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PROP. VIII. At the time a gracious Souls separation from the Body, it is instantly, and perfectly freed from sin, which till that time dwelt in it, from its beginning: But thenceforth shall do so no more.
IMmediately upon their separation from the Body,* 1.1 they are Spirits made perfect, as my Text stiles them; and that Epithet perfect could never suit them, if there were any re∣maining root or habit of corruption in them.
The time, yea, the set time is now come, to put an end to all the dolorous groans of gracious Souls upon the account of indwelling sin. What the Angel said to Ioshua, Zech. 3.3, 4. The same doth God say of every upright Soul at the time of its separation, Take away the filthy Garments from him, and cloath him with change of rayments, and set a fair Mi∣ter upon his head. Thus the Garments spotted with the flesh, are taken away with the Body of flesh, and the pure, un∣changeable Robes of perfect holiness cloathed upon the Soul, in which it appears, without fault before the Throne of God, Rev. 14.5.
There is a threefold burdensom evil in sin, under which all regenerated souls groan in this life, viz. (1) The Guilt, (2) The Filth, (3) The Inherence of it in their nature. And there is a threefold Remedy or cure of these evils. The guilt of sin is remedied by justification: The filth of sin is inchoatively healed by sanctification: The inherence of sin is totally eradicated by glorification. For as it entred into our persons, by the union of our Souls and Bodies; so it is per∣fectly cast out by their disunion or separation at death. The last stroak is then given to the work of sanctification, and the last is evermore the perfecting stroak: Sin lan∣guished under imperfect sanctification in the time of life, but it gives up the Ghost under perfected sanctification, from 〈◊〉〈◊〉 after death. Sanctification gave it its deadly wound, but