[5.] Fifthly, The more extensive a man's obedience is to divine commands, the greater measure of holiness that man hath attained to. Caleb had a very great measure of the spirit of holiness upon him ;
404 THE NECESSITY, EXCELLENCY, RARITY, [HeB. XII. 14.
and he is said to have followed the Lord fully, or as the Hebrew hath it, he fulfilled after me, that is, his obedience was full, universal, reso- lute, and constant to the end.i The contrary is affirmed of Solomon in that 1 Kings xi. 6, ' And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father,' or as the Hebrew hath it, he fulfilled not after the Lord, that is, his obedience was not so full, so universal, so sincere, so resolute, and so constant as David his father's was. Zacharias and Elizabeth were persons of great holiness, and their obedience was very extensive ; for they walked not only in some, but in all the commandments, and not only in all the commandments, but also in all the ordinances of the Lord blame- less, Luke i. 5, 6. Their obedience was of such a universal extent and latitude, that it comprehended and took in all the duties both of their general and particular callings ; they had an eye to the duties of the second table, as well as they had an eye to the duties of the first ; and they subjected themselves to the duties of their particular calling, as well as to the duties of their general calling. As they had an eye to mint, anise, and cumin, Mat. xxiii. 23, that is, to the lesser and lower duties of religion, so they had an eye to the greater and weightier duties of religion, viz., judgment, mercy, and faith, &c. But now Christians at their first conversion, and whilst they remain weak in grace and holiness, their obedience is more strait and narrow ; for commonly they spend much, if not most, of their time in praying, fasting, hearing, reading. Christian conference, &c., and neglect a hundred other duties that are incumbent upon them ; they are very forward and warm in the duties of their general calling, but very cold and remiss in the duties of their particular calling ; they are very frequent and fervent in some duties, and very rare in other duties ; but now the more they grow in grace and holiness, the more exten- sive will their obedience be, and the more their hearts will be dilated and extended to all the duties both of the first and second table. But,
[6.] Sixthly, The more a man conflicts loith heart sins, with spiritual sins, ivith invisible sins, ivith sins that lie most hid and obscure from the eyes of the world, and the more spiritual victories and conquests a man obtains over them, the greater measure of holiness that person hath certainly attained to. When the heart rises with all its strength and might against secret pride, secret self-love, secret bubblings of lusts, secret carnal confidence, secret murmuring, secret hypocrisy, secret envy, secret self-applause, secret malice, secret hatred, secret snares, secret temptations, &c., it is an argument that holiness is grown up to some considerable height there. 2 A little grace, a little holiness, will work a man to conflict with gross sins, with outward sins, with bodily sins, with such sins that every one may set their eyes on, and lay their hands on ; yea, where there is no grace, no holiness at all, the light of nature, the common convictions of the Spirit, the laws of m'en, the eyes of men, the threats of men, the examples of men, a
^ Num. xiv. 24; K^Q"*!, vajemalle, the Hebrew word, is a metaphor taken from a ship under sail, which is strongly carried with the wind, as if it feared neither rocks nor sanda.
» 2 Chron. ixxii. 26; Ps. ciix. 80 ; 2 Cor. xii. 7-9 ; Ps. xxx. 6, 7; Eom. vii. 23, 24; 2 Cor. vii. 1.
HeB. XII. 14.] AND BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. 405
smarting rod, and good education, may work men to conflict with such sins. Oh, but when all the strength and might of the soul is engaged against those very sins that lie not within the sight or reach of the most sharp and piercing men in the world, but in the heart, and about the heart, and are only obvious to an omniscient eye, this argues a great degree of holiness. And therefore Augustine hit the mark when he said that it is a harder thing for a man to fight with his lusts — understand it especially of heart lusts, of spiritual wicked- ness— than it is to fight with the cross. And Austin hath long since complained that we do not tame the beasts in our own bosoms. i Oh, it is an easier thing to tame all the beasts in the world than it is to tame one beast in the bosom. All the beasts in the world may be tamed and brought under by a human power, James iii. 7, but no power below that power that raised Christ from the grave can tame the beasts that be in our bosoms. ^ Now look, as conflicts with heart sins, with spiritual sins, &c., argues some eminency in holiness, so victory over heart sins, over spiritual sins, over those sins that lie most remote from the eyes of others, argues a very great degree of holiness. When a Christian doth not only resist heart sins, but vanquishes heart sins ; when he doth not only combat with heart sins, but conquers heart sins ; when he doth not only fight with heart sins, but also overcomes heart sins ; when he doth not only wrestle with heart sins, but also overthrows heart sins, this speaks out holiness in its growth. It was a good saying of Cyprian : There is no such pleasure, saith he, as to have overcome an offered pleasure, neither is there any greater conquest than that that is gotten over a man's corruptions. And it was an excellent saying of Eusebius Emesenus : ^ ' Our fathers over- came the torments of the flames, let us overcome the fiery darts of vices.' And indeed it is an easier thing to overcome the flames, than it is to overcome those flaming lusts and corruptions that be in our own hearts. Philosophy may teach us to endure hardships, as it did Calanus in Curtius, who willingly offered his body to the fire, to the flames ; but it is only grace, it is only holiness, that can enable us to overcome our lusts, our heart lusts. We read of many that, out of greatness of spirit, could offer violence to nature, but were at a loss when they came to deal with their corruptions.