28
How precious then is the love of the heavenly Father toward His children!
Jeremiah Burroughs writes, God, who is the infinite glorious first-being, embraces them
with an entire fatherly love. All the love that ever was in any parents towards children, is
but as one drop of the infinite ocean of fatherly love that there is in God unto his
people.
105
Our Father offers us spiritual, Christian liberty as His sons and daughters (John 8:36).
This liberty releases us from bondage (Gal. 4:7). It delivers us from the slavish
subjection, the servile pedagogy, the condemning power, the intolerable yoke, and the
thundering curses of the law as a covenant of works (Gal. 3:13), though not from the
law`s regulating power.
106
We are not dependent upon our obedience to the law for our
justification and happiness (Rom. 3:28), but as sons of God--not mercenaries--we obey
the law as a service of love.
107
Christian liberty delivers us from the impugning, condemning, and reigning
power of sin (2 Cor. 5:29; Rom. 8:1; 6:12), making possible the enjoyment of peace with
God as His children. But that liberty must not be abused. As Cole writes, `Tis a
dangerous thing to speak too freely of Christian Liberty, because many under that
pretence, allow themselves in very unwarrantable courses, running into excess, laying
aside all Moderation.
108
Spiritual liberty delivers us from the world and all its powerful temptations,
persecutions, and threatenings (1 John 5:4). It delivers us from the bondage of Satan,
from hypocrisy and anxiety, and from the traditions of men, so that we may freely bind
ourselves to the teaching of God. It grants us liberty to live transparently before God, to
serve and love God and His ways with heart, mind, and strength (Ps. 18:1), so that we
gladly take His yoke upon us and serve Him with filial obedience each day (1 Pet. 1:14),
confessing, This is my Father`s world.
109
Our Father preserves us and keeps us from falling (Ps. 91:11-12; 1 Pet. 1:5). He restores
us from every backsliding way, recovering and humbling us, always preventing our
hypocrisy.
110
Samuel Willard says, Gods Sons in this life are like little Children, always
tripping, and stumbling, and falling, and so weak that they could never get up again but