SERMON V.

Of Christian Liberty.

[From Dr. OWTRAM.]

GAL. V. 13.

Brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occafion te the flesh.

A

LTHOUGH the law given by Mofes was fo heavy a yoke upon the Jews, that they themselves, who were otherwife apt to glory in it, fometimes complained of the burden of it;

; yet were there fome of the very Gentiles, and thofe converted to Christianity, who were willing enough to embrace that yoke, which the Jews themselves were not able to bear.

St. Paul had no fooner planted the gospel amongst the Galatians, (who were a colony

colony of Gauls feated in Afia), to whom he writes this epiftle, but there arose some false apostles amongst these converts to Chriftianity, who taught the neceffity of circumcifion, pretending they could not be faved without it. And fo fuccefsful was this attempt, that the Galatians began to waver, and yield themselves to the importunity of thofe that oppofed the apoftle's doctrine,

Upon this account, he ftirs them up, in verfe 1. of this chapter, to ftand fast in the liberty wherewith Chrift bath made us free; and that they should not fuffer themfelves to be intangled again with the yoke of bondage.

And because they might judge that cir cumcifion was lefs troublesome, and more needful, than the other rites of Mofes' law; he affures them, verfe 2. that they who fubmitted themselves to that inftitution of the law, left all the advantages of the gofpel: Behold, fays he, I Paul fay unto you, that if ye be circumcifed, Chrift Shall profit you nothing.

And

And this he proves in the next words: For I teftify again to every man that is circumcifed, that he is a debtor to the whole law; that is to fay, to all the rest of its ritual precepts, and to the penal fanction itself, in all its rigour and feverity; and therefore no gainer by the gofpel.

And having fhewed in the following verses, what is the fum of Christianity, namely, faith working by love; having perfuaded them to perfift in the faith, which he himself had taught them; having fharply cenfured the false apostles, who laboured to pervert that faith, he adds, in the words of my text, For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only ufe not, liberty for an occafion to the flesh.

In which words, there is an affertion of the liberty wherein the gofpel of Chrift hath placed us,

And a caution against the abuse of it.

THIS liberty, wherein the gospel of Chrift hath placed us, might be reprefented in more particulars, than the time will allow

allow me to confider. And therefore I fhall confine myself to those two special instances of it, which are much confidered in this epiftle; namely, a liberty from the numerous PRECEPTS, wherewith the law perplexed the Jews, in things in themfelves indifferent; and a relaxation of the rigour of the PENALTIES, which were to be inflicted upon the tranfgreffors of it.

THE former of these inftances of Chriftian liberty is far greater than is ufually taken notice of; as will appear, if we confider, that there was scarce any one inftance of life and action, religious, moral, civil, or natural, wherein the law given by Mofes did not fcrupulously charge and oblige the conscience.

The Jewish writers reckon fix hundred and thirteen precepts in Mofes' law, most of which were mere reftrictions of that liberty, which natural religion, nay which Christianity itself allows. It would tire your patience to hear a catalogue of all thofe pofitive inftitutions, and therefore I

shall

fhall only remark a few particulars in feveral kinds.

And, first of all; their folemn and publick worship of God, chiefly confifted in gifts, and facrifices, which they might not offer in any place that they fhould judge moft convenient, but at the place which God fhould chufe, which afterwards proved to be Jerufalem. Every adult, or grown man, was here to appear thrice in the year, and none to appear empty-handed, none to make his addrefs to God without a facrifice for acceptance; a burnt-offering, and a peace-offering, befides a facrifice for expiation in the cafes wherein the law required it; which cafes were exceeding numerous. Thefe facrifices were to be free from blemish, and these blemishes were very many, and fo were the feveral rules prescribed in offering, killing, and confuming every facrifice made to God. All which things rendered God's fervice under the law, a far more nice and fcru pulous thing, than Chriftianity now makes

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