them; for he is the Spirit of life, and makes them live unto righteoufnefs, Ezek. xxxvi. 27. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause 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 fpiritual 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 altho' they cannot write one line of it without blots; yet God, for Chrift's fake, accepts of the performances, in point of fan&tification: they being difciples to his own fon, and led by his own Spirit.

This fanctifying Spirit, communicated by the Lord Jefus to his members, is the spiritual 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 liv. eth and is nourished up towards perfection. Spiritual life needs to be fed, and muft have fupply of nourishment: and believers derive the fame from Chrift their head, whom the Father has constituted the head of influences to all his members, Col. ii. 19. • And not holding the head, from wh all the body, by joints and bands, have nourishment miniftred, are fuppli d,' Scc. 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 bleffed body, John vi. 63. The hu man 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 never hath a fulness of the Spirit, by reafun 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 applying Chrift to their fouls by faith,) they partake more and more of that Spirit, who dwelleth therein, to their

fpiritual nourishment. The holinefs of God could never adnic of an immediate union with the finful creature; nor (confe quently) an immediare 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 holinefs,. 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 his holy, barmlefs, and undefiled humanity, might immediately receive a fulness of the Spirit, of which he might communicate to his members, by his divine power and efficacy. And like as, if there were a tree, having its root in the earth, and its branches reaching to heaven; the vaft diftance betwixt the root and the branches,. would not interrupt 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 union? The union is not therefore the lefs real and effectual. Yea, our Lord himself fhews us, that albeit we fhould eat his flesh, 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 Chrift on earth, are united to their head in heaven, by the invifible 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 vision, were not con tiguous to the living creatures, yet were united to them, by an invisible bond of one fpirit in both; fo that when the living creatures went, the wheels went by that; and when the living, ereatures were lift up from the earth, the wheels were lift ap, Ezek. i. 19. For, fays the Prophet, the fpirit of the living creature was in the wheels, ver. 20..

Hence, we may fee the difference betwixt true fanctification, and that fhadow of it, which is to be found amongst some strict -profeffors of Christianity, 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 fancti fication is the refult of the foul's union with the holy Jefus, the first and Immediate receptacle of the fanctifying Spirit; out of whofe fulness his members do, by virtue of their union with him, receive fanctifying influence... 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 holinefs, yet does not arise from the fuper natural 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 agains

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and lies as void of true holiness, as nature doth of grace. They who have this baftard holiness, are like common boat-men, who ferve themselves 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 fan&tification, without partaking of the Spirit of holinefs? Can we partake of that Spirit, but by Jefus Chrift, the way, the truth, and the life? The falling dew fhall foon make its way through the flinty rock, as inBuences of grace fhall come from God to finners, in no other way, but through him whom the Father has conftituted the head of influences, Col. i. 19. For it pleafed 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 miniftred, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. Hence fee how it comes to pafs, that many fall away from their feeming fanctification, and never recover: It is becaufe they are not branches truly knit to the true vine. Meanwhile, others recover from their decays; becaufe of their union with the life giving ftock, by the quickning 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 con tinued with us.'

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 shall 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 liule child in grace, yet at length he becames a young man, a father, John ii. 13. Tho be does but creep in the way to heaven fometimes ; yet afterwards, he walks, he runs, he mounts up with wings as eagles,' Ifa. xl. 31. If a branch grafted into a flock,never grows, it is a plain evidence of its not having knit with the ftock..

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 anfwer, Firft, There is a great difference be-tween 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. he winter, Chriftians alfo have their winters, wherein the inAuences of grace, neceffary for growth, are ceafed, Cant, v. 2.

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I fleep. It is by faith, the believer derives gracious influence from Jefus Chrift, like as cach lamp in the candlestick received oil from the bowl, by the pipe going betwist them, Zech. iv. 2. Now, if that pipe be ftopt, if the faints faith ly dormant and unactive; then all the reft of the graces will become dim, and feem ready to be extinguifhed. In confequence whereof, depraved nature will gather Itrength, and become active. What then will become of the foul? Why, there is still 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, becaufe Chrift lives, the believer thall live alfo,' John 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. They that dwell under his fhadow, shall 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, John iii. 9. His feed remaineth in him.' And therefore after decays, they revive again; namely, when the winter is over, and the Sun of righteousness returns to them with his warm influences. Mud thrown into a pool, may ly there at eafe; but if it be caft into a fountain, the fpring will at length work it out, and run clear as formerly. Secondly, Chriftians may miftake their growth, and that two ways. (1.) By judging of their cafe according to their prefent feeling.. They obferve theinfelves, and cannot perceive themselves to be. growing but there is no reafon thence to conclude they are not growing, Mark iv. 27. The feed fprings and grows up,. he knoweth nat how.' Should one fix his eyes ever fo fteadfastly 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 is 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 Chriftian know, whether he be in a growing or declining state, by comparing his prefent, with his former condition. (2.) Chriftians may miftake their cafe, by meafuring their growth by the advances of the top only, not of the roots. Though a man be not growing taller, he may be growing fronger.. If a tree be taking with the ground, fixing itfelf in the earth, and fpreading out its roots; is is certainly growing, although it be nothing taller than

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formerly. So, albeit a Christian may want the fweet confola tion and flashes of affection, which fometimes he has had; yet if he be growing in humility, felf-denial, and a fenfe of needy dependence on Jefus Chrift, he is a growing Chriftian, Hof. xiv. 5. I will be as the dew unto Ifrael, he shall caft forth his roots as Lebanon.'

Queft. But do hypocrites grow at all? And if fo, how fhall we didinguish betwixt their growth, and true Chriftian growth? Anf. To the first part of the question, hypocrites do grow. The tares have their growth, as well as the wheat : and the feed that fell among thorns did fpring 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 Master, 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 "question, 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 Chriftian grows proportionably in all the parts of the new mañ. Under the kindly influences of the Sun of righteousness, believers' grow up as calves in the ftall,' Mal. Ye would think it a monftrous growth, in thefe creatures, if ye faw their heads grow, and not their bodies; or if ye: faw one leg grow, and another not; if all the parts do not grow proportionably. Ay, but fuch is the growth of many in reli.. gion. They grow like rickery children, who have a big head,, but a flender body: they get more knowledge in their heads;; but no more holiness in their hearts and lives. They grow very hot outwardly, but very cold inwardly; like men in a fit: of the ague. They are more taken up about the externals of religion, than formerly; yet as great strangers to the power of godliness as ever. If a garden is watered with the hand, fome of the plants will readily get much, fome little, and fume no water at all; and therefore fome wither, while others are coming forward: but after a fhower from the clouds, all come for ward together. In like manner, all the graces of the Spirit, "row proportionably, by the special influences of divine grace..

iv. 2.

The