heirs of his glory, he never will leave them under the power of a corrupt nature; because that would incapacitate them for the fruition of his glory, even if they were admitted to a partici- pation of it : an unholy nature would utterly unfit them for the
services and enjoyments of heaven But there is yet
another reason why God fulfils this promise to them ; God has made it a part of his covenant, that he will cleanse his people from all their filthiness and all their idols b; and pledged his word that he will not only forgive all their sins, but cleanse
them from all unrighteousness0 Now this promise
they rest upon, and plead as their only hope ; and will God, who cannot lie, rescind it ? No : he will fulfil it to them in the time and manner that he judges most conducive to his own glory.]
To improve this subject, let us observe that,
1 . To lay hold on this covenant should be the first great object of our lives —
[Where else shall we find deliverance from the judgments denounced against us for our violations of the first covenant, or obtain strength for our obedience to God's holy will? All efforts of our own will be utterly in vain; it is Christ alone that can effect either the one or the other of these things ; and it is only by looking to him, and laying hold of his covenant, that we can obtain these blessings at his hands. But let us once obtain an interest in him, and all these things are ours ; pardon, peace, holiness, glory, all are ours, the very instant we believe in him. What then can be put in competition with this ? Verily all the things of time and sense sink into utter insignificance, when compared with this : and therefore let us regard this as the one thing needful, and make it the one object of our whole lives to be found in Christ, and to secure the blessings which he has purchased for us.]
2. None, however, can have any interest in the covenant of grace who do not experience deliverance from sin —
[Though no man is admitted into the covenant of grace on account of any holiness that there is in him, yet none are left unholy after that they have been admitted into it. " That very grace of God which bringeth us salvation, teaches us to deny every species and degree of ungodliness d." To fail in this would be to defeat a principal end of Christ's death e. If there be any allowed sin in us, we deceive ourselves, and our religion is vainf.]
b Ezek. xxxvi. 25 — 27. c 1 John i. 9. a Tit. ii. 11, 12.
e Tit. ii. 14. f Jam. i. 26.