236 THE SPIRITUAL JUBILEE.
death, unless our second birth, our new birth, make amends for sin, for the baseness of our lirst birth. This prerogative, our spiritual nobleness, is such an estate wherein we are not born, but are born again to it, * to an inheritance immortal,' &c., 1 Peter i. 4. But by nature we are all bond- men, tliough \vc be born never so nobly. Therefore let us never brag of our birth, as the Jews did, that they were the children of Abraham. No, saith Christ, you are of your father the devil, John viii. 44. Let none stand upon the gentry and nobility of their birth, unless they be taken out of the condition they are in by nature, to be in a better condition in Christ; for we see all men naturally are under the law of sin and death.
These things are slighted, because we enjoy ' the pleasures of sin for a season,' Heb. xi. 25. Men think to be enthralled to sin, it is pleasant thraldom, they are golden fetters ; for I shall have the pleasures of sin all my lifetime, &c. ; and for death, I will set a Roman spirit against death. Saith a Roman, What ! is it such a matter to die ? It is nothing to die (c). They set a good face on the matter. And this is the conceit of many men till they come to it. But, alas ! to be enthralled to death, it is another matter, for behind death there is a gulf. A man may break the hedge well enough with a strong resolution to die ; it is nothing to die if there were an end. But there is a gulf, there is damnation and destruction behind ; there is eternal torment behind ; to be adjudged from the presence of God for ever : to be separated from all good and all comfort, and to have society with the devil and his angels in hell, and that for ever and for ever. Thou mayest, perhaps, make slight of the service of sin, because thou hast the present baits to delight thee, but thou shouldst regard death. Thou mayest neglect death, but then regard eternal death. This word ' eternal' it is a heavy word, ' eternal' separation from all good ; and eternal com- munion with the devil and his angels ; and for the wrath of God to seize on thy soul eternally, world without end. Methinks men should not set light by that. Therefore considering that this is our estate by nature, — we are all slaves to sin and death, — let us labour to get out of this cursed estate by all means, which is by
' The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.'
Now, I come to speak of our freedom : ' The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath, freed me from the law of sin and death.' This is good news indeed, to hear of freedom : good news to the Israelites to hear of freedom out of Egypt, and for the Jews to hear of Cyrus's proclamation for their freedom out of Babylon. Freedom out of bondage is a sweet message. Here we have such a message of spiritual freedom, from other manner of enemies than those were. The year of jubilee, it was a comfortable year to servants that were kept in and were much vexed with their bondage. When the year of jubilee came they were all freed. Therefore there was great expectation of the year of jubilee. Here we have a spiritual jubilee : a manumission and freedom from the bondage we are in by nature. ' The Spirit of life in Christ makes mfree from the law of sin and death.' There is life in Christ, opposite to death in us. There is a Spirit of life in Christ and a law of the Spirit of life in Christ, opposite to the law of sin and of death in us. So that this is our happiness while we live here (Oh, it is the blessedness of men to make use of it while they have time and space and grace to repent, and to cleave to Christ), that whatsoever ill we are under by nature, w^e may have full supply in Christ for all the breaches that came by the first Adam. There came the wrath of God, the corrup- tion of our nature, terrors of conscience, death and damnation. All these
THE SPIRITUAL JUBILEE. 237
followed the sin and breach of the first Adam. All these are made up in the second. He hath freed us from all the ill we received from the first Adam, and that we have added ourselves ; for we make ourselves worse than we come from Adam by our voluntary and daily transgi'essions. But we are freed from all by the * law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.' How comes this freedom ?
1. There can no freedom be uithont satisfaction to divine justice. For why are we under sin ? God chives us up to sin. Why are we under death ? God gives us up to death. Why are we under Satan's government ? He is God's executioner, God's serjeaut. He gives us up to him here because we offend him. Why are we under damnation and wrath ? Because God is ofiended. All our slavery comes originally from God. However it be sinful in regard of Satan that keeps us, yet the power whereby he keeps us is good, for he doth it from God. His will is always naught, but his power is always lawful. Therefore the power whereby the devil keeps us, if we look up to God under whom the power is, it is a lawful power ; for God hath a hand in giving us up to sin : it is a judicial giving up, and then by- lusts and sin, to Satan and death and damnation. So if we speak of free- dom, we must not begin with the executioner : the wrath of God must be satisfied. God must be one with us, so as his justice must have content- ment. Satisfaction must be with the glory of his justice, as well as of his mercy. His attributes must have full content. One must not be destroj^ed to satisfy another. He must so be merciful in freeing us as that content must be given to his justice, that it complain not of any loss. Now, recon- ciliation alway supposeth satisfaction. It is founded upon it.