more frequently required of or attributed to the Perfect Man in Scripture then Zeal and Fervency of Spirit in the ways of God and no wonder For when Actions flow at once from Principles and Custom when they spring from Love and are attended by Pleasure and are incited and quicken'd by Faith and Hope too How can it be but that we should repeat 'em with some Eagerness and feel an Holy Impatience as often as we are hindered or disappointed And as the Nature of the Thing shews that thus it ought to be so are there innumerable Instances in the Old Testament and the New which make it evident that thus it was Shall I mention the example of our Lord who went about doing good Act. 10.38 Shall I propose the Labours and Travils of St. Paul These Patterns it may be will be judged by some too bright and dazling a Light for us to look on or at least too Perfect for us to copy after and yet St. John tells us that he who says he abides in Him ought himself also so to walk even as he walked 1 Joh. 2.6 and we are exhorted to be followers of the Apostles as they were of Christ But if the Fervency of Christ and St. Paul seemed to have soar'd out of the reach of our imitation we have Inferiour Instances enough to prove the Zeal and Fruitfulness of Habitual Goodness Thus David says of himself Psal 119.10 with my whole Heart have I sought thee and Josiah 2 King 23.25 is said to have turned to the Lord with all his Soul and with all his Might How fervent was Anna wo departed not from the Temple but served God with Fastings and Prayers night and day Luk. 2.37 how Charitable Tabitha who was full of good Works and Alms-deeds which she did Act. 9.36 Where shall I place Cornelius With what words shall I set out his Virtues with what but those of the Holy Ghost Act. 10.2 He was a devout Man and one that feared God with all his House which gave much Alms to the people and prayed to God alway But peradventure some may imagine that there is something singular and extraordinary in these Eminent Persons which we must never hope to equal but must be content to follow them at a vast Distance Well let this be so What have we to say to whole Churches animated by the same Spirit of Zeal What are we to think of the Churches of Macedonia whose Charity St. Paul thus magnifies 2 Cor. 8.2 3. in a great trial of Affliction the abundance of their Joy and their deep Poverty abounded to the Riches of their Liberality For to their power I bear record yea and beyond their power they were willing of themselves And St. Paul declares himself perswaded of the Romans that they were full of goodness filled with all knowledge Rom. 15.14 And of the Corinthians he testifies that they were enriched in every thing and came behind in no gift 1 Cor. 1.5 6. that they did abound in all things in Faith in diligence c. 2 Cor. 8.7 I will stop here 't is in vain to heap up more Instances I have said enough to shew that Vigour and Fervency in the Service of God is no miraculous Gift no extraordinary Prerogative of some peculiar Favorite of Heaven but the natural and inseparable Property of a well confirmed Habit of Holiness Lastly is Constancy and Steadiness the Property of an Habit It is an undoubted Property of Perfection too In Scripture Good Men are every where represented as standing fast in the Faith steadfast and unmovable in the works of God holding fast their Integrity In one word as constantly following after Righteousness and maintaining a good Conscience towards God and Man And so Natural is This to one Habitually good that St. John affirms of such a one that he cannot sin 1 Joh. 3.9 whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin for his Seed remaineth in him and he cannot sin because he is born of God Accordingly Job is said to have feared God and eschewed Evil which must be understood of the constant course of his Life Zachary and Elizabeth are said to be Righteous walking in all the Commandments of God blameless Luk. 1.6 Enoch Noah David and other excellent Persons who are pronounc'd by God Righteous and Just and Perfect are said in Scripture to walk with God to serve Him with a Perfect Heart with a full purpose of Heart to cleave to him and the like And this is that Constancy which Christians are often exhorted to watch ye stand fast in the Faith quit ye like Men be strong 1 Cor. 16.13 And of which the first followers of our Lord left us such remarkable Examples The Disciples are said to have been continually in the Temple blessing and praising God Luk. 24. And the first Christians are said to have continued stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of Bread and in Prayers Acts 2.42 Thus I think I have sufficiently cleared my Notion of Perfection from Scripture Nor need I multiply more Texts to prove what I think no Man can doubt of unless he mistake the main Design and End of the Gospel which is to raise and exalt us to a steady Habit of Holiness The end of the Commandment saith St. Paul 1 Tim. 1.5 is Charity out of a pure heart and of a good Conscience and of Faith unfeigned This is the utmost Perfection Man is capable of to have his Mind enlightned and his Heart purified and to be inform'd acted and influenc'd by Faith and Love as by a vital principle And all this is Essential to Habitual Goodness If any one desire further Light or Satisfaction in this Matter let him read the eighth Chapter to the Romans and he will soon acknowledge that he there finds the substance of what I have hiterto advanced There though the Word it self be not found the thing called Perfection is described in all the Strength and Beauty in all the Pleasure and Advantages of it There the Disciple of Jesus is represented as one who walks not after the Flesh but after the Spirit as one whom the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has set free from the Law of Sin and Death one who 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 does not mind or relish the things of the Flesh but the things of the Spirit one in whom the Spirit of Christ dwells He does not stand at the Door and knock he does not make a transient visit but here he reigns and rules and inhabits One finally in whom the Body is dead because of Sin but the Spirit is life because of Righteousness And the Result of all this is the Joy and Confidence the Security and Transport that becomes the Child of God Ye have not received the Spirit of Bondage again to Fear but ye have received the Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba Father The Spirit it self beareth witness with our Spirit that we are
Liberty the Constancy and Uniformity of an Holy Life and both Strength and Passion are generally owing to a Tender and Enlighten'd Conscience For while the Conscience preserves a quick and nice sense of Good and Evil all the great Truths of the Gospel will have their proper Force and natural Efficacy upon us These then are the Genuine Fruits of Meditation the Eucharist Psalmody and such-like If they do not add Life and Light to the Conscience if they do not augment our Strength nor exalt our Passions if they do not increase our detestation of Sin and our Love to God and Goodness if they do not quicken and excite Devout Purposes if they do not engage and refresh the Soul by Holy Joy and Heavenly Pleasure if I say they do not in some degree or other promote these things we reap no benefit at all from them or we can never be certain that we do But though the Ends I have mentioned be of this great use to all and consequently all are obliged to aim at them yet may the different Defects and Imperfections of different Christians render one of these Ends more necessary then another And by consequence it will be Wisdom more immediately and directly to intend and pursue that For Example if a Man's Temper be such that his Passions do soon kindle and soon die again that he is apt to Form wise and great Projects and as unapt to accomplish any thing in this Case it will be his Duty to aim especially at the increase of Strength But if on the other hand a Man's Temper be Cold and Phlegmatick Slow and Heavy it is but fit that he should particularly apply himself to the awakening and exciting Devout Affections in his Soul For as excellent purposes do often miscarry for want of Constancy and Firmness of Mind so Steadiness and Firmness of Mind doth seldom effect any great matter when it wants Life and Passion to put it into Motion Again if one's past Life has been very Sinful or the present be not very Fruitful it will behove such a one to increase the Tenderness of Conscience to add more Light and Life to its Convictions that by a daily Repetition of Contrition and Compunction he may wash off the Stain or by the Fruitfulness of his following Life repair the Barrenness of that Past Having thus in few words both made out the Usefulness of those three Ends I proposed to a Christian in the performance of Instrumental duties of Religion and shewed in what Cases he may be obliged to aim more immediately at one then another I will now enquire and that as briefly as I can how these three Ends may be scured and promoted 1st Of Tenderness of Conscience or the full and lively Convictions of it To promote this the first thing necessary is Meditation No Man who diligently searches and studies the Book of God can be a Stranger to himself or to his Duty Not to his Duty for this Book reveals the whole Will of God in clear and full Terms it gives us such Infallible Characters of Good and Evil Right and Wrong as render our Ignorance or Error inexcusable It points out the great Ends of Life so plainly and conducts us to them by such general and unerring Rules that there is no variety of Circumstances can so perplex and ravel our Duty but that an honest Man by the help of this may easily discover it For this Reason 't is that the Word of God is called Light because it does distinguish between Good and Evil Right and Wrong and like a Lamp does manifest the Path which we are to choose and disperses that Mist and Darkness with which the Lust of Man and the Subtilty of Hell has covered it And for this Reason 't is that the Good have such a Value and the Wicked such an Aversion for the Book of God For every one that doth Evil hateth the Light neither cometh to the Light lest his Deeds should be reproved But he that doth Truth cometh to the Light that his Deeds may be made manifest that they are wrought in God Joh. 3.20 21. Nor can he that Studies the Word of God be a Stranger to Himself any more then to his Duty For this Light ransacks all the Recesses of the Soul it traces all its Affections back to their first Springs and Sources it lays open all its Desires and Projects and strips its most secret Purposes of all their Disguise For the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper then any two Edged Sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of Soul and Spirit and of the Joynts and Marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the Heart Heb. 4.12 In a word if we would preserve the Conscience quick and sensible we must be daily conversant in the Book of God For this commands with that Authority instructs with that clearness perswades with that Force reproves with that Purity Prudence and Charity that we shall not easily be able to resist it it describes Righteousness and Sin in such true and lively Colours proclaims Rewards and Punishments in such powerful and moving Language that it rouses even the Dead in Sin penetrates and wounds the stupid and obdurate To Meditation we must add Prayer For this is a very proper and essential Means to refresh and renew in the Soul the Hatred of Sin and Love of Goodness and to improve those Impressions which Meditation has made upon it We cannot easily put up Petitions to God with Confidence unless we do the things that please him for our Hearts will misgive us and our very Petitions will reproach us And the meer Thought of entring more immediately into the Presence of God does oblige us to a more careful Tryal and Examination of our Actions For God being not only Omniscient but Just and Holy too we can no more flatter our selves with the Hope of Pardon for any Sin into which we are betrayed by fondness or negligence then we can imagine him Ignorant of it But this is not all we are to pray that God would enable us to search out and discover our own Hearts Psal 139.23 24. Search me O God and know my Heart Try me and know my Thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way Everlasting And if we do this sincerely God will undoubtedly grant our Requests and will lay open to us all our present Defects and Infirmities and shew us how far short we come of the Glory of God that Perfection of Holiness and Happiness which many Eminent Saints actually arrived at upon Earth And we way be sure that Light which breaks in upon our Mind with this Brightness will not suffer any latent Corruptions to continue undiscovered nor permit us to forget the Stains and Ruins which the Sins of our past Life have left behind them Conversation is another way by which we learn to know our selves and by which Conscience
but such a Digestion of them by serious and devout Meditation as may in a manner incorporate them with us And this the Scripture plainly teaches when to signifie the Force and Vertue of the Gospel above that of the Law it uses these words For this is the Covenant that I will make with the House of Israel after those days saith the Lord I will put my Laws into their Minds and write them in their Hearts Heb. 8.10 intimating that no Laws no Principles can ever influence us till they be deeply imprinted in our Hearts To wind up all There are several kinds of Knowledge of the same Truths There is a Knowledge which serves us only as Pisga's top did Moses to shew us Canaan but not to bring us into it There is again a Knowledge which serves us only as the Talent did the wicked Servants not to procure Rewards but Punishments And finally there is a Knowledge which like the Talents in the Hand of the faithful and good Steward enriches us first and recommends us afterwards to higher Trusts and Dignities which improves and perfects our Nature first and then puts us into possession of such Blessings as only Nature thus improved and perfected is capable of And this Knowledge must not be a slight superficial and undigested one it must not be a confused and obscure a weak and imperfect one This is not the Knowledge which will bring forth those excellent Fruits which we have reason to expect from true Illumination But it must be a Knowledge that has all the quite contrary Characters even such as I have before described at large That this is an Observation of the greatest weight and moment is evident to any one who will give himself leave to make any Reflection on the present State of Christianity For how does the power of Darkness prevail amidst the Light of the Gospel How has the Devil erected his Throne in the midst of that Church which should be the Kingdom of God and Sin and Death reign where Life and Immortality are Preached Whence is this Are Men ignorant of those Truths which make up the Systeme of true Wisdom This is not easie to be imagined scarcely of the darkest corners of the Popish Churches much less of ours And therefore we must conclude that this is because our Knowledge is not such as it ought to be with respect to its clearness certainty and Digestion CHAP. II. Of the Fruits and Attainments of Illumination HAving dispatched the Notion of Illumination in the foregoing Chapter and shew'd both what Truths and what sort of Knowledge of them is requisite to it I am next to treat 1. Of the Fruits And 2. Of the Attainment of it S. 1. As to the Fruits of Illumination I have the less need to insist upon them because whatever can be said on this Head has been in a manner anticipated All the Characters of Illuminating Truth and Illuminating Knowledge being such as sufficiently declare the blessed effects of true Illumination I will therefore be very short on this Head and only just mention two Advantages of Illumination As the use of Light is especially twofold to Delight and Guide us so do we reap two benefits from Illumination 1. The first and most immediate one is That it sets the whole Man and the whole Life right that it fixes our Affections on their proper and natural Object and directs all our Actions to their true End I do not mean that the Vnderstanding constantly and necessarily influences and determines the Will. Expeperience tells us that we have a fatal Liberty That our Affections are too often independant of our Reason that we sin against the Dictates of Conscience that we pursue false Pleasure and a false Interest in opposition to the True and in plain opposition to our Judgment too at least to a sedate and calm one And the Reason of all this is because we consist of two different and repugnant Principles a Body and a Soul and are solicited by two different Worlds a temporal and an eternal one But all this notwithstanding 't is certain that Illumination in the Mind has a mighty Influence upon us For it is continually exciting in us wise Desires and excellent purposes 'T is always alluring and inviting us towards our Sovereign Good and restraining and detering us from Sin and Death It alarms disquiets disturbs and persecutes us as often as we err and wander from the Path of Life In one word the great Work of Illumination is to be always representing the Beauties and Pleasures and the Beatitude and Glory of Vertue and remonstrating the Evils and Dishonours the Deformities and Dangers of Vice so that a Man will never be at rest who has this Light within him till it be either extinguished or obeyed 2. This Light within us if it be followed and complied with not mud-died and disturbed if it be not quenched and extinguished by wilful Sin or unpardonable Oscitancy and Remisness if in a word its Influence be not interrupted disperses all our Fears as well as Errors creates an unspeakable Tranquility in the Soul spreads over us a calm and glorious Sky and makes every thing in us and about us look gay and verdant and beautiful The Dissipation of Pagan Darkness and all Participations or Resemblances of it Deliverance from a state of Bondage and Wrath the Peace of God the Love of Jesus the Fellowship of the Holy Ghost the Immortality of the Soul the Resurrection of the Body the Perfection and Blessedness of Eternity good God! what surprizing what ravishing Themes are these for the thoughts of an enlightened Soul to dwell upon Blessed and Happy is he who enjoys this Pleasure upon Earth And that we may I am now to Discourse S. 2. Of the Attainment of Illumination Now whatever advice can relate to this may be reduced under two Heads 1. What Qualifications do render Man capable of Illumination 2. What it is that one duly qualified is to do in Pursuit of it § 1. To begin with the Qualifications requisite to Illumination One Man is distinguished from another several ways By his Estate or Fortune by Natural or acquired Endowments and by Moral Dispositions and each of these may have some though a very different Influence upon Human Perfection For if we enquire after only the Essence and Integrity of Perfection then are there two or three Moral Qualifications which are all that is required in order to this But if we enquire after the largeness of its Stature the Symmetry of its Features the Lustre of its Complexion and the Elegance of its dress then may we allow something to be ascribed to Fortune to Nature and a liberal Education This is an Observation very necessary to be made For though every Man may be capable of Perfection that is Habitual Holiness if it be not his own fault yet is not every Man capable of being equally Perfect because of that accidental Variety which I have suggested and