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SECT.-
v.1
THE SAPPINESS
OF
SEPARATE
SrIRITS.
437
assaults
of
the powers
of
earth and
hell,
it
may
be
worth
our
enquiry, whether this release be
not
sufficient
ofitself
to
render
the
work
of
sanctification complete, and bring
it
to
a state of perfection, supposing
still
the
ordinary
concurrence or
influence
of
the sanctifying
spirit
?
Or
whether there
must
be
any
immediate,
almighty and
pre
-
sent
.change
wrought.in
the soul
by
a
new
and
extraordi-
nary
influence
of
the blessed
Spirit
at
the
very
moment
of
death,
by
which
sanctification
is
at
once
completed.
Which
of
these
is
true
I
know not.
I
confess
this
last
has
generally been the
opinion
of
our protestant
.writers;
and
perhaps
it
may
be
the
truth
:
But
the
scripture
is
silent.
Who can tell
therefore whether
a
holy
soul,
that
bath
received the
divine seed
of
grace, which
is
called the
di-
vine
nature, and
is
regenerated,
and renewed,
and.
sanc-
tified
by
the
holy spirit,
hath
not
all its
remaining
sins
and imperfections
owing
to
its
bonds
of
sinful
flesh
and
blood
?
And whether
its
compliance
with
so
many
temp
-.
tations,
is
not
to be
attributed
to its
close
attachments to
corrupt
animal
nature
and
sensible things
?
And
there-
fore
whether
this sanctified
nature
would
not
become
completely free
from
sin,
when it
is
freed from all
the
influence
of
a tempting
body and a
tempting
world
?
Whether
the divine bent
and
bias
that
is
given
it
by
the
Spirit
of
God
at
first conversion,
and
by
which
it
main-
tains
continual opposition
to
sinful
flesh,
would
not make
its
own way
toward perfection without
new
and extraor-
dinary
operations
?
Whether
this would
not
'be
sufficient
to cause
the
soul for
ever to ascend
naturally toward
God
in
desire, and
love,
and
delight,
when
all clogs
and
embarrassments are removed
?
So
a
vessel filled
with
upper
air,
and
dragged down
by some
heavy weight
to
the-
bottom
of
the
sea,,
labours and wrestles
with the
un-
easy
burden, and bath
a
perpetual tendency toward
this
upper
region
:
But
if
the weight
be
once
taken
ofd.
it
immediately
of itself
rises
through
the water,
and
never.
ceases its
motion
till
it
come to
the surface.
I
confess this
is
a
nicer speculation, and
of
doubtful
evidence though when
St.
Paul
lays his
sinful
compli-
ances
and
captivity
so
much
to
the charge
of
his
flesh
and
members
in
the
vii.
chapter
to the
Romans, and
in
other
places
of
his writings,
one would
be ready,
to
think
St.
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F
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