[2.] Secondly, The prayers that have been put up upon this very account, do clearly evidence the same. Certainly the people of God would never have prayed for higher degrees of grace and holiness, if they had not been attainable. Now it is very observable that the spirits of the saints have run out much this way, as is evident in these instances, Phil. i. 9-11, ' And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more, in knowledge, and in all judgment. That ye may approve things that are excellent, that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ : being filled with the fruits of righteous- ness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.' l Col. i. 9, * For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and desire that ye might be filled with the know- ledge of his will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.' Chap, iv. 12, * Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, * Oratio brevis penetrat coelum.
Heb, XII, 14.] AND BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. 343
always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand per- fect and complete in all the will of God/ The Greek word TreTrX?;- pcofievo^;, is a metaphor from a ship, whose sails are filled with wind. Epaphras was a humble petitioner that the souls of the Colossians might be filled with the highest degrees of grace and holiness, as the sails of a ship are filled with wind : 1 Thes. iii. 12, ' And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one towards another, and towards all men, even as we do towards you.' The apostle, by doubling his word, increase and abound, discovers himself to be an importunate suitor, that a double portion of grace and holiness might be given out to the Thessalonians. So in that Heb. xiii. 20, 21, ' Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.' The apostle cannot beg anything for these believing Hebrews below perfection. And the apostle Peter puts up the same requests for those blessed converts that were scat- tered throughout ' Pontius, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.' In that 1 Pet. v. 10, ' But the God of all grace, who hath called us into his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have sufiered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.' God is called ' the God of all grace,' because he is the giver of all kinds of grace, and of all degrees of grace. Now nothing will satisfy this great apostle, when he comes to plead for these saints, below perfection. Though they had as much grace as would bring them to heaven, yet he begs such a perfection of grace as might raise them high in heaven. And thus it appeareth by the prayers of these holy men, that saints may still be rising in grace and holiness. But,
[3.] Thirdly, The experience of other saints does clearly evidence this, that you may attain unto higher degrees of grace and holiness than those that yet you have attained unto : Gen. vi. 9, ' Noah was a just man and perfect in his generation, and Noah walked with God.' Noah was not only perfect with perfection of parts ; nor only perfect in respect of desires, endeavours, and aims ; nor only perfect in respect of his justification before God by imputed righteousness ; nor only perfect in respect of God's approbation, acceptation, and delight ; nor only per- fect in respect of God's design and intentions to make him so in another world ; nor only perfect in respect of those gifts and graces with which he was adorned and furnished for the discharge of his place, office, and work to which the Lord had called him ; nor only comparatively perfect, in regard of that profane, ungodly, and debauched generation among whom he lived ; but also he is said to be perfect in respect of an eminent progress that he had made in grace and holiness. He had attained to considerable degrees and measures of grace and holiness ; and though his proficiency in the exercise of grace and practice of piety fell short of complete perfection, yet it rose to such a height that God could not but crown him and chronicle him for a perfect man.i In all ages of the world there has been four several ages of
1 Ps. xxxvii. 37 ; Phil. iii. 11-16; Cant. iv. 7; Eph. v. 26, 27 ; Rev, xiv. i, 5 ; Prov. ii 21, and xi. 5 ; 2 Tim. iii, 16, 17.
344 THE NECESSITY, EXCELLENCY, RARITY, [HeB. XII. 14.