: .) ,, ~ .~ .. - ~ \.t, Spiritual P ~rfeCliott. -----------~ ----------------- . The F.rfi Objeaion •!;lain!l the_ Divine Com:mnd, of bemg perftii "'our H<a-ven/ Far her _u perfdl, IS the •mpo!lib!hty of obeywg 11 . How can linful Duft and A!h?, be pertcB:, as the holy God IS? To tlus a clear Anfwer may be given. 1. 'Tis :rue, if a Law be abfolutely impo!li ble, i_t cancels it fclf: For there can be ne> autl:~nty m a Supenour.to col?rnand, nor obl.Jgauon ?~a Sul:>JeC.l: ,co obey, io a mauer t l: at '-' not capable of ius chotce. Abfolute tmpoffiblllty quenclres de fire, and caufes ~~;·~.~~~n1:ta~u~~~fc~t~!tt~·:r~~Pe ~i~~~!~ukcru~u~~t~"t~~~~~;,:srs~;r!:~~;i~i and unchangeable[. fhould command reafonable creatures any thi ng utterly irnpoffible . ;~~~~~e~e ~;~alf;"l~fio!ntSe~~J~~:f~r ~vi~;? wou ld not rife from themfelves, but the; 2 . The Command fignifi cs no t a refemblance of equality, for in that fenfe there is none holy as tbe Lord, but of •analogy and conformity to h:s holy Nature, of which iu. teUellu•l Creatures are capable. ~· In the prefi:nt lla~e our. Conformity is not entire, our Graces arc not pure Our Vcrtu.es not refio d wuhout allay: But this is from our culpable impotence. And it cannot be imagined, that God fhould reverfe this Law, and dilfolve the obligatioo of it, bocaufc ~e have comraaed a finful difability to perform it.. Befidcs, God is pleafed t o offer d:vwe a!liftance to enable us to be h l<e God 10 t he lnnd of Holioefs, though not in che perfetlioD of degrees. And though we cannot attain to PcrfeClion here we inay be afcending to it. The Apofile exhorts ChriUians to Jlrive {or the eompreh;nfion of the_ hei~hth •nd depth, _and length and brtadtb of the love o(Chrijl that pajfes know/,~('' That ~s, we mu a be addtng new degrees of Light In our Mwds. We &4nnot knonJ IH !fe Are known~ till we come t? the full in.lighrm:d ftat~ above ; and we 'annat he holy _ 41 God ~S koly, UJl ~e COiUC' tO hiS transf~rmtng prefence ID ~eaven, but W~ rnufl: be afP1ring tO n . .lWe have the mofi excellent mcouragement to rh1s Duty: For tf we are zealous in our dcfires and endt.!avo~rs, God Will par~on o~r im~e rfc8ions, and.accepr us as ifrhey were perfeB: : But thofe who are fettled m tbCif deleB:s, and Ire ildl in their JazinefS, will be JUfily condemned. 2 . 'Tis objeB::d, · That this Duty ;, lit leafi. extreamly diffiwlt.. To this I ·anfwer; r: DJI!icu lty JS an unreafonable pretence m matters of wdtfpenfable Duty, and infimre confequence. -Our.Savtour comma~ds us to flrwe to enttr m At the j/rait gate, for f~~:;~ ~~!n":!L;~~;;~'i(;:;::~ :JHeS~:n~~r:or~.~~~~t,"~i~;:n::,0a:~et~;t ~;;,~h~~ c::Z ~~;:de:flf::~ t~:~h~~t,"~fo~:~~hffs:ns than to fuffer Pains: The Cords of Duty are · 2 . -There is noth ing in Religion infuperable to the Love of God, and of our Souls. Love is not cold and idl e, but ardent aod aaive in purfuit of its Object. There <re rn~ny•infiances that refolved Diligence will fovercome great obllacles to the defigns of Men i)e_mofthenes thC }U/;enian~ was the moll unqualified for an•Ofator of a thoufaod: H'is greath w a, fa fhort, that he could oat fpeak out a full Semence; his Voice and Pronurteiarion was fa harfh, and his Aaion fa ungrateful and offenfive to the moll delicate Sentes, _the Eye and Ear, that the_firft time · lie fpake in the publkk Alfembly, he was cht"eftailied with Der·ifion, and ti1e fecond \~-ith Difdain b) _theJPOOple. ; yet by un~ Waa:ticd f'ndullry and Exercife,_ he <!orreaed Ius, defeCts, and be"CiurJe rhe moll Eloquent ari<J .·ferfeCl: tOrator tl\a t ever flour_iflid -in Gruu. Now can there be any fo difficult hci<thth in Religion, bur a ftrong ;fefo lution, join'd with cohfequcrft endeaVours, and th~fupernarural.ailiflatice 6 f thf HolySpirit, . will graduaUy atbrin ~~? • To 'oa1;ed Nature, the ·Commands or plrukt'ng Oflt ' the rtght Eje, aNd cutting off the ri1ht Hand, are excreartily hard; Carnal Men· pretend they can as cafily llop the circu!atibnbf the:: Blood, as mortifie their fes.fu_al }nclinations. But by the Grace of God 'tis nor only, pd!Iible, but pleafant, fo)abj1di~ {Foni f/efbiJ L.jls that war af(ainf/ tbe Sot~/ .. I can do iJO tiJtngJ through Chr_ijl that flreltg lhe»s me: faub t_he A potlle-; ·the word im_rhes, I~"" e4filf :1'Sr: . 1olm dec!ar-es,· hts Conl11~ttJ?dJ Are not gruvous: The JOI:e of ~hri.ft ts a 1, ractous )'Oke ~ The impotence pf Men to obey Chrilt , con fills in their obiltnacy. They aro not infctl'ed by Fate, nor derermin'd by Deftiny, add contl rain'd by llria Neceffi ty to folio'' their finful Courfes , but are: chain'd to their allunng vicious Objeas by the con' · fent of t h.eir own Will . . I wilJ , to ~o cvi n ce thofe who ar~ Chriftian~ only in tide and profeffion, and prete~d inyin.c.ible impedimem~ again:Jt perf'?rming their Duty, propound the Moral Excellenc1es ~~~·~;~:~ ifi~~0y~~~~~:~:1~~:~·0 i~§~~~~i~~n~11 ~oafff~~c~0~~1~~~11~et~ft~~~~- to $f:C 4 ~e~ · conftam
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=