[10.] Tenthly and lastly. The least degree of holiness is a sure pledge and pawn of greater degrees of holiness that in time thou shalt attain to. The tallest oak was once an acorn ; the deepest doctor was once in his horn-book ; and the greatest giant was once a child. Thy spark in time shall be blowed up into a flame ; thy drop in time shall be turned into a sea ; and thy penny in time shall be multiplied into pounds, and thy pounds into hundreds, and thy hundreds into thousands, and thy thousands into millions. And now tell me. Chris- tians, whether these ten things do not sufficiently prove that there is a great deal of preciousness in the least degrees of holiness ; and oh that you that have but a little holiness would be often a-warming of your hearts at this heavenly fire ! and oh that you that have a great deal of holiness would not despise those that have but a little holiness ! Oh that you that bring forth a hundredfold would not despise those that bring forth but thirtyfold ! and oh that you that have ten talents would not despise those that have but two talents, considering that there is a great deal of preciousness in the least degree of holiness.
4. The fourth position is this. All saints are not alike holy. Some are more holy, and others are less holy ; in some saints the springs of holi- ness runs low, in others the springs of holiness rise very high. Holiness thrives not alike in all saints. In the parable some brought forth thirty, some sixty, and others a hundredfold, and yet all was good ground too, Mat. xiii. 8, 23 : and in that other parable, every one had not ten talents — some had but five, others two, others but one, Mat. XXV. 14, 15 ; Luke xix. 12-21. God never doth distribute holiness alike to all. To some he gives more, to others less, according to the good pleasure of his grace. God never intended that all should thrive alike in holiness. Though there were divers that feared God in Nehe- miah's time, yet he tells you that his brother Hanani feared God above many, Neh. vii. 2. And though Job's three friends that came to visit him in the days of his sorrows, viz., Eliphaz, Zophar, and Bildad, were doubtless all holy men, Job i. 8, yet they fell very much short of Job in grace and holiness, as is evident not only by that high testimony that God himself gives concerning Job, ' That there was none like him upon the earth, a perfect and upright man, one that feared God, and eschewed evil ;' but also throughout that whole book of Job. It is true, all saints are equally justified, and equally pardoned, and equally reconciled, and equally accepted, but all saints are not equally sancti- fied. All saints are not of equal standing in the house of God. All saints have not been partakers of equal means, all saints have not had equal gales of the Spirit, all saints have not alike acted that holiness they have ; and, therefore, no wonder if all saints are not alike holy. David's worthies were not all of equal strength, nor all the stones in the building are not of equal proportion, nor all the members in the natural body are not of equal magnitude; and so it is also in the mystical body of Christ. In God's house there are vessels of gold, and vessels of silver, 1 Cor. xii. ; 2 Tim. ii. 20, that is, there are some
432 THE NECESSITY, EXCELLENCY, RARITY, [HeB. XII. 14.
that are more eminently sanctified and purified than others are. You read in Scripture of babes, as well as of strong men ; of lambs, as well as of sheep ; of plants, as well as of trees. Besides, you read of a little faith, and of smoking flax, and of a bruised reed, and of a grain of mustard-seed, and what doth all this evidence, but that God gives different measures and degrees of grace and holiness to his people ? Christ hath not work alike for all saints to do, nor burdens alike for all saints to bear, nor mercies alike for all saints to improve, nor tempta- tions alike for all saints to resist, nor difficulties alike for all saints to grapple withal, nor dangers alike for all saints to encounter withal, &c., and therefore he gives not a like measure of holiness to all, but to some more, to others less, according as their condition requires ; some saints stand in need of a great deal more grace and holiness than others do. Their place, calling, condition, and employments in the world, calls for a greater stock than others need. One man may better keep house with a hundred a year, than another who hath a great family and great resort to his house, can do with a thousand a year ; and so it is here. A little may serve a little farm, but it must be a great stock that must serve a great farm. A little stock of holiness will serve some Christians, but it must be a great stock of holiness that must serve to supply the necessities and the wants of other Christians ; and therefore God gives different measures and degrees of holiness among his people as their needs require. Look, as one sinner excels another in wickedness, so one saint excels another in holiness ; and therefore let not those that have much holiness despise those that have but little ; nor let not those that have but a little holiness censure or judge those that have more holiness than themselves. All that holiness that any man hath, whether it be little, or whether it be much, is all of grace, it is all of free-grace ; and therefore let every man improve it, be thankful for it, and walk humbly under it.i
5. The fifth position is this, A Christian may be more eminently holy at one time than at another ; he may thrive and increase more in holiness at one season than at another. Two men do not more differ one from another, than the self-same Christian at several times differs from him- self. Now the spring-tide of holiness is risen high, very high, at an- other time the streams of holiness runs exceeding low ; now he is full fraughted^ with high thoughts of God, with honourable thoughts of Christ, with precious thoughts of the saints, with pious thoughts of the Scripture, with delightful thoughts of ordinances, with serious thoughts of providences, and with ravishing thoughts of eternity ; and at another time you shall have him filled with such hard thoughts of God, with such dishonourable thoughts of Christ, with such low thoughts of the saints, with such slight thoughts of the Scripture, with such undelightful thoughts of ordinances, and with such confused thoughts of providences, and with such muddy, dark, and unpleasing thoughts of eternity, as if he were really another man.3 Now he is very lively and quick, very cheerful and thankful, very fruitful and
' Read the 77th and the 88th Psalms. And indeed most of the psalms of David are a full proof of this posit:on, as all may see that will but read them with a spiritual eye, and with an understanding heart. * ' Freighted.' — G.
•^ Besides the examples of Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Job, and Peter, with the expe- riences of all other saints in all ages, speaks out this truth.