to the EP H E S I AN S. PI nt the life of a 13eafi and the life of Reafon ; here is a fourth liJe, to aim at ~""' th~ Glory of God. l t is ~a !led the Light of ltje, .7oh. 8.Jz, . Ser/11011• My Brethren, thi' is bringmg 111 a new Form tndeed, andew Joul ~ee~, to~ put this principle intoa man's h;an ; this ts T rasformatton m ee •. · ty . It bringeth a new end into a man s heart ; and l dtm ojlji11u 111 m,ral•ltu? quodfor• m, 1 111 11 aturalibt<!, and fo quod awmatwvrt: T hat 1s, what the form IS to natu• ral things ; that is, what meS~ul is unto a man·~ Body, that IS a mans end to hts Soul when he is converted. It Is the befi deftnmon I ever heard of Convertion, that it is the change of a man's utmofi end, and·upop that a man's Soul is tumed to God : Aman was before for himfelf, and fo long as lumfelf IS hts end, let htm have never fo many changes, yet frill he turneth upon himfelf; now J o but put Holynefs into him, toai'? at God in all thing•, ~t changeth the w~ole. man prefently, it changeth aU Ius Courfe , all hts Affechons, every thmg m !urn. It ts anew Lor~djlolle, it wtll make htm fat! after an.other Compafs. . Now to work this, to make a man's he~rt to be forGod as he IS naturall~ for h1mfelf, It requ1• reth a mighty power of God to don. Satth the Apol\le 10 2 Pet.. 1. 4· Accor• ding M hi& 'Drvi11e power hath grven t• m all thwgs tbatpertarn to Life a11d Godti 11 efs. Haft tl1ou any Godlinefs in thy heart 'I a Princ1ple of GoJiinefs to aim at God? (for thntl'roperly is Godlinefs ) to fet him up '? it mufi be a ~ighty power that mufi do tt; accordwg (fatth he) to hJS 'Dzvme power; tt IS a power that o~ly belongeth to God to do this: AquittM fauh well , Elevat hommem, faith he; when 11 man hath Grace tO aim at God, it raiferh a man up above all the Being and Power of Nature.There• fore it is more thao all the Creation ofNature limply conf1dered;it is called there• fore a 'Dzvi1u Nat~re. My Brethren, you may lmow the great power rhat goeth to work this from the £xcellency of it; for the more excellent a thing is in lleing, cert~inly the more power goeth to ~ork it. This excelleth all llei!lgs , raifeth a man beyond all Beings ; for tt ratfeth a man up to ltve the lrfe of God. A man hveth the !tfe of a Beafi, when he liveth in plcafures; of a Man, when he liveth in honour and in things the Reafon is capable of; but all this while he is a !\ranger to the Ltje of God. But ro add to the life .of a Beafi the life of R.eafon, and to the life of Reafon the Life of God, you Will fay that there mufi be an Excuding greatnefs of power to do this. To make a man to aim at God and his Glory, is more than to make a Man, or Beafi, or Stocks, or Stones, or Worlds. Saith the Apofile J ames Chap. I, 17, 18. Every good gift, andeverJ perfeflgift ufrom above mzd cometh downfromthe Father of Lrghts. 'M•~v P.I, it is from ~bove, whol– ly from above, thofe gdts that are good, ><.<1' '~"''• by way of emu1ency, they are wholy from above, they are wholy by a Divine power. He (peaks ot Grace, read the words after; hebath 6egottm m agai11 accorditzg to his wrll, that we jhotzld 6e thefirjl Fruits. And he fpcaks of Grace before as well as in the words after, it is a thing wholy li'om above, no power can do it. I told you before that the Phrafe, made wzthottt hands, noreth out a Tranfcendency of working, it is applyed to Chifi's Body , and to the Glory of Heaven. Well this Phrafe, _.,.:;~,, from above, it is applied to none but Chrifi, and it is to argue the Excel· Jency of Chrifi above all others. Read Joh. 3· 3'· When J uh" would prove Chrifi to be greater not only than himfelf, but greater than all what faith he? He thatcomethfroma6ov e, faith he, (he ufeth the fame Phrafe ;hat the Apoflle doth h~r~ of Grace) u greater tban all; fo here, EverJ goodgrft is from a· bove, It IS wholy D1vme, and cometh from the Father of LighfS. For a man to aim thus at God I fay it cometh wholy from him, I will !hut up this point only with this. Do but now loo!<into your hearts, have you any of thisperje{! gift that u thus wholy from above, and draweth you up to above, to a~m at God more thall your !elves , and that that fieereth your Courfe? My Brethren, to be thus turned to God is to have a new end , ir throweth the Soul upon new hinges, it toucheth the Soul as a Loadfione that to~cheth the knife, draweth it ioward God in every thing. There is nothing ot' it in Nature, no difpotition of it, there is nothing of it in oil the Creature : GJ take man as timply contidcreJ, as reafonable ; and take Beafts and all tllis inferi– our World, there is no fuch thing. There is a World indeed, a Being, where there
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