were sanctified by the sacrifices of slain beasts to minister in the priest's office. So Christ offered himself, and shed his most precious blood, by which the covenant of grace was ratified. And, being brought back from the dead through "the blood of the everlasting covenant," he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high to exercise his priesthood in Heaven, for which he was sanctified by his own blood.

As the word sanctification, when used of Christ himself, means separation; so it may be further added, that the New Testament fully proves that those Old Testament types of purification from sin contained in them the nature of gospelsanctification. So says the apostle in his epistle to the Hebrews: "Almost "all things are by the law purged with "blood, and without shedding of blood "is no remifsion. It was necefsary "therefore that the patterns of things "in the heavens should be purified with "these; but the heavenly things them"selves with better sacrifices than "these"." And they are so. "Where"fore Jesus also, that he might sanctify "the people with his own blood, suf"fered without the gate." To sum up what is said of the sanctification efn Heb. ix. 22, 23.

m Levit. viii.

• Heb. xiii. 12,

fected by the sacrifices and sprinklings of blood under the law, and as expressive of the true sanctification by the blood and spirit of Christ, observe what Paul says," For if the blood of bulls "and of goats and the ashes of an "heifer sprinkling the unclean sancti

fy to the purifying of the flesh; how "much more shall the blood of Christ, "who through the eternal Spirit offered "himself without spot to God, purge 'your consciences from dead works to "serve the living God?" From these observations before us it appears to me that sanctification consists in God's effectually calling his people out of darknefs into his marvellous light, separating them from others, their former state, and life, by an holy calling; sprinkling them with the blood of Christ, putting his Holy Spirit within them, and working in them all the good pleasure of his will, and the work of faith with power. It is our common misfortune to confound causes and effects together. It should be our study to keep these apart, and to apply our minds to obtain from the word and spirit clear and scriptural views and ideas of every part of divine truth. We should never venture to receive any conception concerning divine realities, but from the inspired volume.

P Heb. ix. 13, 14.

If we receive from it a right understanding of the doctrine of sanctification, it will save us from much error. It will clear our judgments, and lead us to give the whole glory of it to the co-equal and co-efsential THREE. For although it is particularly attributed to the Holy Ghost, as his distinct part in the œconomy of the covenant, yet it is the fruit of Christ's death and the Father's acceptance of it.

The great and leading title peculiar to the Spirit of Christ, as considered in his economical office-capacity, is the Spirit of Life. He is the Spirit of life from God in these following most eminent instances and respects to his church and people. First, as he conveys life to them in regeneration, and therein quickens them up unto life eternal. And secondly, as he continues, maintains, and supports the same; yea, brings it to its full maturity and perfection in the full fruition and enjoyment of Christ in his kingdom of glory.

There is a spiritual and real union between Christ and his people. They are united to him the fountain of life. The Holy Spirit descends on them, and enters within them in consequence of this union. He comes from Heaven to make known this union between Christ and them. He is the divine manifester

of it. He conveys himself into our hearts, and we receive him, that we may obtain from his divine teaching the knowledge of those things which are freely given to us of God. He dwells in us as a well of water springing up into everlasting life. He abides with us as our divine comforter, and will be our guide even unto death, and continue his life-giving influences to us and dwell in us, filling us with all the fulness of God in Heaven for ever.

The believer, as united to Christ, is a partaker of his spirit. That same spirit which dwells in Jesus the Mediator and Head of his church and people, which he received without measure, that very anointing, from whence he receives his name and title, The Mefsiah, or The Christ, dwells and abides in, on, and with all the called people of God. Hence they derive their name Christians, which signifies anointed ones, because they are anointed with the spirit of Christ. The apostle John says to them, "Ye have

an unction from the Holy One" The allusion is to the anointing oil under the law, with which the High Priest was anointed, or christened; and which was a symbol of the Holy Ghost. And Paul says, "He that is joined to the "Lord is one Spirit." As Christ's hu91 Epistle ii. 20.

man nature was formed by the Holy Ghost, who overshadowed his virginmother; so we receive our new birth and every faculty of the new man from the new-creating power of the Holy Ghost; and every grace which was in Christ is wrought therein. So saith the apostle; "Of his fulnefs have all we received, "and grace for grace." The newcreature is a conformity to the image of Christ. Hereby we are fitted for divine communion with him and conformity to him. We are the epistles of Christ. He is the vine, and we are branches in him, and he conveys sap and spiritual nourishment to us, that we may grow and increase with the increase of God. Like as a single drop of water is of the same nature with the ocean, so spiritual graces wrought in our newnature by the spirit of Christ, are of the same nature and kind with those which were wrought in Jesus by the same Holy Spirit. Hence the apostle says to the called and renewed people of God, "Ye are washed, ye are sanctified,

ye are justified, in the name of the "Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our "God." The regenerate have received through the virtue of Christ's death, put forth in their souls through the energy of the Spirit, a death unto sin

! John i. 16.

$ 1 Cor. vi. 11.