THE LIFE OF FAITH. 65
[o.] H joii have cause to suspect that your hearts are too slight in tlie estimation of pardon, and that you make too easy a work of it, and pass it over too lightly, then consider —
(1.) What it cost the Lord Jesus Christ to bring it about. It cost the precious blood of the Son of God : Rom. v. 9. ' Being justified by his blood, we shall be saved fi-om wrath through him.' Did it cost the blood of Christ to procure it, and sliall I have slight and mean thoughts of it? The apostle did urge this as an argument to press ministers to have a care of the flock, because ' they were purchased by the blood of God,' Acts xx. 28. It was not an impostor that died at Jerusalem, but the very Son of God. By the same argument we may press men to look after justification by faith in Christ, because Christ bath purchased it with his piecions blood.
(2.) It is a work wherein eternity is concerned ; justification is but that act done piivately which you expect God will do publicly at the last day: Acts iii, 19, 'Repent, that your sins maybe blotted out, when the times of refreshment shall come from the presence of the Lord.' Your act is nothing, unless it be ratified by Christ at tJiat day. Evei-ywhere the scripture puts us upon this task. Boldness at bis coming is made the test of the stiength of our faith : 1 John ii. 18, ' And now, little children, abide in him, that when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and may not be ashamed before him at his coming.'
(3.) If you go about this work with brokenness of heart, you cannot be slightly in it. if indeed the heart be wounded for sin; there is no dallying with broken bones ; surely such will mind a cure.
(4.) Take lieed of an heart purposing to continue in sin : Heb. x. 22, ' Let us draw near with a true heai't, in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.' If you have fallen into sin, you must humble your souls deeply before the Lord: Hosea xiv. 2, 3, 'Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously.' You will not beg that God would take away this plague, but take away this sin, that you may not sin again, but that you may be more serious than ever you have been, that you may have a new heart, and sin may never live in you more.
Secondly, I shall speak of the life of faith as it respects sanctifica- tion. This also must be regarded.
1. These two must not be severed; justification and sanctification must carefully be distinguished, but not separated: 1 Cor. vi. 11, ' Such weie some of you, but you are washed, but you are justified, but you are sanctified, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God : 1 Cor. i. 30, ' Who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification and redemption.' They always go together in God's dispensations : 1 John i. 9. ' If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.' Sin is considerable in the guilt and tilth of it, as it rendei'S us obnoxious to God's justice, or as it tainreih our facul- ties and actions, and indisposeth us for his service; and both must be done away. Christ came to do both ; he was sent into the world to restore God's image in us ; but the image of God cousisteth in the participation of holiness, as well as the participation of blessedness.
VOL. XV. E
G6 THE LIFE OF FAITH
For God, that is happy and blessed, is also holy aud. good ; the filth ol sin is opposite to holiness, and the guilt of it to blessedness. So that Christ must restore but half the image of God, or he must give us this double benefit ; if he should give us the one without the other, many inconveniences would follow. If he should free us from the guilt of sin, and give us impunity without holiness, then honum lo'iy- sicum, a natural good, would be consistent ■with mahcm morale, a moi-al evil ; and if he should give us sanctification, and deny impunity, the highest natural evil would be consistent with a moral good. And therefore he giveth us both ; he justifies that he may sanctify, and he sanctities that he may glorif)'. It is not consistent with God's wisdom and justice to give us pardon and let us alone in our sins, nor with his wisdom and meicy to give us holiness without ])ardon. Yea. jus- tification (if it could be said to be alone) would only give us freedom from hell ; but without sanctification we should remain unqualified for heaven or the life of glory. It is true, such an one would be ex- empted from pce7ia sensus, the punishment of sense, but not from posna damni, the punishment of loss. We cannot enjoy heaven, nor see the face of God till we are sanctified : ' For without holiness no man shall see the Lord,' Heb. xii. 14. And therefore both must go to- gether: and wounded souls, those that are affected with their condition, look for both ; as he that hath his leg broken desireth not only to be eased of the present pain, but to have it set right again. Those that are sensible of their condition before God would not only have theii- sins pardoned, but would have their hearts enlarged to serve God with more cheerfulness and freedom. Well, then, both is desired by a broken heart, and Christ is made both to us : 1 Cor. i. 30, ' He is made of God unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification and redemption.' And it is his wt)ik not only to turn away God's wrath, but to turn us from our 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;' and Acts v. 31, 'Him hath God ex- alted with his right hand, to be a prince and a saviour, to give re- pentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.' jS'ow, what Christ giveth. faith receiveth ; and thei-efore if we would live by faith, faith must be exercised in this great blessing of sanctification.