_How far |Christian Prudence| is concerned in the manner of keeping |God|’s commandments_.
1. AS to the manner of keeping God’s commandments, the main difficulty is in the _doing_, and not in determining what in prudence ought to be done. Prudence doubtless (as well as duty) requires, that we should keep them in as good a manner as we can. For since the commandments of God are evidently the means that qualify us for happiness, it follows, that the better they are kept by _us_, the more we shall be qualified by _them_. Now ’tis unquestionably the part of every prudent man, to obtain as much happiness as he can: and consequently to do his best to serve God, and keep his commandments, in the most perfect manner he is able; because the better he keeps them, the happier he will be; and no wise man would be less happy when he may be more so.
2. Setting aside therefore all inducements of either love or fear, all arguments of gratitude or generosity, all the reasonableness and justice of serving God, and living in obedience to his laws, all the pleasures of religion, and the present advantage of it both to our souls and bodies I say, tho’ we should set aside all these considerations, yet there is a prudential consideration, sufficient to engage every wise Christian to do his best, and to be as holy as he can, _viz._ That the better he is, the happier he will be; every addition to virtue being so much stock laid in for his future happiness. The question concerning _degrees of glory_, seems to have been put merely for argument sake, for it cannot be put seriously, but by one that is as ignorant of the nature of things, as of divine revelation: were the scripture silent, yet the very nature of the thing infers it; for since holiness is a natural qualification for happiness, it necessarily follows, that the more holiness the more happiness; and consequently, that the best must be the happiest man; and therefore ’tis great prudence for every Christian, to labour to be excellently good, as good as he can be, according to the measure of grace imparted to him. To reduce this to an instance; our Saviour has annexed to purity of heart a particular blessedness, even that of seeing God: whence we may gather, that this is a particular qualification for the beatific vision, and accordingly, that those who have most of this purity, will be most happy, as either seeing more of God, or as being more delighted with what they see of him; and therefore every prudent Christian _that hath this hope_, will study to _purify himself_ as much as he can, that so he may be a more meet partaker of that happiness, which is promised to the pure in heart.
*3. Let not therefore any Christian content himself with his present state, or his past attainments in goodness; much less let him designedly aim at a slender degree, such as he thinks may just carry him to heaven. He may be mistaken in his measure, and when laid in the balance be found wanting: but suppose he be not, yet he stands in his own light, and is frugal to his own great loss: for, ’tis but an ill thrift to deal hardly for heaven, and to think to go thither the cheapest way; since beside the danger of miscarrying, so much as he abates of his holiness, so much he abates of his own perfection, and cuts short his own happiness: and where is the gain or the wisdom of such a thrift? ’Tis folly and loss all over. Let us not therefore rest satisfied with narrow and scanty measures, much less expresly design them: for besides, that ’tis not easy to _persevere_ in such a weak and languishing state of piety (every little blast of temptation being ready to blow out a lamp that is fed with so little oil:) suppose we should persevere in it, yet there is no getting over this consideration, that the more we come short in goodness, the more we shall fall short in happiness; that every abatement in the former is so much deducted from the latter, a jewel taken out of their crown. Therefore let no one who pretends to Christian prudence, sit down with a low infant-state of goodness, but let him endeavour to grow in grace, and always to abound in the work of the Lord: not contenting himself with his present state, but always studying to excel himself, to grow better and better, and to make a constant progress in religion, correcting what is amiss, and supplying what is wanting, and aspiring after the largest measures and fullest degrees of holiness, always remembring, that all the while he is thus serving God, he is consulting his own interest, and that the more goodness he brings with him to heaven, the more happiness he will find there.