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seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul;" by David crying out, "Create in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me:" and most remarkably by Ezekiel, in those words, "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean; from all your filthiness, and from all your idols will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments and do them.-Ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. I will also save you from all your uncleannesses. Thus saith the Lord your God, in the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities-the Heathen shall know that I the Lord build the ruined places. I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it," Ezek. xxxvi. 25, &c.

30. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, both in the law and in the prophets, and having the prophetic word confirmed unto us in the gospel, by our blessed Lord and his apostles: "Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Let us fear lest" so many promises "being made us of entering into his rest" (which he that hath entered into," is ceased from his own works) any of us should come short of it. This one thing let us do: forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, let us press toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ, Jesus" crying unto him day and night, till we also are "delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sons of God."

THE

THE PROMISE OF SANCTIFICATION.

G

Ezek. xxxvi. 25, &c.

By the Rev. Mr. Charles Wesley.

OD of all power, and truth, and grace, Which shall from age to age endure; Whose word, when heaven and earth shall pass, Remains, and stands for ever sure:

Calmly to thee my soul looks up,

And waits thy promises to prove;
The object of my stedfast hope,
The seal of thine eternal love.

That I thy mercy may proclaim,

That all mankind thy truth may see,
Hallow thy great and glorious name,
And perfect holiness in me.
Chose from the world if now I stand
Adorned in righteousness divine,
If brought unto the promis'd land,
I justly call the Saviour mine;
Perform the work thou hast begun,

My inmost soul to thee convert :

Love me, for ever, love thine own,

And sprinkle with thy blood my heart.

Thy sanctifying Spirit pour

To quench my thirst, and wash me clean;

Now, Father, let the gracious shower

Descend, and make me pure from sin.

Purge me from every sinful blot;
My idols all be cast aside :

Cleanse me from every evil thought;
From all the filth of self and pride.

Give me a new, a perfect heart,

From doubt, and fear, and sorrow free;

The mind which was in Christ impart,

And let my spirit cleave to thee.

O take this heart of stone away,

(Thy rule it doth not, cannot own)

In me no longer let it stay:

O take away this heart of stone.

The hatred of my carnal mind

Out of my flesh at once remove;

Give me a tender heart, resign'd,

And pure, and fill'd with faith and love.

Within me thy good Spirit place,

Spirit of health, and love, and power:

Plant in me thy victorious grace,

And sin shall never enter more,

Cause

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Cause me to walk in Christ my way,
And I thy statutes shall fulfil;

In every point thy law obey,

And perfectly perform thy will.

Hast thou not said, who canst not lie,
That I thy law shall keep and do?
Lord, I believe, tho' men deny :

They all are false; but thou art true.

O that I now, from sin releas'd,

Thy word might to the utmost prove!
Enter into the promis'd rest,

The Canaan of thy perfect love!

There let me ever, ever dwell;

Be thou my God, and I will be
Thy servant: O set to thy seal;
Give me eternal life in thee.

From all remaining filth within

Let me in thee salvation have :
From actual, and from inbred sin,

My ransom'd soul persist to save.

Wash out my old origʼnal stain:

Tell me no more it cannot be,
Demons or men! The Lamb was slain,
His blood was all pour'd out for me.

Sprinkle it, Jesu, on my heart!

One drop of thy all-cleansing blood
Shall make my sinfulness depart,

And fill me with the life of God.

Father, supply my every need:

Sustain the life thyself hast giv'n;

Call for the corn, the living bread,

The manna that comes down from heav'n.

The gracious fruits of righteousness,

Thy blessing's unexhausted store,

In me abundantly increase :

Nor never let me hunger more.

Let me no more in deep complaint

"My leanness, Ô my leanness," cry!

Alone consum'd with pining want,
Of all my Father's children I!

The painful thirst, the fond desire
Thy joyous presence shall remove,
full soul doth still require
The whole eternity of love.

While my

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Be mindful of thy gracious word,
And stamp me with thy Spirit's seal.
Thy faithful mercies let me find

In which thou causest me to trust;
Give me thy meek and lowly mind,

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And lay my spirit in the dust.

Shew me how foul my heart hath been
When all renew'd by grace I am;
When thou hast emptied me of sin,

Shew me the fulness of my shame.

Open my faith's interior eye,

Display thy glory from above;
And all I am shall sink and die,

Lost in astonishment and love.
Confound, o'erpower me with thy grace:
I would be by myself abhorr'd,
(All might, all majesty, all praise,)
All glory be to Christ my Lord!
Now let me gain perfection's height!
Now let me into nothing fall!
Be less than nothing in thy sight,

And feel that Christ is all in all!

T

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1.

SERMON XLI.

WANDERING THOUGHTS.

2 COR. X. 4.

Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

BUT

will God so bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, that no wandering thought will find a place in the mind, even while we remain in the body? So some have vehemently maintained; yea, have affirmed, that none are perfected in love, unless they are so far perfected in understanding, that all wandering thoughts are done away: unless not only every affection and temper, be holy, and just, and good, but every individual thought which arises in the mind, be wise and regular.

2. This is a question of no small importance. For how many of those who fear God, yea and love him, perhaps

perhaps with all their heart, have been greatly distrest on this account? How many, by not understanding it right, have not only been distrest, but greatly hurt in their souls? Cast into unprofitable, yea, mischievous reasonings, such as slackened their motion towards God, and weakened them in running the race set before them. Nay many, thro' misapprehensions of this very thing, have cast away the precious gift of God. They have been induced first to doubt of, and then to deny the work God had wrought in their souls; and hereby have grieved the Spirit of God, 'till he withdrew and left them in utter darkness.

1

3. How is it then, that amidst the abundance of books which have been lately published almost on all subjects, we should have none upon wandering thoughts? At least none that will at all satisfy a calm and serious mind? In order to do this in some degree, I purpose to enquire

I. What are the several sorts of wandering thoughts?
II. What are the general occasions of them?
III. Which of them are sinful, and which not?
IV. Which of them we may expect and pray to be de-

livered from?

I. 1. I purpose to enquire, first, What are the several sorts of wandering thoughts? The particular sorts are innumerable; but in general, they are of two sorts, thoughts that wander from God, and thoughts that wander from the particular point we have in hand..

2. With regard to the former, all our thoughts are naturally of this kind. For they are continually wandering from God: we think nothing about him. God is not in all our thoughts: we are, one and all, as the apostle observes, without God in the world. We think of what we love but we do not love God: therefore we think not of him. Or if we are now and then constrained to think of him for a time, yet as we have no pleasure therein, nay rather, as these thoughts are not only insipid, but distasteful and irksome to us, we drive them out as soon as we can, and return to what we love to think of. So that the world and the things of the world, what we shall eat, what we shall drink, what we shall put on:

what

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