V’ - \ DIRECTION Till.
i Be sure to setK for holiness of heart and life only m its (hie_oxdfif, where Cod bath placed it, after union with Christ, justification, and the gift of the Holy Ghost; and, in that order, seek it.earnestly by faith, as a very necessary part of your salvation.
EXPLICATION,
I HOiPE the reader will observe warily in all these Directions, that the holiness aimed at, as the. great end in the whole discourse, consisteth not mthejTflce or «c/of faith, required peculiarly by the gospel; which, though it be a saying gift of Christ, yet is here considered rather as a means precedent to the reception of Christ, and all his salvation, than a part of his salvation receiv. ed. But the holiness aimed at, consisteth in conformity to the whole moral law, to which we are naturally obliged, if there had never been any gospel, or any such duty as believing in C! irist for salvation.
Now, in this Direction, three things are contained •that are very necessary to guide us to the attainment of jthis great-end; and therefore worthy of our serious censideration. “1
the fruits of the Spirit? and what is all this but holiness in heart and life? Conclude we then, that holiness in this life is absolutely necessary to salvation, not only as a means to the end, but by a nobler kind of necessity, as part of the end itself. Though we are not saved by good works, as procuring causes, yet we are saved
- to good works, as fruits and effects of saving grace; “which God hath prepared that we should walk in’ them,” Eph. ii. 10. It is, indeed, one part of our salvation, to be delivered from the bondage of the covenant ‘of works; but the end of this is, not that we may have: liberty to sin (which is the worst of slavery) but that we may fulfil the royal law of liberty, and that we may* “serve him, in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter,” Gal. v. 13. Rom. vii. 6. Yea, holinessin this life is such a part of our salvation, as is a necessary means to inake us ” meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in heavenly light and glory; without hpliness we can ne;er see God,” Ileb. xii. 14; and, are as unfit for the glorious presence, as swine for the presence-chamber of an earthly prince. I confess, some may be converted, when they are so near the point of death, that they may have little time to practise holiness in this world: but the grace of the Spirit is tive like fire, Mat. iii. 11; and, as soon as it is giv it will immediately produce good inward working love to God, and Christ, and his people, which will be sufficient to manifest the righteous judgment of God in saving them at the great day, when he shall judge every man according to his work; though some possibly may not have so much time to discover their inward grace in any outward works, as the thief upon the cross, Luke xxiii. 40,43.
The third and last thing to be noted in this difeetioni is, ” that holiness of heart and life is to be sought for
r earnestly by faith, as a very necessary p_a.rt of our sali vation.” Great multitudes of ignorant pedple, that live vmder the gospel, harden their hearts in sin, and “ruin their souls for ever, by trusting on Christ for such
imaginary salvation, as consisteth not at all in holiness, but only in forgiveness of sin, and deliverance from everlasting torments. They would be free from the punishment due to sin ; but they love their lusts so well, that they hate holiness, and would not be saved from the service of sin. The way to oppose this pernicious delusion is, not to’deny, .as’some do, that trusting on Christ for. salvation is a saving act of faith ; but rather to shew, that none do or can trust on Christ for true salvation, except they, trust on him for holiness: neither do they heartily desire true salvation, if they do not desire to be made holy and righteous in their hearts and lives. If ever God and Christ give you salvation, holiness will be one part of it; if Christ wash you not from the filth of your sins, “you have no part with him,” John xiii. 8.
What a.strange kind of salvation do they desire, that care not for holiness! They would be saved, and yet be altogether dead in sin, aliens from the life of God, bereft of the image of God, deformed by the image of Satan, his slaves and vassals, to their own filthy lusts, utterly unmeet for the enjoyment of God in glory. Swell a salvation as that was never purchased by the blood of Christ; and those that seek it abuse the grace of God in Christ, and turn it into lasciviousness. They would be saved by Christ, and yet out of Christ, in a fleshly state; whereas God doth free none from condemnation, but those that are in Christ, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit; or else they would divide Christ, and take a part of his salvation, and leave out the rest; but, -** Christ is not divided,” 1 Cor. i. 13. They would have iheir sins forgiven, not that they may walk with God in love’ in time to come, but that they may practise their ehrhity against him, without any fear of punishment. But, let them not be decerned, God is not mocked. They understand not what true salvation is, neither were they ever yet thoroughly sensible of their lost estate, and of the great evil of sin; and that which they trust on Christ for, is but an imagination of their owa brains: and therefore their trusting is gross presumption. True gospel faith maketh us come to Christ with a thirsty appetite, that we may ” drink of living water,” even of the sanctifying Spirit, John vii. 37, 38; and to cry out earnestly to save us, not only from hell, but from sin; saying, “teach us to do thy will; thy Spirit is good,” Psalm cxliii. 10; 4t turn thou me, and I shall be turned,” Jer. xxxi. 18; ” create in me a elean heart,. O God j and renew a right spirit within me,” Psalm li. ‘10. This is the way whereby the dpctrihe of salvation by grace doth necessitate us to holiness of life, by constraining us to seek for it by faith in Christ, as a sub« stantial partnjf that salvation which is freely given us through Christ. , . …”