54 Firft-born, Rom. 8. 24. chiefly in Grace, Purity and Holinefs : indeed this cannot fo full and exa£tly be, 'till we fee him as be is, but the prefent fight that we have of him by Grace, fhould make fome change in us, 2 Cor. 3. t 8. In Heaven we shall be holy, harmlefs, undefiled, feparate from finners, as he; Heb. 7. 26. ,above the reach ofTemptations, as he, yob. to. 30. Our vile Bodies (hall be changed, Phil. 3. as. and both Soul and Body conformed to that glorious Eftate, as he, Rom. -6. 9. but it muff be begun here ; the very hopes of it Ihould, put us upon .puri- fying our felves, I Soh. 3. 3.. He that path this hope in him, purifieth himfelf as Chrift is pure : You are .to do fo, that there may be fome proportion between Head and Members. so. Becaufe a little Grace is not fo honourable to God, John 15. 8. Herein is my Father glorified, in that ye bring forth much fruit : and :Phil, t. ix. Being filled with the fruits of Righteoufnefs, which are by yefus Chrtfi unto the glory and pia fe of God.: 2 Pet. r. 8. If tbefe things be in you and abound, yon -/hall not be barren or unfruit- ful in the Knowledge of Chriff. 'Tis not a naked and empty Profelfion, 'tis not fleepy habits, or a little Grace, but when Grace bath a deep power and fove- raignty over our Hearts and Lives, that bringeth God into requeft, and commend - eth him to the Confciences of men. The Knowledge of Chrif' is reproached as a low Inftitution by carnal men ; but to the truly wife, no fuch excellent and noble Spirits, as they that are bred up under him. I V S E, Of Reproof, tothofe that think we make more ado than needeth. When we preis men to a conftant watchfulnefs, and ferious diligence in the fpiritual Life, no wonder that every fleight -thing feemeth enough : fo the foolifh Virgins, Give us of your Oyl ; the wife Virgins are more cautious, their faying is, Not fo, le/f there be no enough for us and you. What thoughts have ou of Chrift, when you think every fleight Preparation enough for him ? what fenfe of the world to come, when you do fo little in order to it ? what is it that you call Grace, that ÿóu do fo eafily come by it, and maintain it upon fuch cheap terms ? Surely men have no fenfe of the End, or elfe miftake the Way, that think fo little will ferve the turn. Indeed a little in the world will ferve the turn, if men had fober and moderate defires,- and did not increafe their necefliities by the largenefs of their afeêtions. A man may have Eftate enough for ten men, yea twenty men, and yet not be fatisfied, but the belt bath fcarce Grace enough for one; but alas, how foon aremen fatisfied (fuch is their indifferency) about fpiritual things! inftead of hun- gering and thirfting after Righteoufnefs, a little or none contents them ; here only they are for Sobriety and Moderation, all is too much, and too eafily patted over that feemeth to awaken them to a lively fenfe of that Religion they do pro- fefs. Chrift faith, Except your Righteou/nefs exceed the Righteoufnefs of the Scribes and Pharifees, you cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, Matth. 5. 20. What do ye more than they ? And Luk. IL 24. Strive., to enter in at the ,freight gate : They cannot endure that Chrifrs Authority fhould be urged upon the Confcience; can -you hope to be faved upon eafier terms without all this ado? a little time will determine whole word (hall ftand, Gods or yours; you cannot do too much as long as you do but what. God bids you : Certainly if you judge by that Rule which God bath given to try by, no man on earth is as good as he fhould be, -and he that is belt is too bad, and he that doth mat, cometh unfpeakably fhort of what he fhould do. All the holy ones. of God complain of their naugh- ty Hearts, that they cannot do the things that they would ; they groan under the Body of Death, and cry out, Oh wretched man that I am ! who /ball deliver me from this Body of Death ? And will they then obtrude this lorry perfunflory Obe- upon God, as a full fatisfaaion of his Gofpel -law ? 2. It is to Reprove thofe that think they have Grace enough to brine them to Hea- ven : Now .they may go reft, and trouble themfelves no further. Alas they know not what belongeth to the fpiritual Life; for if they had true, Grace, they would fee a need to keep it lively and growing ; they would find they could not keep what they had, unlefs- they did increafe it; the daily lapfes make breaches upon it, and Confcience would tell them how eafily they lofe many degrees, and a fenfe of it, and that every day they need ferious humiliation; and 'tis a naugh- ty Heart that 'can fatisfie it felf with the minimúm pod fit, a bare Competency, without feeking after greater meafures. When men do things againft their will, they. S ER MO NS upon the SERM. VII.
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