I. What the deliverance of man is

The word deliverance is relative; for every deliverance is from something to something, as from captivity to liberty. As now all men, by nature, are the slaves of sin, satan, and death, we cannot better and more correctly understand what the deliverance of man is, than by a consideration of what his misery consists in. The misery of man consists, first, in the loss of righteousness, and in inbred corruption, or sin; and secondly, in the punishment of sin. his deliverance, therefore, from this misery, requires, first, the pardon and abolishing of sin, and a restoration of the righteousness lost; and secondly, a release from all punishment and misery. As therefore, the misery of man consists of two parts--sin and death--so his deliverance consists of two parts--a deliverance from sin and death. Deliverance from sin includes the pardon of sin, that it may not be imputed unto us, and an abolishing of sin by the renewing of our nature, that it may not reign in us. Deliverance from death, is a deliverance from despair, and a sense of the wrath of God-- from the calamities and miseries of this life; and also from death, both temporal and spiritual.

From these things it is easy to perceive what we are to understand by the deliverance of man. It consists in a perfect deliverance from all the miseries of sin and death, which the fall has entailed upon man, and a full restoration of righteousness, holiness, life, and eternal felicity, through Christ; which is begun in all the faithful in this life, and will be fully perfected in the life to come.