06. All whom Christ redeems he frees

All whom Christ redeems he frees

First, He redeems us by paying the price, and so he only* redeemeth, for he paid the price to divine justice. We are in bondage to the wrath of God under his justice; and so there must be satisfaction to justice before we can be free.

Then, secondly, We are in bondage to Satan, as God’s executioner and jailor. Now from him we are freed by strong hand. So Christ freeth us by his Holy Spirit, working such graces in us as makes us see the loathsomeness of that bondage; working likewise grace in us to be in love with a better condition, that the Spirit discovers to us. So that the Spirit brings us out by discovery and by power. All that Christ freeth by virtue of redemption, paying the price for, all those he frees likewise by his Spirit, discovering to them their bondage, and the blessed condition whereunto they are to be brought to a state of freedom, which freedom he perfects by little and little, till he bring them to a glorious freedom in heaven. And the reason of this,—that where Christ doth free by way of redemption, to die and satisfy God’s justice for any, to those he gives his Spirit, by which Spirit they are set at liberty—the reasons are manifold. To name one or two.

[1.] Christ doth save all that he doth save answerable to the nature of the party saved. He saves them as reasonable persons, for he saves us that he may make us friends. He saves us as men, and redeems us as men. He doth not only pay a price for us as we buy a thing that is dead, but likewise he frees us, so as we may understand to what, and by whom we are freed, and what condition we are freed from. Therefore there must be a Spirit joined with the work of Christ, to inform us thoroughly, being creatures fit to be informed.

[2.] And God intending to come into covenant with us, that we may be friends with him, which is our glory and happiness, he acquaints us as friends with all the favours and blessings that he hath done for us. He acquaints us what misery he brings us out of, and what happiness he brings us unto, and what is our duty. This is the work of the Spirit, to shew us what he hath done for us, that we may be friends.

[3.] And then it is a ground to love God. God saveth us by a way of love in the covenant of grace. His desire is that we may love him again, and maintain love. Now how can this be, without the Spirit of God discover what God in Christ hath done for us? Therefore there must be the Spirit to shew to the eye of the soul, and to tell us, this Christ hath done for us.

[4.] Then again there must be a fitting for heaven, for that glory that God intends us in election. Now this fitting must be altogether by the Spirit. The same Spirit that sanctified Christ in the womb, the same Spirit that anointed Christ, anoints all those that are Christ’s, that they may be fit for so glorious a head. So there must be the Spirit as well as Christ in the work of redemption and liberty.

Now this Spirit of God doth set us at liberty, in all the course and whole carriage of salvation, from the beginning to the end.

He sets us at liberty at the first in calling us.

He sets us at liberty when we are justified.