The Perfect Law of Liberty - William Gadsby

Ok, so it's taken me three weeks to get to the book at the top of the pile that I mentioned in my last post The Perfect Law of Liberty' by William Gadsby (I got diverted by The New Calvinism Considered - Jeremy Walker, but that's another blog post!). Without giving a full review, I wanted to highlight some excellent passages...

This blessed gospel is a divine chest which contains all the Christian’s treasure, and its riches are durable riches and glory. “Where the treasure is there will the heart be also.” As ye prize your liberty and privileges, may you continue to look into the perfect law of liberty, and be earnest with God, at a throne of grace, that he would grant you fresh discoveries of the real excellences of the truth; for, just in proportion as your mind is drawn aside from the gospel, and you are left to look elsewhere, so you will be brought into bondage and distress; and despite all that men or devils say, just in proportion as the Holy Ghost enables you to look into the perfect law of liberty, so you will find a holy joy in believing, and a solid rest to your mind. Therefore, continue steadfast in the faith, looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith, and ye shall be neither barren nor unfruitful. As heirs of God, anticipate your inheritance, and daily examine the contents of your Father’s will. God grant that it may be our happiness to be much in the gospel and to daily enjoy its contents.

Show me a man who is looking into the perfect law of liberty, and, by faith, living on its divine contents, and I will show you a man who is living in the fear of God, abhorring sin, and giving proof that the truth of God does not lead to licentiousness, but to holiness and godliness; for to this are the heirs of promise called. To such a man, the precepts which Christ has taught his church, the ordinances he has instituted, and the means of grace he has appointed, will be attended to with pleasure and delight; nor does he ever find himself at home when this is not the case.

God's beauty and glory are the saints eternal delight; and, fired with a feeling sense of this, they are concerned to walk in all well-pleasing before God, and unblameably among men.

That God may enable us to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called, in all things showing ourselves a pattern of good works; that we may live in the blessed enjoyment of the true liberty of the gospel; that we may be able to comprehend with all saints, what is the breath, and length, and depth, and height, and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, and be filled with all the fulness of God; and that we may live not unto ourselves, but unto the Lord; may the Lord grant it, for the Redeemer’s sake. Amen and Amen.

This little treatise is well worth reading, very relevant and not at all difficult to get through especially considering it was written in the 1800's!
Lorna