'Sd. He hath filled himself with all grace for the same end, that we might be filled with the abundance of that grace which is in him : Ps,. Ixviii. 18, ' He hath received gifts for men, yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them;' not to keep them to himself alone, but to communicate them to us. So it is said, John i. IG, ' Of his fulness have we all received grace for grace.' There is a fountain of grace set up in our nature, that we might repair to him. He is God that freely giveth life to all things, and he is God in our nature, that we might not think him strange to us.
[2 ] Let us consider sanctification in its progress and increase ; and there let us see what promises are made to faith, and what faith must do with these promises.
(1.) Let us see what promises are made to faith. And so it is a great relief and encouragement to poor creatures, that are troubled with the relics of sin, and the remainders of cori'uption, to consider what is propounded to faith. Christ hath undertaken to subdue sin wholly, and to sanctify us throughout : 1 Thes. v. 23, 24, ' And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly ; and I pray God your whole spiiit and soul and body may be preserved blameless to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth jou, v.'ho also will do it.' The work is but begun, but God will carry it on to perfection : Phil. i. 6, ' Being confident of this very thing, that he that hath begun a good work in you, will perfect it unto the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.'" The same power that begun will finish it. It was said of the foolish builder, that he began and could not make an end ; but the work of grace hath its beginning, progress, and final consummation and accom- plishment from God. And where God hath begun his work in any heart, it is a pledge that he will do more. And so, Eom. vi. 12, the apostle propounds it as a precept, 'Let not sin reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof ; ' and after it is pro- pounded as a promise, ver. 14, ' Sin shall not have dominion over you ; for you are not under the law, but under grace' Well, then, these are the promises, so that if we would increase and grow up in this holiness intimated in the promises, we must increase in faith, and believe that ( lirist will be as good as his word.
(2.) Let us see what faith must do as to these promises.
1st. The work of faith is to encourage us in our conflicts. We are many times wrestling with sin, and find it too hard for us ; but then the believer should look up to the power of God engaged and assisting it! this work, and so can triumiih in victory before the battle. In out- ward cases the chance of war is uncertain, and that is a good caution, ' Let not him that puts on his harness boast as he that puts it off; ' liut it is not so in the spiritual warfare. Paul mingleth thanksgivings with his very groans, Rom vii. 24, 25. He complains and groans
72 THE LIFE OF FAITH.
' Oh wretched man tliat I am ! wlio shall deliver me from this body of death ? ' But he comfortahly cheers up hisTieart in the next verse, ' I thank God throu^rh Jesus Christ our lord;' that throui^l) the power of the Spirit of Christ he should be able to subdue the body of sin, which otherwise would carry him headlong to death and destruction. And the same Paul, when buffeted with a messenger of Satan, he prayed three times ; he would fain have been rid of the temptation, 2 Cor. xii.
9. He knocked once, and again, and a third time, as Christ prayed thrice ; but all the answer he could get was, ' My grace is sufficient for thee.' When this is our case, that we are discouraged in our resist- ance of sin, because our endeavours at first succeed not, the promise should bear up our hearts.
'2d. The work of faith is to encourage us to wait in the use of means for our growth and improvement; for God, that fulfilleth promises, fulfils them in his own way. Faith is not a devout sloth and idle expectation ; we must up and be doing, praying, hearing, meditating, debating these promises with ourselves, that this work niay go on and prosper, until we come to the full of our hopes. God liath greater things to do for us and by us. All increase is by God's blessing upon our labour and diligence, and so is the increase of grace too : Luke xix. 26, ' For to every one that hath shall be given ;' that is, he that tradeth, and improveth his talent well, shall have more ; that which God hath given him, he shall find a great increase of it, if he use well what Jje hath received. And therefore christians, that have these pro- mises, are to labour after a great increase of grace, and to in)prove Christ to a further use, Jolm x. 10, ' I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.' We shoid-.l not only be living, but lively chiistians ; not only make a hard shift to get to heaven, but labour that grace may abound yet more and more, that an abundant entrance may be given to them into Christ's kingdom: 1 Thes. iv. 1, ' Furthermoi-e, we beseech yon, brethren, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk, and to please God. so ye would abound more and more.'