Faith is said to do that that Christ doth, because faith lays hold upon Christ. "What faith doth, Christ doth ; and what Christ doth, faith doth. Therefore it hath the same actions applied and given to it that Christ hath. Faith is said to save us. You know it is Christ that saves us. But faith lays hold on Christ that saves us. Faith purgeth the heart, and overcomes the world. Christ by his Spirit doth all this. Because faith wrought by the Spirit is such a grace as lays hold on the power of Christ, it goes out of itself to Christ, therefore what Christ doth, faith is said to do. So then the law of the Spirit of life in Christ not only freed Christ himself by his resurrection, but likewise by the same power whereby he raised him- self, he raiseth our hearts to believe what he hath done, both in his state of humiliation and exaltation, and makes all that Christ did ours.
The Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, working faith in us, and by faith other * Cf. Ephesians ii. G, and Colossians ii. 12.- -G.
VOL. V. Q
242 THE SPIIUTUAL JUjnLEE.
graces, doth free us from tlio law of sin and death. Christ doth it, and faith doth it, and grace, which issues from faith, doth it subordinately. Christ doth it by way of merit ; and by his Spirit working faith in us, to lay hold upon whatsoever Christ hath done or suflfcred, as if we had done it ourselves. So it frees us from the law of sin and death, because it lays hold of the freedom wrought by Christ for us. But besides, and next to fixith, there is a Spirit of sanctification, by which we are free from the commanding law of sin and death. But to clear all this, con- sider there is a freedom in this life, and in the life to come from sin and from death.
I. A freedom in this life, in calling, in justification, in sanctification ; and in the life to come a freedom of glory.
1. There is a freedom in. ejfcctual calling, by the ministry of the gospel. The gospel being preached and unfolded, faith is wrought, whereby we know what Christ hath done for us ; and we see a better condition in Christ than we are in by nature. Seeing by the Spirit of God the cursed estate we are in, we are convinced of sin in ourselves, and of the good that is in Christ ; and hereupon we are called out of the thraldom we are in by nature, by the Spirit of Christ and the w^ord of God, unfolding what our condition is ; for man by nature having self-love in him, and that self-love being turned the right way, he begins to think, Ay, doth the word of God say I am a slave to sin and damnation ? The word of God can judge better than myself; and then the Spirit of God sets it on with conviction, that undoubtedly this is true. And together with the cursed kingdom and slavery that I am under, there is discovered a better estate in Christ ; for the gospel tells us what we are in Christ ; freed from hell and death, and heirs of heaven. Oh the happy estate of a Christian to be in Christ ! The gospel, with the Spirit discovering this, a man is called out of the cursed estate he is in by nature to the fellowship of Christ by faith, which is wrought in this calling. So that now he comes to be a member of Christ by faith. So that whatsoever Christ hath, or is, or hath done or suffered, it is mine by reason of this union with him by faith, which is the grace of union that knits us to Christ, and the first grace of application. So there is the first degree of liberty and freedom wrought by the Spirit of God, together with the gospel in eflectual calling.
2. The second is in justification. That faith and beHef in Christ that was wrought in effectual calling, it frees me from the guilt of my sins. For when the gospel, in eflectual calling, discovers that Christ is such a one, and that there is such an estate in Christ, and there is faith wrought in me, then that faith lays hold upon the obedience of Christ to be mine. For Christ in the gospel offers his obedience to be mine, as if I had done it in mine own person. Whatsoever Christ did or suffered is mine ; for he is made of God to be * wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemp- tion,' 1 Cor. i. 30, to be all in all. The gospel sets him forth to be so. Now faith laying hold of Christ, to be made of God all in all, obedience, righteousness, &c., whatsoever is needful, hereupon this faith justifies me; hereupon I come to be free from the guilt of my sins, because my sins were laid upon Christ. Christ's death was the death of a surety. It was as if I had died myself, and more firm. Thus I come to be free in justifi- cation ; for what my surety hath done I have done.
3. Again, There is a freedom in sanctification ; that is, when a man believes that Christ is his, and that his sufferings are his, then the same Spirit that discovers this to be mine, it works a change and alteration in my nature,