of Righteousness, is as the light of the sun where it shines; none hath the less because of others partaking of it. The happiness of the saints is called an inheritance in light, which all may enjoy without abatement to any. They have each one their crown: they need not, they do not envy one another, nor, Ottoman-like, one brother to kill another to reign alone. Yea, they rejoice in the happiness and salvation of one another; they are glad at the graces which God bestows on their brethren; for they know that they all belong to the same first Owner, and return to His glory, and that whatsoever diversity is in them, they all agree and concentre in that service and good of the Church; and so, what each one hath of gifts and graces, belongs to all by virtue of this communion. Thus ought each of them to think, and every one of them humbly and charitably so to use what he hath himself, and ingenuously to rejoice in that which others have, as the Apostle reasons at large, 1 Cor. xii.

A holy Catholic Church-the communion of saints.] We may see the worth and the necessity of holiness, how much it is regarded in the whole work. For this very thing did Christ give himself for his Church, that he might sanctify it, and cleanse it-that he might present it to himself a glorious church-holy, Eph. v. 26. So it is the end of our redemption. And if we look as far forward as salvation, there it will be perfect holiness: nothing unclean shall enter that holy city, and without holiness no man shall see God. And look again as far back as our election: Eph. i. 4. According as He hath chosen us in him—that we should be holy. And those who are not partakers of this, do but delude themselves, in dreaming of an interest in the rest. There is no washing in the blood of Christ to remission, but withal by the Spirit to sanctification; no comfort to the unholy in their resurrection, because no hope of that to follow on it, which follows here, eternal life, No, without shall be dogs, Rev. xxii. 15. In the base and foolish opinion of the world, holiness is a reproach, or, at the best, but a mean poor commendation, as you speak of it dis

dainfully, a good, silly, holy body; and men are more pleased with any other title: they had a great deal rather be called learned, or wise, or stout, or comely, than holy. Malumus audire, O virum doctum, quam O virum bonum. [SENECA.] But God esteems otherwise of it, whose esteem is the true rule of worth. That fore-cited place, A glorious church: How? Holy and without blemish. That is indeed the true beauty of the soul, makes it like God, and that is its comeliness. We see the Lord himself delights to be known much by this style, and to be glorified by it, Holy, Holy, Holy. So, Exod. xv. 11. Glorious in holiness. And the Spirit of God is still called, The Holy Spirit. How much, then, are they mistaken con→ cerning Heaven, who think to find the way to it out of the path of holiness, which is indeed via regni, the only way that leads unto it! Reprove you of unholiness, you say; you are not saints. No? So much the worse, for they who mean to share in the pardon of sin and eternal life, must be such. If you be content still not to be saints, go on; but know, that they who are not in some measure saints in grace here, shall never be saints in glory hereafter.

Forgiveness of sins.] Notwithstanding forgiveness of sins, there is a necessity of holiness, though not as meriting it, yet, as leading unto happiness. But on the other side, notwithstanding the highest point of holiness we can attain, there is a necessity of this forgiveness of sins. Though believers make up a holy Church and company of saints, yet, there is a debt upon them that their holiness pays not; yea, they are so far from having a surplus for a standing treasure after all is paid, that all the holiness of the saints together, will not pay the least farthing of that debt they owe. As for me, I will walk in mine integrity, says David, Psal. xxvi. 11. How then? Adds he, This shall justify me sufficiently? No, but, Redeem Thou me, and be merciful to me. So, 1 John i. 6. If we say, that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie. And yet, in the next verse, though we do walk in the light, yet is there need of the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse

us from all sin; and so throughout the Scriptures. All the integrity of the godly under the Law, did not exempt them from offering sacrifice, which was the expiation of sin in the figure, looking forward to that great and spotless Sacrifice that was to be slain for the sins of the world. And those who be lieve the Gospel, the application of that justifying blood that streams forth in the doctrine of the Gospel, is not only needful to wash in for their cleansing in their first conversion, but is to be re-applied to the soul, for taking off the daily contracted guiltiness of new sins. It is a fountain opened and standing open for sin and for uncleanness, as that sea of brass before the sanctuary. They that are clean have still need of washing, at least, their feet, as Christ speaks to St. Peter, John xiii. 10.

The consideration of that precious blood shed for our sins, is the strongest persuasive to holiness, and to the avoiding and hating of sin. So far is the doctrine of justification, rightly understood, from animating men to sin. But because of the woful continuance of sin in the godly, while they continue in this region of sin and death, therefore is there a continual necessity of new recourse to this great expiation. Thus St. John joins these two, 1 Eph. ii. 1, 2. These things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the propitiation for our sins.

You think it an easy matter, and a thing that for your own ease you willingly believe, the forgiveness of sins. It is easy indeed, after our fashion; easy to imagine that we believe such a thing when we hear it, because we let it pass and question it not: we think it may be true, and think no further on it, while we neither know truly what sin is, nor feel the weight of our own sins. But where a soul is convinced of the nature of sin, and its own guiltiness, there to believe forgiveness, is not so easy a task.

In believing this forgiveness of sins, and so, the other privileges that attend it, there be these three things gradually leading one to the other. 1. To believe that there is such a

thing, and that it is purchased by the death of Christ, and so, attainable by coming unto him for it. 2. By this, the soul finding itself ready to sink under the burden of its own sins, is persuaded to go to him, and lay over that load on him; and itself withal resolves to rest on him for this forgiveness. This is to believe in him who is the Lord our righteousness. 3. Upon this believing on him for forgiveness, follows a reflex believing of that forgiveness; not continually and inseparably, especially if we take the degree of assurance somewhat high, but yet, in itself, it is apt to follow, and often, in God's gracious dispensation, doth follow upon that former act of believing, through the clearness and strength of faith in the soul, and sometimes withal, is backed with an express, peculiar testimony of God's own Spirit. To believe, and to grow stronger in believing, and to aspire to the assurance of faith, is our constant duty; but that immediate testimony of the Spirit, is an arbitrary beam that God reserves in His own hand, yet, such a gift as we may not only lawfully seek, but do foolishly prejudice ourselves and slight it, if we neglect to seek it, and want so rich a blessing for want of asking, and withal, labouring to keep our hearts in a due disposition and frame for entertaining it. The keeping of our consciences pure, as much as may be, doth not only keep the comfortable evidence of pardon clearest and least interrupted within us, but is the likeliest to receive those pure joys which flow immediately into the soul from the Spirit of God. The testimony of our conscience is, if we damp it not ourselves, our continual feast; but that testimony of the Spirit is a superadded taste of higher comfort out of God's own hand, as it were a piece of Heaven in the soul, which He sometimes cheers it withal, where He hath first given much love and ardent desires after Himself: they are short of that. light, in the fulness whereof we hope to dwell hereafter. But besides that God is most free in that particular, and knows what is fittest for us, the greatest part even of true Christians, yet do not so walk, nor attend to that spiritualness that is capa ble of such visits.

VOL. IV.

D

The resurrection of the body.] The comfort of these privileges, is opposed to those grand evils that we feel or fear: sanctification, to the power of sin; justification or forgiveness, to the guilt of sin; the resurrection, to temporal death; and life eternal, to the second or eternal death.

This is the raising of the self-same body that is laid in the dust; otherwise, the giving of a body to the soul again, must have some other name, for resurrection it cannot be called.

That God can do this, notwithstanding all imaginable difficulties in it, have we not proof enough in what He hath done? Surely, that which He did in the beginning of time, the framing of the whole world of nothing, is more than a sufficient pledge of this which is to be done in the end of time.

That He will do it, we have His own word for it, and the pledge of it in raising His Son Jesus; therefore called, The first begotten from the dead, Col. i. 18, this as relating to believers, who are one with him. The resurrection of the dead in general, is an act of power: but, to the godly, it is an act of grace, to the wicked, of justice. Both shall rise by the power of Christ, but, to the one, as a Judge, and a Judge who shall condemn them; to the other, as their Head, and their Saviour. Joseph's two fellow-prisoners were both taken out of the prison, and at the same time; but the one to the court, the other to the gallows. So shall it be in the resurrection. John v. 29.

The confession of faith being of such things as belong to believers and are their happiness, therefore, their resurrection is particularly here intended, as we see eternal life and glory is subjoined to it.

Our bodies are raised, which were companions and partakers of our good and evil in our abode upon earth, that they may in ternity be companions and partakers of our reward. Those of the ungodly, to suit their condemned souls, shall be filled with shame, and vileness, and misery; and those that were, in their lower estate here, temples of the Holy Ghost, shall be filled with that fulness of joy that shall run over from the soul unto