your Polly! O for refignation!-Let my re"mains be laid where you intend to lie. Let 66 our. athes be united that we may rife together at "the day of Judgment. For tho' there fhall be "neither marrying nor giving in marriage in that "day, yet we fhall know each other and shall re"joice to meet again, where parting fhall be no "more, but all fhall be perfect happiness to all "Eternity,!"

"If my dear, very dear husband feel, when "reading this, what I felt when writing it, he "will know what comfort there is in grief, what "pleasure in mourning! For my heart pants for "you! ftruggles to get free from creature-love!

flies back to your bofom! I fancy my arms " around your neck: my love bathed in tears :— "but at last both forced to fubmit! I lie pale! "My love, mourning, kiffes my clay-cold cheek;

66

preffes my hand; bids me speak one more fare"well-word: but all in vain! His Polly's breath "is refigned to God who gave it! His heart is "ready to burft. He looks for a comforter: but "fhe who used to comfort him in time of trou❝ble, is no more!-Therefore flee for refuge to "Chrift, the Lord, the only help in trouble. "He will support you. I know he will. "know he loves you with an everlasting love; " and tho' all earthly comforts fail, the Lord is 66 your portion! How good he is, in that he "takes me first. For I could not fupport the

I

lofs of my dear husband. How often has my "heart bled for fear of your leaving me. But the Lord is Love itfelf, therefore we will unite "to praise him to all eternity.

OF

SERMON XII.

On the Nature and Extent

SANCTIFICATION.

I THESS. V. 23, 24.

"May the very God of Peace fanctify you wholly and I pray God your whole fpirit, and foul, and body, be preferved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jefus Chrift. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it."

I.

SANCTIFICA

ANCTIFICATION is much fpoken of, and ftrongly inculcated throughout the facred Scriptures. Its nature is there described, and its abfolute neceffity and great excellency pointed out in various forms of expreffion. "This is the will of God (fays St. Paul*,) even your fanctification;" and his will, we know, is of indifpenfable obligation upon all his creatures; to comply with it, and be made conformable to it, is at once our duty and our happiness. "Ye are chofen to falvation," that is, happiness in heaven, (fays he again †,) "through fanctification of the spirit. Salvation is the end, fanctification the way; -a way in which all muft walk who would arrive at that defirable end. For, fays the fame Apostle, "Without holiness, (ayacuos, fanctification,) no

* 1 Thef. iv. 3.

I

+ 2 Thef. ii. 13.

N 6

man

man fhall fee the Lord." Whatever a man attains, if he attain not. this, he fhall be excluded the prefence, and denied the blifsful vifion of God; he fhall be shut out of heaven, and thrust down to hell. On the contrary, the fanctified, the " pure in heart," ftand entitled to the inheritance above, as St. Paul declares*, and as the faithful and true witnefs teftifies t," shall fee God," fhall know and enjoy him for ever.

2. So great is the neceffity and excellency of fanctification, that it is the grand end God has in view in all the difpenfations of his providence and grace to the children of men. "Chrift gave himself for his church, that he might fanctify and cleanse it: He fuffered without the camp, that he might fanctify the people by his own blood." The Spirit of God is termed the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit of Holiness; not only because he is holy in himself, but alfo because it is his office to fanctify and make us holy: and God "chaftens us for our profit, that we may be made partakers of his holiness." Yea, and in every difpenfation towards us, whether pleafing or painful, God has this fame end in view, for his divine power has given us all things that pertain unto life and unto godlinefs," as well as thofe exceeding great and precious promifes" whereby these bleflings are made over to us, "that we may be made partakers of the divine nature, having efcaped the corruption that is in the world."

3. Hence it is that much hath been faid of fanctification in every age fince Chriffianity was first established in the world until now. It has appeared to be of fuch great importance, that many who have had the glory of God and the good of

* Acts xxvi. 18. + Matt. v. 8.

mankind

mankind at heart, have written upon the fubject, and not a few of thefe admirably well. Many excellent things have been advanced upon this point both by antient and modern authors; by our own countrymen and by ftrangers. And it is, a doctrine concerning which there has been but little difpute, unless in our own age, an age fruitful of controverfies of all kinds. And probably it would have been lefs difputed even now, had the Scriptures been more attentively and carefully confulted on the head. But be that as it will, as the fubject is by no means exhausted, and as the Scriptures only can make us wife unto falvation, whatever others do, let us confider them diligently upon all points of doctrine, and efpecially upon this, fo manifeftly of the greatest confequence.Having then feen the importance of fanctifica tion, proceed we now to confider,

ift. Its Nature and Extent, And,

2dly. How we may attain it.

And, ift, Let us confider the Nature and Extent of fanctification.

1. Sanctification is often afcribed in the Old Teftament to things without life. In the books of Mofes, the tabernacle, altar, laver of braís, the priest's garments, and various other things ufed in the Ifraelitifh worship, are faid to be fanctified. So afterwards, in the hiftorical books, the temple and the various utenfils in the temple fervice are faid to be fanétified. Now all that can be meant by that expreffion thus applied, is, that they were feparated from common and profane ufe, and dedicated to the immediate worship and fervice of God. And indeed this feems to be the primary and origi

nal