VeR. 26.] SERMONS UPON EPHESIANS V. 483
own image impressed upon ns. We love God much because he par- doneth much ; but God deligbtetb in the pure and upright : Prov. xi. 20, ' They that are of a froward heart are abomination to the Lord ; but such as are upright in their way are his delight.' Or shall I use this argument ? That which hath the nearest affinity to our eternal blessedness is the greater benefit. Now if you will go by that rule, the case will be soon decided. If you consider what our eternal blessed- ness is, not only an estate of perfect felicity or exemption from misery, but an estate of exact holiness and purity, to see God as he is, and to be like him : 1 John iii. 2, ' Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be ; but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.' An immaculate and sinless estate. Now let us see which of the benefits hath the nearest affinity with it. Justification is causa removens proMhens, a cause that removeth the impediment, or that which for- biddeth our entrance into heaven ; and sanctification is the beginning and introduction into this blessed estate, and doth dispositively fit us for it. Therefore judge you which hath the nearest affinity, that which removeth the impediment, or that which giveth us the beginning, foretaste, and first-fruits of this happy life. Put it in a temporal interest : If a man be banished the court or his country by sentence of law, when is he nearer to the king ? when the legal exclusion is taken off, or he is actually sent for and brought into the palace, and ready to be received by him. ? This instance is not full home, because we are not only brought to God, but there is a change of nature and we are made amiable in his eyes. Well, then, to draw up the argument a little closer, many would think God had expressed great love if Christ had procured for us worldly comforts or temporal benefits ; others, if he had only procured our pardon, and taken away the legal exclusion which shut us out from God ; but he hath done more, he hath pro- cured grace to change our natures, and to sanctify and cleanse us, that God may delight in us. This is a gift answerable to Christ's love and merit.
Use 1. Is information. It informeth us of divers important truths.
1. That in ourselves we are polluted and unclean, or else why need there so much ado to get us sanctified and cleansed? Why must the Son of God give himself for us to sanctify and cleanse us, but that we are polluted? This is a truth frequently represented in scripture; as Job XV. 14, ' What is man that he should be clean ? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous ? ' that is, man by nature is neither clean nor righteous, but destitute of purity in his nature, and also of uprightness in his conversation. They are ill acquainted with man who think otherwise of him. If we consider the universality in sinning, the earliness in sinning, the easiness in sinning, the constancy in sinning, that is visible and evident in all mankind, you may soon see what his nature is. And the fountain being so corrupt, the streams are defiled also. Surely we are so in God's eyes : Ps. xiv. 3, ' The Lord looked down from heaven,' and what did he see here below ? ' They are all gone aside, they are altogether become filthy and abominable.' All persons, and all their actions flowing from their corrupt hearts, are become filthy and odious to God, and they are utterly
484 SERMONS UPON EPHESIANS V. [SkK. XXXI.
incapable of enjoying communion with him ; and so they remain till they be sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Solomon telleth us, Prov. xiii. 5, that ' a wicked man is loathsome.' To whom ? To God especially, who is *of purer eyes than to behold iniquity,' Hab. i. 13 ; that is, with counte- nance and approbation. To good men : Prov. xxix. 27, ' An unjust man is an abomination to the just.' To standers-by, of what sort soever they be; for they that allow sin in themselves dislike it in others: Titus iii. 3, ' Hateful and hating one another.' To themselves, for they are unwilling to look into themselves : John iii. 20, ' For every one that doetli evil, hateth tlie light ; neither cometli to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.' And are shy of God : 1 Sam. vi. 20, ' And the men of Bethshemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God ? ' Therefore we all need to be sanctified and cleansed if we would have any benefit by Christ.
2. That nothing can cleanse us but the blood of Christ. Can man cleanse himself? What sound part is there left in us to mend the rest ? Job xiv. 4, ' Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean ? not one.' That which is corrupt cannot cleanse itself. Can the word do it without Christ ? Good instructions may show a man his duty, but cannot change the bent of his heart. Christ needed not only be sent as a prophet, but must as a priest offer himself for a mediatorial sacrifice before this benefit could be procured for us : Eph. v. 2, ' He hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God.' There was no pos- sible way to recover holiness into the world again unless a price be paid ; and no lesser price than the blood of the Son of God must be paid to provoked justice. Christ must give himself before we can be sanctified and cleansed.