merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins, and their iniquities will I remember no more ;' there is the promise of justification : 1 John i. 9, 'If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins;' there is our justification promised ; 'and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness;' there is the promise of sanctification : Ezek. xxxvi. 25, ' From all your filthiness, and from all your idols will I cleanse you ;' there is the promise of sanctification ; ver. 29, ' I will also save you from all your un cleannesses;' there is the promise of justification : 1 Cor. vi. 11, ' But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are jus- tified.' Justification and sanctification are inseparable companions ; distinguished they must be, but divided they can never be ; wliei'e sin is pardoned, the gift of sanctity is still conferred. It is weakness, it is Avickedness, for a man to conclude that he is in an elected and justified estate when he has nothing, when he has not the least thing to evidence himself to be in a sanctified estate. Both justification and sanctifica- tion have a necessary respect to the salvation of all those that shall o-o to heaven. He that will go to heaven must be sanctified, and he that will go to heaven must be justified. No man can go to heaven without both ; no man can go to heaven unless he be justified : Rom. viii. 30, ' Whom he called, them also he justified ; and whom he justified, them he also glorified.' None are justified but such as are called, and none are glorified but such as are justified. And as no man can go to heaven but he that is justified, so no man can go to heaven but he that is sanctified : John iii. 5, ' Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be bom again, he cannot see the' kingdom of God.' Ver. 5, ' Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God ;' Heb. xii. 14, ' And holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord." By these scriptures, it is evjdent that there is an absolute necessity both of sanctification and justification in reference to salvation. Now as sanctification and justification are linked together, so the more clear, the more full, the more evident, and the more eminent a man's sanctification is, the more clear, the more fidl, the more evident, and the more eminent, will the evidences of his jus- tification be. The greatest evidences of our sanctification carries with them the greatest assurance of our justification and of our salvation. But, [15.] The fifteenth proposition is this, When your graces are strongest, and your evidences for heaven are clearest, and your com- forts rise highest upon the sight of your graces or gracious evidences, then in a special manner it concerns you to make it your great business and work to act faith afresh, to act faith ivith a greater strength, u])on the free, rich, and gloHous grace of God, and upon the Lord Jesus Christ. It is reported of the crystal, that it hath such a virtue in it, that the very touching of it quickens other stones, and puts a lustre and beauty upon them. This is most true of faith. Faith is a grace that gives strength and efficacy to all other graces ; it is like a silver thread that runs through a chain of pearl ; it hath an intluence upon all other graces that are in the soul. Faith is as the spring in the watch, that moves the wheels ; not a grace stirs till faith sets it at work. What is said of Solomon's virtuous woman, viz., that she sets all her maidens to work. Pro v. xxxi. 15, 27, is most true of faith: faith ' See ray Treatise on Holiness. [Vol. IV. — G.]
500 A CABINET OF JEWELS. [ChAP. V.
sets all the graces in the soul at work. We love as we believe, and we obey as we believe, and we hope as we believe, and we joy as we be- lieve, and we mourn as we believe, and we repent as we believe. All graces keep time and pace with faith,^ &c. Now when your graces are most shining, and your evidences for heaven are most sparkling, oh then give faith elbow-room, give faith full scope to exercise itself upon the Lord Jesus. Adam's obedience in innocency was not more pleasing and delightful to God, than the exercise of your faith on the Lord Jesus will be at such a time pleasing and delightful to him. You are to look upon all your graces and gracious evidences as your highest encourage- ment to a lively, cheerful, and resolute acting of faith upon the person of Christ, the righteousness of Christ, 1 John v. 13; Rom. i. 17, &c. All a Christian's graces, and all his gracious evidences, should be but as a golden bridge, or as Joseph's waggons. Gen. xlv. 19, 21, 27, a means to pass his soul over to Christ afresh by a renewed exercise of faith. When your gi-aces and gracious evidences are most splendent, then be sure that Christ be found lying as a bundle of myrrh between your breasts, and all is well, and will be well, Cant. i. 12. Dear Christians, when your eyes are fixed upon inherent righteousness, and upon your gracious evidences, then let your hearts be firmly fixed upon the Lord Jesus Christ and bis imputed righteousness.^ Paul's eye was fixed upon his grace, upon his better part : Rom. vii. 22, * I delight in the law of God after the inwaixi man ;' ver. 25, ' And with my mind I serve the law of God.' And yet at the very same time his heart was set upon Christ, and taken up v/ith Christ. Ver. 26, ' I thank God through our Lord Jesus Christ.' Though Paul had an eye to his noble part, his better part, his regenerate part, yet at the same time his heart was taken up with the Lord Jesus Christ, as freeing of him from the curse of the law, the dominion of sin, the damnatory power of sin, and as translating of him into the glorious liberty of the sons of God. ' I thank God through our Lord Jesus Christ.' So in Col. ii. 2, 3, you have their eyes fixed upon grace, and at the same time their hearts fixed upon Christ. ' That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgment of the mystery of God, and of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.' Their eyes were upon grace, but their hearts were taken up with Christ. So in Philip, iii. 8, the apostle had his eye upon the excellent knowledge of Christ. But, verse 9, his heart is taken up with the righteousness of Christ. ' That I might be found in him, not having mine own right- eousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.' Though Paul had his eye upon grace, upon inherent righteousness ; yet in the very presence of his grace his heart was taken up with Christ, and with his imputed righteousness, as is evident in the text. This is your glory. Christians, in the presence and sight of all your graces and gi*acious evidences, to