Perkins - BX9318 P47 1613 v2

·Chaps. the Epi~le to the qalatians. Herefomeman maytay,hc)V th•lll knmv tharlam freed·from rhe rigour of theJa,oc, an<lfrom ohc curforhereofi A•,r:Thou mufl 6rtl fetthy.fclfeat the barre of Gods iudgc– nifllt~ and there mull rhon arraigne,:accufe, andcoudemne tht felfe: this done, thou mufl v(e thy lrbertie,and make thineappcale roGods mercie and ~raee for pardon, by as– king, feeking, knocking: andrliiJsarlengrh fhalc tbou be refolued touching thy dcliue– raoce. A are bound toobedience,the freer we are: be– C"uferhefefuiceofGod is nor bondage, but M!>rcouer, touchingConu~rfation, our cO(cicnccs arcferled thus:In rhat weare free· ed from ther1gourofrhe law, God in mercic accepts the will and indeauour to belecue,re– pent,and obey, for faith, repentance,obedi- B cn:e. Hefpare1 them that feare him, as a fa– ther (pares his childe when heindeauours to doe that which hecan.Mal-3-17.TheJaw re– quiresperfedobedienccat our hands: yet God ofhis mcrcielookes more arche will to obey,rhen theperfection ofobedience. Thrs mull be afiay to ou'r mindes, when we f\!e morccorruprion, then graccin ourfelucs, andourobedrence tarnred with many fpors ofdi(obedience. The third deliuerance, is from theobfer– uation ofrhe CerernonialllawofMofes,Col. z.16,Andhencearifcrbanother deliuerance from theb0ndage ofhuLUaneTradirions,as Paul(aith,lfytbede•d with Chri{lfromrhe E– lmur~tJo(theworld, whyU'e ye burdentd with traditiom?Col.z ..zo. C Thefourth deliueranC',is fromvndcr the tyranny and domrnion oflinne. Rom. 6. 14. Let nct(innehauedominiovoutt']OH. For;e Art notvndcrthe1Aw,6utvndergract, In the firll conuerfionofatinner, Originaii!inreceiues his deadly wound, and rhe dominion thereof is diminrO~ed according to the meafure of grace receiued. · Th< fccond pattof Chrlflian libertie, isa Fmdome in good things: and it is foure-fold. The 6r(\, is afreedome in thevoluntarie fer– uicedfGod.Luk.t.'74 WearedeliHmdfrom OIWtnemiu. that wem4J r n'llt GqJinrightelu[. ne[[-.•d bolinef{e before him all the dai>J ofour D bues 1Pithout{tare.Poful(aich, that the/4w iJ not giuentothe rightt~k4 mofn, 1. Thn.1.9.becaufe beiialawtohirnfelfe, and freely does good duries, as iftherewere no law to binde him. Thecaufeofthis freedorne, is the gift and dooarion ofthe free fpiritofGod. Therfore Dattidpraies, Stabli{hmrwith th] fr<r fPirit. Pfal. s.r. AndPaul(aith, WhmthtfPiritiJ, rhm u/ibertle. z. Cor.J.17. And,ThrJPiritof lifr wh~<hu in(hri(f (is a Law to v•,and)frm v1fr~m t htpo9'trofftnne ,and death, It may beobiected, thatthis freedome in the voluntarieferuiceofGod, is bondage. For Chrifl(aith, Matth. i1.19. Takfmyy•k! vpon;ou,And we are flraightly bound to the obedience ofthe law of God,as'Ad~m was by creation , nay more flraightly, by reafon of ourredemption by Chriii.An,t:The more we • perfect lrbertie. . _ The fecond freedome; um the free vfe of all the creatures of God, Tit. I. 15, To rbt pure,46thmgt•rtpHre. Rom.l+ 14- And the reafon ;, , becaufe the dominion ouer the cre~turcs,Jo(\ byAJ;,m,isretloredbyChrifl, 1.Cor.pz. Andhenceitis, that P•ulcalles the forbidding of marriage, and of mcates, with obl1gationofconfcience,4do£1rint8fdi;. uelit.J.Tm>.4.t. The thirrl freedome, is aLiberty to come vnto God the Father in the name ofChrill, and in prayerro be heard, Rom.s.:. Eph. 3· 1z. Whereas according to our narurallcon– dition, our tinnes area~vall of partition betweeocvs and God,!andcaufevs to fi1c: from the prcfcnce ofGod: and though weorJe vn– ro God , and fill heaucn and earth with our · cries sfolong as \VC arein our finnes, we arc not heard ofhim. The fourth frecdome, is aLibertie to enter intoheauen in the day ofour death: Chri.ll by hi·sbloodhauingmadea way.Hel>-1o.19· Thuswe fee what Chri~ianlibertrCJS.The v.fc follmves.TheAnabaptitls gather hence, thatamongChri(\ians theremufl benoma– giflrats, for ifthere mull bemagiflrares,they mull haue power to make Ja~ves betide the Iawes ofGod: butthis power they hauc not, becaufc ChrH!ians haue a free v(c ofall crea– ruresofGod by Chritlianltbertle. Anfw.Wc mufl dil!inguiOJ betweene thcliberue it Celfe, and thevfeofit.And theMagi!lrates_autho– ritie dealcs not with the lrbertie which is in the confcicnce,but with rho vfe ofit: and he doth neither diminith nor abolifh thev(e of any ofthe creatures,but re(\raines thc.abute, and moderatCi the ouercommon vfe for the common good. ThusMagitlracieand Chri– fliao liberrie may !land together:and the ra– ther,bccaufclrbertic is inconfcience,and the Magi(\ratesauthority pertaines to the body. Here is further comfort for all thegodly> for euen by Chrifiian Jiberrie, their confci– ences are exempted from the power of all creaturcs,men,andAngels. I- Cor. 7• z3• 1e arebought wit~ aprice, be •ot (trHtmtJ of m~n, that is, Jet not yourhearts and confctcnccs fland in fubiettion to the wiiJ·of any man. Herethen falles to the ground the Opinion ofthePaprlh,namely,thar the.lawes and tra– ditions of the Church biode confcience as· trulyandcertenly astheword ofGod. This dodriqe is notofGod, b~caufeit is againll Chti(\ian hbcrtie, . 0 hiefJ_l. Rom. I 3-5· BtfuMerttothe hi,;ber powersfor confdencc. .Anfw. Confcience here is not in refpee of the !awes of thoMagi– !lrate, burinre(pcdofrhelawofGod that bidsvsinconfcienceto obey thelaw ~f the Magr(\rare. , Obie[/.f /.Heb.13.17. Of, ythemth•t h••• the o11erjightofyou,•nd~'fnb.,a.Anf.Wc mu(! Cc 4 be

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