A76991:574
The True Bounds of Christian Freedom
The true bounds of Christian freedom or a treatise wherein the rights of the law are vindicated, the liberties of grace maintained, and the several late opinions against the law are examined and confuted. Whereunto is annexed a discourse of the learned John Cameron's, touching the threefold covenant of God with man, / faithfully translated, by Samuel Bolton minister of the word of God at Saviours-Southwark.The true bounds of Christian freedome or a treatise wherein the rights of the law are vindicated, the liberties of grace maintained, and the severall late opinions against the law are examined and confuted. Whereunto is annexed a discourse of the learned Iohn Camerons, touching the threefold covenant of God with man, / faithfully translated, by Samuel Bolton minister of the word of God at Saviours-Southwark.
London: printed by J.L. for Philemon Stephens, 1645
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
3. The one he doth duty out of convictions of conscience, the other he doth duty out of the propensions of Nature. Many men whose obedience is their precept, not their principle, holiness their law, not their nature; many men who are convinced, who are not converted, many that are convinced this they ought to do, they ought to pray, who yet want hearts to close wth those things they are convinced of, and do. Mere conviction is rather a tyrant then a king; it constrains, it doth not persuade; 1it forces, it doth not move and incline the soul to obedience, it is but a daring, not a reforming light, it dares a man not to sin, it dares a man to do duty, but enables not a man either to hate sin, or love duty, all that they do is out of mere convictions of conscience, not out of propensitions of nature. Conscience tells you, that you ought to do these things, but gives no strength to do them. Mere conviction doth but discover the way, tell you what to do, but it doth not carry the soul in it; Like a stone set up in the way, it shows the way to the traveller, but gives no strength to walk it. But now where ⟨p. 215⟩there are principles, where there is grace, it is in the soul as a pilot in the ship, who doth not only discover the way, but steers us & carries us that way it doth discover.
3. The one he doth dutie out of convictions of conscience, the other he doth duty out of the propensions of Nature. Many men whose obedience is their precept, not their principle, holinesse their law, not their nature; many men who are convinced, who are not converted, many that are convinced this they ought to doe, they ought to pray, who yet want hearts to close wth those things they are convinced of, and do. Meere conviction is rather a tyrant then a king; it constraines, it doth not perswade; 1it forces, it doth not move and incline the soul to obedience, it is but a daring, not a reforming light, it dares a man not to sin, it dares a man to doe dutie, but inables not a man either to hate sin, or love dutie, all that they do is out of meere convictions of conscience, not out of propensitions of nature. Conscience tels you, that you ought to doe these things, but gives no strength to do them. Meere conviction doth but discover the way, tell you what to doe, but it doth not carry the soul in it; Like a stone set up in the way, it shews the way to the traveller, but gives no strength to walke it. But now where