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ECONOMY

DIVINE

OF THE

COVENANTS.

BOOK III. CHAP. IV.

1. THE

Of Sanctification.

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HE apoftle Peter, I Pet. ii. 9. has, in very high terms, declared, that the chofen, the regenerate, and the adopted fons of God, are a HOLY NATION. And this holiness being really the most excellent ornament of the house of God, Pfal. xciii. 5. is a fubject which ought not to be paffed over in filence, efpecially as it is none of the leaft of the promises in the covenant of grace, that God will be the fanctifier of his people Ifrael.

II. In order profitably to explain the nature of fanctification, we must confider, not fo much the etymology and import of the Latin word, as of the Hebrew wp and Greek dyiórntos, ayıwo-' υνής, αγιασμό, and οσιοτήτος, with words of the like original, as moft frequently made use of by the facred penmen. It will be proper therefore to enquire more diftinctly firft, who is meant by holiness, and then, what by fanctification.

III. The word holy in fcripture is afferted firft of whatever is separated from a promifcuous and civil, but especially from a profane ufe: In this fenfe even the elect are called holy, as being feparated from the profane world, Lev. xx. 26. "And ye fhall be holy unto me, because I have fevered you from other people, that ye fhould be mine." 2 Cor. vi. 17. "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye feparate, faith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you." It is no lefs true of the mystical, than of the literal Ifrael, that they are a peculiar people, whofe laws are divers from all people, Eph.

iii. 8.

`VOL. II.

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IV. Balaam has beautifully prophefied of them, Num. xxiii. 9. "Lo! the people fhall dwell alone, and fhall not be reckoned among the nations." Ifrael is called the people: 1ft, On account of their prodigious numbers, ver. 10. "Who can count the duft of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Ifrael;" 2. On account of those sacred ties, by which this vaft congregation was united together. They were not a promifcuous affembly but a multitude, under a proper polity, or form of government, united together by covenant, governed by falutary laws, with rights and an inheritance, and having God himself for their head. Thus the apostle, 1 Pet. ii. 10. à móte & λaos, võv de dads Ots, which in time paft were not a people, but are now the people of God. This is the meaning of y, xaos, the people, when used in its emphatical sense, and diftinguished from, Gentiles. And □y xb, not a people, Deut. xxxii. 21. is a multitude that has no fuch privileges. Balaam teftifies of the former that they dwell alone, or are feparate, not reckoned among the nations they are fevered and diftinguished from the reft of the world, by peculiar laws, cuftoms, and inftitutions. Tacitus in his hiftory, book 5. fays, "Mofes, the better to attach the people afterwards to himself, appointed them new rites, contrary to thofe of the reft of the world. There all things are accounted profane, which we look upon as facred; and those things are allowed by them which we hold to be incestuous."

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V. This feparation of the Jewish people, in as far as it was the effect of ceremonial inftitutions, conftituted a ceremonial holinefs; but if we confider it as the effect of the excellency of thofe laws, which prescribed moral duties, in that refpect, they much furpaffed other nations, yet that conftituted a holinefs common to the godly in all ages. Hence the church of the New Teftament is called, "the flock of thine heritage, which dwell folitarily." Micah vii. 14. And Chrift fays of his people; they are in the world, but not of the world; for he has chofen them out of the world," John xv. 19. "Delivering them from this prefent evil world, according to the will of God, and our Father," Gal. i. 4. To this purpofe is the admonition of Paul, Rom. xii. 2. Μη συσχηματίζεσθε τω ανων T8w," Be not conformed to this world."

VI. And this is that fingularity of piety fo recommended by fome, which does not confift in external niceties of an over-ftrained will-worship, and an aufterity of difcipline, as was generally the practice of the Pharifees among the Jews, and of the Afcetics formerly among the ancient Chriftians; concerning whom Cafaubon may be feen in his Efere, ad Baron, Exerc. 1. No. 9. A manner of life fignificantly called by Ephiphanius,

Epiphanius, hangolta dixaorums, the utmost piteb of felf-righteoufnefs: but in fhunning the vices of the age, pride, drunkenness, luft, and vanities of every kind. I Pet. iv. 3, "For the time paft of our life may fuffice us, to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lafciviousnefs, lufts, excefs of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries." Eph. v. 7, "Be not ye therefore partakers with them:" and v. II." and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darknefs." Tertullian, in his Apologetica, advifes us, that in what we fay, fee and hear, we correspond in nothing with the madnefs of the circus, the lewdness of the theatre, the fhocking cruelty of the amphitheatre, and the vanity of the Xyftus; we are not to attend on fuch fhows and reprefentations as thefe. 2. That in opinions and fentiments we keep at a diftance from those of the vulgar: that is what Paul hints in what follows: "but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the will of God." By the vulgar I mean, not only the lowest class of people, of whom Tacitus fays, they have neither judgment nor truth; but even fuch as feem to themselves and others extremely wife in this world; from whom God generally conceals thofe mysteries of his, which he reveals to babes, Mat. xi. 25. 3. In will and affections, 1 Pet. i. 14. "Not fashioning yourselves according to the former lufts in your ignorance." 4. In the exercife of fuch a generous and noble virtue, or holiness, as is infinitely beyond the reach of other people, Phil. ii. 15. "That ye may be blamelefs and harmlefs, the fons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverfe nation, among whom ye fhine as lights in the world."

הייתם לי סגלח :

VII. Secondly, the word holy, denotes whatever is dedicated to, or set apart for God and his fervice. Thus the altar, and what belonged to it, are called most holy, Exod. xxx. 29: alfo, Aaron with his fons, 1 Chron. xxiii. 13. So in like manner the truly godly are a a peculiar treasure to God above all people," Exod. xix. 5. In the Hebrew it runs m To Segullah the last of these, the Latin word figillum has an affinity: so that no SEGULLAH denotes a thing, which a perfon declares to be his own property, by impreffing it with his feal; nay indeed, it denotes fuch a thing, on account of which, perfons and kings themselves are accounted rich, and by which they display their grandeur, Ecclef. ii. 8. "I gathered me alfo filver and gold ban nha, and the SEGULLAH peculiar trea fure of Kings." Thus "God hath chofen Ifrael for his Segullah, or peculiar treasure," Pf. cxxxv. 4. Con, cerning

A 2

περίγειος

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The

cerning this word, fee Waferus de nummis, lib. 1. c. 1. Septuagint exprefs it by Tasov vra, Deut. vii. 6. may, "a fpecial people;" which Paul, in imitation of the LXX. calls Ausgrios, "a peculiar people;" Tit. ii. 14. And Jerome affirms, he could not learn the meaning of that Greek word from any one, that was converfant in profane literature; but gathered it from the above place in Deuteronomy, and the like. Yet I think Grotius has not improperly obferved, that is is derived from ga, which fignifies, to excel; and hence gios denotes the fame as siglos, excellent and regisçia superabundance in which fenfe Clemens Alexandrius ufes it in Admon. ad Gentes p. 5. μις τον ἡμῖν της μαθήσεως, εκπεριέσιας, βασιλέαν ἐξανων ayyiλela: promises to us, fuperabundantly, or over and above, the kingdom of heaven, as the reward of our doctrine. And again, Ρ. 69. Φέρε ὑμῖν, εκ περιουσίας, την περί τες λόγες παραθήσομαι πείθω; fball abundatly bring a convincing proof concerning the word. In the fame manner, as Demofthenes fays, ros, ex regioias, us xalnyogĩ, he superabundantly accuses me: Polybius, book 4. c. 38, oppofess to the ai avayas T8 B8 xe, the neceflaries of life. The godly therefore are God's excellent poffeffion, which he claims and preferves, and in which he boafts, as his crown of glory and royal diadem, Ifa. lxii. 3. Which he esteems as his riches, and fuffers not to become the property of another; and in this fenfe alfo may holiness be afcribed to them: vas ἅγιον, λαος εις περιποιησιν, a holy nation, a peculiar people, are joined together, 1 Pet, ii. 9.

VIII. God alfo truly feals his fervants, as his property, which he would keep from being loft, and in this sense, he likewise accounts fuch facred or inviolable. Rev. vii. 2, 3, John faw an angel afcending from the east, diftinct from the four miniftring angels, and giving orders unto them: now Christ himself is avalon is, the day spring from on high, Luke i. 78. and the Gospel was publifhed chiefly from Jerufalem to the weft, namely to the ifles of the fea, or to Europe. This angel had the feal of the living God, viz. the Spirit of God, who is alfo the fpirit of the Son, Gal. iv. 6. and by whom the elect are fealed, Eph. i. 13. because he imprints upon them the character of holiness declared in the Gofpel, whereby they are known to be the property of God. This angel gave his orders to the others not to hurt any one, till, fays he, we have fealed the fervants of our God in their foreheads; from which words we are. not to imagine, that God has any fellow labourers in this fealingwork, but Chrift fays this concerning himfelf and his Spirit; who may well call God the Father, their God, as both are fent from him, Ifa. xlviii. 16. The Lord God hath fent me and his spirit; from

as thus the Hebrew may very properly be rendered. Moreover, this feal was in the foreheads of God's fervants; because, as the forehead is the most confpicuous part of man, fo the truth of the Gospel and the efficacy of true piety, which is impreffed upon their hearts by the Holy Spirit, difcover themselves in the public profeffion, and open practice of holinefs, which ftrike the eyes and ears of all. Nor is it improbable, there is here an allufion to a received cuftom in the Eaft, by which the names of masters were ftamped on the foreheads of their fervants, as Grotius has observed from Hefychius and Aristophanes. The godly then are God's peculiar property; for they bear his name on their foreheads, Rev. xiv. 1. They also profess themfelves to be fet apart for his fervice.

IX. And as God fets his feal upon them, fo in like manner they fubfcribe with their hand to be only the Lords, Ifa. xliv. 5. The Roman foldiers of old according to Vegetius de re Milit. Lib. 2. c. 5. being marked with indelible characters in the skin, were wont to be fworn when they were enlisted: and hence in the law of Mauritius, Signati in manu, they who are marked in the hand is a circumlocution for foldiers: for, syalá 851 Twy sealevopeśvan iv Tais xigoor, the marks of foldiers are in their hands, fays Ælian. This is what Chryfoftom on Rom. iv. 11. calls opgayida to sealiale, the feal of the foldier: fee Grotius on Revelations xiii. 16. In much the fame manner, believers being fealed by God with the efficacy of the flaming fpirit, and a truly indelible and never fading character, do, at the fame time, bind themselves by an oath, to be faithful to God, as foldiers to their general. For, while they profefs themselves to be God's, they also give themfelves up to his fervice alone, Acts xxvii. 23. Whose I am, and whom I ferve. In a word, the chofen and called are all faints, becaufe feparated from the rest of the world, they are declared to be God's on feveral accounts. But we have not yet mentioned the principal thing.

*

X. Thirdly, Holinefs denotes that purity of a man, in his nature, inclinations and actions, which confifts in an imitation and expreffion of the divine purity or holinefs. God is the great pattern of his rational creatures. His will is expreffed in the law, which was the pattern fhewn to Mofes in the mount, according to which the fanctuary of our foul ought to be framed. But his divine virtues or perfections are a pattern, which we

are

* I fuppofe the author here alludes, by this defignation, to the descent of the Holy Ghost on the Apoftles, when there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and fat upon each of them, Acts ii. 3. and he is called the spirit of burning, Ifa. iv. 4. and John the Baptift declared, that Chrift fhould baptife with the Holy Ghoft and with fire. Mat. ii. 11.

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