202. An Expojition, with Notes fo bring men into avalfallage and fervimde to their own lufrs: So ,;_(orn. 6. 20. When ye \\'ere fervant.r offin, ye Were free from righ– teot4fnefs: You would expatiate, and run out at large, and you thought this was afreedom; but all the while youwere[ervant.r, and fervants to the ba[cft. master, your own fin : ·rwas Cham'.r cnrfe to be aferv.mt offervant.r. 'Iis a goodly preferment, is it \ a Domit,i:r: not ? to be Satans vaifal? Lulls Gave? I remember a Aufline faith Gc~:ittw, ~ ofRorne, That the was the great Miftrefs of the Wqrfd, 11nd the ~~~~v~ u~~,,~e drudg of /;in. And b {hryfoflorn faith, That [o[eph W.u the free– ' ivit. Dei lib. man, and hi.r Miflre{s \\?M the fervt4nt, When fhe obeyed her lufl.r. I? chry{u(.flrun• . z. We do it upon free Principles: What ever we do, we do it 19· m priorcm c ,u the Lords free-me1'1, upon principles·of love and thankfulnefs. ?' ~ Cormtb. God might rule us witha rod of iron, but he urgeth the Soul with ·d Ro;\:·.t:: cenf!raint.r of love: In one place, d I befeech you by the merciu e fitus ~. u. ·P[God, &c. In another, e qrace teacheth m, &c. The motives of the Gofpel are Mercy and Grace; and the obedience of the Go– fpel is an obedience performed out: of Gratitude or Thank:: fulnefl. 3. We I1ave the affiftance of a free Spirit; That dif- intangleth our Souls, and helpeth us in the work of Obedience: David prayeth, V phold me by th] free Spirit, Pfat. 5 1. I 2. A free Spi:– rit, becaofe he maketh us free, helpeth us to ferve God willingly and freely : There is jpirit and life in.the Commandment, fame– what befides adead letter, and that maketh it a perfect L11w tif Liberty. Of old, there was light in the Commandment to guide their feet, but not fire to burn up their luft.r ; there was no help to fulfil it: the light was direClive, but not per(wajive. 4· We do it in a free fiate, in an dlare of fonil1ip, and well \ . pleafing : Rom. 8. I 5. Ye have not received the Spirit of b{)ndage again unto f ear; but a Spirit~~ Adoption, whereby We cry,0bba, Fttther.When a man is under a Covenant ofWork!, the tefiimony of his confcience is fuicable to his efiate;and therfore in his natural condition his fpirit is fervile,& all that he doth,he doth.u a fervant:but when he is regenerated,and claimeth by another tenure that ofgrace, the difpofitions of his fpirit are more filial and child-lil~! ; he aCleth · M a[on, with an ingenuom liberty and confidence. Adam himfelf in innocency, becaufe under a Covenant of Works, was but as an honourAble fervant : Gal. 4. 3r. We are not children ofthe bond– woma»~ but of the free : The new (;o:v.-enant giveth us anko.thder me . . '
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=