[He requires it by Moses3, and the prophets b; by Christ alsoc, and his holy Apostles d. Indeed, to bring us to holiness of heart and life was the very end for which he gave his only- begotten Sone, and for which Christ himself diedf. And every command is enforced with an authority which it is at our peril to disregard g.]
He requires, too, that in this duty we exert our- selves with "diligence" —
[This is again and again insisted onh, both in relation to the keeping of the heart1, and to the whole of our deportment through life k. We are particularly called to " set our heart'" to this work1, that we may understand it in all its parts, and perform it in its utmost extent. In a word, " This is the will of God, even our sanctificationm."]
How the true saint stands affected towards his duties, may here be seen in,
II. His impassioned desire —
The perfection of a Christian is seen far more in his desires than in his actual attainments.
He feels and mourns over his manifold defects — [It might be supposed, that the more holy any man were, the more self-complacent he would be : but the very reverse of this is the truth : for, the more holy any man is, the clearer and more enlarged are his views of God's holy law, and, con- sequently, the deeper his sense of his short-comings and defects". Hence he complains with St. Paul, " O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me0?"]
He desires the gift of God's Holy Spirit, to remedy these defects —
[He knows, by sad experience how liable he is to be deceived, even whilst he is endeavouring to do the will of God. " His heart is deceitful p," and easily betrayed into error, by its prejudices, its passions, its interests. And sin itself also is deceitful, putting on, in ten thousand instances, the garb of holiness, and the semblance of dutyq. And Satan is a subtle adversary, that has at command ten thousand wiles and devices, whereby to ensnare himr. What, then, shall the Christian do? He can look only to God, for the gift of his Holy Spirit to guide him aright and to direct his steps s. Hence, from his
a Deut. v. 29. ° Jer. vii. 22, 23. c Matt, xxviii. 20.
d 1 Pet. i. 15, 16. e 1 John iii. 8. f Tit. ii. 4.
s Jam. ii. 10 — 12. h Deut. xi. 13, 18,22. ' Prov. iv. 23.
k 2Pet.i. 10. andiii. 14. ' Deut. xxxii. 46. m 1 Thess. iv. 3.
n Rom. vii. 9. ° Rom. vii. 24. p Jer. xvii. 9.
<l Heb. iii. 13. r 2 Cor. xi. 3. s Prov. iii. 6.