Imatges de pàgina
PDF
EPUB

charge of those duties which he thinks fit to call him to: and if the difcharge of fuch duties be not a fufficient proof of our fincerity, we can never have any, but must be always held in fufpence and torture about our future ftate. I fee no reafon to question, but that the difciples of our Lord were in a ftate of grace before the refurrection, and the following Pentecoft and yet I think I have plain reafon to believe, that they were not fit to be martyrs and confeffors till then; the grace they had before might, I doubt it not, have enabled them to live virtuously amidst common and ordinary temptations: but it was neceffary that they fhould be endowed with power from on high, before they could be fit to encounter those fiery trials, to which the preaching of the gospel was to expofe them. To this furely our Mafter refers, when he tells the Pharifees, That the children of the bridechamber were not to faft while the bridegroom was with them: when he tells his difciples, I have many things to fay, but you cannot bear them yet: when he asked the fons of Zebedee, are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptifm that I am baptized with? Matth. xx. 21. If this be true divinity, as I am (I had almoft faid) confident it is; then I am confi dent, that which requires very unaccountable tefts of a man's fincerity, is very extravagant,

1

travagant. For example, when men talk at this rate, that a fincere Chriftian should have fuch an abhorrence for fin, as to fear guilt more than its punishment: fuch a love of God, as rather than offend him, to be content to precipitate and plunge himself into the jaws, not of death, like the martyrs, but of bell it self.

4thly, If the duties of religion be very troublesome and uneafy to a man, we may from hence conclude, that he is not perfect: for tho' the beginning of wisdom and virtue be generally harf and fevere to the fool and finner, yet to him that has conquered, the yoke of Chrift is eafy, and his burthen light; to him that is filled with the love of God, his commandments are not grievous; hence is that obfervation of the fon of Sirach, Ecclus. iv. 17, 18. For at the firft fhe will walk with him by crooked ways, and bring fear and dread upon him, and torment him with her difcipline, until fhe may trust his foul, and try him by her laws; then will fhe return the ftraight way unto him, and comfort him, and fhew him her fecrets. The reafon of this affertion is palpable; it is the nature of an habit to render difficult things easy, harsh things pleasant, to fix a floating and uncer tain humour, to nurfe and ripen a weak and tender difpofition into nature. And 'tis as reasonable to expect these effects in religious, as in any other forts of habits.

Laftly,

Laftly, He who does not find religion full of pleasure, who does not glory in God, and rejoice in our Lord Jefus, he who is not filled with an humble affurance of the divine favour, and a joyful expectation of immortality and glory, does yet want fomething; he is yet defective, with refpect either to the brightness of illumination, the abfolute nefs of liberty, or the ardor of love; he may be a good man, and have gone a great way in his Chriftian race; but there is fomething still behind to compleat and perfect him; fome error or other creates him groundlefs fcruples; fome incumbrance or impediment or other, whether an infelicity of temper, or the incommodioufnefs of his circumstances, or a little too warm an application towards fomething of the world, retards his vigour, and abates his affec

tions.

I have now finifhed all that I can think neceffary to form a general idea of religious Perfection: for I have not only given a plain definition or defcription of it, and confirmed and fortified that defcription by reafon and feripture, and the concurrent fenfe of all fides and parties; but have alfo by various inferences, deduced from the general notion of Perfection, precluded all groundless pretenfions to it, and enabled men to fee how far they are removed and diftant from it, or how near they approach

it. The next thing I am to do, according to the method I have propofed, is, to confider the fruits and advantages of Perfection. A confideration which will furnifh us with many great, and, I hope, effectual incitements or motives to it; and demonftrate its fubferviency to our happiness.

CHAP. IV.

A general account of the bleffed fruits and advantages of Religious Perfection. Which is reduced to these four heads. 1. As it advances the honour of the true and living God, and of his Son Jefus, in the world. 2. As it promotes the good of mankind. Thefe two treated of in the chapter of zeal. 3. As it produces in the perfect man a full affurance of eternal happiness and glory. 4. As it puts him in poffeffion of true happiness in this life. These two laft, affurance, and prefent happiness or pleasure, handled in this chapter. Where the pleasures of the finner and of the perfect Chriftian are compared.

[ocr errors]

F the two former I fhall fay nothing here; defigning to infift upon them more particularly in the following fection,

under

under the head of zeal, where I shall be obliged by my method to confider the fruit of it; only I cannot here forbear remarking, that Perfection, while it promotes the honour of God and the good of man, does at the fame time promote our own happinefs too; fince it must on this account moft effectually recommend us to the love of the one and the other; Them that honour me, faith God, I will honour, 1 Sam. ii. 30. And our Saviour obferves, that even Publicans and finners love thofe who love them, Matth. v. 46. Accordingly St. Luke tells us of Chrift, Luke ii. 52. That Jefus increafed in wisdom and ftature, and in favour with God and man; and of those eminently devout and charitable fouls, Acts ii. that they had favour with all the people; fo refiftlefs a charm is the beauty and lovelinefs of perfect charity, even in the most depraved and corrupt times. And what a bleffing now, what a comfort, what a pleasure is it, to be the favourite of God and man!

The third and fourth I will now discourse of, and that the more largely, because as to affurance, it is the foundation of that pleafure, which is the richest ingredient of human happiness in this life. And, as to our prefent happiness, which is the fourth fruit of Perfection, it is the very thing for the fake of which I have engaged in my prefent

« AnteriorContinua »