1st, this is a strong argument for obedience. 3dly, The danger of sinning, and the wrath that is due to every transgressor; this is another of the law's arguments: but what can all these do, let them be exerted to their utmost force? The glory of God as the speaker, the equity of what he speaks, and the danger of disobeying him; all that these arguments can do upon a sinner stands in these three things, that a great many people's religion all their days lies in them; a hating sin as hurtful to us; a loving holiness as profitable to us, and some weak, pitiful essays to shun the one and to do the other: and thus a great many are hammered by the law all their days, and they do just nothing at all. They sometimes see the glory of God, and their consciences subscribe to the equity of his will, and they are afraid of wrath to come; but knowing nothing but law-light, and law-relief, (and truly that is nothing at all) they do just nothing at all to any purpose. But the arguments of the gospel to holiness, are quite of another nature. They are arguments to holiness from privileges: pray consider this; the grand arguments of the New Testament still run this way; arguing with men to the practice of holiness from their privileges; from the great things God hath done for them, and from the great things that he hath promised to them. The apostle gives us a large account of this in the xiith chapter of the Hebrews, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. Well, and what arguments hath he for this? For ye are not come to Mount Sinai," to that terrible word of the law, of which he speaks there at great length, but ye'are come, saith he, to Mount Sion, to the blood of sprinkling, and to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant. 2dly, Gospel arguments have this in them, they are ordained for this end, and they reach it; both the master and the work is love, and therefore the work is done, and the master obeyed. Every natural man, that is under the law, thinks with himself that the way to please God is to do his will; but the believer under the gospel doth God's will, because he knows that God is pleased with him; he doth those things that are pleasing in the sight of God, from the faith of his person's being accepted with God. Sin shall not have dominion over you, saith the apos tle, Rom. vi. 14. Why so? for ye are not under the law, but under grace. There are two things that I would have you think on with respect to this, in trying your spirits about this; how you relish Christ's arguments, and whether you are led by law arguments, or by gospel ones. 1st, What is it you would be at, in order to your progress in sanctification, and all holy obedience towards God? There is one thing I would take notice of, and I do it the rather because I believe it is some people's snare; some persons imagine with themselves, and their imaginations sometimes come the length of their prayers, and they are foolish and wicked ones; "Oh that "God would discover the greatness of his glory, and the greatness of his wrath to me!" that he would open hell to them, and let them see it and fear; and then they think they should be a great deal more holy than they are. There is an evil spirit working in the design of this: we may not only give Christ's answer to his disciples to it, Ye ask ye know not what, Mark x. 38.; but we may say, the very asking it is from an evil spirit. Is it not far more desirable, and should you not know that it would be far more profitable to you, if the Lord would reveal more of his love and kindness to you? that would quickly carry on the work of sanctification with greater ease and speed than all those other things that you would so fain be at. 2dly, What things are there in the ministry of the word that relish best with your spirits? Clear discoveries of the anger of God against sin, and the desert of sin at the hand of God, these are useful things, and there is a measure of knowledge and sense of them that no man should be against: But are these all that you relish in the word of God? Have you never found any desires after greater manifestations of the love of God, that you may know Jesus Christ better? Sirs, though there be a wonderful variety in the Lord's way of dealing with his people, so that no one man's experience is to be made a measure or a rule for every one, yet I dare be bold to say, that in this matter the greatest part of Christians that are now alive in the world, will put their seal to this; they who have had experience of both; who have had their hearts pressed with the terror of God, and with the arguments of the Jaw, and also have had their hearts melted with the love of Christ and with the arguments of the gospel, I am very confident that all of them will be able to witness to this, that these latter did promote sanctification and conformity to the image of Christ a deal more than the former. How many poor believers have there been, that have for a long time struggled with their stubborn corruption, that have hedged it in by the law, and the curses of it, with all manner of watchfulness, and yet but little efficacy hath been found in all; but when in a time of love the Lord hath drawn near to their souls, and hath sent in a warm beam of love, how greatly have they triumphed over that which they found to be a great deal too strong for them before !-So much for this second head, about sanctification of the Spirit, as it denotes the means of sanctification. Never wonder, Sirs, that there is so little holiness in the world, and so little holiness among professors; the reason is, they do not know whence it comes: the gospel, as the great mean of sanctification, they do not know, and because they do not use this mean, they go away without the blessing. 3dly, This phrase of the sanctification of the Spirit may be taken as it points forth the seat of this sanctification—as it points forth where true sanctification is lodged; in the spirit, in the heart, in the inward man; Be ye renewed, saith the apostle, in the spirit of your mind, Eph. iv. 23. The mind is the common expression of the understanding part of the soul, which is a more refined faculty than that which we call the heart; whereby we fear, love, desire, or hate. Here the apostle calls it the spirit of the mind; had he only called it the spirit of the body, we know that the soul is the spirit of the body; but," the apostle would say, "it lies deeper than this, it is in the spirit of your minds, in the very soul of your souls; it is the renovation of the Holy Ghost, and lies very deep in the soul; not only in the heart and mind, but in the spirit of the mind." But I pass this; and finish the second general head, Why it is called the sanctification of the Spirit: to denote the author of it, and the means by which it is wrought, and the seat of it in the soul. I am now come to The 3d and last thing about this sanctification, and that is the end of it, to obedience; it is the sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience. Obedience is here plainly said to be the end . of this sanctification of Spirit, or the fruit of it; pray take heed to this; for here is another way that men pervert the ordinances of God: my text tells you, that all holy obedience paid by men to God, is the fruit of the sanctification of the Spirit; but the ungodly, unbelieving world take the matter quite otherwise, and understand it thus, that obedience is the way to come by this sanctification of the Spirit; whereas the word tells us plainly, that this sanctification of the Spirit is the way whereby we come to obedience: it is the sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience. Never was there any piece of acceptable obedience paid to God, unless it flowed from the sanctification of the Spirit. A little unto this, and I shall apply the whole. 1st, Of this obedience more generally: And then, 2dly, I shall speak more particularly about it. 1st, For obedience more generally, take this brief and plain account of it. When God had made man upright, and created him perfectly holy in that happy state, he demanded obedience of him, and had that obedience paid cheerfully till sin came in; and upon man's sinning, the world broke out altogether in rebellion against God. The first Adam, upon his sinning, turned a rebel against God, and tainted all his children with his guilt and an inclination to this wickedness; and therefore it is said, We are children of disobedience, Eph. ii. 2. And children of disobedience are a strange sort of children; children that have disobedience to be their father, that are born of disobedience, that have their original from disobedience. When it is said, we are children of disobedience, the meaning is, that we are the offspring of disobedient parents, and that they conveyed to us a disobedient nature. The first Adam sinned, and by one man's disobedience, many, (nay all) avere made sinners, Rom. v. 19. And this is the state that the world lives in, and that most of them die in. God and they are at variance; what he is for, they are against, and what he is against, they are for; and a little time is spent, the short time of man's life in this world is spent in this quarrel; men sin against God, and God witnesseth against them for their sinning and God hath a great many ways of witnessing against them. He witnesseth against this disobedience in them that have no more but the light of nature; see what the apostle saith to the barbarous Lycaonians, that counted Paul a God, and Barnabas another God; Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness. You will think now that this was but a poor witness; the apostle reckons God's common providence in ordering the seasons of the year, and in making the earth fruitful and able to yield bread to mankind, as a witness for God, that people should know their duty to their great maker. God gives a farther witness by his word, to them that have it, against these rebels. He adds a farther witness by his Spirit striving with them. And farther yet he adds another witness, by his providences, in striving with them. How many poor sinners are there who live this way? God and they are at enmity, they hate God, and God hates them, and strives against them by his word, and sometimes by checks in their consciences, and many times by checks in his providences; and all to bring them over to obedience to his will; but they continue rebels still till death destroys them. They strive with God till God gets the mastery, as he always will, over them who strive with him; for woe be to them who strive with their Maker and this is the issue of the controversy one way. But there are a few that saving grace comes in upon, and lays hold of, and changes their hearts, and brings them over to be loyal and obedient subjects and servants to God, and to Jesus Christ and thus it is that there is any difference made between the herd of the perishing world and those few that are saved. : Secondly, and more particularly, The obedience that the sanctification of the Spirit is directed to, may be comprehended under these three heads: 1st, There is the obedience that is given to a promising God, and this respects privileges; for all promises are of privileges. Now the obedience that is to be paid to a promising God is plainly the obedience of faith, which the apostle speaks of, Rom. xvi. 26. God hath made known the gospel to all nations, for the obedience of faith. When soever God promises, there is a debt laid upon men by his promising, to believe that he is true who speaks; and by virtue of the greatness of the truth of the speaker, there should |