they 2.) Another motive to holiness is the love of Christ, exe firessed in the great work of our redemption, and in that care Sevend compassion which he has extended towards us in the apan blication thereof, in all the methods he has used in the begin

ing and carrying on the work of grace, in which we may say, e sanitherto he hath helped us: this ought to be improved so as :o constrain us, 2 Cor. v. 14. as he has hereby laid us under er the highest obligation to live to him. And as love to Christ is ot the main ingredient in sanctification; so when by faith we beot hold him as the most engaging and desirable object, this will De afford a constant inducement to holiness.

(3.) Another motive hereunto is our relation to God, as his children, and our professed subjection to him; as we gave up of ourselves to him, when first we believed, avouched him to be our God, and, since then, have experienced many instances of This condescending goodness and faithfulness; as he has been pleased to grant us some degrees of communion with him, through Christ; and as he has given us many great and precious promises, and in various instances, made them good to us; and has reserved an inheritance for all that are sanctified in that better world, to which they shall be brought at last: this should induce us to lead a life of holiness, as the apostle says, Having these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God, chap. vii. 1...

From what has been said in explaining the doctrine of sanctification, we may infer,

[1.] The difference that there is between moral virtue, so far as it may be attained by the light of nature, and the improvement of human reason; and that holiness of heart and life, which contains in it all Christian virtues, and is inseparably connected with salvation. All who are conversant in the writings of some of the Heathen moralists will find a great many things that tend to regulate the conduct of life; and those precepts laid down, which, if followed, carry in them a great resemblance of the grace of sanctification; and herein some, who have been destitute of the light of the gospel, have very much excelled many who bear the Christian name: when we find a lively representation of the universal corruption and degeneraey of human nature, the disorder and irregularity of the affections, and man's natural propensity to vice, rules laid down for the attaining of virtue, by which means men are directed how to free themselves from that slavery which they are under to their lusts, and advice given to press after a resemblance and conformity to God; this carried in it a great shew of holiness.

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A late writer has collected together several passages out of their writings, with a design to prove, that though they were "destitute of gospel-light, yet they might attain salvation; inas"much as they use many expressions that very much resemble the grace of sanctification: as for instance, when one of them speaking concerning contentment in the station of life in which providence had fixed him, says, "A servant of God should not

be solicitous for the morrow. Can any good man fear that "he should want food? Doth God so neglect his servants, and "his witnesses, as that they should be destitute of his care and "providence? And he adds, Did I ever, Lord, accuse thee, or complain of thy government? Was I not always willing "to be sick when it was thy pleasure that I should be so? Did " I ever, desire to be what thou wouldest not have me to be?

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Am I not always ready to do what thou commandest? Wilt "thou have me to continue here, I will freely do as thou will"est? Or, wouldest thou have me depart hence, I will freely "do it at thy command? I have always had my will subject "to that of God; deal with me according to thy pleasure; I "am always of the same mind with thee; I refuse nothing which thou art pleased to lay upon me; lead me whither "thou wilt; clothe me as thou pleasest; I will be a magistrate ❝or private person; continue me in my country, or in exile, I "will not only submit to, but defend thy proceedings in all "things." We might also produce quotations out of other writings whereby it appears that some of the heathen excelled many Christians in the consistency of their sentiments about religious matters, with the divine perfections; as when they say, Whatever endowment of the mind has a tendency to make a man truly great and excellent; this is owing to an internal divine influence.t Others, speaking of the natural propensity which there is in man to vice, have maintained, that to fence against it, there is a necessity of their having assistance from God, in order to their leading a virtuous life; and that virtue is not attained by instruction, that is, not only by that means, but that it is from God; and that this is to be sought for at his hands, by faith and prayer: much to this purpose may be seen in the writings of Plato, Maximus Tyrius, Hierocles, and several others.t

The principal use that I would make hereof is, to observe that this should humble many Christians, who are far from coming up to the Heathen in the practice of moral virtue. And,

* See Whitby's Disc. &c. page 541, in which he quotes Arrian, as giving the sense of Epictetus, Lib. 1. cap. 9. Lib. 3 cap. 5, 24, 26, 36, &c.

Vid. Cic. de natura Deorum, Lib. 2. Nullus unquam vir magnus fuit, sine aliquo affatu divino.

See Gale's court of the Gentiles. Book 3. chap. 1. and chap. 10. and Wits. de Oecon. Fed. 461-463.

as for the sentiments of those who deny the necessity of our having the divine influence in order to our performing the du-. ties which God requires of us, in a right manner; these fall, very short of what the light of nature has suggested to those who have duly attended to it, though destitute of divine revelation. When I meet with such expressions, and many other divine things, in the writings of Plato; and what he says of the conversation of his master Socrates, both in his life and death: I cannot but apply in this case, what our Saviour says to the scribe in the gospel, who answered him discreetly, Thou art, not far from the kingdom of God, Mark xii. 34. These things, it is true, very much resemble the grace of sanctification; yet in many respects, they fall short of it; inasmuch as they had no acts of faith, in a Mediator, whom they were altogether strangers to, as being destitute of divine revelation.

It is not my design, at present, to enquire, whether they had any hope of salvation? this having been considered under a foregoing answer. All that I shall here observe is, that some of the best of them were charged with notorious crimes, which a Christian would hardly reckon consistent with the truth of grace; as Plato, with flattering of tyrants, and too much indulging pride and luxury; Socrates, with pleading for fornication and incest, and practising sodomy, if what some have reported concerning them be true . But, without laying any stress oh the character of particular persons, who, in other respects, have said and done many excellent things; it is evident, that whatever appearance of holiness there may be in the writings or conversation of those that are strangers to Christ and his gospel, this falls short of the grace of sanctification. (a)

See Vol. II. page 489. & seq. Fid. G. J. Vosa. de Hist. Græc. page 22. See Gale's court of the Gentiles, Part III. book 1, chap. 1, 2. which learned writer having, in some other parts of that work, mentioned several things that were praise worthy, in some of the philosophers, here takes occasion to speak of some other things, which were great blemishes in them: and, in other parts of this elaborate work, proves that those who lived in the first ages of the church, and were attached to their philosophy, were by this means, as he supposes, led aside from many great and important truths of the gospel; of this number Origen, Justin Martyr, and several others. And he farther supposes, that what many of them advanced concerning the liberty of man's will, as to what respects spiritual things, gave occa. sion to the Pelagians to propagate those doctrines that were subversive of the grace af God; and that the Arian and Samosatenan heresies took their rise from hence. See Part III. Book 2. chap. 1.

(a) The natural knowledge of God and his goodness, gives some encourage. ment to guilty creatures to repent of their sins, and to return to God by a gene ral hope of acceptance, though they had no promise of pardoning grace. And this was the very principle upon which some of the better sort of the Gentiles set themselves to practise virtue, to worship God, and endeavour to become like him.

There is a vast difference between recommending or practising moral virtues, as agreeable to the nature of man, and the dictates of reason; and a person's being led in that way of holiness, which our Saviour has prescribed in the gospel. This takes its rise from a change of nature, wrought in regeneration, is excited by gospel-motives, encouraged by the promises thereof, and proceeds from the grace of faith, without which, all pretensions to holiness are vain and defective. What advances soever these may have made in endeavouring to free themselves from the slavery of sin, they have been very deficient, as to the mortification thereof; for being ignorant of that great atonement which is made by Christ, as the only expedient to take away the guilt of sin, they could not, by any method, arrive to a conscience void of offence, or any degree of hope concerning the forgiveness thereof, and the way of acceptance in the sight of God: and their using endeavours to stop the current of vice, and to subdue their inordinate affections, could

I do not say, that natural religion can give sinful men a full and satisfying assurance of pardon upon their repentance; for the deepest degrees of penitence cannot oblige a prince to forgive the criminal; but still the overflowing goodness of God, his patience and long-suffering, notwithstanding their sins, may evidently and justly excite in their hearts some hope of forgiving grace: and I think the words of my text cannot intend less than this, that God has not left them without witness, when he gave them rain from heaven, when he satisfied their appetites with food, and filled their hearts with gladness. What was it that these benefits of their Creator bore witness to? Was it not that there was goodness and mercy to be found with him, if they would return to their duty, and abandon their own ways of idolatry and vice. Surely, it can never be supposed, that the apostle here means no more than to say, that the daily instances of divine bounty in the common comforts of life, assured them, that God had some goodness in him, and blessings to bestow on their bodies; but gave them no hope of his acceptance of their souls, if they should return and repent never so sincerely. The Ninevites themselves, when threatened with destruction, repented in sackcloth and ashes; for, said they, Who can tell but God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? Nor were they mistaken in their hope, for God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way, and he repented of the evil that he had threatened, Jonah iii. 5— 10. And there is yet a more express text to this purpose, Rom. ii. 4. Despisest thou the riches of his goodness, and forbearance, and long-suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? And if God leads us to repentance, by a sense of his goodness, surely he gives hope that our repentance shall not be in vain: and though, perhaps, I could not affirm it with boldness, and certainty by the mere light of reason, yet I may venture to declare, upon the encouragement of these scriptures, that if there should be found any sinner in the heathen world, who should be thus far wrought upon by a sense of the goodness of God, as to be led sincerely to repent of sin, and seek after mercy, God would find a way to make a discovery of so much of the gospel, as was necessary for him to know, rather than such a penitent sinner should be left under condemnation, or that a guilty creature should go on to eternal death in the way of repentance. Cornelius the Centurion, who feared God, who prayed to him daily, and wrought righteousness, according to the light of his conscience, had both an angel and an apostle sent to him, that he might receive more complete instruction in the matters of his salvation. Acts x. 1-6. and from 30-35." DR. WATTS.

not be effectual to answer that end, inasmuch as they were destitute of the Spirit of God, who affords his divine assistance, in order thereunto, in no other way than what is prescribed in the gospel; so that as without holiness no one shall see the Lord, this grace is to be expected in that way which God has prescribed; and every one that is holy is made so by the Spirit, who glorifies himself in rendering men fruitful in every good work, being raised by him, from the death of sin, to the life of faith in Christ; which is a blessing peculiar to the gospel.

[2.] Since holiness is required of all persons, as what is absolutely necessary to salvation, and is also recommended as that which God works, in those in whom the gospel is made effectual thereunto; we may infer, that no gospel-doctrine has the least tendency to lead to licentiousness. The grace of God may indeed be abused; and men, who are strangers to it, take occasion from the abounding thereof, to continue in sin, as some did in the apostle's days, Rom. vi. 1. but this is not the genuine tendency of the gospel, which is to lead men to holiness. Whatever duties it engages to, they are all designed to answer this end; and whatever privileges are contained therein, they are all of them inducements thereunto: are we delivered out of the hands of our spiritual enemies? it is, that we should serve him in holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our lives, Luke i. 74, 75. As for the promises, they are an inducement to us, as the apostle expresses it, to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God, 2 Cor. vii. 1. and every ordinance and providence should be improved by us, to promote the work of sanctification.

[3.] Let us examine ourselves, whether this work be begun, and the grace of God wrought in us, in truth? and if so, whether it be increasing or declining in our souls?

1st, As to the truth of grace, let us take heed that we do not think that we are something when we are nothing, deceiving our own souls, or rest in a form of godliness, while denying the power thereof, or a name to live, while we are dead; let us think that it is not enough to abstain from grosser enormities, or engage in some external duties of religion, with wrong ends. And if, upon enquiry into ourselves, we find that we are destitute of a principle of spiritual life and grace, let us not think, that because we have escaped some of the pollutions that are in the world, or do not run with others in all excess of riot, that therefore we lead holy lives; but rather let us enquire, Whether the life we live in the flesh, be by the faith of the Son of God, under the influence of his Spirit, with great diffidence of our own righteousness and strength, and firm dependence upon Christ? and as the result hereof, whether we