that they that are not in some measure saints in grace here, shall never be saints in glory hereafter.

Forgiveness of sins.] Notwithstanding forgiveness of sins, there is a necessity of holiness, though not as meriting it, as leading unto happiness. But on the other side, notwithstanding the highest point of holiness we can attain, there is a necessity of this forgiveness of sins. Though believers make up a holy church and company of saints, yet there is a debt upon them that their holiness pays not; yea, they are so far from having a superplus for a standing treasure after all is paid, that all the holiness of the saints together, will not pay the least farthing of that debt they owe. As for me, I will walk in mine integrity, says David. How then? adds he, "this shall justify me sufficiently," no, but redeem thou me, and be merciful to me; so 1 John 6, 7. If we say, we have no sin, we are liars, &c. And walk in darkness, &c. And yet in the next verse, though we do walk in the light, yet is there need of the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse us from all sin; and so throughout the scriptures. All the integrity of the godly under the law did not exempt them from offering sacrifice, which was the expiation of sin in the figure, looking forward to that great and spotless sacrifice, that was to be slain for the sins of the world; and those that believe the gospel, the application of that justifying blood that streams forth in the doctrine of the gospel, is not only needful to wash in for their cleansing in their first conversion, but to be re-applied to the soul, for taking off the daily contracted guiltiness of new sins. It is a fountain opened and standing open for sin and for uncleanness, as that sea of brass before the sanctuary, &c. They that are clean have still need of washing, at least, their feet, as Christ. speaks to St. Peter.

The consideration of that precious blood shed for our sins, is the strongest persuasive to holiness, and to the avoiding and hating of sin. So far is the doc

trine of justification (right understood) from animating men to sin. But because of the woeful continuance of sin in the godly, while they continue in this region of sin and death, therefore is there a continual necessity of new recourse to this great expiation. Thus St. John joins these two'.

You think it an easy matter, and a thing that for your own ease you willingly believe, the forgiveness of sins. It is easy indeed, after our fashion, easy to imagine that we believe such a thing when we hear it, because we let it pass and question it not, we think it may be true, and think no farther on it, while we neither know truly what sin is, nor feel the weight of our own sins: but where a soul is convinced of the nature of sin, and its own guiltiness, there to believe forgiveness, is not so easy a task.

In believing this forgiveness of sins, and so the other privileges that attend it, there be these three things gradually leading one to the other. 1. To believe that there is such a thing, and that it is purchased by the death of Christ, and so attainable by coming unto him for it. 2. By this the soul finding itself ready to sink under the burden of its own sins, is persuaded to go to him, and lay over that load on him, and itself withal resolves to rest on him for this forgiveness, this is to believe in him who is the Lord our righteousness. 3. Upon this believing on him for forgiveness, follows a reflex believing of that forgiveness; not continually and inseparably, especially if we take the degree of assurance somewhat high, but yet in itself it is apt to follow, and often in God's gracious dispensation doth follow upon that former act of believing, through the clearness and strength of faith in the soul, and sometimes withal, is backed with an express peculiar testimony of God's own Spirit: to believe and to grow stronger in believing, and to aspire to the assurance of faith is our constant duty; but that immediate testimony of the Spirit is an arbitrary beam that God re

1 John ii. 1, 2.

serves in his own hand, yet such a gift as we may not only lawfully seek, but do foolishly prejudge ourselves and slight it, if we neglect to seek it, and want so rich a blessing for want of asking, and withal, labouring to keep our hearts in a due dispose and frame for entertaining it. The keeping our consciences pure, as much as may be, doth not only keep the comfortable evidence of pardon clearest and least interrupted within us, but is the likeliest to receive those pure joys, that flow immediately into the soul from the Spirit of God. The testimony of our conscience is (if we damp it not ourselves) our continual feast, but that testimony of the Spirit is a superadded taste of higher comfort out of God's own hand, as it were a piece of heaven in the soul, which he sometimes chears it withal: where he hath first given much love and ardent desires after himself, they are short of that light, in the fulness whereof we hope to dwell hereafter. But besides that, God is most free in that particular, and knows what is fittest for us; the greatest part even of true Christians yet do not so walk, nor attend to that spiritualness that is capable of such visits.

The resurrection of the body.] The comfort of these privileges, opposed to those grand evils that we feel or fear, sanctification to the power of sin, justification or forgiveness to the guilt of sin, the resurrection to temporal death, and life eternal to the second or eternal death.

This is the raising of the self-same body that is laid in the dust, otherwise, the giving of a body to the soul again, must have some other name, for resurrection it cannot be called.

That God can do this, notwithstanding all imagin able difficulties in it, have we not proof enough in what he hath done; sure that which he did in the beginning of time, the framing the whole world of nothing, is more than a sufficient pledge of this that is to be done in the end of time.

That he will do it, we have his own word for it,

and the pledge of it in raising his Son Jesus, therefore called the first begotten from the dead; this as relating to believers who are one with him. The resurrection of the dead in general is an act of power, but to the godly an act of grace, to the wicked of justice: both shall rise by the power of Christ, but to the one as a judge, and a judge that shall condemn them; to the other as their head, and their Saviour. Joseph's two fellow prisoners were both taken out of the prison, and at the same time, but the one to the court, the other to the gallows; so in the resurrection",

The confession of faith being of such things as belong to believers, and are their happiness, therefore their resurrection is particularly here intended, as we see eternal life and glory is subjoined to it.

Our bodies are raised that were companions and partakers of our good and evil in our abode upon earth, that they may in eternity be companions and partakers of our reward: those of the ungodly to suit their condemned souls, shall be filled with shame, and vileness, and misery; and those that were in their lower estate here temples of the Holy Ghost, shall be filled with that fulness of joy, that shall run over from the soul unto them; they shall be conform to the happy and glorious souls to which they shall be united, yea to the glorious body of our Lord Jesus Christ. There shall then be nothing but beauty, and glory, and immortality in them that are now frail and mortal, and being dead, do putrify and turn to dust. He shall change our vile bodies, and make them like unto his most glorious body; but as St. Bernard says well, If we would be sure of this, that our bodies shall be conform to his, in the glory to come, see our souls be here conform to his, in that humility which he so much manifested whilst he dwelt among men; if we would that then our vile body be made like his glorious body, let our proud heart now be made like his humble. heart.

Life eternal.] Our confession of faith ends in that

* John v. 29.

which is the end of our faith, our everlasting salvation, or eternal life; of which, all that we can say is but stammering, and all our knowledge and conceiting of it but ignorance, in regard of what it is; yet so much we know, or may know of it, as, if we knew aright, would certainly draw us more into the desires and pursuit of it. The very name of life is sweet, but then especially as it is here meant, in the purest and sweetest sense, for a truly happy life*. For a life full of misery is scarce worth the name of life, and the longer it were, the worse; therefore the miserable estate of dained souls, though immortal in it, is called death. So then by this life, true and full blessedness being meant, and then that added, that it is eternal life, what can be imagined more to make it desirable.

So happy, that there shall not be the smallest drop of any evil or bitterness in it, pure unmixt bliss, nothing present in it that is displeasing, nor nothing wanting that is delightful; and everlasting, that when millions of years (if there were any such reckoning there) are rolled about, it shall be as far from ending as at the first.

A very little knowledge of this blessed life, would make us clean out of love with the life, that now we make such account of: What can it be that ties us here? The known shortness of this life, were it more happy than it is to any, might make it of less esteem with us; but then withal, being so full of miseries and sins, so stuffed with sorrows round about us, and within ourselves; that if the longest of it can be called long, it is only the multitude of miseries in it, can challenge that name for it. Such a world of bodily diseases, here one's head paining him, another his stomacht, some complaining of this part, some of that, and the same party sometimes of one malady, sometimes of another; what disappointments and dis* Non est vivere, sed valere, vita.

Quam malè nobis convenit, nunc de ventre, nunc de capite, &c. hoc contingere solet in alieno habitantibus. SEN.