world is, that finners unite with Christ, and derive holinefs from him, whom the Father has conftituted the head of fanctifying influences. Union with Chrift is the only way to fanctification.

For proof of this doctrine, confider the following fcriptures, Rom. vii. 4. John xv. 5. Gal. ii. 20.

In handling this doctrine, I fhall,

I. Drop a word concerning holinefs derived from Christ.

II. Shew how it is derived from him.

III. Lastly, Apply.

I. As to holinefs, it is that difpofition of heart and course of life which is conformable to God's holy law, and pleases him. In this life it is imperfect, but in the life to come it will be perfected. I fhall only offer these few things concerning it.

1. True holiness is univerfal in refpect of the commands of God, Pfal. cxix. 6.—I have refpect unto all thy commandments; the holy man making confcience of the duties of both tables of the law, his duty to God, his neighbour, and himself, Tit. ii. 12. Whofo divide thefe declare themselves to be unholy perfons, who cannot fee God. A profane life is a fure evidence of a profane heart, Gal. v. 19. &c.

2. True holinefs is not only in external duties, but neceffarily includes internal obedience of the foul to the will of God, Pfal. xxiv. 3. The outward works of piety and charity will never denominate a man holy, without holy thoughts, affections, and imaginations. The heart must be a temple confecrated to God, wherein love, fear, delight in God, fubmiffion, patience, and all other parts of unfeen religion, are exercifed. The heart of the holy man is no more the devil's common, where thoughts go free, and lufts range at their eafe, Pfal. cxix. 113. I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love: but it is God's inclofure, hedged about as a garden for the Lord. And though not VOL. II.

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without weeds of corruption, it is the holy man's conftant work to be labouring to root them up.

3. In true holiness there is a bent, inclination, and propenfity of heart to the acts of obedience to God. The fpirit, that is, the new nature, has its luftings, as well as the flesh, Gal. v. 17. By Adam's fall the hearts of men got a wrong fet, a bent and propenfity to evil, Rom. viii. 7. Hof. xi. 7. Now in fanctification it is bended the other way, towards God and godli nefs, 2 Theff. iii. 5. that as the needle in the compafs touched with a good loadftone turns towards the north, fo the heart touched by fanctifying grace inclines Godward and Chriftward. Whatever actions are done without this, are not holy actions, nor can they please God; for he that fees the heart, will never be pleafed with thofe duties to which the man's heart does not kindly incline; for in effect it is but forced obedience, and he hates robbery for burnt offering.

4. As the love of God is the great comprehenfive duty of holiness, love is the fulfilling of the law; fo love runs through all the duties of religion, to give them the tincture of holiness, Heb. vi. 10. And with out this, fhould a man give ali his goods to the poor, it profiteth nothing. Where felf-love is the domineering principle, their duties are in God's account ferving themfelves, and not him. Holy duties are the obedience of a child who loves his father, and therefore ferves him; not the obedience of a fervant, who loves himself, and therefore ferves for his wages.

5. True holiness is influenced by the command of God. The will of God is not only the rule, but the reafon of a holy life, John v. 30. Sanctification binds over the foul to the will of God, that it may follow duty, because it is his will. Though a man receive a fcripture-truth, if he receive it not becaufe God has faid it, but upon principles of reafon, his receiving of it is not faith, for that is an affent upon the divine teftimony. So if a man do a good thing, but not

because God has commanded it, the action is no holy action, Pfal. cxix. 115.

6. True holiness has for its chief end the glory of God, I Cor. x. 31. He that is the first cause of all goodness, must needs be the laft end of it. And God being the chief good loves, himfelf above all, and acts for himself. Hence holy perfons, being partakers of the divine nature, as they are holy, they will love God above all, and act for him and his glory; for the divine nature, where ever it is, will ftill move to exalt God above all. So that fanctification makes a man's actions ftill centre in God, fo far as it does prevail. The want of this mars a man's life and actions, fo far as they are not holy, but felfish, Zech. vii, 6.

7. Lastly, True holinefs is univerfal. Sanctifying grace feeks through the whole man, and the whole of his course,

(1.) Mortification is univerfal, Gal, v. 24. They that are Christ's, have crucified the flesh, with the affections and lufts. The law of God is a chain of many links, and he that draws one to him draws all. He that kills a ferpent not out of any particular quarrel against it, but against the whole kind of them, will fet himself to kill all of them that he discovers and can reach fo he that is truly fanctified, is set against and endeavours to mortify and kill all fin, as fin, and because it is fin; and every luft and corruption, even the moft darling, that he can difcover in himfelf, he will bring forth to execution, and put them all to death. It is no true mortification where one luft is fpared. A man in fome ficknefs may lofe the power of a leg or an arm: but had it been death, he would have loft the power of all together.

(2,) Vivification is univerfal, 2 Cor. v. 17. As when the body of Christ was raised, there was lite put into every member; fo when the foul is raised to live the life of holiniefs, the image of God is repaired in all its parts, and the foul embraces the whole yoks at Chrift, fo far as it knows the fame. So that fance Rra

tification fets a man on every known duty. The holy man is holy in his dealings with God and with men; not a pretender to piety, and a renouncer of honefty. He is holy alone, and holy in company: for though a man can put on or lay by a wooden leg, and carve it as he will, he cannot do so with a limb of his body.

II. I fhall fhew how this holinefs is derived from Chrift, according to the grand device of infinite wif dom for the fanctifying of an unholy world. For clearing of which confider these few things,

1. God made the first Adam holy, and all mankind was fo in him, Eccl. vii. 29. He gave him a holy nature, endued with a propenfity to good, love to the Lord, and ability to keep all the commands. Thus mankind was fet up in Adam; the ftock was put in his hand for himself and his pofterity, which was to be conveyed to them by natural generation; for no reason can be given why we fhould not have derived a holy nature from Adam had he ftood, feeing we de rive a corrupt nature from him having fallen.

2. Adam finning loft the image of God, that holi nefs in which he was created, and turned altogether corrupt and averfe to good. For by his fin he turned off from God as his chief end, and set up himself for his chief end, which could not but infer a total apoftafy. He was laid under the curfe by his fin, and God the life of his foul departed from him; and fo he was left dead in fin, having finned away his life in the favour of God and holy influences. So that all mankind is naturally dead in fin, feeing corrupt Adam could convey no nature to us but a corrupt na ture, Gen. v. 3. together with the guilt of it, and the curfe attending it.

3. Man's fanctification by himself thus being hope lefs, for his rature being corrupted wholly, he could never fanctify his own heart or life, feeing no effect can exceed the virtue of its caufe; it pleafed God to constitute a Mediator, his own Son, to be the head of

fanctifying influences to all that should partake of them. And again he fet up the human nature holy, harmlefs, and undefiled, which was united to the di vine nature in the perfon of the Son. So Chrift, Godman, was filled with the Spirit of holinefs, and received a holy nature to be conveyed from him to those that are his by fpiritual generation, Eph. ii. 10. And the Mediator being God as well as man, and the fulnefs of the Godhead dwelling in him bodily, there can never be wanting fanctifying influences in him who is a full fountain.

4. Jefus Chrift took on him the guilt of all the elect's fins, and the curfe due unto them; and these fins of theirs did hang about him till they brought him to the duft of death. But the fufferings of Chrift being fatisfactory, as he died for fin, fo he died to fin, Rom. vi, 10.; that is, he was abfolutely freed from thofe fins of the elect wherewith he had burdened himfelf. This he did and fuffered as a public perfon; and therefore the apoftle tells us, Rom. vi. 6. that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of fin might be deftroyed, that henceforth we should not ferve fin. For the guilt of fin and the curfe being taken away, fanctification follows of courfe; that being removed which was the ftop of fanctifying influences, and a commucation opened betwixt heaven and the foul again, upon its reconciliation with God.

5. Though, by the death and refurrection of Christ, the fanctification of his people is infallibly insured, as the corruption of all mankind was by the fall of Adam; yet we cannot actually partake of Chrift's holinefs till we have a fpiritual being in him, even as we partake not of Adam's corruption till we have a natural being from him. And for the effecting of this union with Chrift, Chrift in the time of loves fends his quickening Spirit into the foul, whereby he apprehends us; and thus there is a paffive reception of Chrift. And the foul being quickened believes, and to apprehends Chrift. Thus that union with Chrift is