Thus have I endeavoured to give the plain and obvious meaning of the text. Distinctions upon distinctions have been multiplied; books upon books have been published, to tell us that we are to be justified by the Personal Righteousness of CHRIST outwardly imputed, and sanctified by the inherent graces of the HOLY SPIRIT; that one must necessarily precede the other; and that we must be perfect in CHRIST by Justification, before we can have the least spark of Holiness by Sanctification. This is, indeed, travelling in the broad and popular road; and such kind of preaching might be to the "praise of men." Let systems be written upon systems, and comments upon comments; let preachers oppose preachers, and hearers wander after this or that form of godliness; but may Heaven in mercy preserve us from taking up our rest, or placing our dependence upon any thing less than an intimate and experimental knowledge of "The LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS" revealing himself, with all his holy heavenly tempers, virtues, and dispositions, in our hearts! May we never rest satisfied with a nominal profession of Christianity, a nominal acquaintance with CHRIST, or a nominal remission of sins; for, surely, we are not warranted, by Scripture, to look upon ourselves as redeemed by CHRIST, and born again of him, till by a total purification, a complete deliverance from all the evil tempers and passions of our fallen life, he hath obtained a full and peaceable possession of our whole nature, erected his Throne of Righteousness in our hearts, and by the effectual working of his HOLY SPIRIT brought us to the "measure of the stature of that FULNESS, which is in HIMSELF." DISCOURSE III. The Religion of Jesus, the only Source of Happiness. St. JOHN, CHAP. vi. VER. 66, 67, 68. "FROM THAT TIME, MANY OF HIS DISCIPLES WENT BACK, AND WALKED NO MORE WITH HIM. THEN SAID JESUS UNTO THE TWELVE, WILL YE ALSO GO AWAY? THEN SIMON PETER ANSWERED HIM, LORD! TO WHOM SHALL WE GO? THOU HAST THE WORDS OF ETERNAL LIFE."