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XVII.

of the Lord is, there is Liberty: But WeS ERM. All with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the fame Image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. The words are in themselves somewhat difficult, and have in them several phrases very different from our present manner of expreffing things: But the general defign of them appears in fome measure, from the brief explication now given of the foregoing part of the chapter, whereby they are introduced; and I shall now proceed to explain them more particularly, by confidering distinctly the feveral expreffions in the Order they lie.

THE Lord, fays the Apostle, is That Spirit. That is, Chrift, the Gospel or Doctrine of Chrift, is That Spirit I have been speaking of in this whole Discourse; That Spirit, or end and defign of the Law, which giveth life, or fhows men the way to juftification; in oppofition to the dead letter and to the rigour of the law, which leads only to condemnation: That Spirit or final intent of the law, which is to continue for ever; in oppofition to those

mere

SER M. mere types and fhadows, which were foon XVII. to be done away: That Spirit or full Meaning and Signification of the law, which is opposed to the Veil of ignorance and partial understanding of it.

THE Lord, is that Spirit: The word, Lord, is ufed here to fignify the Gospel or Doctrine of Chrift, by the fame figure of fpeaking, as St Paul elsewhere uses, when he advises Chriftians to marry only in the Lord, that is, to Chriftians, to fuch only as have received the Gospel; and when he speaks of the dead in Christ, i. e. of those who died in the profeffion and practice of the true Religion; and commands us to put on Chrift, i. e. to obey his Doctrine.

THE phrafe, That Spirit, is made ufe of to fignify the True Meaning, and final Intent of the Law; because the oppofite words, Flesh and Letter, fignify on the contrary the mere Shadow or Appearance of a thing, without the real Substance and true Intention. Thus Job. vi. 63. It is the Spirit, faith our Saviour, that quickneth, the Flesh profiteth nothing; The words that I speak unto you, they are Spi

rit and they are Life. Again, ver. 6. of S E R M. This chapter in which the Text is, Able XVII. minifters of the New Teftament, not of the Letter, but of the Spirit: And Rom. vii. 6. That we should ferve in newness of Spirit, and not in the oldness of the Letter: The meaning of which is explained, ch. ii. 29. He is a Jew, which is one inwardly, and circumcifion is that of the Heart, in the Spirit, and not in the Letter, whofe praise is not of Men, but of God. As therefore the law of Mofes, upon account of its many ritual obfervances, is by a very fignificant Figure, in feveral places of St. Paul's epiftles, called Flesh; fo here on the contrary, concerning the Gospel of Christ, which was the End of those types, 'tis with no less propriety and fignificancy affirmed, that the Lord is That Spi

rit.

IT follows, And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Liberty: Liberty, in the first place, from that Veil of ignorance and obfcurity, which remained upon the Hearts, and perplexed the Understandings of the unbelieving Jews, when the Old Teftament was read to them: In oppo

SER M. fition to which, the Apostle argues, ver. XVII. 12 of this chapter, that We use great

plainnefs of Speech, and not as Mofes which put a Veil over his Face; And upon this account he ftiles the Gospel, the Manifeftation of the Truth, ch. iv. 2. and the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation, Eph. i. 17.

THEN, in the next place, Liberty from the bondage of that yoke of Ceremonies, which neither our Fathers nor We, fays St Peter, were able to bear, Acts x. 15. Concerning which numerous and burdenfome rites, St Paul alfo is to be underftood, when he rejoyces that we are now delivered from the law, Rom. vii. 6. and compares the Jews, who were under these legal Obligations, to Servants or to Children yet under Age, Gal. iv. 3. and exhorts those, who by embracing the Gofpel were discharged from that Law, to ftand faft in the Liberty wherewith Chrift had made them free, and not to be intangled again with the yoke of bondage, ch. v. I. Which liberty nevertheless, left any man should fo mifinterpret, as to think himfelf discharged thereby from moral as

well

well as ritual obligations, (which is the SER M. abfurd Ufe Some in modern times have XVII. made of these Texts,) he takes care to add a very express caution, ver. 13. Brethren, ye have indeed been called unto Liberty; only use not Liberty for an occafion to the Flesh: That is; Do not, under pretence of being fet free from the Mofaic Obfervations, run into immoralities, which are Breaches of God's everlafting Law And St Peter in like manner, 1 Pet. ii. 16. As free, yet not using your Liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, (or, as an Excufe for Immoralities,) but as the Servants of God.

ADD to This, that by the Liberty which the Text affirms is always There, where is the Spirit of the Lord, i. e. whereever the Gospel prevails in Faith and Practice; is meant also a Liberty from that Fear and Terrour, which under the Law, could not but make men (as the Apostle to the Hebrews expreffes it) all their lifetime fubject to bondage; till they were affured of Pardon by the reconciliation of Christ, for fuch things from which they could not be juftified by the law of Mofes.

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