[4.] Fourthly, It is possible for you to attain to higher degrees and pitches in holiness than any yet you have reached unto ; witness the praises and thanksgivings that has been offered up to God upon their oxicounts tvho have attained to a very great heigld of holiness. Take a few Scripture instances for the clearing up of this particular : as that in 1 Cor. i. 4, 5, 7, ' I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ ; that in everything ye are enriched by him, in all utterance and in all knowledge ; so that ye come behind in no good gift ; ' and that in Eph. i. 3, 7, 8, ' Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ ; who ac- cording to the riches of his grace, hath abounded towards us in all wisdom and prudence.' i Here the apostle trumpets out the high praises of God, for that he had blessed them and enriched them, though not with corn, or oil, or wine, or with gold or silver, which is but red and white clay, that yet he had blessed them with all spiritual blessings, which are the choicest, the chief est, and the sweetest of blessings ; for spiritual blessings are right-handed blessings, they are peculiar Ijlessings, they are blessings-sweetening blessings, for they sweeten all the blessings man enjoys ; and they are blessings-begetting blessings, for they beget and bring forth many other blessings, to the enriching and adorning of a Christian's soul ; and they are blessings- sanctifying blessings, they are blessings that sanctify all other blessings ; and they are blessings-preserving blessings, they are blessings that will preserve all our other blessings. Spiritual blessings are peculiar bless- ings, they are costly blessings, they are blessings that reach to the very spirit and soul of a Christian, they are blessings that raises the spirit of a Christian, and that ennobles the spirit of a Christian, and that cheers up the spirit of a Christian, and that a thousand ways betters the spirit of a Christian ; and therefore it is no wonder that the apostle's heart was so afiected with spiritual blessings, and that his mouth was so filled with spiritual praises, as indeed it was. And so in that 1 Tim. i. 12, 14, ' And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, because the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant, with faith and love
^ Though injuries should be writ in the dust, yet spiritual mercies should be writ on marble, that oui' hearts may be the better provoked to thankfulness for them.
346 THE NECESSITY, EXCELLENCY, RARITY, [HeB. XII. 14.
which is in Christ Jesus/ ^ And thus you see by others' thanksgiv- ings, that it is possible for you to attain to far higher degrees of holi- ness than what for the present you are raised to. The stork is said to leave one of her young ones where she hatcheth them ; and the ele- phant to turn up the first sprig towards heaven when he comes to feed, and both out of some instinct of gratitude ; and shall not a divine instinct enable Christians to do much more in a way of grati- tude, both upon the account of their own graces, and upon the account of those eminent measures of grace that other saints are blessed and crowned withal ? Though Seiarus^ did dare to sacrifice to himself, yet a Christian must not dare to sacrifice to himself, nor to his duties, nor to his graces, &c. ; the sacrifice of praise in regard of grace re- ceived, is a crown of glory that is due to none but the God of grace. All the rivers return to the sea from whence they had their beginning. God will give you his covenant, and he will give you his ordinances, and he will give his heaven, and he will give you his Son, yea, he will give you himself ; but his glory, his glory he will not give unto another, Isa. xlii. 8. Whatever he parts with, he is resolved that neither angels nor men shall share with him in the glory of his grace. I have read of a stork that cast a pearl into the bosom of a maid which had healed her of a wound. 0 sirs ! when God comes to heal you of your spiritual wounds and diseases, and not only so, but shall also richly bespangle and adorn your souls and others' with his precious graces, what can you do less than cast that pearl of praise into the bosom of God ? as David did in that Ps. ciii. 1-fi. The best means to get more grace, is to be thankful for that grace you have, for God loves to sow much where he reaps much. If your returns are answer- able to your receipts, you will still be on the receiving hand. Thank- fulness is God's impost for all his blessings, and they that truly and duly pays this impost, shall be sure to abound in the best of blessings. Thankfulness for one blessing always draws on another blessing, as saints by experience daily find. And thus you see, by these argu- ments, that it is possible for you to attain higher degrees of holiness than any yet you have reached unto. But,
[5.] Fifthly and lastly, It is possible for you to attain to higher degrees of holiness, &c. ; witness those choice, those rare and singular gifts that Christ has bestowed upon many of his servants for this very purpose — viz., that they may help on a growth and an increase of holi- ness in your hearts: Eph. iv. 8, 11-13, ' Wherefore he saith. When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. And he gave some, apostles ; and some, prophets ; and some, evangelists ; and some, pastors and teachers ; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ : till we all come into the unity of the faith, and of the know- ledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.' One main end of Christ's giving such eminent gifts to his church officers is, that his people may be made eminent in holiness. It is not only to bring them in, but also
^ vwepeir\e6vaffe, was over-full, redundant, or hath abounded to flowing over, as the sea doth overflow the banks many times, and drown the lower grounds that are nearest to it. » Qu. Sejanus ?— G.
HeB. XII. 14.] AND BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. 347