Seri. CXCIII. Refait ofCbrif ianity. 617 __- neither they nor their fathers were able to bear ; a School:maffer which kept mert under a leyere awe and difcipline. It is reprefented as a prifon, and a condition of reftraint, Gal. 3. 23. Beforefaith came, that is , before the Gofpel was revealed, we were kept under the law, jhut up. Upon the fame account the temper and difpo- fition of men under that difpenfation, is called a fpirit of bondage ; ye have not re- ceived the fpirit of bondage again to fear, Rom. 8. ,i g. that is, ye are not f1ìll un- der the Law. And on the contrary, the Gofpel is reprefented as a ftateof Liberty and Adoption, whereby men are freed from thebondage theywere in under theLaw : So that there was great need in reference to the Jews, as well as the heathen world, of a dearer light, and more perfeft revelation, to free the minds of men from the fervitude of ignorance and error. And this was a bondage indeed, werfe than that of Egypt or Babylon, becaufe they were in love with this flavery, and fond of their fetters; and when Light carne into the world, they loved darknefs rather than light. So that it was one of the hardeft things in theworld to convince them of their ignorance, and to make them patient of inítru&ion, and willing to be fet free from thofe violent and unreafonable pre- judices againft our Saviour and hisDo&rine, which they were poffeftwithal ; info- much that the Apoftles found it an carter work to gain the heathen world, than the yews. For tho' the Heathenshad lefs knowledge, yet their pride and prejudice was not fo great : they were in a thicker darknefs than the 7ewr ; but when the light came, they were morewilling to entertain it, and did not (hut their eyes fo wil- fully againft it ; when the Prifondoors were open, they were glad to come out, and accept of liberty : but the Jews were fo obftinately fixt in their prejudice, that they would not let the truth fey themfree. When thisJubilee, this acceptableTear of the Lord was proclaimed, they refufed the benefit of it; and like thofe who were of a fervile difpofition among them , they were contented to have their ears bor'd through, and to be fervents for ever. But yet it was a great liberty which the Gofpel offer'd to them, had they been fenfible of it. For how tale is the mind of man, when it finds it felf freed from thofe errors and prejudices which it fees others labour under ? And how does it re= joice in this liberty ? Certainly one of thegreateft pleafures of human nature is the difcovery of truth; yea even in curious fpeculations, which are of no great con- cernment to us. How was Archimedes tranfported upon a mathematical difcovery, fo that he thought no facrifice too great tooffer to the Gods by way of acknowledg- ment? But furely the pleafure is juftly greater its matters of fo great moment and confequence to our happinefs: The light of the Sun is not more grateful to our outward fenfe, than the lightof truth is to the foul. By ignorance, and error, and prejudice, the mind of man is fetter'd and entangled, fo that it hath not thefree ufe of it felf: but when we are rightly informed, efpecially in thofe things which are ufeful and neceffary for us to know, we recover our liberty, and feel our felves en- larged from the reftraints we were in before, And this effelt the faving truths of the Gofpel have upon the minds of men, above any difcoveries that ever were made to the world. Chriftianity bath fet the world free from thofe chains of darknefs and ignorance it was btìund withal, and from the moft dangerous and per- nicious errors, and that inmatters of greateft confequence and importance. This is thefir8kind of freedom, which we have by the Dot-trine of the Gofpel, freedom from the bondage of ignorance, error and prejudice, in matters of greateft moment and importance to our happinefs. And tho' this liberty be highly to be valued s yet the other, which I am going to fpeak to, is more confiderable, and that is, II. Freedom from the flavery of our pallions and lofts, from the tyranny of vi- cious habits and pr'aEtices. And this, which is the faddeft and worft kind of bon= dage, the Doltrine of the Gofpel is a moft proper and powerful means to free us from ; and this is that which 1 fuppofe is principally intended by our Saviour. For when the yews told him that they did not ftand in need of any liberty, that they were Abraham's feed, and wete never in bondage to any, our Saviour declares what kind of bondage and flavery he meant ; He that committetb fin, is thefervent offin. Wickednefs and vice is the bondage of the will, which is the properfeat of liberty : and therefore there is no fuch Have in the world, as a man that is fubjelt to his I£ k k k Tufts
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