He also " glorified Christ, by taking of the things that were his, and shewing them unto his disciplesy." To this very hour does he, by the mighty operation of his power on the souls of men, " convince them of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment2." He "comforts them" in their sorrows3.; he " sanctifies them throughout15 ;" he " bears witness to them that they are the Lord's0; and he "seals them unto the day of redemption d." And at the last day, " as he raised Christ himself from the dead, so will he raise us also " to a final par- ticipation of his kingdom and glory e.
And now, in all this, have I spoken too minutely, or too confidently ? I have said no more than what St. Peter has spoken in one short verse ; when he said of all true believers, that they are " elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedi- ence, and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ f."]
Let me now proceed to shew, III. The comfort which the knowledge of this fact is calculated to impart —
Were I to enter at all fully into this subject, I should not know where to begin, or where to end. But it must suffice to mention two things ; which must, of necessity, present themselves to every re- flecting mind.
Have the Sacred Three so concurred in the work of redemption ? Then we may be assured of,
1. The readiness of God to save us —
[Men exceedingly mistake this matter. They think theiri- selves willing to be saved : they doubt only of God's willingness to save them. But were men as willing to accept salvation as God is to bestow it, not one would ever perish. Did God, unsolicited, provide us a Saviour ? Did the Lord Jesus Christ undertake to effect salvation for us? Did the Holy Spirit engage to apply that salvation to us ? and can we doubt whe- ther God be willing to save even the very chief of sinners ? I am well aware, that men will pretend to found their doubts only on their own unworthiness. But where is any worthiness to be found in man ? Who was worthy, that God should devise this plan ; or that Christ should execute it ; or that the Holy Spirit should apply it ? Or who will presume to stand on the footing of his own worthiness, even of the food he eats, or of
y John xvi. 14. z John xvi. 8. a John xiv. 1G.
b 1 Thess. v. 23. c Rom. viii. 1G. •' Eph. i. 13, 14.
e Rom. viii. 11. f 1 Pet. i. 2.