The fanétifi lievers. I Cor. 1. 2. 6. 11. to the increafe of their knowlege and faith, and their growing conformity to the image of God and their Savior in righteoufnels and holiness. BUT this fame happy change made in becation of believers, when confidered as confifting more elpecially in their recovery from the love and dominion of fin to the service of God, is otherwile expreffed, in the fcriptures, by fanilification. Believers are fanctified in Chrift Jefus, Joh 17 17. by the word of truth, and by the Spirit of Cor.3.16 17 God. And because they are confecrated to Luk. 1.74,75. God, to ferve him in righteoufness and holiness all their days, they are called an boly Pet 1.15, 16. nation, and royal priesthood, and in the common ftyle of the apoftles, Saints. 32.9, 10. Eph. 5,25,26, 27. SECT. III. Believers are God's elect, or chofen people. A S God, in antient times, chose the feed of Abraham to be his vifible Church, and gave them peculiar promifes, as a nation confecrated to his fervice: fo the whole body of believers is now his Church, feparated from the world by their profeffion of faith in Chrift Rom. 9. 6,7, They who believe the gospel with unfeighed 8, 25, 26, 30. faith, are the people of God in the highest fenfe, 2 Theff. z. whom, from the beginning, he hath chosen to 13, 14. falvation, through fanétification of the Spirit Coloff. 3. 12. and belief of the truth. These are the Ele& of God, holy, and beloved, to whom all thofe honorable titles and privileges belong, according to their full import, which formerly were appropriated, in a much lower fenfe, to the Gal. 3. 8 natural feed of Abraham. Believers are the 29. true fpiritual feed of Abraham, the Ifrael of 1 Pet. 1, z. Philip. 3. 3. God, God, according to the real design of the promite given to that Father of believers, chofen to be God's people before the foundation of Eph. 1. 3the world. They are a chofen generation, a 14. royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar 1 Pet 2.9, 19 people, that they may fhew forth the praifes of him who hath called them out of darkness into his marvellous light. To thefe, as diftinguifhed in the eye of God from the reft of the 2Pet. 1. 1-4. world, by their faith unfeigned, exceeding great and precious promifes are given. God Eph. 51 hath granted them the adoption of children unto himself by Jefus Chrift, fo that they are the fons and daughters of the Lord almighty: 2 Cor. 6. 18; and because they are fons, God fends forth Gal.4.5.6, 7. the Spirit of his Son into their hearts, that they may call upon him as their Father. They Rom. 8. 15, are made heirs of God, and joint heirs with 16, 17. Chrift, of the heavenly inheritance. As God's Eph. 1. 3, 4chofen people, holy, and without blame be- 5· fore him in love, He hath bleffed them with all fpiritual bleffings in heavenly places in Chrift; and they are encouraged to rejoice in Phil. 4. 4• the Lord always, to be patient under all trials, and to wait, with the conftant hope of falvation, until they receive the end of their faith, Jam. 5. 7, 8. the glory which fhall be given them at the 2 Theff.2.14. fecond appearing of the Lord Jefus Christ. SECT. IV. Believers having good hope through grace, muft perlevere unto the end. OUR 1 Pet. 1. 8, 9, 13. Rom. 12. 12. I Pet. 4. 12 have good hope of falv UR Lord Jefus Chrift himself, and God Believers even our Father, who hath loved believers, and given them fufficient grounds of tion. everlafting confolation, will comfort their 2The 2014 hearts, and establish them in every good word 17. and E 2 Heb 13.5. Jer. 32. 40. and work. God hath promifed that he will not fail them nor forfake them, nor turn away from doing them good; but will put his fearin their hearts, that they fhall not depart from him. The Lord knoweth them that are his :2 Tim. 2.19 and Chrift makes this interceffion for his own. Joh 17. 11, people,-Holy Father keep, through thine own name, those whom thou baft given me, that they 20, 21. may be one, as we are which is applicable to all who fhall believe on him to the end of the 1Pet. 1.3-5. world. All believers are kept, by the power of God, through faith, unto that falvation which is prepared for them, and shall be revealed at the last day. Affurance of upon the faith. I believers could have as certain knowlege hope depends of their own faith, as Christ hath of his own certainty of true difciples, they must be intirely freed from all uncertainty of their perfeverance unto eternal falvation. But as their hope depends upon confcicufuefs of the fincerity of their own faith, it cannot but admit of fome remaining Heb.4. 1,11. fear, left they fhould by any means come thort. 2 Pet. 1.5 of the promites. Therefore they are required to give diligence to make their calling and. election firm and fure, and to work out their Phil.2.12,13. falvation with fear and trembling; but with this encouragement, that it is God which -worketh in them both to will and to do, of his good pleasure. 11. The holi Spi rit bears witnefs by his own work. Rom, 15.13 14. IN proportion to the clearness and firengib of faith, chriftians have joy and peace in believing, and abound in hope thro' the power of the holy Ghoft. The Spirit of God fhewJoh. 16.14,15 ing them the things of Chrift, and manifefting the riches of his love and mercy to their minds, they are comforted under all afflictions, and 2 Cor. 1.45 fealed unto the day of complete redemption. Rom. 55: 1 Pet. 1. 8. 24, 22. Thus Thus they have the witnefs of the Spirit, with, Eph.1.13,14 4. 30. their own confciences, that they are the chil Rom. 8. 14-d dren of God, and are encouraged to rely on. 16. him who hath begun a good work in them, Phil. 1. 6. that he will perform it until the day of Christ. They go on patiently and conftantly in well Rom. 2. doing, being perfuaded that God is able to Jude ver. 24. keep them from falling, and to prefent them faultlefs before the presence of his glory, with 2 Tim. exceeding joy, and that he will preserve them to his heavenly kingdom." 7: 4.18, Perfeverance is a mark of Chrift's dif ciples. Joh. 8. 31. BUT perfeverance muft not only be confi dered as matter of encouragement and promife, but also as one mark of Christ's difciples, neceffary to complete the evidence of our faith, For if we continue in Chrift's word then are we Matt. 10. 22. his difciples indeed. He that endureth unto the Heb. 6. 10, end, the fame fhall be faved. We muft not 11, 12. be weary in well doing, for in the end we shall Gal. 6, 9.. reap, if we faint not. They who believe only Matt. 13. 18, for a while, and in time of temptation fall a--23. way, never received the good feed of the word, deeply, and effectually, into good and honeft hearts. We are made partakers of Heb. 3.6,141 Chrift, and all the bleffings of his houfe, if we' retain our first profeffion of faith and confidence in him, and the joy which we have in the hope of eternal life, firmly and ftedfaftly unto the end. They who having escaped the pollutions of the world, through the know- 2 Pet. z. 20. lege of the only Lord and Savior Jefus Chrift, z1, 22. are again entangled in them and overcome, Heb. 6. make it evident that their filthy fenfual incli- 12. nations were never effectually changed; and their latter end is worfe than the beginning. Therefore chriftians must go on diligently in every good work, fhewing their love to the name of Chrift by every act of kindness to the faints, 4, 10.23-39 faints, and the practice of all holiness, that af ter they have done the will of God, they may receive the promife of eternal life. The juft' ...fhall live by faith; but if any man draw back, God fays, My foul fhall have no pleasure in him. We must fo run the chriftian race, and finish it, that we may at laft obtain the crown of glory. 1 Cor. 9. 24, 27. Admifton into the church by Baptifm. Matt. 28. 19. 39, 41, 42. 29. 2 SECT. V. Believers are imbodied into a visible Church, by Baptifm and the Lord's fupper. CF 1 སུ t HRIST requires all his difciples to be, baptized into the name of the Father, A&t. 2.. 38, Son, and holy Ghoft. By this ordinance men become members of the vifible church, and 10. 47, 48 are united with the whole body of Chrift's Gal. 241.3.26, people. They are marked and diftinguished from the world, as belonging to the family and 1 Theff.2.12. kingdom of God, whom he hath called to be Eph. 2. 19- partakers of his promife in Chrift, by the 365 Golpel. And having, by baptifm, openly. declared their faith in the Lord. Jefus, and reColoff. 2. 11, folution to put away the fins of the flesh and live according to the will of God, they are, * Pet. 3. 21. under peculiar obligations to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith they are called, and to have the answer of a good confcience toMatt. 22.1wards God; remembring, that many are called, but few are chofen. d. 22. 12. 14. 4. I, 2. All believers Ought to che to the Lord's fup per. A&t. 2. 42. 4. 32. 5. 12. Heb. 10. 25. 14. 23. ALL who have been baptized are to affociate & affemble themfelves in diftinct focieties, as may be moft convenient, for the worship of God, and to have elders and other evangelical officers appointed over them, that they may maintain chriftian fellowship in all the inftitu tions |