4. With what confidence we may use the means of grace, because they are sprinkled with the blood of Christ. Christ hath purchased grace, such a treasure of grace as cannot be wasted ; and this is dis- pensed to us by the word and sacraments. The apostle doth not say barely, he died ' to cleanse us,' but ' to cleanse us by the washing of water through the word ; ' and here, * that we might be sanctified
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through the truth.' Christ hath established the merits, but the actual influence is from the Spirit : Titus iii. 5. 6, ' According to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost ; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ.' And the means are the word and sacraments, whereby the Spirit dispenseth the grace in Christ's name ; ordinarily the gospel, which is ' the mini- stration of the Spirit,' 2 Cor. iii. 8. If we come to the Father, we need his grafJrT: Rev. xix. 8, ' And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white; for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.' All cometh originally from his merciful grant ; but God would not look towards us, but for Christ's sake. If we look to the Father, he sendeth us to the Son, ' whose blood cleanseth us from all our sins,' 1 John i. 7. If we look to the Son, he referreth us to the Spirit ; therefore we read of 'the sanctification of the Spirit,' 2 Thes. ii. 13. If we wait for the Spirit's efficacy, he sendeth us to Moses and the prophets, where we shall hear of him. Therefore we may with en- couragement pray, read, hear, meditate, that all these duties may be sanctified to us.
5. If holiness be the fruit of Christ's death, it maketh his love to be more gratuitous and free. For all the worth that we can conceive to be in ourselves, to commend us to God, is in our holiness. Now this is merely the fruit of grace, and the merit of Christ, and the gift of his Spirit in us. We wallow in our own filthiness, till he, of his grace, for Clirist's sake, doth sanctify us by his Spirit. Both the love of God and the merit of Christ is antecedent to our holiness : ' He hath loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and made us kings and priests to God, and to the Father,' Eev. i. 5, 6. And the Spirit's work is not lessened, as if it were no great matter : 2 Peter i. 3, ' Accord- ing as his divine power hath given unto ns all things that appertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue.'
6. We learn hence the preciousness of holiness ; it is a thing dearly bought, and the great blessing which Christ intended for us. We do not value the blessings of the covenant so much as we should. Christ was devising what he should do for his churcli to make it honourable and glorious, and this way he took to make it holy.
[1.] It is the beauty of God ; for God himself is * glorious in holi- ness,' Exod. XV. 11, and ' we are created after his image, in righteous- ness and true holiness,' Eph. iv. 24. The perfection of the divine nature lieth chiefly in his immaculate holiness and purity.
[2] It is that which maketh us amiable in the sight of God, for he delighteth not in us as justified so much as sanctified : Ps. xi. 7, 'For the righteous Lord loveth righteousness, his countenance doth behold the upright.' When, upon tlie account of Christ's merits and satisfac- tion, he hatli created a clean heart in us, and renewed a right spirit, then he delighteth in us. It is his image makes us amiable, and therefore we should make it our great desire and care to be as holy as may be.
[3.] Much of our everlasting blessedness lieth in it : Eph. v. 27, "That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrintde, or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.'
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[4.] It is a great part of our salvation by Christ : Mat. i. 21, ' Thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins ; ' Acts iii. 26, ' Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.*
[5.] It is a means to the rest. Communion with God and Christ here : 1 John i. 6, 7, ' If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another.' And everlasting fruition of God hereafter ; Acts xxvi. 18, ' That they may receive forgiveness of sins, and an inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me ; ' Heb. xii. 14, ' Without holiness no man shall see God.'