clofe of the day. The defections of the day are of the devil; and fo are all the complaints and outcries about the divifions of the time, more than about the defections, that are the cause and root thereof.-The wicked reproaches caft upon the work of God, and any teftimony lifted up for his truth and caufe, thefe wicked reproaches and calumnies, I fay, are of the devil.-The wicked commentaries upon God's providences, and upon fad accidents, are of the devil. There is no new appearance for God's work, or for a reformation-cause, condemned at this day, but fad accidents may be ascribed to it; as the Pagans of old afcribed all the fad accidents and ills that befel them to the primitive Chriftians, and their new religion, in oppofition to their old heathen idolatry. In a word, if fanctification be of God, then the unholinefs, even of faints, is of the devil; their little zeal, and their great lukewarmnefs about their own perfonal concerns, are of the devil. Chrift faid to Peter once, "Get thee behind me, Satan; thou favourest not the things that be of God, but thefe that be of men." Whatever finful things in our day take place, let us never afcribe them to God, but to men, and to the devil; for holiness and fanctification is of God: whatever therefore fall out, let us juftify God, and condemn ourselves; because we have fo much of the devil about us.

6. Hence fee the great need of coming to Chrift: for fanctification is of God in him, who is made of God unto us fanctification. O confider how fanctification is of God, namely, as he is a God in Chrift, a reconciled God, and a reconciling God, reconciling us to himself. While we apprehend God as an enemy to us, or a hard Master, we will remain enemies to him and his way: but, if you Look to God in Chrift, as a well-pleafed God, and be reconciled to him, then you will be reconciled to his will, and fanctified. O then, look to God in the glass of the gofpel; that is, in a word of reconciliation to you. I own, indeed, the first look you muft have of God is in the glafs of the law, as a fin-revenging God, making you cry out for mercy, faying, "What fhall I do to be faved?" But yet, never will you be fatisfied, faved, or fanctified, till you look to him in the glass of the gospel,

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as a reconciled God, reconciling you to himfelf, as a God pardoning your fia, and imputing his righteousness to you; a God putting your fin upon Chrift, and making him fin for you; and putting his righteoufnefs upon you, making you the righteoufnefs of God in him. The faith of this wonderful grace and mercy will reconcile your heart to God's heart, and reconcile your mind to God's mind, and your will to God's will. The unbelief of this good will works by enmity and unholinefs; but the faith of this grace and good-will of God would work by love, which is the fulfilling of the law, and fo by holiness and fanctification. O then, feek after this fight of God, as coming and appearing in a word of reconciliation to you; for, all things, relating to the new creation, are of God; and fanctification is of him, as a reconciled God in Chrift.

7. Hence fee matter and ground for trial and examination, whether you be fanctified or not. And, if fanctification be begun, two things will take place.

(1.) You will fee and know your own pollution and deformity, and that fan&tification is not of you; nay, not one holy thought. You will be brought to acknowledge, that you are not fufficient of yourfelves, to think any thing, as of yourfelves: and that nothing is of you but fin. These that are molt holy, do fee most of their own unholinefs, and know the plagues of their own hearts. It is the light of the Sun of righteoufness, fhining into the window of the heart, that difcovers all the motes and atoms of fin and filthinefs, all the corruptions. and abominations that were before undifcerned. They that think they have a good heart, a holy heart, a heart right enough, are far from being fanctified: for fanctifying grace, though it removes fin according to the measure of it; yet, it difcovers fin more than ever, and makes it appear. Like a golden ball put into a veffel brim-full of water, it makes the water rife and run over, while it makes room for itfelf: even fo does the gold of grace put into the heart full of fin and corruption; it makes fin appear more than ever, and rife up, as it were, and run over. Hence it is poffible, where fanc

VOL. VII.

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tifying

tifying grace comes, the foul may think itfelf more unholy than ever it was.

(2.) You will fee and know, that your fanctification is wholly and only of God, and that in all the particulars that I have before-mentioned; that the beginning of it is of God; that the progress and advancement of it is of God; that the reftoration of it, when decayed, is of God; that the means, and motives of it, are of God; that he is the efficient caufe and author of it; that the extent and measure of it, the knowledge and comfort of it, the perfeverance and perfection of it, are all of God, as the God of peace and reconciliation in Chrift. And hence your dependence will be only and wholly upon him for it; and you will find that the more you live upon him by faith, the more holy, both in heart and life, will you be whereas the more that, through an evil heart of unbelief, you depart from the living and lifegiving God, of whom the life of holiness and fanctification is, the more unholy will you be.

8. Hence fee where we ought to go for fanctification. If it be of God in Chrift, then to God in Chrift let us go for it. Never was there more fin and lefs holiness, both among finners and faints, than, perhaps, in our day. O let us come to the fountain of purification that God hath opened. We read, Ifa. xii. 3. of the wells of falvation, out of which we may draw water with joy: now, fan&tification is a great and leading part of falvation; and becaufe fan&tification is of God, therefore he hath opened fo many wells and fountains of fanétification, that thence we may come and draw living, and life-giving, and foul-purifying water. I fhall direct you to fome of thefe; and may the Lord, enable you to come and draw.

(1.) One fountain of fanctification, that God hath opened, is the death of Chrift; Eph. v. 25,26. where it is faid, "He gave himself for his church, that he might fanctify and cleanse it, with the washing of water by the word. Tit. iv. 14. Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." Look then, O finner,

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to a crucified Christ, whose cross hath a purifying virtue; they that look to him by faith, are accounted, in law, to be dead to fin in him, Rom. vi. 3, 4, 5 6.-11. He died as a public perfon; and, "Our old man is crucified with him, that the body of fin might be deftroyed."

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(2.) A fecond fountain of fanctifi ation, that God hath opened unto us, is the refurrection of Chrift, which is the ground of our faith of life; By him we believe in God, who raifed him from the dead, and gave him glory, that our faith and h pe might be in God,” 1 Pet. i. 21. her fe for our justification, fo alfo for our fanctification,' that we might be planted together with him in the likeness of his refurrection, and might be made alive unto God, through Jefus Chrift our Lord, Rm. vi. 4. Lok then to a rifen Chrift. The view of his refurrection will make you rife and live a holy life.

(3) Another fountain of fanctification, that God hath opened, is the afcenfion of Chrift: "He hath afcended on high, and led captivity captive, and received gifts for men; yea for the rebellious alfo, that the Lord might dwell among them," Palm Ixviii. 18. Look to an afcending Jefus, receiving the Spirit above measure, and all the fanctifying gifts and graces of the Spirit for you, that you may be fanctified.

(+) Another fountain of fanctification, that God hath opened, is the exaltation of Chrift to his right-hand; "Him bath God exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance to Ifrael, and forgivenefs of fins,' Acts v. 31. He is exalted to fave and fanctify finners, as well as he was humbled for that end. And, if you could look to him as once upon the crofs, and now upon the throne, for thefe bleffed purp fes, fanctification would follow.

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(5.) A fifth fountain that God hath opened for fanctification, is the interceffion of Chrift, who hath prayed, John xvii. 17. "Sanctify them thro' thy truth." was a prayer for all his ranfomed ones; and all finners. that need fanctification, may look to him for the benefit of his interceffion; for, "He is able to fave to the uttermoft, all that come to God by him, becaufe he ever liveth to make interceffion for them," Heb. vii. 25.

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(6.) A fixth fountain of fanctification that God hath opened, is the covenant of promise that stands faft in Chrift; and by thefe precious promifes we are made partakers of the divine nature, 2 Pet. i. 4. Ezek. xxxvi. 25,-33." Having thefe promifes, we are to cleanfe ourfelves from all filthinefs of the flesh and fpirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." The more improvement we make of thefe promifes, which are Yea and Amen in Chrift, by believing and pleading them, the more holy will we be.

(7.) A feventh fountain of fanctification God hath opened, is the fanctifying Spirit of Chrift, promised to caufe us to walk in his ftatutes, Ezek. xxxvi. 27. See what a plentiful communication thereof is promised, and the effects thereof; "I will pour water upon him that is thirty, and floods upon the dry ground. I will pour my Spirit upon thy feed, and my bleffing upon thine offfpring; and they fhall fpring up as among the grafs, as willows by the water-courfes," &c. Ifa. xliv. 3, 4. Let us feek the promised Spirit to be in us a well of water fpringing up to everlasting life.

(8.) Another fountain of fanctification God hath opened, is the fanctifying blood of Chrift. God hath provid. ed this well for us to wafh in; it is a fountain opened to the houfe of David, and inhabitants of Jerufalem, for fin and for uncleannefs, Zech. xii. 1. "Even the blood of Chrift that cleanfeth us from all fin," 1 John i. 7. that we may fing and fay, "To him that loved us, and washed us from our fins in his own blood, be glory and dominion for ever and ever," Rev. i. 5, 6. The blood that Chrift fhed is ftill an open fountain: it was the price of fanctification on the crofs, and it is the plea for it on the throne, and the plea we have to make use of at the throne of grace.

(9.) Another fountain of fanctification God hath opened, is the fanctifying relation that Chrift hath to the church, as the root, on whom alone we grow in grace and holinefs, and from whom alone we draw fap and fan&tifying virtue, John xv. 1,5. All our stock of grace is in him; and he communicates life to the branches in him, whereby they grow, and bring forth