planted in the heart, as well as displayed in the word, teaches to deny ungodli ness and worldly lusts. 7. Sanctification appears in lamenting sin, in deplo ing the corruption of nature, bewailing indwelling-sin, as well as all sinful actions, of thought, word, and deed; sanctified persons are like doves of the valley, every one mourning for his own iniquities, and for those of others, and the sad effects of them. 8. In earnest desires to be wholly freed from sin; uneasy that vain thoughts should so long lodge within them, weary of a body of sin and death, they groan under the burden of it, and cry, O wretched imen that we are! who shall deliver us from it? they long to be with Christ, and to be in heaven; for this reason greatly, among others, that they may be entirely free from sin, and be perfectly holy.

Now can such actings in the mind, and in life, spring from nature? mut they not arise from a principle of holiness in the heart? can there be such reverence of God, love to him, resignation to his will, affectionate and fervent devotion to him, desires of communion with him, and a concern in all things for his glory, without a supernatural principle of grace and holiness in the soul. Is it possible, that an unsanctified man should ever apply to Christ for cleansing, be subject to him as King, be desirous of walking as he walked, and of being wrought up to a conformity to him? or be concerned to mind the things of the Spirit, and to walk after the Spitit, and to live in him, and be careful not to grieve him? can there be such actings in the mind concerning sin, as to love the law, which forbids it; to dislike sin, abhor it, and hate it; engage in an opposition to it, abstain from it, lament it, and earnestly desire to be rid of it; can these be the produce of nature? or be without being internally sanctified by the Spirit of God?

II. The subjects of sanctification are next to be enquired into; who they are that are sanctified, and what of them.

1. Who are sanctified? - not all men; all men are unholy, and need sanctification; but all are not made holy; some are filthy, and remain filthy still. 1. Then they are the elect of God; and all of them, whom God chose in eternity, he sanctifies in time; those who are a chosen generation, become an holy people; whom God chose, he chose to holiness, as an end which is always answered, and he chose then through sanctification, as a means in order to a further end, salvation; conformity to the image of the Son of God, in which sancification fics, is what the chosen are predestinated eno; and in consequence of their predestination, are inade partakers of it. Faith, which is a part of sanctication, flows from electing grace, and is insured by it; as many as are ordained to eternal if beve, and are everlastingly glorified, which is their perfect san linceton. 2. They are the redeemed ones; the subjects of election, redeo ption, and is in tification, are the same persons. In order, they are first chosen, then rede, med, and then sanctified; those who are chosen by the Father, and rede ned by the Sun, are sanctified by the Spirit. One end of Christ's re dettion of them, was to sanctify and purify them, a peculiar people to him

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self, zealous of good works; and that they being dead to sin, and that to them, through his sacrifice for sin, they might live unto righteousness; hence of the same persons it is said, They shall call them the holy people, the redeemed of the Lord! Isai. lxii. 12.

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H. What of those persons are sanctified? The whole of them; The God of peace sanctify you wholly; that is, as next explained, in soul, body, and spirit, 1 Thess. v. 23. 1. The soul, or spirit, is the principal seat, or subject of sanctification, in all the powers and faculties of it; Be renewed in the Spirit of your minds, Eph. iv. 23. It is the heart into which the fear of God is put, and which is circumcised to love the Lord, and which is purified by faith: it is the understanding that is enlightened, to discern holy and spiritual things; and so to mind them, approve of them, and gaze at them, with wonder and delight: the will is bowed to the will of God, and made willing in the day of his power, to serve him, as well to be saved by him; and which is resigned to all the dispensations of divine providence: the affections are made spiritual, holy, and heavenly; from whence springs a chearful obedience to the commands of God and Christ: and the mind and conscience, which were defiled with sin, are purged from dead. works to serve the living God. 2. The body also is influenced by sanciifying grace. As, though the heart is the principal seat of sin, out of which all manner of wickedness flows, and spreads itself, not only over the powers and faculties of the soul, but also over the members of the body; so that there is no part nor place clean: thus, though the soul is the principal seat of sanctification, yet it diffuses its influence, as over all the powers of the soul, so over all the members of the body; its sensual appetite and carnal lusts are checked and restrained by sanctifying grace; so that sin reigns not in our mortal bodies, as to obey the lusts thereof, and to yield our members, as instruments of unrighteousness, unto sin, Rom. vi. 12, 13.

III. The causes of sanctification, by whom it is effected, from whence it springs, and by what means it is carried on, and at last finished. - 1. The efficient cause is God, Father, Son, and Spirit. Sometimes it is ascribed to the Father, the God of all grace, who will make us perfect, perfectly holy; the very God of peace, with whom we have peace, through Christ, will sanctify us wholly; the Father, on whom we call, the Father of Christ, and of us, says, Be ye holy, as I am holy, and who only can make us so, 1 Pet. i. 16. And Christ is not only our sanciification, but our sanctifier; He the sanctifieth is Christ, and they who are sanctified are his chosen and redeemed ones; and these are all of one, Heb. ii. 11. of one and of the same nature, he partakes of their nature, and they are made partakers of his; all that holiness which they have, they have from him; from that fulness of it which is in him. Though this work of sanctification is more commonly ascribed to the holy Spirit, who is therefore called, the Spirit of holiness; not only from his own nature, but from his being the author of holiness in the hearts of God's people, and which is

therefore called, the sanctification of the Spirit; it is he that begins, and carties on, and finishes this work; every grace is from him, faith, hope, and love, and every other; and which are supported and maintained, and drawn forth into exercise, and brought to perfection by him. 2. The moving cause, is the grace and good-will of God, the same grace which moved God to choose any to holiness, moves him to work it in them: the same grace which moved him to send his Son into the world to redeem men, moves him to send his Spirit into their hearts to sanctify them: the same great love, and abundant mercy, that moves him to regenerate and quicken them, moves him to sanctify them: as of his own good-will he begets them again, it is of his own good-will that he sanctifies them; This is the will of God, not only his will of precept, and his approving will; but the purpose and counsel of his will, what flows from his sovereign will; even your sanctification, 1 Thess. iv. 3. The state and condition of the people of God, before their sanctification, clearly shews that it must arise, not from any merit or motive in them; but from the free-favour and good-will of God, 1 Cor. vi. 9—11. 3. The istrumental cause, or means, is the word of God; both the written word, the scriptures, which are holy scriptures; the author holy, the matter holy, and, when attended with a divine power and influence, are the means of making men holy, and of fitting and furnishing them for every good work; and also the word preached, when accompanied with the same power; Faith comes by hearing, and is increased thereby ; the doctrines of the gospel are according to godliness; and with a divine blessing, influence both the heart and life to godliness and holiness; the ordinances are made and continued, for the perfecting of the saints, for the carrying on, and perfecting the work of holiness in them, and various provi dences of God, even afflictive ones, are designed of God, and are means, in his hand, of making his people more and more partakers of his holiness, Heb. xii ̧ 10. of this use afflictions were to holy David, Psal. cxix. 67, 71,

IV. The adjuncts or properties of sanctification.

1. It is imperfect in the present state, though it will most certainly be made perfect; where the work is begun it will be performed: sanctification in Christ is perfect, but sanctification in the saints themselves is imperfect; it is perfect with respect to parts, but not with respect to degrees. Sanctification, as a principle, which is the new creature, or new man, has all his parts; though these are not grown up to the measure of the fulness of the stature of Christ, as they will do; where there is one grace, there is every grace, though none perfect; there is a comparative perfection in the saints, when compared with what they themselves once were, and others are; and when compared even with other saints, for one saint may have a greater degree of grace and holiness than another; let us therefore, as many as be perfect; and yet the greatest of those was not absolutely perfect, even the apostle himself, who so said, Phil. iii. 12, 17. all the saints may be said to be perfect, as perfection denotes sincerity and truth; so

their faith, though imperfect, is unfeigned; their hope is without hyprocisy, and their love without dissimulation; but otherwise sanctification in the best of men is imperfect, this appears, 1. From the continual wants of the saints; they are always poor and needy, as David says of himself; which could not be true of him as to things temporal, but as to things spiritual: the best of saints continually stand in need of more grace to oppose sin, resist temptations, perform duty, and persevere in faith and holiness; the grace of God is sufficient for them, but then that must be daily communicated to them; God has promised to supply, and he does supply all their need, as it returns upon them; but then it cannot be said that they are perfect and entire, wanting nothing; since they are continually in want of more grace. 2. This appears from their disclaiming perfection in themselves, and their desires after it. Job, David, the apostle Paul, and others, have in express words declared they were not perfect, nor thought themselves so, but far from it; and yet expressed strong desires after it. which shewed they had it not; the apostle Paul has fully set forth both in those words of his, Not as though I had already attained, &c. Phil. ii. 12-14. 3. That sanctification is imperfect, is abundantly manifest from indweiling sin in the saints, and the sad effects of it; the apostle Paul speaks of sin dwelling in him, Rom. vii. 18. and John says, if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, 1 John i. 8. and the experience of the saints in all ages testifies the same: this is clear from their ingenuous confessions of sin, such as made by Jacob, David, Isaiah, Daniel, and others; from their groans and complaints under the weight of sin, as an heavy burden, too heavy to bear; from the continual war in them between flesh and the spirit, the law in their members and the law in their minds; from their prayers for the manifestation of the pardon of their sins, and for cleansing from them, and to be kept from the commission of them; from the many slips and falls which the best are subject to in one way or anther; and from backwardness to duty, remissness in it, and that coldness and lukewarmness which too often attend it. 4. This is also evident from the several parts of sanctification, and the several graces of which it consists, being imperfect. Faith is imperfect; there are deficiencies in faith to be made up; the best of saints have had them, and their failings in the exercise of that grace have been manifest, as in Abraham, Peter, and others; and they have been sensible of their imperfection in it, as the apostles of Christ were then they said, Lord increase our faith, or add to it, Luke xvii. 5. hope sometimes is so low as that it seems to be perished from the Lord, and only the mouth is put in the dust with an if so be there may be hope, Lam. iii. 18. Love, however warm and fervent at first, remits and abates; its ardour is left, though that is not lost; the love of many waxes cold. Spiritual, experimental, sanctified knowledge is but in part, and will remain so until that which is perfect is come.

II. Though sanctification is imperfect, it is progressive, it is going on gradually till it comes to perfection; this is clear from the characters of the saints,

who are first as little children, infants new-born; are in a state of childhood, and by degrees come to be young men, strong and robust, and overcome the evil one, and at length are fathers in Christ, 1 John ii. 13, 14. and from the similes by which the work of grace is illustrated; as that in general by seed sown in the earth, which springs up first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear; and faith in particular by a grain of mustard-seed, which when first sown is small, the least of all seeds, but when it grows up, it becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out great branches; so spiritual light and knowledge at first is very dim and obscure, like the sight that the man had whose eyes Christ opened; first he saw men like trees walking, and after that all things clearly; so the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day, Prov. iv. 18. there is such a thing as growing in giace, in the grace of fait, and abounding in hope and love, and increasing in the knowledge of divine things; which there would be no room for, if sanctifi• cation was perfect. Yet,

III. Though it is imperfect, it will certainly be perfected; grace in the soul is a well of living water, springing up unto everlasting life: it is always running to, and will issue in eternal life: it is certain, from election and redemption, the ends whereof would not be answered, if this was not completed; and from its being the work of the holy Spirit, who having begun it, will finish it; he is a rock, and his work is perfect: having undertook it, he will not leave it till it is done; and when he works, none can let; he will perfect that which concerneth his saints, and will fulfil the good pleasure of his will in them, and the work of faith, with power.

IV. Sanctification is absolutely necessary to salvation. It is necessary to the saints, as an evidence of their election and redemption; this is the closing work of grace, and is the evidence of all that goes before. It is necessary to churchfellowship, to the communion of saints in a social manner. Members of churches are described as holy brethren, saints, and faithful in Christ Jesus, and none are meet to be adinitted among them but such who are so; for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? &c. 2 Cor. vi. 14-16. Sanctification is necessary as a meetness for heaven; for the inheritance of the saints in light; without regeneration, in which sanctification is begun, no man shall see, nor enter, into the kingdom of God. It is absolutely necessary for the beatific vision of God in a future state; Without holiness no man shall see the Lord; but being possessed of that, they shall see him, and enjoy uninterrupted communion with him for ever. To say no more, it is necessary for the work of heaven, which is singing songs of praise; songs of electing, redeeming, regenerating, calling, and persevering grace; how can unholy persons join with the saints in such work and service as this? yea, it would be irksome and disagreeable to themselves, could they be admitted to it, and were capable of it; either of which can be allowed.