fice to God, to serve and honour him with, whether by doing or fuffering, Rom. xii. 1.

But although the whole man is sanctified, yet no part of the man is perfectly sanctified in this life. It is neither midnight to them as with the unregenerate, nor mid-day as with the glorified, but twilight, which is a mixture of darkness and light. Hence arifes the combat betwixt the flesh and Spirit, Gal. v. 17. Every grace has a weed of the contrary corruption by the fide of it, which occafions this struggle and imperfection in the best of their works.

SEVENTHLY, I am to shew the effect of fanctification. That is holiness. The fruit of this work of the Spirit is habitual holiness, that is, an habitual averfion of the foul to evil, and inclination to good; and actual holiness in all manner of life and conversation, in good works, which have God's word for their rule, his glory for their end, and are done in faith. Both which we have, Pfal. xlv. 13. The King's daughter is all glorious within; her cloathing is of wrought gold.

EIGHTHLY, I proceed to thew how fanctification is carried on. Now, though fanctification must needs be begun in an inftant, yet it is not a simple act, but a work carried on by degrees, to which many actions (and these repeated) of the Holy Spirit do concur. The believer not being perfectly renewed at first, the renovation is carried on by degrees, and the Spirit is at that work still, so as not to give it over, till it be perfected, though there may be many interruptions of it. And,

1. The Spirit implants grace in the foul, fows the heavenly feed there, framing the heart anew, giving it a new power, and a new fet, towards God and his law; and putting in new motions and inclinations in the foul, agreeable to the holy law, and contrary to the natural finful ones, Heb. viii 10. So that the foul is inclined to love what before it loathed, and to loath what before it loved.

2. He preferves the grace implanted, I Pet. i. 5. Though it is lodged in the fame heart with an ill neighbour, the remains of natural corruption; yet he keeps it that it do not die out, he preserves it as a spark of fire in the midst of the ocean.

3. He excites it and quickens it, to pursue and refift the flesh, Phil. ii. 13. Grace fometimes may fall so very low in the foul, that it becomes like a spark hid under the ashes: yet the sanctifying Spirit blows it up again into a flame, Cant. iv. 16. As the tree in the winter divested of its leaves and verdure, when the warm fun returns in the spring, the sap driven to the root returns, and is diffused through the whole.

4. He strengthens it by new supplies, If. xl. ult. fo as the foul is enabled more and more to hold on the battle, and gets victories of the enemy, 2 Cor. xii. 9. 10. For grace is a child of heaven, which has all its nourishment and strength from the fame Spirit that gave it life.

5. Lastly, At death, but not till then, he perfects it, Heb. xii. 23. Then the new man is brought to its perfect stature, Eph. iv. 13. Often may the foul be ready to fay, One day I will perish by the hand of such a lust. But the Spirit of God will perfect the work he has begun. And when the walls of the leprous house are taken down, the leprosy shall be quite removed. From what has been said we may infer,

Inf. 1. The case of unsanctified sinners is a wretched case; they are lying with the loft world, in their filthiness, utterly unfit to serve God acceptably, or to have communion with him here or hereafter. For they are not fanctified, not separated, purified, nor prepared for God's service.

2. Behold the beauty of holiness, and fall in love with it, and labour to attain it. The holy man is more excellent than his neighbour, as set apart for God; Ifrael fhall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations, because they are a holy people. It is the purity of the foul, it is God's image drawn on

the man, it is a newness of nature from heaven, and like heaven. By it a man is a veffel fit for the Master's use, honourably employed now, and most honourably hereafter.

1,

3. See the way how ye may be made holy. The fire from your own hearth will not purge you; faithless vows, resolutions, and endeavours will not do it, If. 1. ult. The Spirit of the Lord can only perform the work. O cry for the Spirit, wait on in ordinances for the blowing of the Spirit. Come to Christ by faith, that ye may partake of his Spirit.

4. Sanctification is not the work of a day, but a work that must be in a continual progress. Sit not down on any measure of grace attained. They that are converted still need the Spirit for their fanctification. Beware of grieving the Spirit, left the work be interrupted. Make no truce with the enemy, but pursue the lufts of the body of fin vigoroufly.

5. Lastly, See here that there are none so unholy, but they may be made holy. It is a work of grace, and grace is powerful to overcome the strongest lufts. It is a work of free grace, and therefore no vileness nór unworthiness of the creature, that is content to be made holy, can hinder it. This may lay the pride of some, who think they deserve grace, and whose hearts fret against the Lord, if grace be not given them in an hour of temptation. Man's heart perverteth his way, and fretteth against the Lord. And this may encourage those who think the Lord will never look on them.

LASTLY, Let us consider the means of fanctification. The outward means that the Spirit makes ufe of in this work, and which have all their efficacy from him, are,

1. Ordinances, public, private, and fecret, If. xii. 3. especially the word, and facraments thereto appended, Eph. v. 26. And they that would be holy must use these means of fanctification, whereby the Spirit begins and carries on the work.

2. Providences; smiling and favourable dispensa. tions have a tendency that way, Rom. ii. 4. but especially afflictions are means which the Spirit makes use of for this end, If. xxvii. 9. By this shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged, and this is all the fruit to take away bis fin.

I shall now shut up this subject with a few inferences, besides those I drew under the former heads.

Inf. 1. Those who are unrenewed are unsanctified. Where there is no change of heart and life, there is no grace, 2 Cor. v. 17. Ah! how many live as they were born, and are like to die as they live? They have no changes, but from evil to evil: no change from fin to holiness, and yet are unconcerned with their unrenewed state, fleeping on till they fleep the fleep of death.

2. A partial change is not sanctification. Those who are changed, but not in the whole man, are not truly fanctified, but are yet in their natural pollution. Sanctification is not a new head full of knowledge, with the old heart and life; nor is it a new life, with the old heart and nature. But it is a change that goes through the whole foul and body, which must needs be followed with a new life, 2 Cor. v. 17.

3. True fanctification puts work in the hand of the fanctified, that will fill their hands while they live. Dying to fin, and living to righteousness, are works that will fill up every ininute we have in the world.

4. Let none be so foolish as to sit down contented without fanctification, but study holiness as ever ye would fee heaven. We want a title to heaven, we must get that in justification and adoption: we want a meetness for heaven, and we must get that in sanctification. The fanctified are elected, and shall be glorified, 1 Pet. i. 2. 4. And they that live and die unfanctified, shall never fee heaven, Heb. xii. 14. For without holiness no man shall fee the Lord.

5. Lastly, As ever ye would be holy, attend and improve the means of grace. Let not your afflictions drive you from God, neither be stupid under them, but fall in with the design of providence in them, for your sanctification.

Union with Christ the only Way to Sanctification.

I CORINTHIANS 1, 30,

But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who is made unto us -Sanctification.

T

HE world in its greatest darkness was not insensible that man's nature was corrupted, that they needed somewhat wherewith they might please God, attain to happiness, and repair the wound which they understood their nature had got. And although that Jews and Gentiles had different devices whereby they thought this might be obtained, yet all agreed in that it behoved them to go into themselves for it, and to draw something out of the ruins of their natural powers wherewith to help themselves, thereby difcovering they did not fufficiently understand the depth of the corruption of human nature. And this principle is so agreeable to corrupt reason, that God's device to bring about man's falvation from fin and misery in and by another, to wit Chrift, was to the Jews a stumbling-block, and to the Greeks foolishness, ver. 23. And if we found to the bottom, it is the same at this day to the unregenerate part of the Christian world.

In the text we have the fun of God's device for the -salvation of finners, and it centres in Jesus Christ who was crucified. We may take up the text and it in these two things,

1. That the whole of man's falvation shall be from Christ. God has made or conftituted him the Fountain of all falvation, from whom it must be conveyed to all that shall partake of it. As Pharaoh made fo