of heaven, and the riches of the precious ordinances of God! You have sermons till you can scarce desire more; and those so plain that men can scarce tell how to speak plainer; and so earnest, as if the servants of Christ would take no nay, even almost as if they must perish if you perished. You have as frequent, as plain, and powerful books. You have the warnings and examples of the godly about you. And what yet would you have more? And should a people thus fed be dwarfs continually? Is ignorance, and dulness, and earthliness, and selfishness excusable, after all these means? Surely, Sirs, it is but just that God should expect you all to be giants; even heavenly grown, confirmed Christians: whatever others do, it should be so with you.

18. And methinks it should somewhat move you to consider, how others have thriven in less time, and by smaller means by far than you have had; and how some of your neighbours can yet thrive by the same means that you so little thrive by. Job, who was so magnified by God himself, had not such means as you. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, had none of them such means as you. 'Many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.' Though John Baptist was greater than any of the prophets, yet the least of you that are in the gospel kingdom are greater than he, in respect of As the times of the gospel have far clearer light, and give out greater measures of grace; so the true genuine children of the gospel should,

means.

taking them one with another, be far more confirmed, strong, and heavenly, than those that were under the darker and scantier administrations of the promise.

And do you not see and hear how far you are outstripped by many of your poor neighbours, that are as low in natural parts, and as low in the world and the esteem of men as you? How many do shine before you in knowledge, and meekness, and patience, and a blameless upright life; in fervent prayers, and a heavenly conversation!-men that have had as much need to look after the world as you; and no longer time to get these qualifications; and no other means but what you have had, or might have had as well as they. And now they shine as stars in the church on earth, while you are like sparks, if not like clods. I know that God is the free disposer of his graces; but yet he so seldom faileth any, even in degrees, that be not wanting to themselves, that I may well ask you, why you might not have reached to some more eminency, as well as these about you, if you had but been as careful and industrious as they?

19. Consider that your holiness is your personal perfection; and that of the same kind you must have in glory, though not in the same degree. And therefore if you be not desirous of its increase, it seems you are out of love with your souls, and with heaven itself: and when you cease to grow in holiness, you cease to go on any further to salvation. If you would indeed yourselves be perfect and blessed, you must be perfected in this holiness,

which must make you capable of the perfect fruition of the most holy God, and capable of his perfect love and praise. There is no heaven without a perfection in holiness. If, therefore, you let fall your desires of this, it seems you let fall your desires of salvation. Up then and be doing; and grow as men that are growing up to glory: and if you believe that you are in your progress to heaven, being nearer your salvation than when you first believed, see then that you make a progress in heavenly-mindedness, and that you be riper for salvation than when you first believed. How ill doth it become men to make any stand in the way to heaven; especially when they have been in the way so long that we might have expected, before this, they should have been, as it were, almost within sight of it!

20. Consider, also, that little grace, little glory; and the greater measure of holiness, the greater measure will you have of happiness. I know that the glory of the lowest saint in heaven will be exceeding great; but, doubtless, the greatest measure is unspeakably most desirable. And as it will not stand with the truth of grace for a man to be satisfied with a low degree of grace, though he plead the happiness of the lowest Christian, and his own unworthiness of the least degree; so, at least, it ill beseems an heir of glory to desire but the lowest degree of glory, though he plead the happiness of the lowest saint in heaven, and his own unworthiness of the lowest place. For he that will be so content with the smallest glory as not to have hearty desires of more, is accordingly

content to have in himself the smallest measure of the knowledge and love of God; and to be loved in the smallest measure by him; and to have the least enjoyment of him; and to bear the smallest part in his praises, and in pleasing and glorifying him for ever. For all these things are our happiness itself: and how well this agreeth with a gracious frame of mind, I need not any further tell you.

But, because some make question of it, whether the degree of glory will be answerable to the degree of holiness, I shall prove it in a few words.

(1.) It is the very drift of the parable of the talents in Matt. xxv. He that had gotten most by improvement was made ruler, proportionably, over most cities. Not he that had been at the greatest bodily labour in religion, nor every one that had passed the greatest sufferings; but he that had got most holiness to himself and honour to God by the improvement of his talents, and so had doubled them.

(2.) The degrees of holiness, hereafter, will be divers, as are the degrees of holiness here; 'for as men sow they will reap;' and there is no promise in Scripture that men that die with the smallest holiness shall be made equal to them that died with the greatest holiness. And that the greatest holiness hereafter, must have the greatest happiness, is past denial. For 1. Holiness in heaven is an essential part of the felicity itself. It is the perfection of the soul. 2. The use of it is for perfect fruition, and perfect exercise of love

and praise, which are the other parts of glory. And God will not give men powers, capacities, and dispositions, in heaven, which shall be in vain as he giveth hungering, and thirsting, and love, so will he give proportionable satisfaction; and not tantalize his servants in their blessedness, and leave a part of hell in heaven. 3. And holiness is pleasing to God in its own nature; and therefore the greatest holiness will greatliest please him; and he that most pleaseth God, hath the greatest glory. These things are plain.

(3.) Moreover, we have great reason to conceive of the state of the glorified, in some congruency with the rest of the workmanship of God. But in all the rest there is a difference or imparity; therefore we have reason to think it is so here. On earth, there are princes and subjects in the commonwealth; and pastors and people in the churches; and several degrees among the people as to gifts and comforts. Among the devils, there are degrees; and among angels themselves there are principalities and powers, and thrones and dominions. And why, then, should we imagine that the heavenly Jerusalem shall not be so too?

(4.) And Christ plainly intimateth that there is a place on his right hand and his left to give, in that kingdom, though as the Son of Man he had not the principal disposal of it: 'And then the kingdom must be delivered to the Father, and God be all and in all;' and therefore the Mediator, as such, have somewhat less to do than now. And when Christ telleth us of Lazarus in Abraham's bosom,