tirely the product of faith and love; and his greatest business is to maintain the ground which he has got, and to hold faft the ftedfaftnefs of his hope unto the end.

To render this fhort account of the growth of virtue, from its very feed to maturity, the more useful, and to free it from fome fcruples, which it may otherwise give occafion to; I will here add two or three remarks. 1. That the state and habit of perfection, is a different thing from fome fudden flights, or efforts of an extraordinary paffion; and fo is the fixt and eftablished tranquillity of the mind, from fome fudden gufts, and fhort-liv'd fits of fpiritual joy. No man attains to the habits of virtue and pleasure but by degrees; and the natural method and order by which he advances to either, is that which I have fet down. But as to fome fallies of the most pure and exalted paffions, as to fhort-liv'd fits of perfection, as to tranfient taftes, fhort and fudden transports of fpiritual pleasure, it is very often otherwife. God fometimes, either to allure the frailty of a new convert, or to fortify his refolution against fome hazardous trial, does raise him to an extraordinary height, by more than ufual communications of his bleffed Spirit; and glances, as it were,

ravishes him by fome of the beatifick vifion. G 2 Raptures

Raptures of love, the melting tenderness of a pious forrow, the ftrength of refolution and faith, the confidence and exultancy of affurance, do fometimes accompany fome fort of Chriftians in the beginnings of righteousness, or in the state of illumination. Where the conviction is full, the imagination lively, and the paffions tender, it is more eafy to gain perfection, than to preferve it. When a profligate finner in the day of God's power is Inatched like a firebrand out of the fire, rescued by fome amazing and furprizing call, like Ifrael by miracles out of Egypt; I wonder not, if fuch a one loves much, because much has been forgiven him; I wonder not, if he be fwallowed up by the deepeft and the livelieft fenfe of guilt and mercy; I wonder not, if fuch a one endeavour to repair his paft crimes by beroick acts, if he make hafte to redeem his loft time by a zeal and vigilance hard to be imitated, never to be parallel'd by others. Hence we read of Judah's love in the day of her efpoufals, Jer. ii. 2. And of the first love of the church of Ephefus, Rev. ii. 4. as the moft perfect. And in the first times. of the gofpel, when men were converted by aftonishing miracles; when the prefence and example of Jefus and his followers; when the perfpicuity and authority, the spirit and power, the luftre and furprize

of

of the word of life and falvation dazzled, over-powered and tranfported the minds of men, and made a thorough change in a moment; and when again no man profeffed Christianity, but he expected by his fufferings and martyrdom to feal the truth of his profeffion; I wonder not, if virtue ripened faft under fuch miraculous influences of heaven; or if affurance fprung up in a moment from thefe bright proofs of an unfhaken integrity. But we, who live in colder climates; who behold nothing in fo clear and bright a light as thofe happy fouls did, must be content to make shorter and flower fteps towards perfection, and fatisfy our felves with a natural not miraculous progrefs. And we, whofe virtues are fo generally under-grown, and our tryals no other than common ones, have no reason to expect the joys of a perfect affurance, till we go on to Perfection.

2dly, As Perfection is a work of time, fo is it of great expence and coft too; I mean, 'tis the effect of much labour and travel, felf-denial and watchfulness, refolution and conftancy. Many are the dangers which we are to encounter thro' our whole progrefs towards it; why elfe are we exhorted, to learn to do good? To perfect holiness in the fear of God, 2 Cor. vii. I, 2. To be renewed in the spirit of our minds from day to day, Eph. iv. 23. Te watch,

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watch, ftand faft, to quit us like men, to be Strong, 1 Cor xvi. 13. To take to us the whole armour of God, that we may be able to ftand against the wiles of the devil, and when we have done all, to ftand, Eph. vi. 11, 13. To ufe all diligence to make our calling and election fure, 2 Pet. i. 10. and fuch like? nay, which is very remarkable, these and the like exhortations were addreffed to Chriftians in thofe times, which had manifold advantages above thefe of ours. If I fhould fay, that the Spirit of God, the fanctifying grace of God, was then poured forth in more plentiful measure than ever after, not only feripture, as I think, but reafon too, would be on my fide. The intereft of the church of Chrift required it; fanctity being as neceffary as miracles to convert the Jew and the Gentile, But befides this, the then wonderful and furprizing light of the gofpel, the prefence of Jefus in the flesh, or of those who had been eye-witneffes of his glory; a croud of wondrous works and miracles, the expectation of terrible things, temporal and eternal judgments at the door, and an equal expectation of glorious ones too. All these things breaking in, beyond expectation, upon a Jewish and Pagan world, overwhelmed before by thick darkness, and whofe abominations were too notorious to be concealed, and too detestable

teftable to be excufed or defended, could not but produce a very great and fudden change. Now therefore, if in these times many did start forth in a moment fit for baptifm and martyrdom; if many amongst thefe were fuddenly changed, juftified and crowned, I wonder not. This was a day of power, a day of glory wherein God afferted Himself, exalted his Son, and refcued the world by aftretched-out hand. I fhould not therefore from hence be induced to expect any thing like at this day. But yet if, notwithstanding all this, Chriftians in those happy times, amidst so many advantages, ftood in need of fuch exhortations, what do not we in these times? if fo much watchfulness, prayer, patience, fear, abftinence, and earneft contention became them, when God as it were bowed the heavens, and came down and dwelt amongst men; what becomes us in these days, in the dregs of time, when God ftands as it were aloof off, to fee what will be our latter end, retired behind a cloud, which our herefies and infidelities, fchifms and divifions, fins and provocations have raifed? To conclude, he that will be perfect must not fit like the lame man by Bethef da's pool, expecting till fome angel come to cure him; but, like our Lord, he muft climb the mount, and pray, and then he may be transformed; he may be raised as much

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