Ipiritual Life will languish and decay in SERM. our Souls. For the Life of a Chriftian, II. in this World, is very well compared to a Journey; we are always in Motion, and, if we do not go forward, we are moving out of the Way, and every Step carries us farther from our Journey's End. There is no furer Sign of the Decay and languishing Condition of God's Grace, in our Souls, than the Conceit that we are already fo good, that we have no Need to be better: For this is a Sign that we are blown up with fpiritual Pride, and that we want that humble Frame of Spirit, which is, as it were, the Bafis and Foundation of all other Virtues; which gives us a Sight of our own Failings and Imperfections, and fhews us how defective we are in all those good Difpofitions and Endowments, which God requires of us; and, therefore, it is no Wonder that God refifts the Proud, but gives his Grace to the Humble. It is al fo a Sign, that we want due Notions of that infinite Purity and Holiness, which is a Divine Attribute, and therefore God cannot behold Sin or moral Impurity with an Eye of Approbation. For, did we but seriously confider with ourselves, how far the best of us fall fhort of doVOL. II. ing D II. SERM ing our Duty, and how defective our most pious Acts and religious Performances are; how unworthy and difproportionable an Offering, when compared with that glorious Being, who is the Object of our Adoration; we must needs think it our Duty, to make our Service as acceptable as we poffibly can to God, by purifying our Souls from all finful Defires and Affections, or, doing our utmost Endeavours to please him. It is a received Truth in the Schools, that those virtuous Habits, which are wrought in us by God, and thofe Gifts and Graces which are bestowed by his Holy Spirit, are not formed in an Inftant, but require Time, and the Co-operation of our own Endeavours; we must be gyar O, Fellowhelpers with God, and bear our Part in this difficult Work; if we flack our Diligence never fo little, we fhall lofe Ground, and our wicked and depraved Nature, like a bent Bow, will foon return to its former Pofition; and, if once we fuffer this evil Spirit to take to itself other evil Spirits, our Relapfe will be worse than our Disease, and our latter Estate more deplorable than our former. It would have been much better for us, never to bave known the Way of Righteousness, than, after after we have known it, to turn from the SE RM. holy Commandment delivered unto us. Pro 3. A THIRD Reason, why every feffor of Chriftianity should be fo careful to grow in Grace, is, becaufe this will ingratiate Religion to us; even in this Life, it will make the Practice of it easy and pleasant: The great Difficulty of leading a good Life is, in the Beginning, to set about it heartily and in earnest, and to break off thofe vicious Practices, which, by long Ufe and Continuance, are grown customary and habitual to us; this, indeed, will require a great deal of Pains and Diligence, and may well be compared to Plucking out our Right-eye, and Cutting off our Right-hand, Parting with thofe Things which are moft ufeful and dearest to us: But, to begin well, is Half our Tafk, and, the longer we continue in a a holy and virtuous Course of Life, the more agreeable and delightful it will be and, the farther we proceed in the Paths of Righteousness, the more Contentment and Satisfaction we shall take in them; our Paffions will be more calm and more governable by our Reason, our Thoughts will be more quiet and ferene, our Confciences will feast us with more chearful Reflections on a well-spent Life, and Affurances of God's D 2 Love II. 2 Pet. ii. 21. SERM. Love and Favour; and, the Hopes and II. Expectations of a bleffed Eternity will be Brighter,more firm and better cleared up to us. THESE are the noble and ravishing Delights, which thofe holy Men enjoy, who, by growing in Grace, and improving in virtuous Living, daily proceed from one Degree of Holiness to another; till at laft they arrive to as high a Degree of Perfection, as is attainable in this World. That we fet no higher a Value on these Divine Pleasures, is to be imputed to the fmall Experience we have had of them, and the little Proficiency we have made in the Ways of Virtue and Religion. For, even in keeping God's Commandments, there is great Reward; fo great, that it far exceeds all those Gratifications of Senfe, which the Epicure and Voluptuary is fo fond of. Did we look no farther than the Happiness of this Life, I cannot fee by what Means we could better accomplish it, than by freeing our Minds from all follicitous and diftracting Thoughts, our Confciences from the Guilt of our Sins, and by keeping our Bodies in an healthful and athletic State, which are the natural Effects of obferving the Rules and Precepts of Religion. And, if we will but make a serious and ftrict Enquiry, we shall find, that the Reason why good Men meet SE RM. with fo many Croffes and Difappointments, II. fo many Afflictions and Calamities in this Life, is, because they harbour fome unmortified Lufts, or evil Affections, in their Hearts; which naturally produce Fears and Terrors, and a difmal Train of Evils. 4. LET us confider, that the more we grow in Grace, here in this Life, the more capable we fhall be of Glory hereafter. For the greatest Part of the Precepts of Religion are enjoined us for this End, to furnish us with fuch Qualifications and Difpofitions, as may render us fit and difpofed Subjects to receive those Benefits, which our good God is ready to bestow upon us, both in this Life and the next; for it implies a Contradiction to say, that a Man can poffibly be happy, whilft he remains a Slave to his Vices, and leads a wicked and ungodly Life; fuch a Man cannot enjoy any true and folid Comfort and Satisfaction in this World, and, was it poffible for him to be taken up into Heaven, his own unruly Appetites and Defires would foon turn thofe bleffed Abodes into a Prifon and Place of Torment. And therefore, God has fent his Son, Chrift, into the World, to bless us, in turning us, |