The True Bounds of Christian Freedom (Samuel Bolton)

The True Bounds of Christian Freedom

Free from the Law? In what way?

From a Puritan master, The True Bounds of Christian Freedom is one of the best explanations ever written of the place of God’s law in the Christian life. Bolton delves into those vital questions about what being “free from the Law” truly means and what it does not mean.

His careful study is presented with such clarify, it’s easily understandable even to those not familiar with Puritan writings, in a very readable style – and most of all, practical and helpful to your study of the Word of God.

About the Author

Samuel Bolton was born in London in 1606, was educated at Manchester School, matriculated as a pensioner at Christ’s College, Cambridge, in 1625, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1629 and a Master of Arts in 1632.

Bolton became curate of Harrow, Middlesex, in 1634; minister of St. Martin Ludgate, London, in 1638; and then, in 1641, minister of St. Saviour’s, Southwark. During his ministry there, he was also appointed lecturer at St. Anne and St. Agnes, Aldersgate, and was delegated as a member of the Westminster Assembly.

In 1645, Bolton became master of Christ’s College, Cambridge (1645). Even then, however, he continued to preach regularly in London, especially at St. Andrew’s, Holborn, because “his desire to win souls to Christ by preaching was so great” (Calamy, p. 25). Later, he served as vice-chancellor of Cambridge University (1650-52).

Sermons Compiled Into Books

Bolton wrote seven books, most of which were collections of revised sermons. They reveal him as a clear, warmly experimental, orthodox interpreter of Scripture. He lived as he preached, taught, and wrote.

He died October 15, 1654, at the age of forty-eight, after a long illness. At his funeral, he was described as a God-fearing, other-worldly divine whose preaching “snatched our souls by vigorous sympathy.” In his will, he asked “to be interred as a private Christian, and not with the outward pomp of a doctor, because he hoped to rise in the Day of Judgment and appear before God not as a doctor, but as a humble Christian.” Edmund Calamy preached at his funeral.

Table of Contents for The True Bounds of Christian Freedom

The full table of contents is vast, covering three pages. Below we show the major heads:

1. True Christian Freedom
2. The Moral Law: A Rule of Obedience
3. Law and Grace
4. Chastisements for Sin
5. Performance of Duty
6. Partial Bondage
7. Obedience for the Sake of Reward
8. Obedience to Men
9. The Application to Believers and Unbelievers