Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed, free from the law of sin and death, free from condemnation at the bar of God, and being freed from the bondage of corruption ye shall be brought into the glorious liberty of the children of God, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ. This is the freedom, which God promises thee: it is very extensive, has many noble privileges and vast blessings. By faith all is thine. See how perfectly believers have received all, and may thy faith be like theirs: Rom. viii. 15, &c. "Ye have not "received the spirit of bondage again to "fear, but ye have received the spirit of

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adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Fa"ther. The Spirit itself beareth witness "with our spirits, that we are the chil"dren of God, and if children then heirs, "heirs of God and joint heirs with "Christ." Observe what is here said of the believing Romans, and by faith thou shalt experience the same, as perfectly as they did.

1. They were freed from the spirit of bondage, under which they once had been, 2. They were so freed as to be under it no more, they were not to fear again; for,

3. They had received the spirit of adoption, and he gave them evidence of their sonship. Upon which,

4. They believed God was their reconciled Father, and they had boldness and access to him with confidence. And therefore,

5. They lived in light and walked in love, like his children and heirs, who were to abide in his house for ever.

See also what great freedom the Galations had, chap. iv. 4, &c. " God sent "forth his Son made of a woman, made "under the law, to redeem them that "were under the law, that ye might re"ceive the adoption of sons. And because 66 ye are sons, God hath sent forth the "Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying

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Abba, Father: wherefore thou art no "more a servant, but a son, and if a son, "then an heir of God through Christ." O what treasures of grace and consolation are there in this scripture, tending to subdue thy legal spirit. Consider some of them.

1. All men having broken the law, and being under the curse of it, Christ was made under the law, that the law might

reach him as the surety of his people; accordingly,

2. By his obedience to the precepts, and by his suffering the penalties of the law, he redeemed them who were under the law; so that,

3. They are no longer in bondage to it, but are made free, and have received the adoption of sons; and,

4. They have the spirit of liberty sent into their hearts to witness to them, that Christ fulfilled the law for them; and,

5. That the Father loves them, as his dear children, and they love him and serve him without fear, calling him Abba, Father;

6. Wherefore they are no longer servants in bondage to any one, but are made free indeed, being now the sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And,

7. If sons, then heirs of Gods, and free to inherit whatever he has promised to give his children in earth and heaven.

These and many more arguments are contained in this one scripture, tending to subdue thy legal spirit, and to bring thee to live by faith upon Christ, who as thy surety has fully kept the law for thee

in his life and death. Thou art to consider thyself now, not under the law, but under grace, and therefore absolutely free from the condemning power of the law. This thou must maintain against all the carnal reasonings of thy legal spirit, Christ is my law-fulfiller. And thou wilt glorify him for redeeming thee from under the law, and wilt live in sweet peace in thine own conscience, while thou keepest fast hold of this most blessed and eternally precious truth. May all thy reading and prayer, and the use of all means, help thee to grow in the knowledge and experience of it.

There is a very strong bias and leaning in weak believers to a legal spirit, which ought to make them read such promises as I have been mentioning over and over again, that God may thereby encourage them to mantain the liberty, which he hath given them in Christ Jesus, and to defend it against the fresh attacks of the devil and unbelief. They should be always jealous over themselves, and watchful against their enemies: because after they have in a truly gospel and evangelical way got their legal spirit subdued, yet

if it be not in the same it will break out with ever, and will be likely to bondage again to fe and I have known it, they had obtained so over it, and finding it time, they flattered should have but little t more. Thus they wer guard, which gave ro spirit to exert itself a This surprized the w them upon reasoning whether all had been before; and so at the they should have taken and should have been they were questioning any, which left them midst of their enemies. every temptation.

For the encouragem this case, that they ma ver themselves out of