ces of lambs and goats, and other creatures; for which reafon, the law is frequently reprefented in the New Testament as a state of bondage and reftraint. It is called a yoke which neither they nor their fathers were able to bear; a fchool-mafter which kept men under a fevere awe and difcipline. It is reprefented as a prifon, and a condition of restraint, Ĝal. iii. 23. Before faith came, that is, before the gofpel was revealed, we were kept under the law, shut up. Upon the fame account the temper and difpofition of men under that difpenfation is called a spirit of bondage; Ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, Rom. viii. 15. that is, ye are not ftill under the law. And on the contrary, the gofpel is reprefented as a state of liberty and adoption, whereby men are freed from the bondage they were in under the law So that there was great need in reference to the Jews, as well as the heathen world, of a clearer light, and more perfect revelation, to free the minds of men from the fervitude of ignorance and

error.

And this was a bondage indeed, worse than that of Egypt or Babylon, because they were in love with this flavery, and fond of their fetters; and when light came into the world, they loved darkness rather than light. So that it was one of the hardest things in the world to convince them of their ignorance, and to make them patient of inftruction, and willing to be fet free from thofe violent and unreasonable prejudices against our Saviour and his doctrine, which they were poffeft withal; infomuch that the Apoftles found it an easier work to gain the heathen world than the Jews. For though the Heathen had lefs knowledge, yet their pride and prejudice was not fo great; they were in a thicker darkness than the Jews; but when the light came, they were more willing to entertain it, and did not fhut their eyes fo wilfully against it; when the prifon-doors 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 fet them free. When this jubilee, this acceptable year of the Lord was proclaimed, they refufed

refufed the benefit of it; and like thofe who were of a fervile difpofition among them, they were contented to have their ears bored through, and to be fervants for ever.

But yet it was a great liberty which the gofpel offered to them, had they been fenfible of it. For how eafy is the mind of man, when it finds itself freed from thofe errors and prejudices, which it fees others labour under? And how does it rejoice in this liberty? Certainly one of the greatest pleafures of human nature, is the difcovery of truth, yea even in curious fpeculations, which are of no great concernment to us. How was Archimedes tranfported upon a mathematical difcovery, fo that he thought no facrifice too great to offer to the gods by way of acknowledgment? But furely the pleafure is justly greater in matters of fo great moment and confequence to our happinefs. The light of the fun is not more grateful to our outward fenfe, than the light of truth is to the foul. By ignorance, and error, and prejudice, the mind of man is fettered and entangled, fo that it hath not the free ufe of itfelf: but when we are rightly informed, efpecially in those things which are useful and neceffary for us to know, we recover our liberty, and feel ourfelves enlarged from the restraints we were in before. And this effect the faving truths of the gospel have upon the minds of men, above any difcoveries that ever were made to the world. Chriftianity hath fet the world free from those chains of darkness and ignorance it was bound withal, and from the most dangerous and pernicious errors, and that in matters of greatest confequence and importance. This is the firft kind of freedom, which we have by the doctrine of the gospel, freedom from the bondage of ignorance, error and prejudice, in matters of greatest moment and importance to our happiness. And though this liberty be highly to be valued; yet the other, which I am going to speak to, is more con, fiderable, and that is,

II. Freedom from the flavery of our paffions and ufts, from the tyranny of vicious habits and practi

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ces. And this, which is the saddest and worst kind of bondage, the doctrine of the gofpel is a moft proper and powerful means to free us from; and this is that which I fuppofe is principally intended by our Saviour. For when the Jews told him, that they did not ftand in need of any liberty, that they were Abraham's feed, and were never in bondage to any, our Saviour declares what kind of bondage and flavery he meant; he that committeth fin is the fervant of fin. Wickedness and vice is the bondage of the will, which is the proper feat of liberty and therefore there is ho fuch flave in the world, as a man that is fubject to his lufts, that is under the tyranny of ftrong and unruly paffions, of vicious inclinations and habits. This man is a flave to many masters, who are very imperious and exacting'; and the more he yieldeth to them, with the greater tyranny and rigour they will ufe him. One paffion hurries a man one way, and another drives him fiercely another; one luft commands him upon fuch a fervice, and another calls him off to another work: fo that a man under the command and authority of his lufts and paffi ons, is like the centurion's fervants, when they fay to him, come, he must come; and when they say, go, be muft go; when they say do this, he must do it; becaufe he is in fubjection to them.

How does a man lofe the power over himself by any inordinate paffions! How do anger and revenge hurry a man into rafh and mifchievous actions, which he repents of commonly as foon as they are done! How do malice and envy torment the mind, and keep it in continual labour and uneafinefs! What a flave and drudge is he, who is poffeft with any inordinate love for the world, and defire of riches! How does the tyranny of ambition thruft men upon dangers, and torment them with difappointment! What a bondage is it to be under the flavifh fear of death and how does every luft and vicious habit domineer over a man! fo that though he defire and many times refolve to do otherwife, yet he is not able to affert his own liberty, and refift the weakest temptations when they come in his way.

And

And that which makes their condition the worfe, is, that every man is wholly at first, and afterwards in fome degree confenting to his own bondage. In other cafes moft men are made flaves against their wills, by the force and power of others: but the wicked man choofeth this condition, and voluntarily fubmits himself to it. There are very few to be found in the world, that are fo ftupid and fenfelefs, fo fick of their liberty, and fo weary of their happinefs, as to put themfelves into this condition: but the wicked fells himself to do wickedly, and parts with that liberty which he may keep; and if he would refolve to do it, and beg God's grace to that purpose, none could take it from him.

And, which is an aggravation of his fervile condition, he makes himself a flave to his own fervants, to those that were born to be fubject to him, his own appetites, and inclinations and paffions. So that this is the worst kind of flavery, fo much worse than that of the mines and gallies, as the foul and fpirit of a man is more noble and excellent than his body.

Now the doctrine of the gofpel is the most proper and effectual means in the world to free us from this fervitude; by prefenting us with motives and arguments to refcue ourselves from this flavéry, and conferring upon us ftrength and affiftance to that end. The doctrine of our Saviour reprefents to us all thofe confiderations which may convince us of the miferable bondage of thofe who are under the power and dominion of fin, and of the fatal inconvenience of continuing in that flate; that the end of these things will be death and to encourage us to vindicate our own liberty, offers us the grace and affiftance of God's holy Spirit, to help our weakness, and to ftrengthen our holy refolutions, and to carry us through thofe difficulties which of our felves we are not able to conquer. The Son of God ftands by us in this conflict, and the Spirit of him that raised up Jefus from the dead, works in us; and if we would make use of this ftrength which is offered to us, we may break thefe bonds in funder, and cast these cords from us =

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for greater is he that is in us, than he that is in the world; the Spirit of God is ftronger than that Spirit which works in the children of disobedience. So that there is nothing wanting to fet us at liberty, but the refolution of our own wills. If we will quit our felves like men, the power of God and his grace is ready to take our part against all our enemies. The Son of God was manifefted for this end, to take away fin, and to deftroy the works of the Devil, to redeem us from all iniquity, and to deliver us from the powers of darkness. And why fhould we defpair of victory and fuccefs, when the captain of our falvation, who hath led captivity captive, leads us on, and, as an encouragement to us, fhews us his own triumphs and conquefts which he hath made over fin and hell? Are we enslaved to the world, and the lufts of it? He hath overcome the world; and by faith we may overcome it, that is, by a firm belief and perfuafion of those things which he hath revealed to us; for this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Does the fear of fufferings, and perfecution, and death, keep us in bondage? The Son of God hath refcued us from this fear, by fetting before us the glorious hopes of an eternal life. For nothing makes men afraid of death, but the want of affurance of another life, and of the happiness of it: but this our Saviour hath brought to light by the gofpel. By his own death and refurrection he hath given us perfect affurance of life after death, and a bleffed immortality. And this, the Apoftle tells us, was one great reason why the Son of God took our mor tal nature upon him, that he might conquer death. for us, and free us from the flavish fear of it: Heb. ii. 14, 15. Forafmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewife took part of the fame, that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the Devil; and deliver them, who through fear of death were all their lifetime fubject to bondage. The inferences from this difcourfe, fhall be thefe two:

First, To fhew us what that liberty is which the Son of God confers upon us. It is not a liberty to

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