of Sanctification; and would fwallow up CHRIST the King, in CHRIST the Priest. Afp. Invalids they are *: and fuch will continue, till they are difmiffed from this great Infirmary, and admitted into that holy, happy, bleffed World; where the Inhabitant fhall no more fay, I am either in Soul or in Body fick +. If the Cure was never to be completed, this doubtlefs would be dishonourable to our Almighty PHYSICIAN. But the fpiritual Recovery, begun on Earth, and advancing through Time, will be perfected in Heaven, and prolonged to Eternity.-Does this make a mere Nothing of Sanctification? No, but it makes room for a continual Progress, and affords Caufe for continual Humiliation. It referves a most * Do not the befl of Men lament their Ignorance of the divine Perfecitons, their Slowness of Heart to believe the divine Promises, and the Languor of their Gra itude for incftimable, for innumerable Gifts of the divine Goodneis?—Do they not frequently feel Deadness in their Devotions, Disorder in their Affections, and various other Relics of the original Leaven ?-Do they not often complain, in the Language of the Apostle, When I would do Good, Evil is present with me? And fay, with the earliest Christians, We that are in this Tabernacle do groan, being burdened. Burdened, not so much with Affliction: thofe Heroes in Christianity had learnt, to rejoice in Tribulation. But burdened with a Senfe of their spiritual Infirmities, and with the Workings of their inbred Corruption. Which, to a tender and lively Boliever, are the heaviest of Croffes, and the most galling of Loads.-Nay; do not the Heirs of Glory wash their very Robes, even their faireft Deeds, and their brightest Graces, in the Blood of the L AMB? Which, if they were free from Spot, and void of Impurity, need not be made white in this facred Fountain. See 2 Cor. v. 4 Rev. vii. 14. + Ifai. xxxiii. 24. a moft exalted Prerogative, for the heavenly State and beatific Vifion; and perpetually reminds us of a most important Truth, that our prefent Blessedness confifts, not in being free from all Sin, but in having o Sin imputed to us *. This Imperfection of our Obedience, instead of confounding, maintains a proper Diftinction between CHRIST the King, and CHRIST the Priest. Whereas, if we were perfect in Piety, the priestly Office, with regard to us, would be fuperfeded. What Need of an Interceffor, to recommend our Prayers? What Occafion for an High-Prieft, to bear the Iniquity of our holy Things? If fome Taint of the original Leaven did not pollute our best Services? Neither does this detract from the Wifdom, from the Goodnefs, or from the Power of CHRIST. It rather adminifters to the advantageous Display of ail thefe divine Attributes. Of his Wifdom; in conducting the Affairs of his Church with fuch exact Propriety, that the Righteoufnefs of Faith may have: its due Honour, and the Sanctification of the SPIRIT its proper Efteem.-Of his Goodness; in carrying on the Work of Grace, amidst fo much Infir mity, and fo many Corruptions; and in crowning, with confummate Happinefs, fuch frail undeferving Creatures. Of his Power; in extracting a Variety of Benefits even froin Ther. Benefits, Afpafio!-Can any Thing benefi→ cial proceed from an Evil, which, according to your own Representation, is fo incorrigibly malignant? Afp. It will tend to make us lowly in our own Eyes. When we remember, that by Nature we are altogether become abominable; that the Remains of E 3 natural * Pfal. xxxii. 2. + Exod. xxviii. 38. Id eft, expiare Peccata, quibus fantiffimæ cæteroquin Actiones noftræ inquinata funt. WITS. De Oecon. natural Depravity ftill adhere to our Minds; how muft fuch a View of ourselves cover us with Shame, and lay us low in Abasement! Less than the leaft of all thy Mercies, will be the Language of fuch a one's very Soul. It will difpofe us to compaffionate others. How can we take a Brother by the Throat, and require faultlefs Perfection in his Behaviour, when we ourselves in many Things offend, in all Things fall fhort? Every fuch Confideration rebukes, what I may call fpiritual Unmercifulness; it pleads for Tenderness and Forbearance to our Fellow-creatures; is a Monitor within, and whispers that affecting Remon ftrance, Oughteft not thou to have Compaffion upon thy Fellow-fervant, fince the Almighty LORD hath fuch renewed, fuch unwearied, Pity on thee +? It will teach us to admire the Riches of Grace Shall fallen Creatures, that are taken from the very Dunghills of Sin, and refcued from a Hell of inward Iniquity-Shall they, notwithstanding their deplorable Depravity, and innumerable Deficiencies Shall they be admitted into the Bofom of eternal Love? They be exalted to the Thrones of Glory, and num bered with the Princes of Heaven? This is Grace, tranfcendently rich, and divinely free indeed! Will it not reconcile us to the Approach of Death? This, methinks, like Wormwood on the Nipple, or Gall in the Cup, muft tend to wean us from the World. How can we be enamoured with fuch a Land of Darknefs, and fuch a Vale of Tears? Or why fhould we covet, when Providence gives the Signal for our Departure, to prolong our Abode in thefe Territories of Diforder? Surely, this muft incline us to leave them, every Day, more and more in our Affections; and at laft, to leave them, without any Reluctance, by final Diffolution: Leave them, * Gen. xxxii. 10. + Matt. xviii. 33. them, for that better Country, where our perfonal Righteoufnefs will no longer be defective, like the waning Moon; but fhine forth with. confummate Luftre, like the meridian Sun, in the Kingdom of our FATHER. It will endear the Bleffed JESUS in every Capacity; as the Stings of the fiery flying Serpents, and the Dearth of the wafte howling Wilderness, endeared to the Ifraelites both their miraculous Antidote, and their Bread from Heaven.-They, who believe this Truth, muft fee their inexpreffible and inceffant Need of CHRIST's Spirit. The Proteftation of Mofes, on a particular Occafion, will be the daily, the hourly Breathing of their Souls; Carry us not ap hence, unless thy Prefence, thy SPIRIT, go with us. For without this Aid, we can discharge no Duty aright, nor fuccefsfully refift any Tempta tion. They will be exceedingly cautions, not to grieve that facred Gueft, left he depart from them, and abandon them to the Power of their lurking Corruptions. Knowing that if he abandon them, when fuch Foes are within, and fo many Snares without; their Cafe will be worse than Samfon's, when his Locks were fhaven, and the Philistines all around him. How highly will fuch Perfons value the Blood of the Covenant, and the Interceffion of their great HIGH-PRIEST! They will no more prefume to enter into the Prefence of the moft High GOD, without a fiducial Reliance upon the atoning and interceding SAVIOUR; than the Sons of Jacob would have ventured to appear before the Viceroy of Egypt, without the Company of their younger Brother. In all, in all their Intercourfe with Heaven, the great PROPITIATION will be their Plea, * Exod. xxxiii. 15. + Eph. iv. 30. Plea, and the great ADVOCATE their Confidence. The impotent Man waited at the Pool of Bethesda, and the Syrian General dipped feven Times in fordan. Thefe Perfons will not only wait, but live by the Fountain opened for Sin and Uncleanness +. They will wash in the facred fanctifying Stream, not feven Times only, but feventy Times leven. And when fuch Sentiments poffefs the Mind, how dear! O how dear and defirable will our LORD's Obedience be! - I called fome time ago, our own Works Worm-eaten Things; and muft not thefe Corruptions, if they remain ever fo little in the Heart, tarnish our Graces, and debafe our Duties? Muft they not be depreciatory to all our Accomplishments; and too much like corroding Vermin, in the Subftance of our Timber, or at the Core of our Fruits; -Should we not then renounce, utterly renounce thefe tarnished, worm-cathen Things? and rely, wholly rely, for everlasting Acceptance, on our Divine HIGH-PRIEST? Who, in his mediatorial Works, as well as in his wonderful Perfon is alto gether Light and Perfection ; and neither in him, Zech. xiii. r. nor Light and Perfection- This is the Meaning of that myfterious Ornament, which, in the grand officiating Robes of the Jewish High-Prieft, was annexed to the Breast-Plate, and ftyled Urim and Thummim, Only the Hebrew Words are in the plural Number, and denote every Degree of Illumination, and all Kinds of Perfection. -Does not this very fignificantly teach Sinners, Whence to seek their Wisdom, and where to look for their Perfection? There never was, in all Ages, more than one Urim and Thummim; and only one Perfon, in each Gea neration, was appointed to wear it. And who is there, in all Worlds, that can give us heavenly Knowledge, but the SPIRIT of CHRIST? What is there, in ourfelves or all Creatures, that can prefent us unblameable before GOD, but the Obedience of CHRIST? |