Liberty of the gospel
What do we pray in the Lord's prayer but for this liberty? 'Thy will be done,' Mat. 6:10. That is, take me out of my own will more and more; conform my will to thine in all things. The more I do so, the more liberty I have. The strength of that petition is, that we may have perfect liberty in serving God.
The greatest and sweetest liberty is, when we have no liberty to sin at all; when we cannot sin. It is greater chastity not to have power to resist, to be impregnable in continence and sobriety. When there is such a measure of these graces as they are not to be overcome, it is greater strength than when they may be prevailed over. So men mistake to think this the greatest liberty to have power to good or evil. That is the imperfection of the creature. Man was at the first created free to either good or evil of himself, that he might fall of himself. This was not strength, but a thing that followed the creature that came out of nothing, and that was subject to fall to his own principles again. But to have the soul stablished that it shall not have freedom to ill, it is so stablished in good. It hath the understanding so enlightened, and the will so confirmed and strengthened, that it is without danger of temptation. That is properly glorious liberty, and that is the better endowment of both, so that we see it clearly that grace takes not away liberty, but establisheth it.
Now besides this inward spiritual liberty that we have by the Spirit, there is an outward preserving liberty that must be a little touched, and that is twofold.
Liberty of the gospel (1.) A liberty of preaching the gospel; and (2.) A liberty of discipline, as we call it; of government that is in the church of God; and should be at least in all places, because we are men, and must have such helps. Now these are liberties that the Spirit bestows upon the church wheresoever there is an inward spiritual liberty. Men are brought into the church by the liberty of the gospel, and preserved by
government. There must be a subjection to pastors; there must be teaching and some discipline, or else all will be in a confusion. Now this inward liberty is wrought by the liberty of the gospel.
Quest. What is the liberty of the gospel?
Ans. When there is a blessed liberty in the church to have true liberty opened, the charter of our liberty.
Quest. What is the charter of our liberty?
Ans. The word of God. When the charter and patent of our liberty is laid open, in laying it open we come to have interest in those liberties. Therefore the liberty of the temple, the liberty of the church, of the word and sacraments, and some order in the church with it, it brings in spiritual liberty and preserves it. It is as it were the bonds and sinews of the church. Now where the Spirit of God is with the gospel, there is this liberty of the gospel; there are the doors of the temple and sanctuary set open, as, blessed be God, this kingdom hath had. With the spiritual liberty, there is an outward liberty of the tabernacle of God and the house of God, that we can all meet to hear the word of God and to receive the sacraments; that we can all meet to call upon God in spirit and in truth; and these outward liberties, beloved, are blessed liberties. For where God gives these outward liberties, he intends to bestow and to convey spiritual liberty. How shall we come to spiritual liberty without unfolding the charter, the word of God? Therefore Christ hath established a ministry, apostles, and doctors,* and pastors, to edify the church to the end of the world; and therefore we see where there is no outward liberty of unfolding the word, where there is no outward liberty of the ministry, there wants this inward liberty. For God by the preaching of the gospel sets us at liberty.
Again, when Christ preached the gospel first, it was the year of jubilee. Now, in the year of jubilee, all servants were set at liberty, and those that had not sold† their inheritances might recover them
again if they would. This jubilee was a type of the spiritual liberty that the gospel sets us at. Those that have served sin and Satan before, if they will regard the gracious promises of the gospel, they may of slaves of sin and Satan become the free men of Jesus Christ.
But in those times some would be servants still, and would not be set at liberty. Their ears were bored for perpetual slaves;‡ and it is pity but their ears should be bored for everlasting slaves, that now, in the glorious jubilee of the gospel, resolve still to be slaves. When a proclamation of liberty was made to come out of Babylon all that would, many would stick there still. So many are in love with Egypt and Babylon and slavery. It is pity but they should be slaves. But those that have more noble spirits, as they desire liberty, so they should desire spiritual liberty especially. And here you see how to come by it. 'Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty;' and where the ordinance of God is; that is, the ministry of the Spirit, there is the Spirit. Where these outward liberties are, it is a sign that God hath an intendment to set men at spiritual liberty.
Those, therefore, that are enemies of the dispensation of the gospel in the ministry, they are enemies to spiritual liberty; and it is an argument that a man is in bondage to Satan when he is an enemy any way of the unfolding of the word of God. For it is an argument that he is licentious, that he will not be called to spiritual liberty, but live according to the flesh; when he will not hear of the liberty of the Spirit, as you have some kind of men that account it a bondage, 'Let us break their bands, and cast away their cords,' Ps. 2:3. Why should we be tied with the word and with these holy things? It is better that we have no preaching, no order at all, but live every man as he would. Though they speak not so in words, yet their lives and profane carriage shew that they regard not outward liberties; and that argueth that they are in spiritual bondage, and that they have no interest in spiritual liberty, because they are enemies of that whereby spiritual liberty is preserved.
Therefore the gospel is set out by that phrase, 'The kingdom of God.'
Not only the kingdom of God set up in our hearts, the kingdom of the
Spirit, but likewise where the gospel is preached, there is the kingdom of God. Why? Because with the dispensation of divine truth
Christ comes to rule in the heart; by the outward kingdom comes the spiritual kingdom. They come under one name.
Therefore those that would have the spiritual kingdom of God, by grace and peace to rule in their hearts till they reign for ever in heaven, they must come by this door, by the ministry, by the outward ordinance. The ordinance brings them to grace; and grace to glory.
And it is a good and sweet sign of a man spiritually set at liberty, brought out of the kingdom of Satan, and freed from the guilt of sin, and from the dominion of sin, which is broken in sanctification, when we can meekly and cheerfully submit to the ordinance of God, with a desire to have his spiritual thraldom discovered, and to have spiritual duties unfolded, and the riches of Christ laid open. When he hears these things with a taste and relish, and a love, it is a sign God loves his soul, and that he hath interest in spiritual liberty, because he can improve the charter of his soul so well. 'Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.'
And besides this liberty in this world, there is a liberty of glory, called 'the liberty of the sons of God,' Rom. 8:21. The liberty of our bodies from corruption, the glorious liberty in heaven, when we shall be perfectly free. For, alas! in this world we are free to fight, not free from fight; and we are free, not from misery, but free from thraldom to misery. But then we shall be free from the encounter and encumbrance. 'All tears shall be wiped from our eyes,' Rev. 7:17. We shall be free from all hurt of body, in sickness and the like, and free from all the remainders of sin in our souls: that is perfect liberty, perfect redemption, and perfect adoption, both of body and soul.
And that we have by the Spirit too; for where the Spirit of God is, there is that too in this world in the beginning of it. For, beloved, what is peace of conscience and joy in the Holy Ghost? Is it not the beginnings of heaven? Is it not a grape of the heavenly Canaan? Is it not the Spirit that we have here an earnest of that inheritance? An earnest penny; and an earnest is a piece of the bargain. It is never
taken away, but is made up with the bargain. Therefore, when by the Spirit we have the beginnings of grace and comfort, we have the beginnings of that glorious liberty; and it assures us of that glorious liberty as sure as we have the earnest. For God never repents of his bargain that he makes with his children. Grace in some sort is glory, as we see in the next verse; because grace is the beginning of glory. It frees the soul from terror and subjection to sin, from the thraldom of sin. So the life of glory is begun in grace. We have the life of glory begun by the Spirit, this glorious life.
Uses Use 1. If we have all these blessed liberties in this world and in that to come by the Spirit, then we should labour to have the Spirit of Christ, or else we have no liberty at all; and labour every day more and more to get this spiritual liberty in our consciences, to have our consciences assured by the Spirit that our sins are forgiven, and to feel in our consciences a power to bring under sin that hath tyrannized over us before. Let us every day more and more labour to find this spiritual liberty, and prize daily more the ordinances of God, sanctified to set us at liberty. Attend upon spiritual means, that God hath sanctified, wherein he will convey the Spirit. There were certain times wherein the angel came to stir the waters of the pool, John 5:3.
So the Spirit of God stirs the waters of the word and ordinances, and makes them effectual. Attend upon the ordinances of God, the communion of saints, &c., and the Spirit of God will slide into our souls in the use of holy means. There is no man but he finds experience of it. He finds himself raised above himself in the use of holy means. The more we know the gospel, the more we have of the Spirit; and the more Spirit we have, the more liberty we enjoy. If we prize and value outward liberty, as indeed we do, and we are naturally moved to do it, how should we prize the charter of our spiritual liberty, the word of God, and the promises of salvation
(whereby we come to know all our liberty, where we have all the promises opened to us; the promise of forgiveness of sins, of
necessary grace; the promise of comfort in all conditions whatsoever). Therefore let us every day labour to grow farther and farther both in the knowledge and in the taste and feeling of this spiritual liberty.