blessed Lord, when praying for his Church, said, " Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth1." Not that the word has this power in itself: for thousands both hear and read it without deriving any benefit from it to their souls. It is " the sword of the Spirit k;" and effects no more than what He who wields it sees fit to accomplish. If it " come in word only," it is of no weight at all : but when it " comes in demon- stration of the Spirit and of power1," then " it effects all for which God himself has sent itm :" and " through him is mighty to the pulling down of all the strong-holds n " of sin and Satan.]
Thus is the whole work of grace wrought within us : and a blessed work it will appear, whilst we shew,
III. The end for which it is wrought —
The contemplation of this may well reconcile us to all that has been said about the sovereign will of God. The ground on which men are so jealous of the Divine sovereignty is, that they think it leads to a disregard of holiness ; since, if God have chosen men to salvation, they shall attain it without holi- ness ; and if he have not chosen them to salvation, they can never be saved, how holy soever they may be. But this is altogether an erroneous statement. God is not so regardless of holiness as this sup- poses : on the contrary, if he elect any, it is " that they may be holy, and without blame before him in love0;" and, if " he beget any with the word of truth," it is " that we may be to him a kind of first- fruits of his creatures" —
[The " first-fruits" were, by God's own appointment, holy ; so that every one was bound to consecrate them unto himp. In like manner are God's people to be holy, and altogether devoted to his service. They are on no account to imagine themselves at their own disposal : " They are God's ; and must glorify him with their body and their spirit, which are hisq."
It is not to salvation only that God ordains his people ; but to sanctification, as the way to, and the preparation for, the blessedness of heaven r. " He has chosen them out of the world*" from which " they are to be separated*," as the first-fruits are
» John xvii. 17. k Eph.vi. 17. ' 1 Thess. i. 5. andii. 13.
m Isai. lv. 10, 11. " 2 Cor. x. 4, 5. ° Eph. i. 4.
p Deut. xviii. 4. fi 1 Cor. vi. 19, 20. r 2 Thess. ii. 13.
s John xv. 19. c 2 Cor. vi. 17-