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children of the great King, and young heirs of glory, they have angels for their attendants, who are fent forth to minifter for them that shall be heirs of falvation, Heb. i. 14.

A Fourth benefit is Sanctification, 1 Cor. i. 30. "But of him are "ye in Chrift Jefus, who of God is made unto us wifdom and "righteoutnefs, and fanctification. Being united to Chrift, they partake of his Spirit, which is the Spirit of holiness There is a fulness of the Spirit in Chrift, and it is not like the fulness of a veffel, which only retains what is poured into it; but it is the fulnefs of a fountain for diffufion and communication, which is always fending forth its water, and yet is always full. The Spirit of Chrift, that fpiritual fap, which is in the flock, and from thence is communicate to the branches, is the Spirit of grace, Zec. xii. ro: And where the Spirit of grace dwells, there will be found a complication of all graces. Holiness is not one grace only, but all the graces of the Spirit: it is a conftellation of graces; it is all the graces in their feed and root. And as the fap conveyed from the ftock into the branch, goes thro' it, and thro' every part of it; fo the Spirit of God fanctifies the whole man. The poifon of fin was diffufed through the whole fpirit, foul and body of the man; and fanctifying grace purfues it into every corner, 1 Theff. v 23. Every part of the man is fanctified, though no part is perfectly fo.' The truth we are fanctified by, is not held in the head, as in a prifon but runs, with its fanctifying influences, through heart and life. There are indeed fome graces in every believer, which appear as top-branches above the ref: as meeknefs in Mofes, patience in Job: but feeing there is in every child of God, a holy principle going along with the holy law, in all the parts thereof, loving, liking, and approving of it; as appears from their univerfal refpect to the commands of God: it is evident they are endued with all the graces of the Spirit; because there can be no more in the effect, than there was in the caufe. 1

Now, this fanctifying Spirit, whereof believers partake, is unto them, (1) A Spirit of mortification. Through the Spirit they mortify the deeds of the body," Rom. viii. 13. Sin is crucified in them, Gal v. 24. They are planted together (namely, with Chrift) in the likeness of his death, which was a lingering death, Rom. vi. 5. Sin in the faint, tho' not quite dead, yet is dying. If it were dead, it would be taken down from the crofs and buried out of his fight: but, it hangs there as yet, working and struggling under its mortal wounds, Look, as when a tree has got fuch a ftroke as reaches the heart of it, all the leaves and branches thereof begin to fade and decay: fo, where the fanctifying Spirit comes, and breaks the power of fin, there is a gradual ceafing from it, and dying to it, in the whole man; fo that he no longer lives in the flesh, to the lufts of men. He does not make fin his trade and bafinefs; it is not his great defign to feek himself, and to fatisfy his corrupt

clinations: but he is for Immanuel's land; and is walking in the high-way to it, the way, which is called, The way of holiness: though the wind from hell, that was on his back before, blows now full in his face, makes his travelling uneafy, and often drives him off the high-way. (2.) This Spirit is a fpirit of vivification to them; for he is the Spirit of life, and makes them live unto righteousness, Ezek. xxxvi. 27. " And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause 66 you to walk in my ftatutes." Thefe that have been " planted "together, with Chrift, in the likeness of his death, fhall be alfo "in the likeness of his refurrection," Rom. vi. 5. At Chrift's refurrection, when his foul was re-united with his body, every member of that bleffed body, was enabled again to perform the actions of life: fo, the foul being influenced by the fanctifying Spirit of Chrift, is enabled more and more to perform all the actions of spiritual life. And as the whole of the law, and not fome fcraps of it only, is written on the holy heart; fo believers are enabled to transcribe that law in their converfation. And, although they cannot write one line of it without blots; yet God, for Chrift's fake, accepts of the performances, in point of fanctification: they being difciples to his own Son, and led by his own Spirit. This fanctifying Spirit, communicated by the Lord Jefus to his members, is the fpiritual nourishment the branches have from the Stock into which they are ingrafted; whereby the life of grace, given them in regeneration, is preferved, continued and actuated. It is the nourishment whereby the new creature liveth, and is nourished up towards perfection. Spiritual life needs to be fed, and must have fupply of nourishment and believers derive the fame from Chrift their head, whom the Father has conftituted the head of influences to all his members, Col. ii. 19. "And not holding "the head, from which all the body, by joints and hands having "nourishment miniftred," or fupplied, &c. Now, this fupply is, "the fupply of the Spirit of Jefus Chrift," Phil. i, 19. The faints feed richly, eating Chrift's flesh, and drinking his blood, for their fpiritual nourishment: yet our Lord himself teacheth us, that "it "is the Spirit that quickneth," even that Spirit who dwells in that blessed body, John vi. 63. The human nature is united to the divine nature, in the perfon of the Son, and fo (like the bowl in Zechariah's candlestick, Zech. iv.) lies at the fountain-head, as the glorious means of conveyance of influences, from the fountain of the Deity'; and receives not the Spirit by measure, but ever hath a fulness of the Spirit, by reafon of that perfonal union. Hence, believers being united to the man Chrift, (as the feven lamps to the bowl, by their feven pipes, Zech. iv. 2.) his flesh is to them meat indeed, and his blood drink indeed for, feeding on that bleffed body (i.e. effectually app wing Chrift to their fouls by faith) they partake more and more of that Spirit, who dwelleth therein, to their fpirituai nourishment. The holiness of God could never admit of an immediate

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union with the finful creature, nor (confequently) an immediate communion with it: yet, the creature could not live the life of grace, without communion with the fountain of life: Therefore, that the honour of God's holiness, and the falvation of finners, might jointly be provided for; the fecond perfon of the glorious Trinity, took, into a perfonal union with himself, a finlefs human nature; that fo this holy harmless and undefiled humanity, might inmediately receive a fulness of the Spirit, of which he might communicate to his members by his divine power and efficacy. And likeas, if there were a tree, having its root in the earth, and its branches reaching to heaven; the vast distance betwixt the root and the branches would not interrupt the communication betwixt the root and the top-branch; even fo, the diftance betwixt the man Chrift, who is in heaven, and his members, who are on earth, cannot hinder the communication betwixt them. What though the parts of myftical Chrift (viz. the head and the members) are not contiguous, as joined together in the way of a corporal nnion? The union is not therefore the lefs real and effectual. Yea, our Lord himself fhews us, that albeit we fhould eat his flefh, in a corporal and carnal manner, yet, it would profit nothing, John vi. 63. we would not be one whit holier thereby. But the members of Christ on earth, are united to their head in heaven, by the invisible bond of the felf fame Spirit dwelling in both in him as the head, and in them as the members, even, as the wheels, in Ezekiel's vifion, were not contiguous to the living creatures, yet were united to them, by an invifible bond of one fpirit in both; fo that "when the living "creatures went, the wheels went by that,; and when the living (c creatures were lift up from the earth, the wheels were lift up, Ezek i. 19 For, fays the Prophet, the fpirit of the living creatures was in the wheels, ver. 20.

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Hence, we may fee the difference betwixt true Sanctification, and that fbadow of it, which is to be found amongst fome strict profeffors of Chriftianity, who yet are not true Chriftians, are not regenerate by the Spirit of Chrift, and is of the fame kind with what has appeared in many fober heathens. True functification is the refult of the foul's union with the holy Jefus, the firft and immediate receptacle of the fanctifying Spirit; out of whofe fulness his members do, by virtue of their union with him, receive fanctifying influences. The other is the mere product of the man's own-fpirit, which, whatever it has, or feems to have of the matter of true holiness, yet does not arise from the fupernatural principles, nor to the high aims and ends thereof: for, as it comes from felf, fo it runs out into the dead fea of felf again; and lies as wide of true holinefs, as nature doth of grace. They who have this baftard holinefs, are like common boat-men, who ferve themfelves with their own oars: whereas, the fhip bound for Immanuel's land, fails by the blowings of the divine Spirit. How is it poffible there fhould be true fanctification without Chrift?, Can there be true fanctification, without partaking of the Spirit of holiness? Can we

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partake of that Spirit, but by Jefus Chrift, the way, the truth, and the life? The falling dew thall as foon make its way through the flinty rock, as influences of grace fhall come from God to finners, any other way, but through him whom the Father has conftituted the head of influences, Col. i. 19. "For it pleased the Father, that in him fhould "all fulness dwell?" and, chap ii 19. "And not holding the head, " from which all the body, by joints and bands having nourishment "ministred, and knit together, increafeth with the increafe of God." Hence fee how it comes to pafs, that many fall away from their feeming sanctification, and never recover: it is because they are not branches truly knit to the true Vine. Meanwhile, others recover from their decays, because of their union with the life-giving stock, by the quickening Spirit, 1 John ii. 19. "They went out from us, but they were not of us: for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have " continued with us."

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A Fifth benefit is growth in grace. "Having nourishment miniftred, "they increafe with the increase of God,"Col.ii. 19." The righteous "fhall flourish like the palm-tree, he thall grow like a Cedar in "Lebanon," Pfal. xcii. 12. Grace is of a growing nature: in the way to Zion they go from ftrength to ftrength. Though the holy man be at first a little child in grace yet at length he becomes a young man, a father 1 John ii. 13 Though he does not but creep in the way to heaven sometimes; yet afterwards he walks, he runs, he mounts up with wings as eagles. Ifa xl. 31. If a branch grafted into a stock never grows, it is a plain evidence of its not having knit with the flock.

But fome may perhaps fay, "If all true Chriftians be growing ones, what fhall be faid of thefe, who inftead of growing, are going back?" I answer, Fift, There is a great difference between the Chriftian's growing fimply, and his growing at all times. All true Chriftians do grow, but I do not fay, they grow at all times. A tree that has life and nourishment, grows to its perfection, yet it is not always growing; it grows not in the winter. Chriftians alfo have their winters, wherein the influences of grace, necellary for growth, are ceafed, Cant. v. 2. I fleep. It is by faith, the believer derives gracious influence from Jefus Chrift; likeas each lamp in the candlestick, received oil from the bowl, by the pipe going betwixt them, Zech. iv. 2. Now, if that pipe be stopt, if the faints faith ly dormant and unactive; then all the reft of the graces will become din, and feem ready to be extinguished. In confequence whereof depraved nature will gather ftrength, and become active. What then will become of the foul? Why, there is ftill one fure ground of hope. The faint's faith is not as the hypocrite's, like a pipe laid fhort of the fountain, whereby there can be no conveyance: it ftill remains a bond of union betwixt Chrift and the foul; and therefore, because Chrift lives, the believer fhall live alfo, Johu xiv. 19. The Lord Jefus puts in his hand by the hole of the door, and clears the means of conveyance: and then influences for growth flow, and the believer's graces look fresh and green again, Hof xiv. 7.

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"They that dwell under his fhadow fhall return: they fhall revive

as the corn, and grow as the vine." In the worst of times, the faints have a principle of growth in them, 1 John iii. 9. His feed re maineth in him. And therefore after decays they revive again: namely when the winter is over, and the Sun of righteoufnefs returns to them with his warm influences. Mud thrown into a pool may ly there at éafe; but if it be caft into a fountain, the fpring will at length work it out, and run clear as formerly. Secondly, Chriftians may mistake their growth, and that two ways. (1) By judging of their cafe according to their prefent feeling. They obferve themfelves, and cannot perceive themfelves to be growing: but there is no reason thence to conclude they are not growing, Mark iv. 27. "The feed "fprings and grows up, he knoweth not how." Should one fix his eye ever fo ftedfaftly, on the fun running his race, or on a growing tree; he would not perceive the fun moving, or the tree growing: but, if he compare the tree as it now is, with what it was fome years ago; and confider the place in the heavens, where the fun was in the morning; he will certainly perceive the tree has grown, and the fun has moved. In like manner may the Christian know, whether he be in a growing or declining ftate, by comparing his prefent with his former condition, (2) Chriftians inay miftake their cafe, by meafur. ing their growth by the advances of the top only, not of the root, Though a man be not growing taller, he may be growing stronger. If a tree be taking with the ground, fixing itself in the earth, and fpreading out its roots; it is certainly growing, although it be nothing taller than formerly. So, albeit a Chriftian may want the fweet confolation and flashes of affection, which fometimes he has had; yet if he be growing in humility, felf-denial, and sense of needy depend. ence on Jefus Chriit, he is a growing Chriftian, Hof. xiv. 5. "I will "be as the dew unto Ifrael, he fhall caft forth his roots as Lebanon.”

Queft. "But do hypocrites grow at all? And if fo, how fhall we "diftinguish betwixt their growth, and true Chriftian growth?" Anf. To the firit part of the queftion, hypocrites do grow The tarès have their growth, as well as the wheat: and the feed that fell among thorns didpring up, Luke viii. 7. only it did bring no fruit to perfection, ver. 14 Yea, a true Chriftian may have a falfe growth. James and John feemed to grow in the grace of holy zeal, when their fpirits grew fo hot in the cause of Chrift, that they would have fired whole villages, for not receiving their Lord and Mafter, Luke ix. 54. "They faid, "Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, "to confume them, even as Elias did?" But it was indeed no fuch thing; and therefore he turned and rebuked them, ver. 55. " and "faid, Ye know not what manner of fpirit ye are of." To the fecond part of the queftion, it is anfwered, that there is a peculiar beauty in true Chriftian growth, diftinguishing it from all falfe growth: it is univerfal, regular, proportionable. It is a "growing up to him in all things, which is the head," Eph. iv. 15. The growing

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