He doth not say licentiousness to shake off all government ; for by too much licentiousness all liberty is lost ; but ' where the Spirit of God is, there is liberty.' For a true Christian is the greatest servant and the greatest freeman in the world ; for he hath a spirit that will yield to none. In things spiritual he reserves a liberty for his judgment, yet for outward conformity of life and conversation he is a servant to all, to do them good. Love makes him a servant. Christ was the greatest servant that ever was. « Qu Ham '? Gen. ix. 25.— G. f Cf. 1 Cor. vi. 3 ; Mat. xix. 28.— G.
236 EXCELLENCY OF THE GOSPEL
He was both the servant of God and our servant. And there is none so free. Tlie greater portion of the Spirit, the more inward and spiritual freedom ; and the more freedom, the more disposition to serve one another in love, and to do all things that a man should do outwardly, all things that are lawful. We must take hoed of that, mistake not this spiritual liberty. It stands with conformity to all good laws and all good orders, and there is a great mistake of carnal men for want of this. They think it liberty to do as men list.* It is true, if a man have a strong and a holy understanding, to be a good leader to it, but it is the greatest bondage in the world, to have most freedom in ill. As I said before, those that are most free in ill are most slaves of all ; for their corruptions will not suffer them to hear good things, to be where good things are spoken, to accompany with those that are good, their corruptions hath them in so narrow a custody. Some kind of men, their corruptions are so malignant and binding, that they will not suffer them to be in any opportunity wherein their cor- ruptions may be restrained at all, but they hate the very sight of persons that may restrain them, and all laws that might restrain them. Now this is the greatest slavery in the world, for a man to have no acquaintance with that that is contrary to his corrupt disposition.
Well, ' new lords new laws,' as soon as ever a man is in Christ and hath Christ's Spirit, he hath another law in his soul to rule him contrary to that that there was before. Before he was ruled by the law of his lusts, that carried him whither he would ; but now in Christ he hath a new Lord and a new law, and that rules him according to the regiment f of the Spirit, ' The law of the Spirit of life in Christ hath freed me from the law of sin and of death,' Rom. viii. 2.
Use 4. Again, seeing where the Spirit of God is, there is this sweet and. glorious liberty, let us take heed by all means that tve do not grieve the Spirit. When we find the Holy Ghost in the use of any good means to touch upon our souls, Oh give him entrance and way to come into his own chamber, as it were to provide a room for himself ; as Cyprian saith, Consecra habi- taculinn, dc, enter into thy bedchamber ; consecrate a habitation for thyself fcj. So let us give him way to come into our souls when he knocks by his motions. We that live in the church, there is none of us all but our hearts tell us that we have often resisted the Holy Ghost. We might have been saved if we had not been rebellious and o]Dposite. Grieve not the Spirit by any means.
Quest. How is the Spirit grieved ?
A71S. Especially these two or three ways.
(1.) The Spirit being a Spirit of holiness, is grieved ivith unclean courses, ivith unclean motions and u-ords aiul actions. He is called the Holy Spirit, and he stirs up in the soul holy motions like himself. He breathes into us holy motions, and he breathes out of us good and holy and savoury words, and stirs us up to holy actions. Now when we give liberty to our mouths to speak rottenly, to swear — I am ashamed almost to name that word — when we give liberty to such filthiness, is not this a grieving of the Spirit, if we have the Spirit at all ? If we have not a care to grieve our- selves, do we not grieve all about us ? Therefore take heed of all filthy unholy words, thoughts, or carriages. It grieves the Spii'it.
(2.) Then the Spirit is a Spirit of love, take heed of canker and malice. We grieve the Spirit of God by cherishing canker and malice one against another. It drives away the sweet spirit of love. Therefore make con- * That is, ' choose.' — G. t That is, ' government.' — G.
ABOVE THE LAW. 237
science of grieving the Spirit. He will not rest in a malicious licart who is the Spirit of love.
(3.) Again, the Spirit of Christ, wheresoever it is, it is joined with a spirit of ImmiUty. ' God gives grace to the humble,' James iv. 6. It empties the soul that it may fill it. It empties it of what is in it, of windy vanitj', and fills it with itself. Therefore those that are filled with vain, high, proud conceits, they grieve and keep out the good Spirit of God ; for wc should empty our souls that the Spirit of God may have a large dwelling there, or else we grieve the Spirit.