through sanctification of the Spirit and the belief of the truth."

So it appears to me, that the work of the Father, as choosing or sanctifying, are terms synonymous; and the work of the Spirit makes manifest who they are, in calling, or sanctifying, or separating, or setting apart these vessels of mercy, afore prepared unto glory. But other graces of the Spirit, known by other names in holy writ, are called in and used by gracious men, who are themselves sanctified or set apart from what they once were, and from an ungodly world dead in sin, and who are also, like Jeremiah, sanctified or set apart for the ministry: "Before ye were born I sanctified thee," Jer. i. 5; and again, Separate, sanctify, or set apart; separate me Barnabas and Saul," Acts xiii. 2. Some such separated ones, whom I highly esteem for their work's sake, and against whom I should be extremely sorry to say one word; these good men to prove sanctification to be progressive, refer us to such texts as these: "Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." And, "First the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear." And, Babes, young men, and fathers in Christ."

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If my desperately wicked heart (which I possess by nature, and which is deceitful above all things) deceive me not, I think I can with an Apostle say, that I am confident of this very thing, that “He who hath begun the good work of grace in our hearts, will carry it on and perform it unto the day of Jesus Christ;" and with Watts,

"The work that wisdom undertakes
Eternal mercy ne'er forsakes;

He will give grace and glory." We read in 1 Cor. xii. that the body literally, or naturally, consists of more than one member; so also the mystic body of Christ the church; so also the new man, the christian man, the perfect man in Christ Jesus, re

ceives more graces than one from the God of all grace. Yea, I believe at the very moment an elect vessel of mercy is made alive from the dead, at that period of time when regenerated by God's act of sovereign distinguishing grace, I believe with all my soul, that that child of God and heir of glory, is by the Holy Ghost sanctified, or set apart, manifestly to shew forth the praises of Him that hath called him; and at that very identical time, that set time to favour the citizen of Zion, are all the graces of the Spirit, which constitute the new man in Christ Jesus, implanted in that heaven-born soul, such as faith, repentance, knowledge, love, hope, joy and peace in believing, hatred to sin, love to and desire after holiness, humility resulting from a believing sight, and feeling sense of rebellion against the God of all mercies.

I believe that in many and most of these graces the babe in grace grows, makes progress, and increases with all the increase of God; for I read he giveth more grace, not prescribing how much, only, "my grace is sufficient for thee."

But nowhere in my Bible do I meet with the words progressive sanctification, or persons, places, or things being partly sanctified, partly regenerated, or partly converted. I do hear one say we know in part, and grow in grace and knowledge, and what we know not now we shall know hereafter.

The faith, knowledge and experience of a grace-taught child of God, to outward observation or inward satisfaction, appears but comparatively very small, like the blade of wheat springing up to the eye of the passing traveller; but let us remember that before we see the blade there has been a work going on under ground, out of sight, so likewise it not unfrequently occurs, that before the babe in grace makes a public profession of his faith in and love to Jesus, there

has been a secret but powerful work going on in his heart, out of sight; but by the heat and fructifying influences of the Sun of Righteousness, and the dews and showers of heavenly grace, he grows and ripens for eternity, until like a shock of corn fully ripe, he is gathered home to his Father's heavenly garner; but all this time he is a saint or sanctified one. But, brother E-, I conceive and I feel that this increase, this spiritual growth from a babe to a man, from a blade to a full and ripe corn; that this christian pilgrim's progress only goes to shew others and prove to ourselves, that we are amongst the number of those who are sanctified or set apart, and that the Lord does not leave us nor forsake us, and says, I have many things to tell you and to shew you, but you cannot bear them

now.

At present I candidly confess I feel compelled to keep to this one idea, sanctify, separate, or set apart, though I love all good men who may differ from me. Some say to sanctify is to make holy, and that sanctification is progressive, then in consequence it follows that the sanctified must make progress in holiness. I must confess I can neither see, hear, or feel it to be so. I do believe that the new man of grace, who is born of God, sinneth not, therefore is holy as God is holy, and so cannot make progress in holiness; but at this new birth they were sanctified or separated from old sinful Adam-nature, which nature is as vile and sinful as the devil himself, so there will be no progressive holiness either in the old or the new man; that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and so it will remain till we die. And while time remains, he that is born after the flesh, will persecute him that is born of the Spirit, and so there will be war within, Eph. iv. 24. The new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness, and so cannot get better. Man, even a christian man, is an ever

varying creature, sometimes old Adam is up and striving for the mastery, then again the new man of grace. When spiritual Israel is strong, then they put the Canaanitish crew to tribute, but never put them to death. Sometimes the christian grows in the grace of humility, for grace humbles; then he hangs down his head like a bulrush, under a sight and sense of his sinfulness, and cries in bitter anguish of soul "O wretched `man that I am!" Then again in God's good time he is pointed by faith to the bleeding Lamb of God. The blessed Spirit, who first implanted faith in the soul, which enabled the child of God to see that he was a sinner and a great one, even the chief of sinners, now grows and increases, whereby he is enabled to see Jesus as an allsufficient Saviour-just such a great and gracious Saviour as his desperate case, as a great sinner, requires. reads, and believes that the blood of Christ, God's Son, cleanseth from all sin. And again the grace of hope grows, and he is enabled to rejoice in hope of the glory of God, through the application of the blood of sprinkling, the peace-speaking blood of the Lamb.

He

This I conceive to be growing in grace, going from strength to strength. And they will continue to do so until they arrive where perfection is : "the path of the just is as the shining light, which shineth more and more unto the perfect day," where dwells the spirits of the just made perfect. Christ was sanctified, and all his people are sanctified; and they will all be in heaven together by and by. No one I think will say that Christ made progress in holiness, for in the abstract he was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners," John x. 36, whom the Father hath sanctified." "For both he that sanctifieth, and they that are sanctified, are all of one; for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren," Heb. ii. 11. Jesus and all

the saints, or sanctified ones, are brethren, and they all have one Father as Jesus said, "I go to my Father, and your Father; to my God, and your God." And Paul addressing the church in his day says. "And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified," Acts xx. 82. Which are sanctified: it is a work done. The spiritual stones are all selected, that is, sanctified or set apart, or chosen by the great Architect, before the spiritual house is built. (1 Pet. ii. v.)

This was also shewn in a figure in the Old Testament, in the building of the temple, where all things were chosen and set apart for the building before brought to the building. So are God's elect, likewise, in the Old Testament, in types and shadows. I think we may easily see, therefore, that sanctification is not progressive, since priests, people, temple, tabernacle, and vessels used in the service of God, were sanctified or set apart for peculiar purposes.

I believe the vessels in the temple of old prefigured the vessels of mercy afore prepared unto glory, and our bodies are the temples of the Holy Ghost. And the chosen vessels of mercy, in New Testament times, are sanctified by the Holy Spirit, or set apart from the subjects of Satan's kingdom of darkness, and translated into the kingdom of God s dear Son, to shew forth the praises of him who hath called them.

They are set apart for holy purposes, for divine service, for the glory of God. The work is done, completely done, and done for ever; but it is all done in Christ, he is the medium, The Father set them apart in him, as the apostle saith," According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world." And the holy and ever-blessed Spirit sanctifies the very same people in him, not one

more or one less, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost all love the church alike, "And whom they love, they never leave, But love them to the end."

Now, my unknown friend, brother, and companion in tribulation, I must, for the present, say farewell. What I may have said wrong, may the Lord forgive, and what may be according to the mind of the Spirit, may he own and bless, and his name be praised for evermore.

ANSWER TO QUERY ON

2 Cor vii. 18.

L. T.

THE above passage of scripture, if taken without reference to the words preceeding, would seem much to bear out the generally received opinions among professors; and, undoubtedly, among some of the real children of God, by faith in the Lord Jesus; that sanctification is progressive in the regenerated children of the Most High but in referring to the commencment of the verse, where the apostle says, "Having these promises, dearly beloved;" it evidently means, those promises going before, and recorded in the two last verses of the preceeding chapter, where the Lord is pleased to give the gracious assurance that he will be a Father to his dear children, who are enabled by divine grace, and almighty power working in them, to will and to do; to come out from the ungodly assemblage of and communion with the children of the father of lies under whatever name they are called, or denomination they may be of, they are, nevertheless unbelievers, children of Belial, and idolators, if found, when weighed in the balances of the sanctuary, to be enemies to God and his Christ: and it is such characters that the Holy Ghost by the apostle is exhorting the believing Corinthians

to separate themselves from, with whom they can have no spiritual fellowship; therefore, in the words of the text he says, Having these promises, dearly beloved:" namely that the Lord will be a Father to them, and they should be his sons and daughters; he adds, "let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit:" from all connection with those characters before mentioned, who walk not after the spirit, but after the flesh; who are "sensual having not the spirit," Jude 19. "" From such turn away, that ye be not partakers of their sins." That it might be manifest to all, that the church here addressed by the appellation of "beloved," was а chosen generation, a peculiar people," 2 Peter ii. 9, the apostle exhorts them to cleanse themselves from these corrupt worshippers, and form of worship, which it appears had crept into the Corinthian church; by coming, "out from among them," thereby "perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord,' who requireth truth in the inward parts; and those that worship him, must worship him in spirit and in truth. And moreover, as individuals he exhorts them that, being children of God by electing love, they should manifest that they are called from darkness to light and be holy in all manner of conversation, and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

That this, or any passage of holy writ, sets forth the doctrine of progressive sanctification, and inherent holiness, cannot be proved, neither does the experience of those that know the plague of their own hearts bear it out.

The inspired apostle of the Gentiles says, in his epistle to the Romans, vii. 18, "" for I know that in me, (that is in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing" an evident testimony that he was not in the possession of inherent holiness in the flesh, and

therefore could not progress in it. To say that the seed that remaineth in the heaven-born soul, implanted by the Holy Ghost at regeneration, grows more holy, is to acknowledge that it is not a perfect work, but only partially holy; subsequently to be improved and perfected before the soul can be received to glory: whereas the Holy Ghost has been pleased to leave it on record, in Col. i. 12, that God the Father hath made (not doth or will make) us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light; and that according as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love," Eph. i. 4. Then the saints were sanctified by God the Father." Jude i; and no less so by God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost; for the three divine persons in the Godhead were equally engaged in the great work of salvation from all eternity; and that which is declared to be the act of one, is also the act of the others, for there are Three that bear record, &c, and these three are one." Believers are also said to be "sanctified in Christ Jesus," 1 Cor. i. 2; sanctified" by his blood," Heb. xiii. 12: and he is made of God unto us sanctification, 1 Cor. i. 30 ; which is one of those spiritual blessings which we are blessed with, in the heavenly places in the Lord Jesus; Eph i. 3. Sanctification is likewise ascribed to the Eternal Spirit (Rom. xv. 16; 2 Thess. ii. 13), who seals each elect vessel unto the day of redemption, and witnesses with their spirits that they are the sons of God by adoption.

But that holiness is progressive is denied by this scripture : be ye holy, for I am holy," 1 Peter i. 16. and what holiness can that be, but the holiness of our covenant Head the Lord Jesus Christ; who viewing the church in that comeliness which he has put upon her, breaks out and exclaims, "Thou art all fair, my love,