Chapter XXI. Of Christian Liberty and Liberty of Conscience.

CHAP. XXI.

Of Christian Liberty and Liberty of Conscience.

1. The Liberty which Christ hath purchased for Believers under the Gospel, consists in their freedom from the guilt of Sin, the condemning wrath of God, the Rigour and ³⁴³Curse of the Law; and in their being delivered from this present evil ³⁴⁴World, Bondage to ³⁴⁵Satan, and Dominion ³⁴⁶of Sin; from the ³⁴⁷Evil of Afflictions; the Fear, and Sting ³⁴⁸of Death, the Victory of the Grave, and ³⁴⁹Everlasting Damnation; as also in their ³⁵⁰free access to God; and their yielding Obedience unto him not out of a slavish fear, ³⁵¹but a Child-like love, and willing mind.

All which were common also to Believers under the Law ³⁵²for the substance of them; but under the new Testament, the Liberty of Christians is further enlarged in their freedom from the yoke of the Ceremonial Law, to which the Jewish Church was subjected; and in greater boldness of access to the Throne of Grace; and in fuller Communications of the ³⁵³Free Spirit of God, then Believers under the Law did ordinarily partake of.

2. God alone is ³⁵⁴Lord of the Conscience, and hath left it free from the Doctrines and Commandments of men, ³⁵⁵which are in any thing contrary to his Word, or not contained in it. So that to Believe such Doctrines, or obey such Commands out of Conscience, ³⁵⁶is to betray true liberty of Conscience; and the requiring of an ³⁵⁷implicit Faith, and absolute and blind Obedience, is to destroy Liberty of Conscience, and Reason also.

3. They who upon pretence of Christian Liberty do practice any sin, or cherish any sinfull lust; as they do thereby pervert the main design of the Grace of the Gospel, ³⁵⁸to their own Destruction; so they wholy destroy ³⁵⁹the end of Christian Liberty, which is, that being delivered out of the hands of all our Enemies we might serve the Lord without fear in Holiness, and Righteousness before him, all the days of our Life.