Do not trust upon gifts, nor upon duties performed by those gifts, to reach the blessings; so look not for your justification from thence at all: for the Apostle is plain, that he looked not for any thing for his r ighteousness before his conversion, and after his conversion, he counteth it all, as dross, and dung that he might win Christ, Philippians 3:6,7,8. And for our faith; they are not to be trusted upon, as grounds of it: for all the gifts of our sanctification, are fruits of our faith; and therefore faith is said to work by love, Galatians 5:6. And so it doth by all other gifts of the Spirit; and if they be fruits of faith, then faith is not built upon them. And thus much for the second use which Christians are to make of their sanctification.
3. There is in the next place, a point of witness which this Sanctification doth yield, and the Spirit of God by it. The water beareth witness to the blood and the blood to the water, and the Spirit unto both, 1 John 5:6,7,8. A man’s own spirit beareth witness also, Romans 8:16, The Spirit of God beareth witness with our spirits, that we are the children of God; and therefore as a witness of God unto our faith, we may lawfully hear what it speaketh; but this is the life of a true evidence, that all these gifts of God do not bear witness any further then a man seeth the Lord Jesus working them in him, and for him: for it is faith that maketh all the graces of the Gospel active, and it is a condition so requisite, that unless our works be of faith, and flow from it, they are not acceptable before God, Hebrews 11:6, for without faith it’s impossible to please God; therefore unless faith carry an end our works, they are not works of holiness, such as should bear witness to the soul.
Therefore the Apostle doth stir up the Corinthians unto this mainly, Examine yourselves whether you are in the faith? 2 Corinthians 13:5, if he do exhort them to examination, it is in point of faith: and therefore some of our Divines, as Reverent Forbes of Middleburgh by name, who hath written a Sermon upon it “wherein he noteth this, that unless men find faith in their holiness, none of all their Sanctification will become a sound witness of the Grace of God unto them: but if faith be found, then you shall see Jesus Christ accepting you, and bearing in you, except you be reprobates.” There is a marvellous gracious witness, that sanctification giveth unto him that liveth by faith in Jesus Christ, if it be in Christ, and from Christ, and for Christ. This only is that sanctification which the Lord commendeth unto his children, to seek after it.
4. A fourth Use of our sanctification is, that the Spirit of God helpeth us by it in point of rejoicing and therefore it is that you shall see the servants of God, rejoicing in their holiness; so doth the Apostle Paul, 2 Corinthians 1:12, This is our rejoicing, the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity, and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world; he rejoiceth at what the Lord doth by him and with him.
Let every man prove his own work, and so shall he have rejoicing in himself, and not in another, Galatians 6:4 But what is it that maketh the Apostle to rejoice before God? When he rejoiceth in his work before the Lord, you shall ever find him rejoicing at the Lord’s acting these gifts in him and blessing him in his work: let us look upon two or three Scriptures for this end, 1 Timothy 1:12,13, I thank Jesus Christ our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; who was before a blasphemer, &c. this he thanketh God for: so that, mind you, as he seeth God giving him these gifts, and enabling him unto the work, so he blessed God in that behalf. You shall find him also blessing God, that had prospered this work of the Ministry wheresoever he came, 2 Corinthians 2:14, Thanks be to God which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. The Lord working in him, and for him, maketh him to triumph, and to over-wrastle all the difficulties which he meeteth withal.
The Lord had given him gifts, and taught him to exercise those gifts, and doth accept him: and therefore he expresseth himself in a marvellous strong speech, Philippians 1:20,21, I am in nothing ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death: for to me to live, is Christ; and to die, is gain: to me to live, is Christ; as if he had said, I have no life but from Christ, I put forth no act of life but for Christ: this is the sum of all his conversation; and if Christ be his life, then death will be his advantage, and Christ will be magnified in either.
Thus we may see how the Saints of God have made use of their sanctification; they are careful to see that it flow from Christ; and yet when they have it, they dare not trust in their best gifts for the least duty, neither do they look for their faith from their best gifts, but they expect their best gifts to flow from their faith: they make use of the testimony of their holiness, when they see Christ in it, and saith in it, and the Spirit of God carrying them along in the ways and duties thereof: thus they see their holiness, and take comfort in it, and from the witness of it, as that by which the Lord dispenseth comfort unto his people, when they receive it from the hands of Christ, and by faith in him, by which they are taught of God, to carry an end their whole conversation in his name.
