ged from all finful lufts and irregular paffions, and from all vicious and corrupt affections; and therefore it follows in the text, Having efcaped the corruption that is in the world through luft; and befides this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, and 10 virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, and to temperance patience, and to patience godliness, and to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness charity. So that we are made partakers of a divine nature, as the Apoftle here explains it, thefe two ways; by cleanfing ourfelves from the lufts of the flesh, which the Apoftle here calls the corruption or defilenent which is in the world through luft; and by a diligent endeavour after all Chriflian graces and virtues, faith, and temperance, and patience, a fincere love of the brethren, and an univerfal charity and good-will towards all men.

And that this is the proper influence and efficacy of the great promifes of the gofpel upon the hearts and lives of men, the Apostle St Paul fully declares to us, 2 Cor. vii. 1. Having therefore thefe promifes, dearly beloved, let us cleanfe ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and fpirit; that is, from the lufts of the flefh, and of uncleannefs, and from all evil and corrupt affections of the mind, fuch as wrath, envy, malice, hatred, ftrife, revenge, cruelty, pride, and the like, perfecting holiness in the fear of God; that is, continually alpiring ftill more and more after further degrees of holinefs, and virtue, and goodness, which are the great perfections of the divine nature.

And thus by a conftant and fincere endeavour to cleanse ourfelves from all impurity of fief and fpirit, and by practifing all the virtues of a good life, we fall by degrees raife and advance ourselves to a godlike temper and difpofition, imitating in all our actions the gacdnefs, and mercy, and patience, and truth, and faithfulnefs of God, and all thofe other perfections of the divine nature, which are comprehended under the term of holiness. This is that which the Apoftle here calls tartaking of a divine nature; or, as our blefied Saviour expreffeth

expreffeth it, to be perfect, as our Father which is in heaven is perfect.

This the gofpel defigns to raise us to; and one of the great inftruments whereby this is effected, are thofe exceeding great and precious promifes which I have infifted upon: And they are capable of effecting; it thefe two ways:

1. By way of internal efficacy and affiftance; and, 2. By way of external motive and argument: Both thefe ways fome or other of thefe promifes have a mighty influence upon us, (if we be not wanting to ourselves), to raise us to a god-like temper and dispo fition, that is, to the greatest perfection of virtue and goodnefs which we are capable of in this life.

I. By way of internal efficacy and affiftance. And this influence the promife of God's Holy Spirit, and of the gracious help and affiftance thereof, hath upon the minds of men, inclining them to that which is good, and enabling them to do it. For the Holy Spirit is promifed to us, in confideration and commiferation of that impotency and weaknefs which we have contracted in that degenerate and depraved condition into which mankind is funk; to help us, who are without ftrength, to recover ourselves out of that evil and miferable ftate into which by wilful tranfgreffion we are fallen; to quicken us who are dead in trefpaffes and fins, (as the fcripture expreffeth the condition of unregenerate perfons), to raise us to a new life, and to cherish this principle of fpiritual life, which is commonly weak at firft, and to carry it through all difcouragements and oppofitions; to ex• cite us continually to our duty, and to enable us to the most difficult parts of obedience, fuch as are most contrary to our natural inclinations, and against the grain of fleth and blood; to bear down the ftrength of fin and temptation ;, and in all our conflicts with the world, and the fleth, the devil, and all the powers of darkness, to make us victorious over them; and in a word, to be a principle within us, more mighty, and powerful than the lufts and inclinations of our evil hearts, than the moft obftinate and inveterate

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habits of fin and vice, and than all the temptations and terrors of fenfe. So that if we will make ufe of this affistance, and lay hold of this ftrength which God affords us in the gofpel, and (as the Apostle expreffeth it) be workers together with God, we need not defpair of victory and fuccefs; for our ftrength will continually increafe, and the force and violence of our lufts will be abated; God will give us more grace, and we fhall walk from ftrength to ftrength, and our fath will be (as Solomon fays of the way of the righteous) as the light which fhines more and more unto the perfect day.

For the holy Spirit of God conducts and manageth this great work of our fanctification and falva. tion from first to laft, by opening our hearts to let in the light of divine truth upon our minds, by reprefenting to us with advantage fuch arguments and confiderations as are apt to perfuade. us to embrace it, and yield to it; by fecret and gentle reprehenfions foftening our hard hearts, and bending our ftiff and ftubborn wills.to a compliance with the will of God,. and our duty. And this is that great work which the fcripture calls our regeneration and fanctification, the turning us from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, a new creation, and a refurrection from the death of fin, to the life of holiness And then by leading and directing us in the ways of holiness and obedience, by quickening our devotion, and stiring up in us holy defires and difpofitions of foul, rendering us fit to draw near to God in prayer, with a due fenfe of our own wants and unworthiness, and an humble confidence in the goodnefs of God, that he will grant us thofe good things that we afk of him; in fupporting and comforting us in all our afflictions and fufferings, especially for truth and righteoufnefs fake; and by fealing and confirming to us the blessed hopes of eternal life. Thus the Spirit of God. carries on the work of our fanctification, and makes us partakers of a divine nature, by way of inward efficacy and affiftance.

II. The

II. The promises of the gospel are apt likewife to have a mighty influence upon us by way of motive and argument, to engage and encourage us to cleanfe ourfelves from all filthinefs of flesh and fpirit, and toperfect holiness in the fear of God. For,

;

1. A full pardon and indemnity for what is paft,. is a mighty encouragement for us to return to our duty, and a forcible argument to keep us to it for the future. For fince God, who hath been fo highly injured and affronted by us, is fo willing and ready to forgive us, as not only to provide and purchase for us the means of pardon, by the grievous fufferings of his dear Son, but to offer it fo freely, and invite us fo earneftly to accept of it, and to be reconciled to him the confideration of this ought in all reafon, ingenu-ity, and gratitude, to melt us into forrow and repentance for our fins, and a deep fenfe of the evil of them, and to inflame our hearts with a mighty love to God, and our bleffed Redeemer, who hath loved us, and washed us from our fins in his own blood; and to make us extremely unwilling, nay, moft firmly refolved, never more to offend that merciful and gracious God, who is fo flow to punish, and fo forward to forgive; and effectually to engage us to a dutiful, and conftant, and chearful obedience to God's holy laws and commandments, left by our wilful tranfgreffion and violation of them, we fhould run ourselves into a deeper guilt, and aggravate our condemnation. Now that by the tender mercies of our God we are made whole, we should be infinitely afraid to fin any more, left worse things come to us; left we relapfe into a more incurable flate, and bring a heavier load of guilt and mifery upon ourselves.

2. The promife of God's grace and Holy Spirit is.. likewife a very powerful argument and encouragement to holiness and goodness, engaging us to cleanse ourfelves from all filthiness of flesh and fpirit, that our fouls and minds may be a fit temple for the Holy Ghoft, which will not dwell in an impure foul: and likewife encouraging us hereto, by this confideration, that we have fo unerring a guide to counsel and di

rect

rect us, fo powerful an affiftant to firengthen us with all might in the inner man, to stand by us in all our conflicts with fin and Satan, and make us (as the Apoftle expreffeth it) more than conquerors over all our fpiritual enemies. For though we be weak, and our lafts ftrong, our enemies many, and temptations mighty and violent; yet we need not be difheartened, fo long as we know that God is with us, and the grace of his Holy Spirit fufficient for us, against all the ftrength of fin and hell; though our duty be hard, and our strength fmall, yet we cannot fail of fuccefs, if we be fure that the omnipotent grace of God is always ready to fecond our fincere, though never fo weak, endeavours. So that when we fee all the enemies of our falvation drawn up in array against us, we may encourage ourselves, as the prophet Elifba did his fervant, when he told him, that an hoft compaffed the city with horfes and chariots, and faid, Alas! my master, how shall we do? And he anfwered, Fear not, for they that be with us, are more than they that be with them, 2 Kings vi. 16. Or, as Hezekiah comforted the people, when they were afraid of the mighty force of the King of Affyria, 2 Chron. xxxii. 7. 8. Be strong and couragious, be not afraid nor difmayed for the King of Affyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God, to help us, and to fight for us: This is the cafe of every Chriftian; theforce that is against us is finite and limited ; but the Almighty God is on our fide, and fights for us ; and every one of us may fay with St Paul; Phil. iv. 13. I can do all things through Chrift which strength eneth me.

3. The promife of eternal life and happiness, if duly weighed and confidered, hath a mighty force in it to take us off from the love and prac tice of fin, and to encourage our obedience, and 'patient continuance in well-doing. The affurance of enjoying unfpeakable and endless happiness in another world, and of efcaping extreme and eternal mi

fery,