If the light of the glorious gofpel, even the light of the glory of God, in the face of Jefus Chrift, did once fhine into your hearts, then, beholding this glory of the Lord, you would be changed into the fame image, from glory to glory, by the Spirit of the Lord; yea, to believe the gofpel favingly, is the way to fulfil perfectly. The true believer may be faid to fulfil the law, both as it is a covenant, and as it is a rule: As it is a covenant, he fulfils it perfectly and regally in his Head and Surety, in whom he hath perfect, everlasting righteoufnefs: And as it is a rule, he fulfils it perfectly alfo, with a perfection of parts here, and a perfection of degrees hereafter and in both thefe refpects may that word be explained, Rom. i. 3, 4. where the righteoufness of the law is faid to be fulfilled in believers, whofe character is, That they walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Now, I would prefs you to this fpiritual walk, this holy life, which is a living unto God; for, though your holiness be not neceffary for your juftification, that is the damnable doctrine of Popery; though, I fay, it be not neceffary for your juftification, because you are dead to the law, in point of justification; yet it is neceffary, because you are dead to the law, for this very end, that you may live unto God, in point of fanétification, and that you may be holy.

More particularly for motives, confider the neceffity of holiness, in thefe following particulars.

1. It is neceffary in refpect of God; and here (to use the method of a great divine on this head) confider how the will of God, the love of God, the glory of God, obliges you in particular, believer, to live unto God.

(1.) The fovereign will of God obliges you to holinels; "This is the will of God, even your fanctification," I Theff. iv. 3. It is the will of God the Father, he hath ordained it; "We are his workmanship, created in Chrift Jefus unto good works, which God before had ordained that we' fhould walk therein."-It is the will of God the Son; "I have ordained you that you fhould bring forth fruit, and that it should remain," John xv. 16.

It is the will of God the Holy Ghoft, whom we grieve by our fins, if we do not ftudy holiness.

(2.) The love of God obliges you to holiness; yea, this is the end of the electing love of the Father, the purchafing love of the Son, and the operating love of the Holy Ghoft. It is the peculiar end of the electing love of the Father, who hath chofen us, that we should be holy, and unblameable before him in love, Eph. i. 4. "He hath chofen us to falvation, through fanctification of the Spirit."It is the peculiar end of the purchafing love of the Son, "Who gave himfelf for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify to himself à peculiar people, zealous of good works, Titus ii. 1 4. And who loved his church, and gave himself for it, that he might fanctify and cleanfe it, by the wafhing of water, and prefent it to himfelf a glorious church, not having fpot, nor wrinkle, nor any fuch thing, but that it fhould be holy, and without blemish," Eph. v. 25, 26, 27.It is alfo the peculiar end of the operating love of the Holy Ghoft; his whole work in us, and for us, consisting in preparing us for, and enabling us to the duties of holinefs, and bringing forth the fruit thereof in us.— Believer, if you have any regard to the fovereignty of God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft; any regard to the love of God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, it obliges you to holiness of heart and life.

(3.) The glory of God obliges you to holiness, and makes it neceffary. Would you glorify the Father? Then, "Let your light fo fhine before men, that they feeing your good works, may glorify God. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit."-Would you glorify the Son? "It is the will of God, that all men honour the Son, even as they honour the Father." And how is this done? Even by believing in him, and obeying him; "Ye are my friends [ye evidence yourfelves to be fo], if ye do whatfoever I command you." Would you glorify the Holy Ghoft? It is by ftudying holinefs; for we are his temple; and holinefs becomes his house and temple for ever; and he is dishonoured, when his temple is defiled.-Surely, believer, when I fpeak to you, I cannot be fuppofed to fpeak to one,

that

that neither regards the fovereign will, love, nor glory of God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft; though your holiness should all be loft, and never regarded, which is impoffible; yet here is reafon enough for it.

2. Holiness is neceflary in refpect of yourfelves; you are neceffarily obliged to holinefs; your own honour and peace is concerned here: It is gainful; "Godliness is great gain, having the promife of this life, and that which is to come." It is pleafant; for, "Wifdom's ways are pleasantnefs, and all her paths are peace.. There is no peace, faith my God, to the wicked; but the fruit of righteoufnefs is peace, and the effect of righ teoufnefs, quietnefs and affurance for ever." Yea, it is honourable, and the greatest honour you can be advanced unto; to be holy, is to be like unto God.

3. Holinefs is neceffary in refpect of others; you are obliged to holiness; it may. tend to the conviction and converfion of others. On the one hand, it may tend to their conviction, and to ftop their mouths, who are enemies of God, and that both here and hereafter. (1.) It may ftop their mouths here in a prefent world, as you fee, 1 Pet. ii. 15. "This is the will of God, that with well-doing, you may put to filence the ignorance of foolish men." Ignorant fools may call you hypocrites; they may call you Antinomians, and enemies to the law now, by well-doing, you give them an unanswerable document, that though you be dead to the law, as a covenant, yet you put honour upon the law, as a rule of holinefs: and fo make them ashamed of their bafe calumny, according to that, 2 Pet. iii. 16. "Having a good confcience, that whereas they speak evil of you, as of evil-doers, they may be afhamed that falfly accufe your good converfation in Chrift." And, (2.) Holinefs in you, believer, may tend to ftop the mouths of God's enemies hereafter, in the day of judgment it is faid, "The faints fhall judge the world," not only as they will be affeffors with the Son of God, and applaud him in all his judicial proceedings; but in regard their holiness and good works will tend to the confufion and conviction of the wicked. And indeed the good works of the faints will meet one day, with a chang

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a changed countenance, that they fhall fcarce know them they see them now to be all black, defiled, and deformed; but they will then be brought forth beautiful and glorious, to the fhame of the wicked, Matth. xxv. 34,-40. On the other hand, your holinefs may tend to the conversion of others; 66 Having your converfation honest among the Gentiles, that whereas they speak against you as evil-doers, they may, by your good works which they fhall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation," 1 Pet. ii. 12. The holinefs of profeffors hath fometimes tended to the converfion of the profane, who, when the day of their gracious visitation hath come, have glorified God on that account, 1 Pet. iii. 1, 2.; and therefore fays Paul, "This is a faithful faying, and these things I will, that thou affirm conftantly, that they which have believed in God, be careful to maintain good works: for these things are good and profitable unto men," Tit. iii, 18.

4. Holiness is neceffary, in refpect of your ftate: you ftand obliged to holinefs. Are you in a juftified flate, accepted into friendship with a holy God, who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity? Should you not evidence your juftification by your fanctification? Is it not neceffary that you should be holy, if you dwell in the prefence, walk in the fight, and ly in the bofom of fuch a holy God? Are you in a fanctified ftate? Wherefore was you regenerate? Wherefore got you a new heart, and a new nature, and a holy principle of grace, but that you should be holy?--Are you in an adopted ftate? Why fo? but that you should live like the children of God, and be followers of God, as dear children? O! was you not juftified, adopted, and fanctified for this end, that you might live unto God? If we be be lievers, what a fhame is it for us, to live unfuitably to our ftate, as many times we do? Is that all the thanks we give to God for his favours, that we fhould trample his statutes under our feet, difhonour his name, break his laws, and grieve his Spirit? It does not become you; it is not like you, believer: he hath loved you with an everlasting love, and drawn you with loving-kindness: will you act like a devil, in enmity against him, because he hath acted like a God of love towards you? O fy for fhame,

fhame, believer! "Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Afkelon; left the daughters of the Philiftines rejoice, left the daughters of the uncircumcifed triumph," 2 Sam. i. 20. Have we not the hope of glory? And fhall we not, having this hope, purify ourselves even as he is pure?-Are we partakers of the precious promifes? Then, "Having thefe promifes, dearly beloved, let us cleanfe, ourselves from all filthinefs of the flesh and spirit, and perfect holiness in the fear of the Lord."-Are we heirs of glory? And fhall we not seek to have our right and title unto glory cleared? Rev. xxii. 14. "Bleffed are they that do his commandments," that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates to the city:" That is, either that your right may be made evident, according to that word, "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatfoever I command you" That is, you thus evidence yourselves to be my friends: or concerning this right, know that there is a right of merit, and a right of meetness, both neceffary: a right of merit, believer, you have not in yourfelf, but in Chrift; and that is established in justification, through the righteoufnefs of Chrift: a right of meetne's you must have in yourself from Chrift, and that is in fanctification and holiness.-What fhall I fay? Are you not dead to the law, that you may live unto God? Are you not to teftify your gratitude towards him, that hath provided another law-righteousness than your own? Are you not to difference yourself from the world," that are walking in the broad way to hell and damnation, and under the curfe of the law, and the wrath of God?-Are you not delivered from the wrath to come, and of all men in the world under the greatest obligations to be holy? Should you not study to please that God that hath pitied you? Hath he washed you in his blood? And ought you not, through his grace, to ftudy to let it be known to the world, that his blood hath a virtue to fanctify you?-Yea, hath he not promifed, "Sin shall not have dominion over you, because ye are not under the law, but under grace?" Should ye not study, through his grace, to let it be feen, that his promife is verified in you?

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