SER M.fhown you that the path of the just, or re XII. ligious virtue exemplified in human charace

ters, or as practifed by men having infirmitys is as a fhining light; it is in itself excellent, beautiful and regular, uniformly conducted with wifdom; and free from that obfcurity, ignorance and confufion, which are infeparable characters of a wicked and vicious courfe; it is accompanied with a conftant inward ferenity and felf-approving joy, and it conveys useful inftructions to thofe who behold it.

I shall, in the next place, confider it as an increafing light, and advancing to per fection, which the text plainly leads us to for the path of the juft is faid to be a fhining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. It is not like a fiery meteor which, having no abiding caufe of light, only makes a blaze, and is extinguish'd, nor does it fhine only by reflection with a borrow'd luftre, but like the fpring of day animated by an inward undecaying principle, it rises in fplendor from its low and more obfcure beginnings, going on gra dually to perfection. Like the natural early dawn, in this refpect, is the principle of virtue, or what the fcripture calls the feed

of

1

of God, and the new creature, it is weak, SERM.
but it is entire and perinament, naturally XII.
growing up to maturity. We fhall be con-
vinced it must be fo if we attend to the
conftitution of our own minds; for the in-
tellectual and moral, indeed all the active
powers of the human nature, are weak and
narrow at firft; they enlarge by degrees,
they acquire ftrength by exercise, and are
improv'd by habits; every ones experience
will fatisfy him in this, who reflects on his
own progrefs in knowledge, and in all the
qualities which render life either agreeable
or useful. What a poor unfinished, un-
adorn'd, and infipid thing, is the life of
man in infancy, though indued with all
the capacities which belong to its kind, till
obfervation and ufe have form'd it to the
profecution and attainment of its proper
ends? Religion must in this refpect be like
all other improvements of nature, which de-
pend on the exercise of our own powers;
nay, it is fo more peculiarly, because it de-
pends more upon ourselves, and requires a
more ferious and attentive reflection and care,
than many other improveable qualities or fci-
ences, which we can attain: It differs there-
fore so far from the vifible light, which ne
ceffarily

SERM. ceffarily fhines more and more to the pers XII. fect day. The path of the juft, tho' naturally capable of growth, and made for it, does not actually grow without the voluntary and vigorous exertion of its inward active powers; every good man knows, for he is conscious of it, the progrefs of virtue in himself, the dexterity, the ease and pleasure, which at tend the practice of it in proportion Lasthe makes it his earneft ftudy, and the object of his conftant and careful application; as on the contrary, by indolence and floth, darknefs grows upon us, and indifpofition of mind; our inward fatisfaction decays, and usefulness in the world to the glory of our heavenly father, and the good of mankind, by promoting the caufe of truth and virtue, 'Tis thus that the fcripture represents the religious ftate, as by the divine ordination concerning it, and the law of its nature, progreffive. It is compared to the vegetable, and to the animal life, which from a very weak and low beginning, grows up to its appointed perfection, to its beauty and fruitfulness; and the fenfitive kind to the full ufe of its powers and its enjoyment. The fimilitude of a man, fancy to mature age,

is

growing up from in

a

a very

familiar one, in

211 describing

defcribing the progreffive condition of chrif SERM. tians; and they are diftinguished according XII. to the measure of their advancement into babes and perfect men, by the apostle Paul. And St. John makes three ftages of the Spiritual life, little children, young men, and fathers. But ftill, it is evident that this progress depends upon ourfelves: It is injoined as our duty; recommended by the best examples, and we are encouraged to it by the promise of an ample reward, in proportion to the measure of our zeal, diligence and proficiency during our being in a state of difcipline. We are exhorted to grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord Jefus Chrift; to add ftill to the measure of our virtue, and multiply our fruits of righteoufnefs more and more, which is fhining more and more in the fenfe of the text. St. Paul propofes himself as a pattern for our imitation, when fenfible of his not having attained, neither being already perfect, leaving the things which were behind, and reaching forth to the things which were before, he prefs'd towards the mark, for the prize of the bigh calling of God in Chrift Jefus, and we are taught that in exact proportion to the

1 John ii. 12, 13. † 2 Pet. iii. 18. ‡ Phil. iii. 13.

SERM.the ineafure of fhining, not apparent, but XII. real genuine virtue here, fo fhall the future felicity be; he that foweth Sparingly fhall reap alfo fparingly, and be that foweth boun tifully fhall reap also bountifully*.

But there is an appointed standard of vir tue, towards which we should always afpire, which is its most complete ftate, represented here under the notion of the perfect day. I do not mean that there is a precife limit fet to intellectual and moral attainments, and pleasures, beyond which they cannot pafs even in the future ftate; the inequality of the heavenly glory, plainly declared in fcrip ture, and compared to the unequal brights nefs of the firmament, and of particular fparkling ftars in it, or luminous ones, and to the difference between the ftars thems felves; this, I fay, leads us rather to fuppofe the contrary: And, indeed, our rati onal nature and powers, infinitely short of abfolute perfection, feem by their conftitu tion to be always capable of progrefs: But what I mean, is, that there is a perfect day 'to come, a state so far of confummate virtue and righteoufnefs, as to be free of all moral blemishes, and to exclude all finful failures,

2.Cor. ix. 6.