:-,piritual PerfeUion. 'Tis true, there are different A.ges ~f the Child.ren of God ; fomc are as new-born Babes, in a !late of I nfancy and I~firrnn y , others 1 ~ their Minority, others are arrived to more matur ity : and as the crytog of an I nfant d1fcovers life, as \\ell zs aaive mirth fo mourning fo r our ~~pe_rfettions difcovers the truth of ~race. And Saints of dift~~ rent Degrec::s are rece1v d mto ~lory: but none arc. who d1d not aim and endeavour to e!t anfe them/elves from all polfHttom of jlrfb and fpmr, and to p<rf"1 holinefl. For without J1ocenry we are not capa?le of the prefc:nt favour of God, nor fu:ure .BieiTednefs. and Sincerity is inconfiftem Wit h the wilful negi<Cl: of our Duty. ' Grace is a ·plant of Heav~n, produ8ive _of Fru1ts Cuitab!e w its quality ; and 't is pro. per to its nature to be tend1ng to PerfeC:hon. ~ Tree that ceafes_ to grow before 'tis come eo its perfe8ion, and brings not forth Fru1t in its feaf~n, wahers and d)•es. A Chrillian char is unfruitful has no Life, bur is expos'd ~o the Juft chrcatniog of Excifion and the Fire. He that limits himfelf in Religion, is 111 a Rare of De2th. [ have infilled the longer upon this matter, t hat by Clearne!s and Convitl:ion, Men may be di[- enchanted from t hat pernicious perfwafion, That without uling lincere Endeavours to be per fetl:ly Holy, they may fafely go to Heaven. 3· I !hall add to what has been difcours'd of before, fome othe r Argume~ts and Motives eo excae us eo be lntennve to th.s great \York. 1 tball fir it conlid~r che Per· feEt ion of the Rule laid down in the GofpeL t. The Moral Law in irs purity and perfeClion, that fo1bids Si,~ i_n every l\!nd and degree, Th01e f/;alt not Cov~t, and Com?Jands HolinefS in the mo!1 Spii'Jtuai Sui·hmene!~. ThorJ foalt love the Lord wttb All thy mmd, heart, foul and jlrent,Jh, is the Rule of our Duty prefcribd in tho Gofpel. 'Tis tr ue, that pedonal perfect Obedience as rhe Con dition of Life, is abolifh'd, as was before obferved : if that li ves, we mull dye for ever. But the Command binds ~irhou c rel axa tion. The re is no pt;rmiffion of the Jea fi Sin by the Gofpel . The lookwg to the Brazen Serpent, did not alte r the dead ly quality of the poifon of the F"ry Serpent, but llopt its deadly operation: Faith in Chrift does not change the nature of Sm to make it lawful, but hinders its deadly rnalignity in working. Our Sav iour tells us, He came not to deflroy the LaJV, hut to {11Ift/ it. .And thAt huven &nd earth {bordd pajf away, before one tittle of it {bat/ [11il; t hat is, lofe its binding Aurhori ty. 'Tis as unalterable as t he Lawgiver, who{C Purity ~t reprcfems. Not only the Mylle ri ous and Supernatural Dotl:r ines, the ObJetls of Faith, but Moral Duties, the matters of Pratl: ice, are fully reveal"d only i~ the GofpeL T he Humane Underllanding was Darknrjto Superna tu ra l Truths, and dim with refpeEt to the Rules of Life. Our Saviour has clea r'd the Law from t he falfe glo!fes of the Pharifees, who by favourable Explicat ions , and CorreEtives of its ll riEt nefs, inllead of curbing their Lulls, did cheri!h and foment t hem, Bwt the Oracle fpeaks without ambiguity: the Interpreta tion of our Saviour is clear and dccifivc , that the puri(jing the H eart , as well as the cleanjing the Hand, ·is an Indifpenfable Duty, Holinefs mull be fo pure, rhat we mull not only ab!lain from polluting acts , but quench aU polluting thoughts and defires : we mull: nor only pardon externally rhe moft provoking InJuries, but internally quench all inclinations to reven_ge: Nov.: it will require our Noblefl Cares, and moll: Excellent Endeavours to pratl:1ce t hefe h1gh Ru les, If there were an Extratl: of the Corrupt Morals in the Philofophy of the Heathens, it would be vifible how ddeEl: ivc iris ro rellore Man to his pri mitive Holinefs. They were Idolaters, not me rely by Temptation, but by Principle and Refolution : it was their Maxim, That a Wife Ma n !hould Conform to the Wor!hip praEtis'd in the places where they lived, Their Moral Philofophy afccnded no higher than to intlruEt us how to aa as Men : for ir confiders in them only Humane ~alities, and direCts rheir Aai. ons in a refpeEti ve order to Natural Felicity. To do jutlly, to dye gcneroutiy, to allay the fiery agitarions of the Paffions, that make Men miferable in rhemfi:l ves, and vexauous to o•hers, is the highell pitch to which th is Heathen Philofophy pretends. They had fome gl imme ring confus'd Notions of their Duty towards God, but like the thm appearance of fame Stars in a dark Night, wirhout Efficacy . . But the Gofpd reveals our Dmy fo as it may be clearly known, and llrongl y 1mpretl on us. There are various Duties in the compafs of a Chrilliaos praCbfe, and '(is an advantage to have them reduc~d ro fame comprchenfive Heads, that may bring them often to our Minds. The A po!t le gives us the bright fum of our Du ty : The gwr of God tbat brint,I {alva.tion, hath appear 'd untu all mtn, teachint. m, that dMying ungodlmrjf aod worldly lujh, >>e fho•ld live t.odlr , rig/,uouf/y •nd foberly in the prr{ent world. There is no R ult: more ex:tcnfivt: and infl.uem ial into d1c Life of a Chrifiian, than to wall: wor· thy of God, becoming our Relarion to him as our Heavenly Father, and our Union WJ1ti~
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