THE PERFECT LAW OF LIBERTY

James 1:25—”But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”

It is the greatest mercy that can be conferred upon a nation to have the word of truth sounded in their ears. The letter of truth is a great blessing to our nation; but some hear the gospel all the days of their lives, and then sink into hell loaded with gospel sermons. The Apostle, in the verse preceding my text, is speaking of those who are hearers, but not doers, to the ruin of their own souls; and are there not thousands of such people, who, while the minister is holding up the glass of the word, determine to reform and to pray, but when the sermon is ended, forget all their good resolutions? But the character spoken of in my text is a very different one. There are three things to be spoken of:

I The glass or mirror which is held up.

II The blessed character described. And

III The blessing appertaining to such a man.

I. The glass or mirror which is held up: It is called “the perfect law of liberty.” And what is this? It cannot be any other than that contained in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle had in eye some law which engenders bondage, and, to mark the difference, he calls this the law of liberty. Some will say, why is the gospel called a law? For three reasons:

1. A high authority has appointed it, for you know a law is nothing without authority, and the gospel of Jesus Christ comes into the world with the authority of the throne of God. Some people think that when they reject the gospel, they only reject what this or that minister says, (and if the minister talks only of his own merits, it would be a mercy to reject it) ; but remember, that the gospel, whoever may be the minister, comes with all the authority of the throne of God.

2. In the second place, there are two objects in every law: first, the honor of the legislator; and secondly, the welfare of the subject: Both of these things are found in the gospel of Jesus. That is a good king who says, “let my glory and the welfare of my subjects be united,” and such a king is Jesus.

3. In the third place, wherever laws are to be obeyed, there must be some power to execute them. And so with respect to the gospel; it is not sent into the world at random, for the Lord says, “For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater; so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth; it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I send it.”

Here is another term, “perfect law.” Now this law is a revelation given to mortals to tell them how they may be happy; the gospel is given to sinners to tell them how they may be saved: the law may condemn, but it cannot save. It is in this “perfect law” that a perfect Saviour to a lost sinner is proclaimed, and if our eyes are enlightened to see the glory of his work, we shall say, “We cannot wish a more perfect Saviour.” And it is a great blessing for a sinner to see Christ in the same way as God sees him, saying, “In him I am well pleased.” For if Jesus did not finish our salvation who can? The devil will not, because he is an enemy. We cannot: and the Son of God will not come down again to finish it. But, blessed be God, it is already finished in all its parts by Jesus; and a sinner can now through the blood of Jesus enter into the holiest of holies. In this “perfect law” is a perfect righteousness also. The law requires a righteousness from you: the gospel supplies you with one perfect in all its parts. The conquest obtained by Christ in our nature is so complete that the weakest believer is sure to come forth victorious, for it is he who hath “brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”

But it is called “the perfect law of liberty.” Liberty from what? Liberty from the yoke of sin, liberty from the yoke of Satan, liberty from the sting of death. The bondage of the gospel is the bondage of love, for it is the love of God shed abroad in the heart of a sinner that binds him to himself. In short, “this perfect law of liberty” embraces that liberty which all believers enjoy, from their first deliverance till the consummation of all things in heaven. And it is this glass which ministers must hold up to the people.

III. The blessed character: “One looking into the perfect law of liberty.” “Looking” includes illumination. There are a great many that look into this law of liberty with the light of reason; and, of all the deceptions which hearers of the gospel labour under, the worst is that of looking into the “perfect law of liberty” with the light of natural reason, instead of that spiritual conception which God causes to shine into the heart. A man who has this spiritual illumination sees the internal state of his heart. Unregenerate men cannot see the wicked state of their hearts; they are like a person in a house by himself, who sees a viper creep here and there, but has not the least idea that the nest is in his own bosom. A man who has this spiritual illumination sees in this “perfect law of liberty” all that is essential to his salvation; he looks here also for his daily bread. That man, who is alive to God in his soul, must have some food, and that prayer our Saviour, “give us this day our daily bread” refers to spiritual as much as it does to temporal food. It is to the “perfect law of liberty” that he looks for consolation in trouble, for strength to combat his enemies, and also for direction in this wilderness.

Secondly, it is not only “looking” that is mentioned here, but continuing to look. Perhaps there is not a more dangerous snare than that into which some people fall when they have a little gospel light, without its having any influence on their heart. They are like the moon in winter, very light, but very cold; but the true believer is also a doer; he is not only “a hearer,” but “a doer”. There is a great scandal thrown against ministers in our day; it is said they are against doing; indeed, they are not. There are different ways of doing; some say, “Do, and you shall go to heaven.” But doing comprehends three things: first, believing what the Lord says; secondly, receiving what he gives; and thirdly, obeying what he commands. First, believing what the Lord says: Some people say, “we believe some parts of the Bible, but we cannot believe it all”; then they do not believe any, for if a man has a right to deny one part of God’s word, he has a right to deny it all. Suppose a minister gives out his text, “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.” “That is an Antinomian text,” says one, and out he goes. Why, there is not an Antinomian text in the Bible; the word of God conveys a uniform meaning throughout, and if you break one link you mar the harmony of the whole. Secondly, receiving what he gives; and he gives all that believers want. The man who is a doer has received Christ, and he who receives Christ receives all the blessings of God in him. Thirdly, he who is a doer lives in obedience to the commands of God. Practical godliness must be preached, but it must be as the effect of godly principles in the soul: for where the tree is good, the fruit also is good.

III. The blessing appertaining to such a character, “he shall be blessed in his deed.” So much hypocrisy is there in the human heart, that the man who sees the blackness of even his holy deeds must wonder that he has not been sent to hell long ago. But, nevertheless, the believer “shall be blessed in his deed” with all the things he stands in need of. He shall have strength to combat his enemies, he shall have power to conquer death, and shall be conducted to heaven to dwell for ever there.

ZION’S TRUMPET

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