724 The Almoft-Chriflian Difcovered. and ncg,\eCl: thofe Duties which for Matter and Subftance of them they mioht per· form ; fo none of them goes fo far as they have a natural power to do : No Man goes fo far in the work of Grace as he might, if he would improYC that power which he hath by Nature. 3· Did they make as great a progrefs towards Grace as they might, they would not fall fo far lhort of Grace as they do. I fay if wicked unregencra re Men did but as much as they are able by the power of Nature to do, without the fpecial 'Alliftance of the H~ly Ghoft, t}1ey would not fall fo far fhort of Grace as they do. I woul~ not enter mto that DifJ?ute whether God be ~nl?aged r_o beftow G~·1wc upon the nght Improvemen~ of then· natural power; yet lt ts certam, and agreed on by all, that he do~h ccrtalllly do fo . . God ufll~lly beftows true and faving Grace upon thofe ~ho dopghtly,_ and to th~ 1 r utmoft~ Improve thc_ir natural power and ability for then· acqumng of It. If God oe not obliged by prom1fc ro aflift them;yet through his Goodnefs and Mrrcy he IS not wont tt> defert them. Let them but la bout," to irn· prove their natural ability to the utmoft ftrain and pitch that their own capacity . can elevate, God will (accord!ng to his ufual method and wonted Goodncfs) come in by fupernatural Gracr, and Inable them to do that which by Nature they are not able to do; for no inftance can be given eo the contrary. So then we may conclude· that wicked Men ne~ er go io far as they can; and did they, yet they could not effi... ciently work Grace Ifl: themfelves, but. neverthelcfs they would be difpofed and prepared for the recetpt of Grace, whtch God upon fuch preparations would un. doubtedly beil:ow upon them. For although he be not oblioed to give it them yet ufually he is wont to work it. in_ them meerlythrough hjs ow~ naturalGoodnefs: free Grace and Meroy to them, pitying tL1e weakncfs of their lapfed and fallen Nature. 1 fhall proceed to the Anfwer of the firft O!teftion in the general. 1. Unregenerate Men may make a_great pro&refs, and may go v:ry far tow~rds SJracc, and yet fall lhort of It; that tn generaliS to be Aimoft a Chrifttan. Th1s lla1d down in the Method propounded to you. Although l fay not they go as far as they can by the power of Nature, and yet fall Jbort of Grace; for that can never he infranced in any; yet the fad and wretched Apoil:acy of thofe who have been eminent Profeffors Ihining, yea, and glaring Lighrs, exceeding, and alfo defpifi.ng common attainmel;ts of others; their Apoftacy hath too evidently confirmed it to us, that: Men may go very far towards Grace, and yet ~ll fhort of it. See what Chrift faith Mark 12. 24. of lhat young Man, lhat forward young Man, Thou art not f.tr from the Kingdom of God; that is, thou art not far from Grace; for fo the Kingdom of God is oftentimes taken in Scripture for the Kingdom of Grace, fo that we may fay of fuch Men, they were not far from the Kingdom of God, not far from Grace, not far from Heaven, climbing up almoft thither, within view and ken of it,having, one foot, as it were, upon theThrelh?ld of the Heavenly Gate; and yet even thefc tumble headlong, and never reft u\l they have plunged themfelves to the bottom of Hell. It is with fuch Men as it is with the Vapours that are drawn up into the Air, they fhine with the fame Light, with the fame apparent Magnitude as the fixed Stars themfelves do, and we may think them moving in the very fame Sphere with them; but when we fee them dart down to theE:Irth, and fpilling all that Light and Glory, which they gliftered with by the way, and fall into a filthy Jelly, a thicker and more: loathfom Subftance than when they were firft exhaled, we then conclude that all that Elevation of thofc falfe and blazing Lights, was vaftly fhort of tbat Heaven in which they feemed fometime to be fixed. So is it with many unregenerate Men; you cannot tell with what they are fra~ght till you fee them fhipwracked; then it is a fign, that though they were never nght an~ true Treafnrc, yet they are famething very like it: When we fee them tumbling down off a glorious Profeffion through fatal Precipices of great, grofs, and defj)erate Sins, we may fadly conclude that t:hatMan was not far from the Kingdom of God, though he was never yet there. Indeed every unrceenerate Man, when he winds up himfelf to the highcft pitch and ftrain, he may be faid to be far from the Kingdom of God, in refpect of his total deprivation of Grace; though his Actions be never fo fair and fiJecious, yet they are very far from beinr, gracious , as far as Darlmef; is from Light; yet he may be fa id not to be far from the Kingdom of God likewife in a fourfold refpetl:. FJrft, ln that he is far from that which i-, furtheft from Gr.tce ; and that is, grofs, ftagitiou~,aud notorious Sins,which are fartheft offtrom Grau of all others; and thefe a Natural Mau may be very far and free from; and thcrefo1e not far from Grace. Secondly,
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