734 The Almoft-Cbriftian Difcovcrcd. Principalities and Powers, to baffle Devils, and defpife the Scorns and AffrontS of the whole World? Is it eafie to live like an Angel? Nay to live like Chritt to live like God himfelf? ls this cafie, when we fee fo many tottering Profclfo;s afpiring towards Chriftianity, fame mounting till they are giddy and brain-fick with their moft damnable Errors, others tumbling down from the Precipices of great and dangerous fins. We may well wonder. tl~at an~ are faved, when fuch as thefc mifcarry: Well then, to confider what 1t IS tha_t 1~ wrou!_!;ht upon you, even that the Omnipotent God bath wrought, (and what It IS that IS wrought by you,) that that is beyond the Power of Nature: We may well conclude, what a difficult matter it is to be.. come a true and ferious Chriftian altogether. Vfe 3· May-natural Men go thus far in Chriftianity, 0 be you then perfuaded to go much further! Do not refr in any attainment Jhort of Heaven and Glory. Reft not in any prefent attainment; and this indeed is the moft natural Ufe that can be made of this Subject, when you hear how great a progrefs wicked Men may make. 1 know that the Hearts of the beft Chriftians are ready to fuggeft to them and th.ey will be apt to conclude again~ .themfelves: All. that is wrought upo~ Lhem IS but the common work of the Sptnt; therefore their Graces are but Coun4 terfeit, and that themfelves yet are Jhort of Chriftianity; 1 know that this Subw jef.t may caufe fuch jealoufies and fufpicions to arife in the Hearts of fome; but the genuine ufe of this DoCl:rine is not fo much to pore upon our prefent Condition, as to ftir you up to make a future progrefs• .May a natural Man make fo great a progrefs, as to be almoft a Chdftia n, tJ1en certamly I muft never reft any where fl10rt of Heaven. Well therefore the Apoftle in Hcb. 6. 11, 12. After he had fhewn them at large what a height ana... tural Man may arrive to, he preffeth them to be earneft in their endeavours after PerfeClion. Why, this will be the belt Evidence to you, that you are indud Chriftians, that you have the truth of Ch~iftiapity. . Though natural Men may poffibly glifler 10 a glonous Profeffion, and fhine like the Sun in its radiant fplendor; yet like it they have their Zeuith, their higheft degree, which when they have climbed to, they fall down again. But a true Chriftian's courfe bath not any declenfion, he may proceed infinitely from one <le ~ gree of Grace to another, he may afcend and reach higher and higher till he bath reached Heaven, where all his infirmities fha\1 be fwallowed up, and aboiifhtd i, confummated Glory. And indeed this is the greateft evidence of the tru th Grace; a natural Man's motion to Heaveo, it is violent and unnatur.:tl, it is hrL from him, by fame external irr.preffions upon the Confcience, lllumin:u ior:1 and common Works of the Holy Gboft, which as foon as this external force is fpt.:nt, he falls naturally back again to his former courfe of Sin. .As a Stone m, ,)' In c,_.,_ ried a great height towards Ht~tven, by an outward violent imprejJior; upcn ir, but tvh,n ·that force is worn ojf, it falls naturally back ttgain tu the Earth, Now a c ;,,iflht't mounts naturaUy to Heaven, which by reafon of thar dull mi>:tu;e of ~arth th,lt is 111 him, his cour(e tends to the Eoirth ag•in. But the true Chr1!ban iblJ moums upward ftom the Principle that carries him up, which indeed never to ~ally fpends its felf; therefore if thou wouldft prove thy felf to be not almoft, but altogeth<r a Chriftian, continue thy progrefs, frill gain ground towards Heaven, relt not fatisfy'd with any prefent attainments, but he ftill rifing and foaring, until thou haft gotten the World and them too under thy feet. Fifthly, When you fee any who have been forward in a Profeffion, and gone far in Chrifti:mity, to forfake their Station, and fall back to their former courfe of Prophanenefs : Ta~e heed that you do not reproach, that you do not fcandalize Religion with their Apoftacy; this is that which opens the Mouths and bardens the Hearts of wicked Men, when they fee fuch Glorious, but yet T'mpora~ ry ProfeJfors to return with the Dog to the Vomit; they indeed firft blef~ themfelves in their own ways, as being better than the ways of God, as being better than the Profefiion of Religion; otherwife why Jhould thofe that fo long have forfaken them, and with a great deal of Pomp, made fuch a Glorious Jhew and Oftentation of Religion, and of Confcientioufnefs, why Jhould fuch return back again to their old ways? Secondly, It makes them think, that all Profeffors are but Hypocrites, that it is but a foleliJn cheat put upon the World, lince li1ch forward Profelfors of it are toun.d
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