aud my Father will love him, and we will come unto him and make our abode with him.' Holy Christians shall have most of the spiritual presence of Christ, and of the singular manifestations of the love of Christ to their souls. The great reason of reasons why the springs of comfort, of joy, of inward peace, and of assurance, rises no higher in many Christians' souls, is because the springs of grace and holiness rises no higher in their souls. Had Christians more grace, and more holiness in theii" hearts and lives, God would quickly bring down more of heaven and assurance into their souls. There is a blessed assurance, as I have told you before, which arises from the discovery of grace in the soul. Now, the more ample, large and full the matter of our assurance is, the more ample, large and full must our assurance be. Methinks the con- nection of these four verses in Titus ii. 1 1-14, shews this ; when 'grace that appears to us, teacheth us to deny ungodhness and worldly lusts,' &c. See what follows; then we are most likely to 'look for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our Lord and' Saviour Jesus Christ.' And that prayer of the apostle for his Ephesians speaks as loudly in the case, Eph. iii. 16-18, that God would grant them to be strengthened by the Spirit, &c., to be rooted and grounded in love. And what then ? That ' ye may comprehend with all saints, the length and breadth of the love of God.' Suppose in health or sickness, living or dying, a man should labour to support, comfort and cheer up his spirit, in the thoughts or medi- tations of his eternal election and free justihcation ; and suppose that at that very time the Spirit of God, his own conscience, a faithful minister, or an experienced Christian should tell him that if he be really justified, he is really sanctified, 2 Thes. ii. 13, 14?; now, if this man should say. What do you tell me of sanctification ? or, I know not whether I am sanctified or no ; or, I look not to sanctification, I mind not holiness, I regard not the fruits of the Spirit ; will not the Holy Spirit, wdll not an enlightened conscience, will not a faithful minister, will not an experienced Christian reply. Then certainly thou art not elected, thou art not justified, for it is a truth as clear as the sun, a truth that will admit of no dispute, viz., that none are eternally elected and freely justified but they are sanctified, Rom. viii. 1, 13, 19, 30 ; and that they that are not sanctified are not justified? Mark, there is a close connec- tion of sanctification with justification in the promises of the covenant. Sanctification and justification go hand in hand ; they come forth like twins out of the womb of free grace,' as you may see in these remark- able Scriptures : Jer. xxxiii. 8, ' I will cleanse them from all their iniquity wljereby they have sinned against me, and 1 will pardon all their iniquities whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me.' Here you see them both expressed together in the same deed, ' I will cleanse them from all their iniquity ;' there is our sanctification promised ; ' And I will pardon all their iniquities;' there is justification promised. So Micah vii. 19, 'He will subdue our iniquities, and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.' Here you find justification and sanctification again in the promise. ' He will subdue our iniquities;' this is sanctifying; 'and he will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea;' this is justifying. Heb. viii. 10, ' I will put my laws into their minds, and write them in their hearts' (there is the promise of sanctification) ; ver. 12, 'And I will be ' Beruard in Cant , Serin. L7.
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