souls be stirred up, to abound and be fruitful therein? I say, they are so many and lie so deep in the mystery of the gospel, and dispensation of grace, spread themselves so throughout the whole revelation of the will of God unto us, that to handle them fully and distinctly, and to give them their due weight, is a thing that I cannot engage in, lest I should be turned aside from what I principally intend. I shall only give you some brief heads of what might at large be insisted on.

1. Our universal obedience and good works are indispensibly necessary from the sovereign appointment and will of God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

(1.) In general. This is the will of God even our sanctification' or holiness; 1 Thess. iv. 3. This is that which God wills, which he requires of us, that we be holy, that we be obedient, that we do his will as the angels in heaven. The equity, necessity, profit, and advantage of this ground of our obedience, might at large be insisted on. And were there no more this might suffice alone. If it be the will of God it is our duty.

(1.) The Father had ordained or appointed it. It is the will of the Father;' Eph. ii. 10. The Father is spoken of personally; Christ being mentioned as mediator.

(2.) The Son hath ordained and appointed it as mediator; John xv. 16. 'I have ordained you that you should bring forth fruit' (of obedience), and that it should remain.' And,

(3.) The Holy Ghost appoints and ordains believers to works of obedience and holiness, and to work holiness in others so in particular, Acts xiii. 2. He appoints and designs men to the great work of obedience in preaching the gospel, and in sinning, men sin against him.

2. Our holiness, our obedience, work of righteousness, is one eminent and especial end of the peculiar dispensation of Father, Son, and Spirit, in the business of exalting the glory of God in our salvation; of the electing love of the Father, the purchasing love of the Son, and the operative love of the Spirit.

(1.) It is a peculiar end of the electing love of the Father; Eph. i. 4. He hath chosen us that we should be holy and unblameable.' So Isa. iv. 3, 4. His aim and design in choosing of us was, 'that we should be holy and unblameable

before him in love.' This he is to accomplish, and will bring about in them that are his. He chooses us to salvation, through the sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth; 2 Thess. ii. 12. This the Father designed as the first and immediate end of electing love; and proposes the consideration of that love as a motive to holiness; John iv. 8-10.

(2.) It is so also of the exceeding love of the Son, whereof the testimonies are innumerable. I shall give but one or two. Tit. ii. 14. Who gave himself for us, that he might sanctify and redeem us from all iniquity, and purify to himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.' This was his aim, his design, in giving himself for us; as Eph. v. 25-27. 'Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word; that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish ;' 2 Cor. v. 15. Rom. vi. 5.

(3.) It is the very work of the love of the Holy Ghost; his whole work upon us, in us, for us, consists in preparing of us for obedience, enabling of us thereunto, and bringing forth the fruits of it in us; and this he doth in opposition to a righteousness of our own, either before it, or to be made up by it; Tit. iii. 4. I need not insist on this; the fruits of the Spirit in us are known; Gal. v. 22.

And thus have we a twofold bottom of the necessity of our obedience, and personal holiness. God hath appointed it, he requires it. And it is an eminent immediate end of the distinct dispensation of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, in the work of our salvation. If God's sovereignty over us is to be owned; if his love towards us be to be regarded; if the whole work of the ever-blessed Trinity for us, in us, be of any moment, our obedience is necessary.

3. It is necessary in respect of the end thereof; and that whether you consider God, ourselves, or the world.

(1.) The end of our obedience in respect of God, is his glory and honour; Mal. i. 6. This is God's honour, all that we give him. It is true he will take his honour from the stoutest and proudest rebel in the world; but all we give him, is in our obedience. The glorifying of God by our obedience, is all that we are or can be. Particularly,

[1.] It is the glory of the Father, Matt. v. 16. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is heaven.' By our walking in the light of faith, doth glory arise to the Father. The fruits of his love, of his grace, of his kindness, are seen upon us, and God is glorified in our behalf. And,

[2.] The Son is glorified thereby. It is the will of God, that as all men honour the Father, so should they honour the Son; John v. 23. And how is this done? By believing in him; John xiv. 1. obeying of him. Hence, John xvii. 10. he says he is glorified in believers; and prays for an increase of grace and union for them, that he may yet be more glorified, and all might know that as mediator he was sent of God.

[3.] The Spirit is glorified also by it: he is grieved by our disobedience; Eph. iv. 30. and therefore his glory is in our bringing forth fruit. He dwells in us as in his temple, which is not to be defiled. Holiness becometh his ha

bitation for ever.

Now if this that hath been said, be not sufficient to evince a necessity of our obedience, we must suppose ourselves to speak with a sort of men, who regard neither the sovereignty nor love, nor glory of God, Father, Son, or Holy Ghost. Let men say what they please, though our obedience should be all lost, and never regarded, which is impossible (for God is not unjust to forget our labour of love), yet here is a sufficient bottom, ground, and reason, of yielding more obedience unto God than ever we shall do, whilst we live in this world. I speak also only of gospel-grounds of obedience, and not of those that are natural and legal, which are indispensible to all mankind.

(2.) The end in respect of ourselves immediately, is threefold. [1.] Honour. [2.] Peace. [3.] Usefulness.

[1.] Honour. It is by holiness that we are made like unto God, and his image is renewed again in us. This was our honour at our creation; this exalted us above all our fellow-creatures here below; we were made in the image of God. This we lost by sin, and became like the beasts that perish. To this honour of conformity to God, of bearing his image, are we exalted again by holiness alone. says God, because I am holy;' 1 Pet. i. 16.

holy,'

Be ye

And be

ye perfect,' that is, in doing good, 'as your heavenly Father is perfect;' Matt. v. 48. in a likeness and conformity to him. And herein is the image of God renewed; Eph. iv. 23, 24. 'Therein we put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and holiness of truth.' This was that which originally was attended with power and dominion; is still all that is beautiful or comely in the world. How it makes men honourable and precious in the sight of God, of angels, of men; how alone it is that which is not despised, which is of price before the Lord; what contempt and scorn he hath of them in whom it is not, in what abomination he hath them and all their ways, might easily be evinced.

[2] Peace By it we have communion with God, wherein peace alone is to be enjoyed. The wicked are like a troubled sea that cannot rest, and there is no peace to them, saith my God;' Isa. xlviii. 21. There is no peace, rest, or quietness, in a distance, separation, or alienation from God; he is the rest of our souls; in the light of his countenance is life and peace. Now if we walk in the light as he is light, 'we have fellowship one with another;' 1 John i. 7. and 'verily our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ;' ver. 3. He that walks in the light of new obedience, he hath communion with God, and in his presence is fulness of joy for ever: without is there nothing but darkness, and wandering, and confusion.

[3.] Usefulness. A man without holiness is good for nothing; Ephraim,' says the prophet, is an empty vine, that brings forth fruit to itself.' And what is such a vine good for? Nothing, saith another prophet, a man cannot make a pin of it, so much as to hang a vessel on. A barren tree is good for nothing, but to be cut down for the fire. Notwithstanding the seeming usefulness of men, who serve the providence of God in their generations, I could easily manifest that the world and the church might want them, and that indeed in themselves they are good for nothing; only the holy man is commune bonum.

(3.) The end of it in respect of others in the world is manifold.

[1.] It serves to the conviction, and stopping the mouths of some of the enemies of God, both here and hereafter.

1st. Here. 1 Pet. iii. 16. Keeping a good conscience, that wherein they speak against you as evil doers they may be ashamed, beholding your good conversation in Christ.' By our keeping of a good conscience, men will be made ashamed of their false accusations; that whereas their malice and hatred of the ways of God, hath provoked them to speak all manner of evil of the profession of them; by the holiliness and righteousness of the saints, they are convinced and made ashamed, as a thief is when he is taken, and driven to acknowledge that God is amongst them, and that they are wicked themselves; Job xvii. 23.

2dly. Hereafter. It is said that the saints shall judge the world. It is on this as well as upon other considerations; their good works, their righteousness, their holiness, shall be brought forth, and manifested to all the world, and the righteousness of God's judgments against wicked men, be thence evinced. See, says Christ, these are they that I own, whom you so despised and abhorred; and see their works following them, this and that they have done, when you wallowed in your abominations; Matt. xxv. 42, 43.

6

[2.] The conversion of others. 1 Pet. ii. 12. Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles, that whereas they speak against you as evil doers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.' Matt. v. 17. Even revilers, persecutors, evil speakers, have been overcome by the constant holy walking of professors, and when their day of visitation hath come, have glorified God on that account; 1 Pet. iii. 1, 2.

a

[3.] The benefit of all; partly, in keeping of judgments from the residue of men, as ten good men would have preserved Sodom; partly, by their real communication of good to them, with whom they have to do in their generation. Holiness makes a man a good man, useful to all; and others eat of the fruits of the Spirit, that he brings forth continually.

4. It is necessary in respect of the state and condition of justified persons; and that whether you consider their relative state of acceptation, or their state of sanctification.

(1.) They are accepted and received into friendship with a holy God; a God of purer eyes than to behold iniquity;

a Gen. xviii. 32, 33.