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made up, by the Spirit on Chrift's part, and faith on ours. So the foul being united to him, lives by the fame Spirit of holinefs which is in him, and takes of his, and gives to his members for their fanctification.

6. Laftly, As Jefus Chrift is the prime receptacle of the Spirit of holinefs, as the head of all the faints; fo the continual fupplies of that Spirit are to be derived from him for the faints progrefs in holinefs, till they come to perfection. And faith is the great mean of communication betwixt Chrift and us, Acts xv. 9. And this it does, as it empties the foul of all confidence in itself for fanctification, and relies upon him for it according to his word: putting on the faints to ufe the means of fanctification appointed by him, yet taking their confidence off the means, and fetting it on himfelf, Phil. iii. 3. And for the ground of this confidence it has his word, fo that his honour and faithfulness are engaged for the fupply of the Spirit of fanctification this way, being the way in which he has commanded us to look for it.

USE I. of information. This lets us fee,

1. The abfolute neceffity of holinefs. When God, in the depth of infinite wisdom, laid his measures for the falvation of finners, he had their fanctification in his eye, to bring it about by the death of his own Son. A certain evidence that there is no falvation without it. Nay, it is a principal part of our falvation, Matth. i. 21. I here is more evil in fin than fuffering, more in man's fin than the wrath of God. Nay fup. pofe a man faved from wrath, but not from fin, he is a miferable man, because of his unlikeness to God; for as happiness lies in affimilation to God, it must needs be a miferable cafe to be fo unlike him as fin makes us.

2. In vain do men attempt fanctification without coming to Chrift for it. Thofe that knew not Chrift might attain to a fhadow of holinefs, but could never be truly fanctified. And thofe that hear the gofpel, but neglect the great duty of believing and uniting

with Chrift, can do no duty aright, but their obedience at beft is but a hypocritical obedience, Tit. i. 15. 16.

3. Unholinefs ought not to ftop a finner from coming to Christ, more than a disease ought to hinder a man to take the phyfician's help, or cold from taking the benefit of the fire. And they that will have men to attain to holiness before they may believe, are as abfurd as one who would have the cripple walk before he ufe the cure for his lameness.

4. True faith is the foul's coming to Chrift for fanctification as well as juftification. For faith muft receive Chrift as God offers him, and he offers him with all his falvation. Now he is made fanctification. Wherefore the foul being willing to take Chrift with all his falvation, to be fanctified, comes to him for it.

USE II. of exhortation. Come then to Chrift for fanctification. To prefs this, I offer the following motives.

Mot. 1. If ye be not holy, ye will never fee heaven. Heaven's door is bolted on the unholy, Heb. xii. 14. There is another place provided for the unholy impure goats.

Mot. 2. Ye will never attain holinefs, if ye come not to Chrift for it. How can ye think to thrive following another device than God's for your end? Ye may do what ye can to reform, ye may bind yourfelves with vows to be holy, watch againft fin, and prefs your hearts with the moft affecting confiderations of heaven, hell, &c. but ye fhall as foon bring water out of the flinty rock as holinefs out of all thefe, till ye believe and unite with Chrift. Confider,

1. While ye are out of Chrift, ye are under the curfe; and is it poffible for the curfed tree to bring for the fruit of holinefs?

2. Can ye be holy without fanctifying influences, or can ye expect that thele fhall be conveyed to you otherwife than through a Mediator by his Spirit?

3. Ye have nothing wherewith to produce ho

linefs. The most skilful musician cannot play unless. his inftrument be in tune. The lame man, if he were ever fo willing, cannot run till he be cured. Ye are under an utter impotency, by reafon of the corruption of your nature.

Laftly, If ye will come to Chrift, ye fhall be made holy. There is a fulness of merit and Spirit in him for fanctification. Come then to the fountain of holinefs. The worft of finners may be fanctified this way, I Cor. vi. II.

Wherefore be perfuaded of your utter inability to fanctify yourselves, and receive Chrift for fanctification, as he is offered to you; and thus alone fhall you attain to holinefs both in heart and life.

Of the Benefits flowing from Juftification, Adoption, and Sanctification.

ROMANS V. I. 2.

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jefus Chrift. By whom alfo we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

TH

HERE are three forts of benefits belonging to the juftified, adopted, and fanctified. (1.) Some in this life they partake of. (2.) Some at death. (3.) Some at the refurrection. As for thofe in this life, we are told what they are in that queftion, "What are the benefits which in this life do accom

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pany or flow from juftification, adoption, and fancti"fication? Anf. Affurance of God's love, peace of "confcience, joy in the Holy Ghoft, increafe of grace, and perfeverance therein to the end." Thefe are divided into two forts. (1.) Some that flow from the sense of our juftification, &c. (2.) Some from the being of it. Of the former the Catechifm takes notice

of three, viz. affurance, peace, joy. All which are held out in the text as benefits coming through jutiification. Here observe,

1. Justification as a spring of other benefits. It is a leading mercy, it brings many others along with it. In it guilt is removed; and that being removed, a ftream of mercies flows from heaven into the foul. 2. The benefits flowing from it.

(1.) Peace with God, or towards God: i. e. not only reconciliation with God, the caufe of the quarrel being taken away; but peace of confcience, peace within when we look towards God, arifing from the fense of our juftification and reconciliation. But all this is owing to Chrift, who brought us into the state of reconciliation, called this grace wherein we ftand. (2.) Affurance of eternal happinefs; Rejoice in hope of the glory of God, i. e. in the glory of God we hope for. They are fo fure of that happinefs, that they rejoice in the view of it, as if they were actually carried into it. And affurance of God's love, ver. 5.

(3) Spiritual joy: We rejoice in hope of the glory of God; that is, We glory or joy in the Lord, upon this hope.

The text evidently affords this doctrine, viz.

Doct. Affurance, Spiritual peace, and joy, are benefits flowing from a state of justification.

I

1. Of Affurance.

N fpeaking to the firft, namely, affurance, I will fhew,

1. The kinds of it.

II. That a child of God may have this affurance. III. The nature of it, and how a faint comes to be affured.

IV. The fruits of it, whereby it may be difcerned from prefumption.

V. The neceffity of it.

VOL. II.

S f

VI. Deduce an inference or two.

I. I am to fhew the kinds of affurance. They are two.

1. Objective affurance, whereby the fpecial love of God to a faint, and his eternal falvation, are fure in themfelves, 2 Tim. ii. 19. The foundation of God flandeth fure, having this feal, The Lord knoweth them that are bis. This is never wanting, whether the child of God know it or not. Though they rafe foundations of hope at fome times, yet God never rafes his.

2. Subjective affurance, whereby a child of God is affured that God loves him with a fpecial love, and that he fhall certainly partake of eternal glory, Gal. ii. 20. Who loved me, and gave himfelf for me, fays Paul. This is not a wavering hope, or conjecture, but an infallible certainty. This is the affurance we treat of. II. I fhall fhew that a child of God may have this aflurance.

1. A believer may know that he has relative grace, that he is juftified, and therefore fhall never come into condemnation, Rom. v. 1. &c. Though he can not afcend to heaven, and at firft hand read his name in the book of God's decrees; yet by comparing the book of God, and the book of his own foul, he may know that he is called and elected, 2 Pet. i. 10. and therefore fhall certainly be faved.

2. He may be affured that he has inherent grace, that he believes as fure as he breathes, 2 Tim. i. 12.; that he has love to the Lord unfeigned, and can appeal to Omnifcience on the head, John xxi. 15. as Peter did, when he faid, Thou who knoweft all things, knowest that I love thee. And believing that fuch are loved of God, and fhall certainly perfevere, for which he has the teftimony of the word, he may be affured that he is the happy man.

3. It is the office of the Spirit of God to affure believers of this. He has given us the word for this end: He is given to lead his people into all truth, par

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