So will he say to you, and your iniquity shall all be purged away, to your comfort, and his glory.

We see the same truth in his choice of the most holy persons for his service." Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands and a pure heart.-The Lord hath set apart for himself the man that is godly." From these he chooses his messengers. These are the most precious in his sight. These he most delights to honour. These he makes the most useful to men, and these he will crown with greater glory for ever. The most holy, like their blessed Lord, “love righteousness and hate iniquity;" and therefore they will be "anointed with the oil of gladness above their fellows," both here and hereafter. O then, let it be your only ambition to be as holy as possible, that you may always have the witness that what you do is right! Imitate the peculiar excellencies of God's approved servants; aim to walk with him as Enoch; to fear him as Noah; to trust in him as Abraham; to meditate upon him as Isaac; to wrestle with him as Jacob; to submit to his providence as Joseph; to converse with him as Moses; to be bold for him as Joshua; to be steadfast in his cause as Caleb; upright as Samuel; thankful as David; loving as John; and zealous as Paul. In a word, to be followers of them, who through faith and patience inhe rit the promises; that being christians in whom is no guile, and having the image of God deeply stamped upon your souls, you may be united to him, you in him, and he in you, and thus be made meet to be rich partakers of the glory to be revealed.

The Lord has commanded it in a hundred places, and his authority is not to be disputed.-Proud and haughty Pharaohs may say, "Who is the Lord, that we should obey him?” But the obedient christian should say, What the Lord commandeth that will I do. If you are now willing to submit, hear his voice from heaven speaking to you in these solemn words: "I am the Almighty God, walk thou before me, and be thou perfect. Ye shall sanctify yourselves, and ye shall he holy; for I am holy. Wash you, make you clean. Wash

thy heart from wickedness; how long shall vain thoughts lodge within thee? My son, give me thy heart. Make you a new heart and a new spirit. Be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect. As he that hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and thy neighbour as thyself. Put ye on the Lord Jesus. Purge out the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump. Ye are bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your bodies and spirits which are his. Whether ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. Be steadfast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. Put off the old man, and put on the new, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Be filled with the Spirit. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. Beloved, be diligent, that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot and blameless," &c. &c.

The Lord has graciously promised this great blessing; and what he has promised he will surely make good to you, "with all his heart and all his soul." "Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms, and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee, and shall say, Destroy them. I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thy offspring. I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean; from all your filthiness, and from all your idols will I cleanse you; a new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will put my Spirit within you. I will also save you from all your uncleannesses. He shall save his people from their sins. He will baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire. If we confess, &c. he will cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness."

And let it be here observed, that all the promises of God

are made and given to believers, that they may be made meet for heaven by partaking of the Divine nature, and then be put in actual possession of the incorruptible inheritance. It is not possible that any thing that defiles should enter those most holy mansions; for the felicity of heaven consists in our union with God, who abhors iniquity, and will not suffer evil to unite with his spotless nature. Oh, how exceedingly great and precious are the promises of our God! And they are all "yea and amen in Christ Jesus" to those who believe.

I will next remind you of the prayers offered up for the attainment of it.-Those holy persons who thus petitioned for the unspeakable gift for others, or for themselves, prayed in the Holy Ghost, and according to the Divine will; you may therefore ask, if necessary, in the same words, and expect the answer to your unspeakable comfort.

Our blessed Lord prayed for his disciples, "Sanctify them through thy truth," and has taught us to pray, that the will of our heavenly Father may be done on earth, as it is in heaven; which shews how much faithful souls should be conformed to him in all things; and his servants have said many things to the same import, requesting such a fulness of grace as might renew the soul in true holiness and love. Hear David, "Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." Hear the great apostle of the Gentiles, "I bow my knees to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints, what is the length, and breadth, and depth, and height, and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. The Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men; to the end he may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God. The very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God

that your whole spirit, and soul, and body, be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you." More might be added, but these are sufficient to shew you what you may plead at the throne of grace. May the Lord fulfil in you the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power, "that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God."

You may also take encouragement from those who are said to enjoy this blessing.

As the privileges of the christian dispensation are so much greater than any that preceded it, (the least in the kingdom of heaven being greater than John the baptist, though the greatest of the prophets) 1 shall speak chiefly of New-Testament believers.

We read that all who were assembled at the day of Pentecost, were "filled with the Holy Ghost;" and afterwards, when the number of disciples was increased, it is said, that after the prayer offered up concerning the trial of Peter and John, that they were "all filled with the Holy Ghost, spake the word with boldness, and were all of one heart and one soul;" perfectly united in mind, judgment, and affec

tion.

St. Paul, writing to the Thessalonians, says of himself, and his fellow labourers, that they walked "holily, justly, and unblameably among them."

In the epistle to the Hebrews, it is observed, that "he who sanctifieth, and they who are sanctified, are all of one, [nature] for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren."

St. Peter calls believers, to whom he wrote, "Elect, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience, and the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus," observing that they had "purified their souls, in obeying the truth through the Spirit, unto unfeigned love of the brethren."

The beloved John says, "If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another; and the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanseth us from all sin."

The apostle Jude dedicates his short epistle "to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ."

Our blessed Lord himself says in the Revelation, "Thou hast a few names in Sardis, who have not defiled their garments, and they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy.”

Without descending to particulars, we see here several examples of persons entirely sanctified-dead to sin and alive to God. Consider then their holy conversation, and follow their faith, that you may be complete in Christ, washed in the opened fountain; adorned, and made like the "King's daughter, all glorious within.'

The gospel ministry, and the ordinances of Divine service, were appointed for the same purpose. "For he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." His ordinances also are wells of salvation, whence with joy we are to draw the living water to wash, to strengthen, to refresh, and to render fruitful our favoured souls.

Consider also the nature of its rewards.-Not to speak of the great deliverances from sin and its dreadful consequences, we will consider a little the blessings that flow from the possession of this rest of the saints; it may induce you to resolve more firmly to obtain the blessing.

Your soul will be delivered from disorderly passions; guilty fears; perplexing and anxious thoughts; troublesome desires; fruitless wishes, and a variety of vain and hurtful things.

The Lord will keep your mind in "perfect peace.'

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