"To die unto sin," is to have the power of sin in our nature so far mortified, as not to delight in it, but to hate it in heart, and abstain from it in life. "To live unto righteousness," is to have our souls so quickened by the vivifying power of grace, as to love and obey the commands of God, truly, heartily, prevalently, and perseveringly. And both of these, in every sanctified soul, will take place more and more. The sanctified person will be still making gradual advances in the divine life. Some advance much more rapidly than others; but none who are sanctified fail to "grow in grace.' There may, indeed, be seasons when they do not grow, but decline; when they do not make progress, but backslide, or stumble and fall. But the Spirit of grace will never forsake his own work. The declensions, falls, and backslidings, of those who are truly sanctified, are overruled to render them more careful, more steadfast, and more rapid in their progress afterwards.

On the whole, then, the indispensable necesssity of sanctification may be stated thus. It is necessary, not in the matter of our justification before God, but for evidencing our justification both to ourselves and others. It is necessary for glorifying our Heavenly Father, and showing forth his praise; for adorning the doctrine of God our Saviour; for proving our union with Christ; for promoting inward peace and joy; for maintaining fellowship and communion with God; for stopping the mouths of gainsayers; for making us useful to men on earth; and for qualifying us for heaven; because "without holiness no man shall see the Lord."

The marks of sanctification are, a cordial respect to all God's commandments, loving them because they are holy; a hatred of all sin, and avoiding the appearance of evil; a spirit of watchfulness and warfare against sin; a delight in doing good; communion with God; a conversation becoming the gospel; an habitual use of the precious promises of God, particularly with a view to increasing holiness; and a constant improvement of the blood of Christ, by faith and prayer,

for cleansing from the filth, as well as the guilt of sin.

The chief motives and inducements to sanctification are, the will of God commanding it; the love of Christ. constraining to it; the inherent excellence of the thing itself; an abhorrence of sin, which is its opposite; and the dignity of resembling God, to whose image it conforms its possessor.

To promote sanctification, we should cleave to Christ by faith, for we are "sanctified in Christ Jesus;" we should pray earnestly for the Spirit of sanctification, for by his aid and influence alone the deeds of the body can be mortified; we should associate with the saints, for association begets assimilation; and we should make a right and diligent use of all God's ordinances, the dispensation of his word, his sabbaths and sacraments, and the mercies and chastisements of his holy hand. Amen.

LECTURE XXXI.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS WHICH IN THIS LIFE DO ACCOMPANY OR FLOW FROM JUSTIFICATION, ADOPTION, AND SANCTIFICATION?

My young friends, you have heard an explanation of the great and interesting doctrines of justification, adoption, and sanctification. In the answer of the Catechism that follows, the effects of these graces on the practical Christian, are thus traced out. "The benefits which, in this life, do accompany or flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification, are, assurance of God's love, peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Ghost, increase of grace, and perseverance therein to the end." Here are five benefits, springing from the sources specified. A whole lecture might be spent on each, but we must endeavour to bring the whole within the limits of the one on which we have entered.

"Assurance of God's love" is the first benefit which the answer states, as flowing, in this life, from justification, adoption and sanctification. By assurance of God's love here, we are to understand an undoubting persuasion in the minds of believers, grounded on evidence furnished by God, that they are the objects of his special love. That many of the Scripture saints did attain to this assurance, we have unequivocal evidence. Holy Job speaks on this subject without doubt. "I know that my Redeemer liveth." Asaph in like manner, "God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever." The Apostle Paul to the like effect, "I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I know in whom I have believed," &c. And that this attainment was not peculiar to inspired men, but ought to be humbly desired and sought after by Christians in general, we learn from its being spoken of in Scripture as some

thing to which all believers may aspire; although it is not represented that all actually acquire it, or that our salvation depends on its acquisition. Yet it certainly is represented as an object which all should aim at, and which some do in fact obtain. The Apostle Paul, in his epistle to the Hebrews, calls it once, "the full assurance of hope;" and in another instance, "the full assurance of faith;" and in both cases he recommends it, as an attainment for which all believers should earnestly strive. The Apostle John wrote his first epistle, as he says towards the close, with a leading view to enable Christians to learn the certainty of their state. "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life." And he also says, "He that believeth on the Son of God, hath the witness in himself." The Apostle Peter expressly enjoins, "Give all diligence to make your calling and election sure."

In addition to this Scripture testimony, consider, also, the nature of the subject. The point directly in view is, that the assurance we speak of flows from justification, adoption, and sanctification. Now, suppose a person to have satisfactory evidence that he is justified before God through the imputation of the Saviour's righteousness; that he is adopted into the family of God; and that he is sanctified by the Holy Spirit; suppose he has satisfactory evidence of all this, and assurance of the love of God will necessarily flow from it, or be its certain consequence. The fact is, that assurance always is, and must be, derived from this source. It is moreover proportioned to the clearness of the evidence we have, that we are in a justified, adopted, and sanctified state. If that evidence is full and complete, assurance of God's love will be full and complete likewise. If that evidence be dubious we shall also be dubious whether we are the objects of God's love. For although it may not be proper, strictly speaking, to say that there are degrees of assurance, yet in regard to the subject before us, it is not only

true, but of much importance to be remembered, that the hope of a Christian that he is in favour with God, may exist in a great variety of degrees, from those first drawings which only save from despair, to that prevailing hope of salvation, which is the general attainment and consolation of Christians; and so on to that full assurance of hope, of which the Apostle speaks, and which the answer before us contemplates. It is, I repeat, of importance to know and remember, that this blessed hope may exist in a great variety of degrees, of which the highest only is assurance.

It

is also to be noted, that the same Christians may have different degrees of hope at different times, and that assurance itself may be repeatedly lost and regained.

There are two ways in which we may have such clear evidence of our justification, adoption, and sanctification that the assurance of God's love may flow from it. The first arises from the influences of Divine grace immediately and powerfully communicated to the soul. The believer then, so sweetly, and unreservedly, and sensibly, commits his soul to Christ, that he cannot doubt that he does it: the Spirit of adoption breathes on his soul, and he cries "Abba Father:" the Spirit of sanctification raises in him the abhorrence of all sin, and an ardent hungering and thirsting after perfect holiness. From all this the assurance of God's love necessarily and immediately flows; or rather it often accompanies it, and is to be considered as itself a gift of the holy and blessed Spirit.

The second way in which the assurance of God's love may be obtained is, by a careful, close, persevering, and prayerful examination of our religious exercises, our state of heart and life; and by comparing the whole with what the word of God lays down as marks and evidence of a gracious state; and thus, by the aids of the blessed Spirit, forming a sound and satisfactory conclusion, that we are truly in the love and favour of God. The former of these has sometimes been called the sensible assurance of God's love; the latter the assurace of faith. We may lawfully pray