in my deformity, and his matchless grace in my preservation and salvation, and in the salvation of all that believe on his name. "For me to live is Christ," for he lives in me, "and to die is gain," for Christ is the portion of my soul, and my all in "He that is dead is freed from sin."

all.

IX.

THE SANCTIFICATION OF THE SINNER, THE MATTER AND THE MANNER OF IT.

JOHN xvii. 17.

"Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth."

To sanctify is to appoint, ordain, consecrate, or set apart, any person or thing to a holy and special use; and thus God sanctified the sabbath day, the tabernacle, its furniture, and all the vessels of the ministry, Gen. ii. 3. Exodus xl. 9, 10, 11. These things were not only to be set apart by the appointment of God to be used in his service, but they were to be sprinkled with blood and anointed with oil. To sanctify, in one sense of the word, signifies to wash, cleanse, or purify: the priests were sanctified by washing in water, and with the anointing oil, and by blood upon the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and the great toe of the right foot; the common people by washing their flesh, clothes, &c. &c.; and others by the blood of bulls and goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctified to the purifying of the flesh, Heb. ix. 13. But it is the substance of this shadow that I am at, which sanctifies wholly body, soul, and spirit.

"Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth." The elect of God were sanctified in the purpose of God from everlasting; and in this purpose of grace Christ was made sanctification. and redemption to them from all eternity. "From everlasting I was set up," Prov. viii. 23. And in his undertaking for us he went forth from of old, yea from everlasting, Micah v. 2. In this sense we are said to be "sanctified by God the Father, preserved in Jesus Christ, and called," Jude 1. God worketh all things after the counsel of his own will; and this is his will of purpose, which in time, when he began to speak to men, became the will of promise, and in the fulness of time it became the good will of God in Christ Jesus; that is, at Christ's appearing, who came to execute every branch of the Father's good will and pleasure, and to be manifested to us as our sanctification, according to the ancient settlements, or councils of old. "Then said I, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God; by the which will we are sanctified," Heb. x. 7, 10. This branch of sanctification, being in the purpose and good will of God, must undoubtedly signify setting apart and appointing us to it; and, as it was settled and done in the purpose of God, it is spoken of in the past tense; sanctified by God the Father from everlasting, preserved in Christ Jesus in time, from the womb to conversion; and called in due time to the fellowship of the Lord Jesus; for, being chosen in Christ from eternity, we are pre

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served in him throughout our state of nature, as his own remnant. "Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb: and even to your old age I am he; and even to the hoary hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and deliver you."

2. We are sanctified by the blood of Christ, which has appeased the offended majesty of heaven; which blotted out our transgressions as a cloud from the book of God's remembrance; which satisfied justice, removed the curse, purged our conscience, and procured our enlargement from the prison. "By the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water." "Wherefore Jesus also, that, he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate."

3. We are sanctified by the Spirit of God, who reveals God's secret purposes of grace to us, and applies the great atonement to the conscience; and who, by his powerful operations, regenerates and renews us, which is called the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost. Under these operations the soul is cleansed, renewed, and the faculties of the soul are turned to God; the will submits and chooses the better part; the heart relents, and repents towards God, and becomes soft, broken, and contrite; the mind begins to be heavenly, and to

mind heavenly things. Such have life and peace; the affections go after God, and are placed above, and the conscience acts an honest and just part for God; "That the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost."

Thus it may be seen that each person in the Godhead has a hand in the sanctification of God's people. We are sanctified by God the Father in his purpose; Christ sanctified us by his own blood when he suffered without the gate; and we are made acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.

Moreover, we may see that the word, sanctification, both in the Old Testament and in the New, signifies something more than setting apart; in this sense we were sanctified in the purpose of God. But we read of purging our sins, and of purging the conscience, of purifying the heart, of sanctifying and cleansing the church, with the washing of water by the word, Eph. v. 26. And of the washing of regeneration, &c.; and of cleansing us from all our filthiness and from all our idols. Now this sanctification reaches to body, soul, and spirit. The body is sanctified by the in-dwelling of the Holy Ghost; the body is his temple, and he is the Lord that sanctifies us. The soul is sanctified as above described; and even the animal spirits are often high, and much elated in the service of God, when the powerful operations of God are upon the believer; much