480 Sermons upon ephesians v. [Ser. XXXL
[3.] What is proper to the Spirit of Christ, namely, to sanctify and cleanse us or convert us unto God : John iii. 5, ' Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water, and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.'
[4.] What is proper to the operation or effect of the Spirit in us, "which is faith and new obedience. Faith giveth us our first right to the privileges of the new covenant, and new obedience contiuueth it ; for the one is our entrance into the evangelical estate, the other our abiding therein.
[5.] What is proper to the word and proper to the sacraments. To the word, to convert ; to the sacraments, to confirm ; for the sacraments are of no use till the word hath some effect upon us : Acts ii. 41, ' Then they that gladly received his word were baptized ; and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.'
[6.] What is proper to baptism and proper to the holy supper. To baptism, to accept the covenant, wherein we, professing ourselves to forsake the devil, the world, and the flesh, do choose Father, Son, and Holy Ghost for our God. And the Lord entering into covenant with us, to give us, first, grace to live in his obedience, and to pardon our sins and bring us to glory. So that we are both obliged and enabled hereby. This is once done in baptism, but often renewed in the Lord's supper : 1 Peter iii. 21, ' The like figure whereunto baptism doth also now save us ; not the putting away the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience towards God, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ;' Mat. iii. 11, * I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance ; but he that Cometh after me is mightier than I, wliose shoes I am not w^orthy to bear, he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.' Well, then, if these things be confounded, we shall fall into dangerous errors, and hinder both our sanctification and comfort. The sum is this : the first cause of all is God's mercy, that floweth forth freely by the merit of Christ. The merit of Christ procnreth the Spirit for us, who sanctifieth and converteth us unto God, which grace is offered in the word, sealed in the sacraments, which bind us more closely to God and excite us with greater confidence to wait for the grace offered by him, to bring us to salvation and eternal glory.
Neither is this useful only to set us riglit in doctrinals, but also to guide us in matter of practice, how to obtain grace necessary for us. If we lack anything, we must ask it of God ; for his love and grace is the fountain-cause of all these things, and his grant is necessary to accomplish our desires : Rev. xix. 8, * And to her was granted, that slie should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white ; for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints ; ' Eph. iii. 16, ' That he would grant unto you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with all might by his Spirit in the inner man.' All cometh originally from his grant. Now when we come to the Father for this, sin hath made us so odious to God that he would not look graciously and favourably toward us, but for Christ's sake ; therefore he scndeth us to his Son, whose blood cleanseth us from all our sins, and in whom alone God is pro- pitious to us. If we turn ourselves to Christ, he intercedeth for us at the right hand of God, but referreth us to the Spirit, whose proper
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VeR. 26.] SERMONS UPON EPHESIANS V. 481
AV(jrk i^anctificatioii is. If we wait for the Spirit's efficacy, he sendeth IIS to Moses and the prophets and apostles. In tlie word and ordin- ances we shall hear of him ; therefore when we pray, hear, read, meditate, receive the Lord s supper, let us behave ourselves suitably to the nature of each ordinance ; these are means to convey and conhrni grace. And they are the more effectual because they are sprinkled with the blood of Christ, and receive their virtue from the love of God, the merit of Christ, and the almighty operation of the Spirit. But I waive the further pro.secution of this, and observe —
Doct. That Christ's end in dying for his people was to sanctify and cleanse them, and make them a holy and peculiar people unto God.
It is asserted in the text, and confirmed, Titus ii. 14, 'He gave him- self for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.' Christ died, not only to redeem us from wrath and from the flames of hell, but to redeem us from sin ; not only to abolish guilt and our obligation to punishment, but to establish holiness.
1. This is necessary with respect to our necessitj^ that the salvation introduced by him might answer his people's necessities. The plaster need be as broad as the sore, and our gain by Christ must correspond with our loss by Adam, and our remedy be suited to our misery. Now our misery lay in our sinfulness as well as our liableness to wrath. By Adam we lost the image of God, iavour and fellowship with him ; and therefore our restitution must be suited. First his image restored, then his favour, then his fellowship. This misery is felt and ii})prehended by a troubled conscience, therefore they come to God : ' Purify me, take away iniquity, and receive us graciously,' Hosea xiv. 2 ; and not only, with Pharaoh, Take away this plague. To be sanctified easeth the serious of their great ti'ouble. The misery is a motive, but sin is the cause that niaketh them look after a remedy. A man that hath broken his leg, his pain maketli him look after the chirurgeon ; but the main work which he hath to do is to set it in joint again, that he may go right.