and the only way that the apoftle directs us to for the getting of wifdom, or true piety, Jer. i. 5. But for the better understanding of this, confider,

I.

NONE but God can make you holy; it is not in your own ftrength nor power to do it. When man ftood, it was in his own power to throw himself down; but now he is down, it is not in his power to raise himself again. He that was holy could make himself finful; but we that are finful cannot make our felves holy. And therefore, never expect to be made holy by your felves, by the ftrength of your reafon, or the feigned power of your own will. For F know that the way of man is not in himself : It is not in man that walketh to direct his Steps, Jer. x. 23. You can and ought to use all means that conduce to your being holy; but it is God alone that can make them effectual. For every good thing comes from him, Jam. i. 17. And that faith whereby we are faved from our fins, and made truly pious, is exprefsly_faid to be the gift of God, Eph. ii. 8. It is God's gift; and therefore we can neither work it in our felves, nor yet do any thing whereby to merit it from him: But when we have done all we can, we must acknowledge it to come only from his free grace and mercy; for it is his gift. And it is well it is fo: For, for mine own part, had I nothing elfe to truft to but my own powers and faculties, I fhould defpair of ever be

ing fo happy as to be truly holy. But our comfort is, that what is wanting in our felves, Omnipotence it felf is ready to fupply us with it.

2. As none but God can make us holy, fo we can never expect that he should do it for us, unless we beg it of him. For all the promiles that he hath made us to this purpose have this provifo or condition annexed to them, that we fill pray to him for what he hath promised to ■s, Ezek. xxxvi. 37.

3. But if we carneftly defire, and fincerely pray for true grace and holinefs we may be confident that he will beftow it upon us. For we have his exprefs word for it,Matt. vii. 7. ch.

xxi. 22. Job. xv. 24. But you must remember this caution, that it is not praying only now and then will do the bufinefs; but you muft continue inftant in prayers, as St Paul did, 2 Cor. xii. 8. and as our Saviour himself teacheth us to do, Luke xviii. 1, 2. And queftionless, we may lay this down as an undoubted truth, that never any yet did, nor ever fhall fail of being made really and truly holy that made it his conftant bufinefs fincerely to pray to Almighty God, that he might be made fo; and therefore, as ever you defire holinefs, never leave off praying for it.

3, In order to your being holy, it is neceffary also that you often read and hear the word of God both read and preached: For Faith comes by bearing, Rom. x. 17. where under faith all true graces are comprehended, which God doth

ordinarily

ordinarily infufe into us by the miniftry of the word. And although we both may and ought to beg this unspeakable mercy from him, even to be made holy, yet we must not expect that he fhould come down and give it us as it were with his own hands; but we must wait upon him for it in his publick ordinances, there to expect his holy Spirit to accompany his word into our hearts, and by it reduce them into their proper frame and conftitution again, fo as to make us like itself, holy.

4. HAVING made this progrefs in the way to holiness, ftay not here, but ftill go on to exercise your felves continually in divine and heavenly meditations. Accuftom your felves frequently to abftract and draw off your thoughts from the world, and all things here below; and to raise them to God, and thofe glories that are above, fo as often to be contemplating upon the vanity of the world, the finfulness of fin, the perfections of God, the excellency of religion, the merits of Chrift, the beauty of holiness the tranfcendency of the happinefs which attends it in the world. to come. For fuch contemplations as these are, will very much conduce to the refining your thoughts, the reforming your judgments, and fo to the reducing your affections into their proper order again, and fo to the making of you fincerely holy. By this means it was that St. Paul became fo eminent a faint, because his conversation was always in heaven, Phil. iii. 20. This

is the way to be holy in all manner of converfation upon earth, even by having our converfations always in heaven.

5. THE laft and principle thing of all to be done, in order to your being holy, is to believe in Jefus Chrift; where, by being in Chrift I mean, trufting or confiding in his merits and mediation, for two things especially.

1. FOR fuch influences of God's grace and Spirit, as may make us holy according to his promifes: For it is certain, that none can make us holy but God; and it is certain that we have no ground to expect that he fhould do it for us, but his own promife; and it is as certain ftill, that all his promises are made and confirmed to us only in the blood of Chrift, 2 Cor. i. 20. Here therefore is the great duty that is incumbent upon all that defire to be holy, even to truft in the merits of Chrift for God's performances of his promises to us,fuch especially wherein he hath promised to make us holy, fuch as Ezek. xxxvi. 25, 26, 27. Jer. xxxii. 39, 40. Jer. xxxi. 33. Thefe and fuch like are the promises of the new covenant fealed to us in the blood of Chrift. And that which is required on our parts, is firmly to believe that God for Chrift's fake will perform thofe his gracious promises to us; that he will be as good as his word, and crown our fincere endeavours after holiness with that fuccefs, that we fhall be made really and fincerely holy. And when we earnestly defire, and fincerely pray for grace and

and holiness, we are ftedfaftly to believe that God for Chrifts fake will hear and anfwer us; for that he will do, fo Chrift himself hath told us, and we are bound to believe him, John. xvi. 23. And that it is not only lawful but neceffary thus to believe that for Chrift's fake we

for us,

fball receive what we pray for; Chrift himself hath likewife affur'd us, Mark. xi. 14. which is principally to be underftood of the prayers we make for the affiftance of God's grace and Spirit, in order to themaking us holy; which whofoe'er fincerely prays for, and at the fame time truly believes that his requeft for Chrift's fake fhall be granted to him, he cannot mifs of, for Chrift hath faid he fhall receive it. And therefore, as you hope and believe in Chrift, for the pardon of your fins and the juftifycation of your perfons, fo you must truft and depend upon him likewife for the fubduing of your lufts, and the fanctifying of your natures; that is, for the making of you really and fincerely holly.

2. THE other thing which you are to trust in Chrift for, is the acceptance of your fincere inftead of perfe& holiness: For the command is here expreffed, to be holy as God is holy, in all manner of converfation; but this you can never. perfectly be, fo long as you are in this world: but after your higheft attainments there will be ftill fomething of irregularity and diforder in you, both in your nature and also in your antions. However, in the ufe of the means which

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