The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification, Direction 8
DIRECT. VIII.
Be ſure to ſeek for Holineſs of Heart, and Life only in its due order, where God hath placed it, after Ʋnion with Chriſt, Juſtification and the Gift of the Holy Ghoſt, and in that order ſeek it earneſtly by Faith, as a very neceſſary part of your Salvation.
EXPLICATION.
I Hope the Reader will obſerve warily in all theſe Directions, that the Holineſs aimed at as the great End in the whole Diſcourſe, conſiſteth not in the Grace or Act of Faith required peculiarly by the Goſpel, which though it be a ſaving Gift of Chriſt, yet is here conſidered rather as a means precedent to the Reception of Chriſt and all his Salvation, then a part of his Salvation received. But the Holineſs aimed at, conſiſteth in Conformity to the whole Moral Law, to which we are naturally obliged if their had never been any Goſpel, or any ſuch Duty as believing in Chriſt for Salvation.
Now in this Direction, three Things are contained that are very neceſſary to guide us to the attainment of this great End, and therefore worthy of our ſerious Conſideration.
Firſt, It is a Matter of high concern, to be acquainted with the due Place and Order, wherein God hath ſettled this holy Practice in the Myſtery of our Salvation, and a great Point of Chriſtian Wiſdom to ſeek it only in that order; we know that God is the God of Order, and that his infinite Wiſdom hath appeared in appointing the Order of his Creatures, which we are forced to obſerve for attainment of our ends in worldly things; ſo alſo in Spiritual things God hath made an everlaſting Covenant, ordered in all things and ſure, 2 Sam. 23.5. the Benefits of it have an orderly dependence each upon other, as Links of the ſame golden Chain, though ſeveral of them, and a Title to them all are given to us at one and the ſame time; and I think enough hath been ſaid already, to ſhew in what order God brings us to the Practice of the Moral Law, he maketh us firſt to be in Chriſt by Faith as Branches in the Vine, that we may bring forth much fruit, Joh. 15.5. He firſt purgeth our Conſciences from dead Works by Juſtification, that we may ſerve the living God, Heb. 9.14. He maketh us firſt to live in the Spirit, and then to walk in the Spirit, Gal. 5.25. This is the Order preſcribed in the Goſpel, which is the Power of God unto Salvation; though the Law preſcribeth a quite contrary Method, that we ſhould firſt perform its Commandements, that ſo we may be juſtified and live, and thereby it proveth a killing Letter to us: Now mark well the great Advantages you have for the Attainment of Holineſs, by ſeeking it in a right Goſpel-Order, you will have the Advantage of the Love of God manifeſted toward you in forgiving your Sins, receiving you into Favour, and giving you the Spirit of Adoption, and the Hope of his Glory freely through Chriſt, to perſwade and conſtrain you by ſweet allurements to love God again that hath ſo dearly loved you, and to love others for his ſake, and to give up your ſelves to the Obedience of all his Commandments out of hearty love to him, you will alſo enjoy the Help of the Spirit of God to incline you powerfully unto Obedience, and to ſtrengthen you for the Performance of it againſt all your Corruptions, and the Temptations of Satan, ſo that you will have both Wind and Tide to forward your Voyage in the Practice of Holineſs; contrariwiſe if you ruſh upon the immediate performance of the Law, without taking Chriſt's Righteouſneſs and his Spirit in the way to it, you'll find both Wind Tide againſt you. Your guilty Conſcience and corrupt dead Natures ſhall certainly defeat and fruſtrate all your Enterprizes and Attempts to love God, and ſerve him in Love, and you will but ſtir up ſinful Luſts inſtead of ſtirring up your ſelves to true Obedience, or at beſt you will but attain to ſome ſlaviſh hypocritical Performances; Oh, that People would be perſwaded to conſider the due place of Holineſs in the Myſtery of Salvation, and to ſeek it only there where they have all the Advantage of Goſpel-Grace to find it. Many miſcarry in their zealous Enterprizes for Godlineſs, and after they have ſpent much Labour in vain; God maketh a Breach upon them, even to their everlaſting Deſtruction, as he did upon Uzzah to a Temporal deſtruction, becauſe they ſought him not after a due order, 2 Chron.
Secondly, We are to look upon Holineſs as a very neceſſary part of that Salvation that is received by Faith in Chriſt; ſome are ſo drenched with a Covenant of Works, that they accuſe us for making good Works needleſs to Salvation, if we will not acknowledge them to be neceſſary either as Conditions to procure an Intereſt in Chriſt, or as Preparatives to fit us for the receiving of him by Faith; and others when they are taught by the Scriptures that we are ſaved by Faith, through Faith without Works, do begin to diſregard all Obedience to the Law, as not at all neceſſary to Salvation, and do account themſelves obliged to it only in point of Gratitude; if it be wholly neglected, they doubt not but Free-grace will ſave them harmleſs; yea, ſome are given up to ſuch ſtrong Antinomian Deluſions, that they account it a part of the Liberty from the Bondage of the Law purchaſed by the Blood of Chriſt, to make no Conſcience of breaking the Law in their Converſation: One cauſe of theſe Errors that are ſo contrary one to the other is, that many are prone to imagine nothing elſe to be meant by Salvation, but to be delivered from Hell, and in heavenly Happineſs and Glory; hence they conclude, that if good Works be a means of Glorification, and precedent to it, they muſt alſo be a precedent Means of our whole Salvation, and that if they be not a neceſſary Means of our whole Salvation, they are not at all neceſſary to Glorification. But though Salvation be often taken in Scripture by way of Eminency, for its perfection in the State of heavenly Glory, yet according to its full and proper Signification, we are to underſtand by it all that freedom from the Evil of our Natural corrupt State, and all thoſe holy and happy Enjoyments that we receive from Chriſt our Saviour, either in this World by Faith, or in the World to come by Glorification. Thus Juſtification, the Gift of the Spirit to dwell in us, the Priviledges of Adoption are parts of our Salvation which we partake of in this Life: Thus alſo the Conformity of our Hearts to the Law of God, and the Fruit of our Righteouſneſs with which we are filled by Jeſus Chriſt in this Life, are a neceſſary part of our Salvation; God ſaveth us from our finful uncleanneſs here by the waſhing of Regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghoſt, as well as from Hell hereafter, Ezek. 36.29. Tit. 3.5. Chriſt was called Jeſus, i.e. A Saviour, becauſe he ſaved his People from their Sins, Mat. 1.21. therefore it is part of our Salvation to deliver us from our Sins, which is begun in this Life by Juſtification and Sanctification, and perfected by Glorification in the Life to come. Can we rationally doubt whither it be any proper part of our Salvation by Chriſt to be quickned to live to God, when we were by nature dead in Treſpaſſes and Sins, and to have the Image of God in Holineſs and Righteouſneſs reſtored to us which we loſt by the Fall, and to be freed from a vile diſhonourable Slavery to Satan and our own Luſts, and made the Servants of God, and to be honoured ſo highly as to walk by the Spirit, and bring forth the Fruits of the Spirit: And what is all this but holineſs in Heart and Life? Conclude we then that Holineſs in this Life is abſolutely neceſſary to Salvation, not only as a Means to the end, but by a nobler kind of Neceſſity, as part of the end it ſelf. Though we are not ſaved by good Works as procuring Cauſes, yet we are ſaved to good Works as fruits and effects of Saving-grace, which God hath prepared that we ſhould walk in them, Eph. 2.10. It is indeed one part of our Salvation to be delivered from the Bondage of the Covenant of Works, but the end of this is, not that we may have liberty to ſin (which is the worſt of Slavery) but that we may fulfil the royal Law of Liberty, and that we may ſerve in newneſs of Spirit, and not in the oldneſs of the Letter, Gal. 3.13, 14. Rom. 7.6. Yea Holineſs in this Life is ſuch a part of our Salvation, as is a neceſſary Means to make us meet to be partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in heavenly Light and Glory, without Holineſs we can never ſee God, Heb. 12.14. and are as unfit for the glorious Preſence, as Swine for the Preſence-Chamber of an Earthly Prince. I confeſs ſome may be converted when they are ſo near the point of Death, that they may have little time to practice Holineſs in this World, but the Grace of the Spirit is active like fire, Mat. 3.11. And as ſoon as it is given it will immediately produce good inward Workings of Love to God, and Chriſt, and his People, which will be ſufficient to manifeſt the righteous Judgment of God in ſaving them at the great Day, when he ſhall judge every Man according to his Work, though ſome poſſibly may not have ſo much Time to diſcover their inward Grace in any outward good Works, as the Thief upon the Croſs, Luke 23.40.43.
The third and laſt thing to be noted in this Direction, is that Holineſs of heart and life is to be ſought for earneſtly by Faith, as a very neceſſary part of our Salvation. Great multitudes of ignorant People that live under the Goſpel harden their hearts in ſin, and ruine their Souls for ever by truſting on Chriſt, for ſuch an imaginary Salvation as conſiſteth not at all in Holineſs, but only in Forgiveneſs of Sin and Deliverance from everlaſting Torments. They would be free from the Puniſhments due to Sin, but they love their Luſts ſo well that they hate Holineſs, and would not be ſaved from the Service of Sin. The way to oppoſe this pernicious Deluſion, is not to deny, as ſome do, That truſting on Chriſt for Salvation is a ſaving Act of Faith, but rather to ſhew that none do or can truſt on Chriſt for true Salvation, except they truſt on him for Holineſs, neither do they heartily deſire true Salvation, if they do not deſire to be made holy and righteous in their Hearts and Lives: if ever God and Chriſt, give you Salvation, Holineſs will be one part of it, if Chriſt waſh you not from the filth of your Sins, you have no part in him, Joh. 13.8. What a ſtrange kind of Salvation do they deſire, that care not for Holineſs? They would be ſaved and yet be altogether dead in Sin, Aliens from the Life of God, bereft of the Image of God, deformed by the Image of Satan, his Slaves and Vaſſals to their own filthy Luſts, utterly unmeet for the Enjoyment of God in Glory. Such a Salvation as that was never purchaſed by the Blood of Chriſt, and thoſe that ſeek it, abuſe the Grace of God in Chriſt, and turn it into Laſciviouſneſs. They would be ſaved by Chriſt, and yet out of Chriſt in a fleſhly ſtate, whereas God doth free none from Condemnation, but thoſe that are in Chriſt, that walk not after the Fleſh, but after the Spirit; or elſe they would divide Chriſt, and take a part of his Salvation, and leave out the reſt, but Chriſt is not divided, 1 Cor. 1.13. They would have their Sins forgiven, not that they may walk with God, in Love in time to come, but that they may practice their Enmity againſt him, without any Fear of Puniſhment; but let them not be deceived, God is not mocked, they underſtand not what true Salvation is, neither were they ever yet throughly ſenſible of their loſt Eſtate, and of the great evil of Sin, and that which they truſt on Chriſt for, is but an Imagination of their own Brains, and therefore their Truſting is groſs Preſumption. True Goſpel Faith maketh us to come to Chriſt with a thirſty Appetite, that we may drink of living Water, even of his ſanctifying Spirit, John 7.37, 38. And to cry out earneſtly to ſave us not only from Hell, but from Sin; ſaying, Teach us to do thy will, thy ſpirit is good, Pſal. 143.10. Turn thou me, and I ſhall be turned, Jer. 31.18. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right ſpirit within me, Pſal. 51.10. This is the way whereby the Doctrine of Salvation by Grace, doth neceſſitate us to Holineſs of Life, by conſtraining us to ſeek for it by Faith in Chriſt, as a ſubſtantial part of that Salvation, which is freely given to us through Chriſt.