Refinements of their Holiness, and the entire Rectitude of their whole Being. Now what Stint can be fet to our Endeavours? what Period can be fix'd to our Progress in Piety, fince we are to arrive at a State of infinite Perfection in all Virtue? The moft laboured Preparations of the Soul, the moft pure Improvements of Gofpel-Grace, the most advanced Degrees of true Righteousness, we are at prefent capable of, fall vaftly fhort of that Glory which fhall be revealed: The infinite Distance between us and Heaven makes that Scale of Duty whereby we are to afcend thither, the full Employment of our whole Lives; we must rise higher and higher continually, if we would ever arrive thither, the highest Pitch of Virtue any one hath, or can be supposed to have attained, will ftill qualify them for higher Improvements; every new Attainment in Holinefs engages them in a fresh Stage of Duty; the Faculties of the Soul are thereby refined and exalted, and become more active and vigorous in all their Functions; this enables them to prefs VOL. II forwards G 2 : forwards with Strength and Zeal for the Attainment of more exalted Graces it ; gives them a brisker Perception, and produces in them a more bright and elevated Practice of those which are already attained Those immenfe Objects of Delight, which are the referv'd Portion of Eternity, must have a Soul enlarged to the utmoft for their Reception; the Enlargements of our Happiness will always keep proportion to the Enlargements of our Souls in Virtue; and whoever hopes for any Share in the former, muft evidence fuch his Hopes by the Advances he makes in the latter. Were our Minds but duly affected with the Glories of Heaven, we should never want Motives to push us forwards, in the Course of Virtue, nor Vigour to improve in the Habits of Righteoufnefs Every Step, every Look towards Eternity would widen our Prospect of it, and discover in it fresh Scenes of Beauty and Delight; thofe Discoveries would reciprocally animate'us with greater Ardour, and with an irresistible Force would draw us nearer to Heaven in our Affection; an encreafed Affection would expand and ftrengthen the Powers of the Soul, and raise them up to a more exalted Pitch of Holinefs; an higher Station would give us a larger View of, and in the Bent and Conformity of our Souls, would bring us nearer to Heaven; a more powerful Attraction would neceffarily enfue, the nearer we are placed to the Center of our Happiness: And thus would our Natural and Moral Qualifications mutually advance each other; whilst the glorious Profpect extends the Soul, it likewife refines it; thofe Refinements render it more capacious, its Capacity engages it in Acts in ftill brighter Refinements; and thus conftantly widening in a Circle of Defire, Endeavour, and Improvement, Heaven again would open more and brightly upon us, and we fhould become better and better qualified for the Manfions of its glorious Inheritance: The Strength and Beauty of our Holiness would encrease upon us as we go, and our Paths would become as a fhining Light, which fhineth more and more until the perfect Day. These are the Influences which a vigorous Senfe of Eternal G 3 Eternal Blessedness would naturally have upon us; and whoever does not grow in Grace upon thefe Motives, difcovers fuch a ftupid and hardened Indifferency for Heaven, as muft render his Arrival thither extremely hazardous. BUT, 2dly, The Neceffity of growing in Grace will appear yet farther from confidering the Corruption of that State wherein we now ftand. THE former Argument proceeded upon the Weakness of our Faculties, this proceeds upon the Depravity of them the Soul of Man in this Life is as it were in its Infancy, growing up into its mature State of Perfection and Immortality: When therefore we confider how wonderfully thofe Faculties are to be advanced, how flender and scanty they are in the Original, how extenfive they must be in their acquired Capacities, or, in other Words, when we compare their natural Weakness with the ftrong and vigorous Enjoyments we are to aspire after, we can think no Degrees of Improvement on this Side of Eternity large enough to answer the great End of our High Calling; but the Neceffity of our labouring to grow in Grace will appear more, when we confider that our Faculties are tainted with Original Pollution, and naturally grow ftronger and ftronger in actual Impurity. There is in our Souls a Principle forcibly tending the wrong Way, and drawing us into Subjection to Sin; a Principle closely interwoven with our very Being, growing up with our Faculties, and encreafing in Strength as they do; by Nature confequently as the Soul improves, it improves in Depravity, in a strong Averfion to the Joys of Heaven, in an harden'd Purpose of committing Iniquity; our daily Tranfgreffions add to our primitive Corruption, and the Soul is perpetually contracting fresh Stains of Pollution: The very beft of Men fall feven times a day; and tho' they rise again, yet thofe Falls are continually repeated; fome Defilement enfues upon the flightest Fall, and every Inftance of Defilement tends to blacken our original Corruption, and finks us deeper in Depravity: If therefore we are to grow in Grace, because our Faculties are at pre |