string to pull it back again ; so Satan hath men in a string, if they live in any one sin. The Spii'it of Christ is not there, but Satan's spirit, and he can pull them in when he will. The beast that runs away with a cord about him, he is catched by the cord again ; so when we leave many sins, and yet notwithstanding carry his cords about us, he can pull ns in when he lists. Such arc prisoners at liberty more than others, but notwithstanding they are slaves to Satan by that, and where Satan keeps possession by one sin, and rules there, there is no liberty. For the spirit of sanctification whera it is, is a counter-poison to the corruption of nature, and it is opposite to it, in all the powers of the soul. It suffers no corrup- tion to get head.