DISCOURSE II. 417 But can theirholiness be increased too ? Can perfect holi- ness receive any improvement I will not assert any thing in this matter, lest the manner of expression should offend weaker minds : But I desire, leave to enquire, whether those who know most of God, do notbelieve him best ? Whether those who have the brighest and fullest visions of him, are not most transformed into his image and mademost nearly like tohim ? Now if the separate spirits inheaven are advanced to the different degrees of divine knowledge, may they not in this sense have different degrees of holiness too ? Is it not possible that one saint should love God more intensely than another and be more impressed with his likeness, as he beholds moreof his beauty ? Is it not possible that a soul should grow in the strength and fervor ofits loveand zeal for God, and bemore exactly assimila- ted to him, asit gets nearer 'to God, and grows up intohigher mea- sures of acquaintance with him ? Has not the angel Gabriel, the apostle Paul, and the glorified human nature of Christ in any respect more of holiness or love, or likeness to God, than the meanest saint or angel in heaven ? Is not their sublime know- ledge and nearness to God, attended with proportionable rays of divine sanctity and glory ? Is not the divine image in these ex- alted saints more complete than in the very lowest ? And yet we mayboldly assert, that the meanest saint or angelthere isso perfect in holiness, as tobe free from all sin : Thereisnothing tobe found in any spirit therecontrary to the nature or the will of God. So a soul released from the body may perhaps grow in likeness and love to God perpetually, and yet it may have no sinful defects either in its love or conformity to God, from the first moment of its entrance into heaven. I shall first illustratethis by two similitudes, and then pro- pose a rational and clear account of it in a way ofargument. When the distant morning-sun shines on a piece of polished metal, the metal reflects the face of the sun in perfection, when the sun first rises on it. Butthe same instrument coming directly under the meridian sun-beams, shall reflect the sameimagebright- er and warmer : And yet every moment of this reflection from the morning to the highest noon, shall be perfect, that is, without spot, without blemish, and without defect Such perhaps is the holiness of all the saints in heaven. Or shall I rather borrow a similitude from scripture, and say, the holiness of the spirits in heaven is compared to fine linen ? Rev. xix. 8. Thefine linen cleanandwhite is the righteousnessof the saints, zz 8 xaiwtcara :wv aytwv Now though a garment may be perfectly clean without the least spot or stain, yet fine Inen may growwhiter hourly, as it is bleachedby the constant influence of the heavens. So though every spirit be perfectly cleansed and purified from all sin and defilement, yet it is not impossible that 4 oL. u. I) n
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