1. The liberty which Christ hath purchased for believers under the gospel, consists in their freedom from the guilt of sin, the condemning wrath of God, the rigour and curse of the law, and in their being delivered from this present evil world, bondage to Satan, and dominion of sin, from the evil of afflictions, the fear and sting of death, the victory of the grave, and ever- lasting damnation: as also in their free access to God, and their yielding obedience unto Him, not out of slavish fear, but a child-like love and willing mind.

All which were common also to believers under the law for the substance of them; but under the New Testament the liberty of Christians is further enlarged, in their freedom from the yoke of a ceremonial law, to which the Jewish church was subjected, and in greater boldness of access to the throne of grace, and in fuller communications of the free Spirit of God, than believers under the law did ordinarily partake of. ( Galatians 3:13; Galatians 1:4; Acts 26:18; Romans 8:3; Romans 8:28; 1 Corinthians 15:54-57; 2 Thessalonians 1:10; Romans 8:15; Luke 1:73-75; 1 John 4:18; Galatians 3:9, 14; John 7:38, 39; Hebrews 10:19-21 )

2. God alone is Lord of the conscience, and hath left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are in any thing contrary to his word, or not contained in it. So that to believe such doctrines, or obey such commands out of conscience, is to betray true liberty of conscience; and the requiring of an implicit faith, an absolute and blind obedience, is to destroy liberty of conscience and reason also. ( James 4:12; Romans 14:4; Acts 4:19, 29; 1 Corinthians 7:23; Matthew 15:9; Colossians 2:20, 22, 23; 1 Corinthians 3:5; 2 Corinthians 1:24 )

3. They who upon pretence of Christian liberty do practice any sin, or cherish any sinful lust, as they do thereby pervert the main design of the grace of the gospel to their own destruction, so they wholly destroy the end of Christian liberty, which is, that being delivered out of the hands of all our enemies, we might serve the Lord without fear, in holiness and righeousness before Him, all the days of our lives. ( Romans 6:1, 2; Galatians 5:13; 2 Peter 2:18, 21 )

Article 20 of the Gospel and of the extent of the grace thereof. Section 1 the covenant of works being broken by sin and made unprofitable unto life God was pleased to give forth the promise of Christ. The seed of the woman as the means of calling the elect and begetting in them faith and repentance, in this promise the gospel as to the substance of it, was revealed, and is therein effectual for the conversion and salvation of sinners. Section 2. This promise of Christ and salvation by Him is revealed only by the Word of God.

Neither do the works of creation or providence with the light of nature make discovery of Christ or of grace by Him, so much as in a general or obscure way, much less that men's destitute of the revelation of Him by the promise or gospel should be enabled thereby to attain saving faith or repentance. Section 3, The revelation of the Gospel unto sinners made in diverse times and by sundry parts, with the addition of promises and precepts for the obedience required therein, as to the nations and persons to whom it is granted is merely of the sovereign will and good pleasure of God, not being annexed by virtue of any promise to the due improvement of men's natural abilities, by virtue of common light received without it, which none ever did make, or can do so. And therefore, in all ages, the preaching of the gospel has been granted unto persons and nations as to the extent or straightening of it in great variety according to the counsel of the will of God. Section 4. Although the gospel be the only outward means of revealing Christ and saving grace and is as such abundantly sufficient thereunto, yet that men who are dead in trespasses may be born again.

Quickening or regenerating, there is moreover necessary and effectual insuperable work of the Holy Spirit upon the whole soul, for the producing in them a new spiritual life, without which No other means will affect their conversion unto God.