turning aside to the covenant of works, Jer. xxxiii. 8, 9 ; Heb. viii. 10, 12. You may run and read in the covenant of grace, that he that is justified is also sanctified, and that he that is sanctified is also justified; and therefore why may not he that knows himself to be really sanctified, upon that very ground, safely and boldly conclude that he is certainly justified ? O sirs ! the same Spirit that witnesses to a Christian his justification can shine upon his graces, and witness to him his sanctification as well as his justification ; and without all con- troversy, it is as much the office of the Spirit to witness to a man his sanctification as it is to witness to him his justification, 1 Cor. ii. 12, 1 John iv. 13, 14. But you will say. Sir, pray what should be the reasons why many men have, and why some do still cry down marks and signs, and deny sanctification to be an evidence of men's justifica- tion, &c., and speak disgracefully of this practice that is now under con- sideration ? I conjecture the reasons may be such as follow :
First, Many professors take up in a great namfie, and in a great profession, and in great parts and gifts, though they have Tiever found a thorough change, though they have never passed the pangs of the new birth, tJiough they have never experienced luhat it is to he a new creature, a thorough ChHstian} And hence it comes to pass that they make head against this way of evidencing the goodness and hap- piness of a man's condition by inward gracious qualifications. Of all men these are most apt to outrun the truth, and to run from one ex- treme to another, and to be only constant in inconstancy. But,
Secondly, Many professors are given up to spiritual judgments, which are the sorest of all judgments, viz., lukewarmness, dead- heartedness, foraiality, indifferency, apostasy, blindness, hardness, and to ' strong delusions, that they should believe a lie, because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved,' 2 Thes. ii. 1 0-1 2. Now, is it any wonder to see such men quarrel, and wrangle, and rail against the way and method of evidencing the goodness and happiness of a man's spiritual condition by inherent gracious qualifications ? But,
Thirdly, In some this ariseth /roW/ their lusts, which they indulge and connive at, and which they have a mind to live quietly in. They are desirous to keep their peace, and yet unwilling to forsake their lusts ; and hence they exclude this witness of water or sanctification to testify in the court of conscience whether they are beloved of God, or whether they are sincere-hearted or no, or whether they have the root of the matter in them or no ; for the want of this witness, water or sanctifi- cation, is a clear and full witness against them that they are yet in their sins, under wrath, and in the way to eternal ruin ; and that they have nothing to do with peace, or comfort, or the promises, or Christ, or heaven, [or] to take God's name into their lips, seeing they secretly hate to be reformed, Isa. Ivii. 20, Ps. 1. IG. There are many fair professors that are foul sinners, and that have much of God, and Clirist, and heaven, and holiness in their lips, when they have nothing but sin and hell in their hearts and lives. These men's convers[at]ions shame their profession, and therefore they cry out against sanctification as a sure and blessed evidence of a man's justification. Such sinners as live in a course of sin, that make a trade of sin, that indulge their sins, that take ' 1 Thes. V. 23 ; John iii. 8, 5 ; 2 Cor. v. 17 ; Acts xxvi. 28.
Chap. V.] a cabinet of jewels. 471
up arms in defence of sin, that make provision for sin, that make a sport of sin, that take pleasure in sin, and that have set their hearts upon their sin, 1 Thes. ii. 11 ; such sinners cannot but look upon the "witness of sanctifi cation as the handwriting upon the wall, Daniel v. 5, 6. But,
Fourthly, There are many who are great strangers to their otvn hearts a.nd the blessed Scriptures, and are ignorant of what may he said from the blessed word to evidence the lawfulness of this practice that is under our present consideration.^ And hence it comes to pass that they cry down marks and signs, and deny sanctification to be a sure and blessed evidence of men's justification. Ignorat sane im- probus omnis, ignorance is the source of all sin, the very well-spring from which all wickedness doth issue. Ignorance enslaves a soul to Satan, it lets in sin by troops, locks them up in the heart, shuts out the means of recovery, and so plasters up a man's eyes that he cannot see the things that belongs to his own or to others' internal or eternal peace. The Scripture sets ignorant persons below the ox and the ass. Did men either see the deformity of sin, or the beauty and excellency of holiness, they would never delight in the one nor cry down the other, Isa. i. 3. Peter tells you of some that speak evil of the things that they understood not ; they did reprehend that which they could not com- prehend, 2 Peter ii. 12. Ignorance is a breeding sin, a mother sin ; all sins are seminally in ignorance. Ignorance is the mother of all the mistakes, and of all the misrule in the world. Christ told the_ Sad- ducees that they did ' err, not knowing the Scriptures,' Mat xxii. 29. And so I may say, many err in crying down such signs and evidences of grace which are bottomed upon Scripture, because they are ignorant of what the Scripture saith in the case. But,
Fifthly, The generality of Christians are but lambs, babes, and children in grace. The springs of grace runs low in them ; their fears frequently overtop their faith ; and their strong passions and corrup- tions do often raise such a dust and smoke in their souls, that if they might have all the world, yea, if their salvation lay upon it, they were not able to discern the least measure of grace in their own souls, Isa. xl. 11 ; 2 Peter ii. 2, 3 ; 1 John ii. 1. A little grace is next to none. Small things are hardly discerned. He had need to have a clear light and good eyes that is to discern a hair, a mote, or an atom. A little grace is not discoverable but by a shining light from above. There are none so full of fears, and doubts, and questions, and disputes, about the truth of their faith in Christ, and the sincerity of their love to Christ, as those that least believe and least love. The kingdom of God in most Christians is but as a grain of mustard-seed, which is the least of all seeds ; and therefore it is no wonder they see it not, Mark iv. 30-32. The root of the matter in most Christians is but small, and that small root is often covered over with many sinful infirmities and weaknesses ; and therefore we are not to look upon it as a strange thing if we see such Christians not sensible of the root of the matter that is in them. Weak habits put forth such faint actions, and with so much interrup- tion, that it is not an easy thing to discern whether they are the pro-