posing temptation, in crucifying their lusts, in performing duties, in denying their sinful delights and pleasures, having noth: ng supernatural within them to naturalize and facilitate these things and carry them on resolutely through all, they never keep up to the utmost of that power which they have: but, as they yield to those temptations that they might resist, and com, mit those sins that they might reject, and neglect those duties which for matter and substance of them they might perform; so, none of them go so far as they have a natural power to do. No man goes so far in the work of grace as he might, if he would improve that power which he hath by nature.

3. Did they make as great a progress towards grace as they might, they would not fall so far short of grace as they do.

I say, if wicked unregenerate men did but as much as they are able by the power of nature to do, without the special assistance of the Holy Ghost, they would not fall so far short of grace as they do. I would not enter into that dispute, whether God be engaged to bestow grace upon the right improvement of their natural power; yet, it is certain, and agreed on by all, that he doth certainly do so. God usually bestows true and saving grace upon those, who do rightly and to their utmost im prove their natural power and ability for the acquiring of it. If God be not obliged, by promise, to assist them; yet, through his goodness and mercy, he is not wont to desert them. Let them but labour to improve their natural ability to the utmost strain and pitch, that their own capacity can elevate, God will, ́according to his usual method and wonted goodness, come in by supernatural grace; and enable them to do that, which by nature they are not able to do: for no instance can be given to the contrary.

So, then, we may conclude, that wicked men never go so far as they can; and did they, yet they could not efficiently work grace in themselves: but, nevertheless, they would be disposed and prepared for the receipt of grace; which God, upon such preparations, would undoubtedly bestow upon them. For, although he be not obliged to give it them; yet, usually, he is wont to work it in them merely through his own natural goodness, free grace and mercy to them, pitying the weakness of their lapsed and fallen nature.

ii. I shall proceed to the answer of the first question, IN THE

GENERAL.

Unregenerate men may make a great progress, and may go very far towards grace, and yet fall short of it: that, in general, is to be almost a Christian. This I laid down in the method propounded to you. Although I say not that they go so far as they can by the power of nature, and yet fall short of grace; for that can never be instanced in any: yet the sad and wretched apostacy of those, who have been eminent professors, shining yea and glaring lights, exceeding and also despising common attainments of others, hath too evidently confirmed it to us, that men may go very far towards grace, and yet fall short of it. See what Christ saith, Mark. xii. 34. of that young man, that forward young man, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God: that is, thou art not far from grace; for so the kingdom of God is oftentimes taken in Scripture for the kingdom of grace: so that we may say of such men, they were not far from the kingdom of God, not far from grace, not far from heaven; climbing up almost thither, within view and ken of it, having one foot, as it were, upon the threshold of the heavenly gate; and, yet, even these tumble headlong, and never rest until they have plunged themselves to the bottom of hell. It is with such men, as it is with the vapours, that are drawn up into the air: they shine with the same light, with the same apparent magnitude as the fixed stars themselves do; and we may think them moving in the very same sphere with them: but, when we see them dart down to the earth, and spill all that light and glory which they glistered with by the way, and fall into a filthy jelly, a thicker and more loathsome substance than when they were first exhaled, we then conclude that all that elevation of those false and blazing lights was vastly short of that heaven, in which they seemed sometime to be fixed. So is it with many unregenerate men: you cannot tell with what they are fraught, till you see them shipwrecked: then it is a sign, that, though they were never right and true treasure, yet they are something very like it: when we see them tumbling down off a glorious profession through fatal precipices of great, gross, and desperate sins, we may sadly conclude that that man was not far from the kingdom of God, though he was never yet there.

Indeed, every unregenerate man, when he winds up himself to the highest pitch and strain, may be said to be far from the kingdom of God, in respect of his total deprivation of grace: though his actions be never so fair and specious, yet they are very far from being gracious; as far as darkness is from light.

Yet he may be said not to be far from the kingdom of God, likewise, in a Fourfold respect.

1. In that he is far from that, which is furthest from grace: and that is gross, flagitious, and notorious sins, which are farthest off from grace of all others; and these a natural man may be very far and free from, and therefore not far from grace.

2. He may have that, which very much resembles and counterfeits grace: so that, as to outward appearance, there is but very little dissimilitude discernible between them: now that, which is like another, may be said not to be far from that, which it is like.

3. He may be said not to be far from grace, because, as I told you before, in the ordinary works of the Spirit upon his soul, he may have those preparations and dispositions laid in them, which usually are previous and antecedent to grace, because these are wrought usually before grace; and therefore the person, that hath these wrought upon him, may be said not to be far from grace.

4. He may be said not to be far from grace, because, if he did proceed but a little farther, he would possibly attain to true grace. Had such but improved their natural power to such a degree farther, God would have come in with power supernatural; and have wrought that true and saving principle in their lives, which would have been sure to have brought them to eternal life. Grace, indeed, hath such a kind of dependance upon that which is natural and that dependance is not so much of causality, as of order and consequence; which, though it be not necessary, yet is commonly granted on all hands.

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Thus then, in the general, I have shewn you that unregenerate men may go far, yea very far towards grace. A man may be almost a Christian, and yet be out of Christ; be near the kingdom of heaven, and yet not in it; and, possibly, be for ever excluded and shut out of it,

iii. I shall proceed to the next thing propounded. As we have seen, in the general; so now let us consider, IN PARTICULAR, what progress a natural man may make towards grace.

And that I shall do, by considering the several steps and degrees by which they may arise up to a great height and glory of outward profession.

And this we cannot better do, than by shewing,

What grace is.

What resemblance that, which is wrought by a mere carnal man, may carry in it like true grace.

By comparing these together, we may see how near an unregenerate, carnal man may come to true and saving grace. 1. What Grace is.

I need not tell you, that I speak not now of an Objective Grace, inherent in God; but terminated on us, whereby a change is wrought in our relation to him: and this Objective Grace is nothing else, but the divine love, favour, and good will of God expressed in us. But I speak of a Subjective Grace, inherent in us; whereby a real change is made in our lives and natures. And, in brief, you may take this description of subjective or inherent grace: It is a supernatural habit, immediately infused into the soul by the Holy Ghost, residing in every power and faculty of the soul as a principle of holy and spiritual operation. And there is a Fivefold change wrought by it:

Upon the Judgment, or the Direct Understanding, by informing and enlightening it.

Upon the Conscience, in the Reflex Understanding, by awakening and pacifying it.

Upon the Affections, by spiritualizing them.

Upon the Will, by converting it.

Upon the Life and Conversation, by reforming it..

This Fivefold change is wrought upon the whole soul by the true and sanctifying grace.

2. Now, in the next place, I shall shew how far a natural man may attain to these, so as to be almost a Christian.

(1) As for his Mind or Understanding, he may be irradiated with a clear and sparkling knowledge of divine and spiritual objects, when yet the soul is not truly converted to God.

It is true, as, in the creation of the world, the light is numbered and reckoned amongst the first of God's works; so likewise, in this new creation, the first work of the Spirit of God is to shed abroad his heavenly light in the understanding: and, therefore, we have this first in order, in that commission, which our Saviour Jesus Christ gives to St. Paul, Acts xxvi. 18. He sent him to the Gentiles, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light; and, then it follows, from the power of Satan unto God. But, yet, notwithstanding, there is an illumination about spiritual things, which may gild and beautify the understanding of a natural man; who, like a toad, may be full of poison, though he hath a precious stone in his head. The Apostle lays down

this as one of those attainments that an unregenerate man may have, and yet be an apostate: Heb. vi. 4. He may not only have a deep knowledge of gospel mysteries, so as to see the whole compages and concatenation of the doctrine of Christ, and to unfold them to others; but may have also particular discoveries of the glory and beauty that there is in these things. We may see it clearly by Balaam's ecstasy, Numb. xxiv. 5. Such discoveries carnal hearts may have made to them, and see their lustre and beauty. Nay, further, a carnal man may be convinced, that there is no other way of recovery but by the grace of God through the merits of Christ, of the suitableness of Christ to his soul, of the freeness of God's love, of the riches of his grace, of the readiness of his heart to receive him, of the desirableness of happiness, and of the beauty of holiness; and yet, for all this, remain in a natural state.

But now, not to leave you under doubts and perplexities, such an illumination of a carnal man falls far short of true grace in these Two particulars.

[1] In that it is but lumen sterile, a barren light.

Illumination, that is saving, is not only light, but influence too. As the light of the sun doth not serve only to paint the world, and varnish over the beauty and variety of the several creatures that are in it; but carries in it a grateful heat and cherishing influence, which operates into them and refreshes them; and, as the light discovers their beauty, so these influences increase it: so, saving illumination not only illustrates the soul by its light; but, likewise, by the congenialness of its influences, nourishes the soul, draws sap into it and fruit from it. Such is not the illumination of an unregenerate man: it is but a barren light, and only serves to paint his understanding; and hath no influence on it, to make the soul grow in grace, and bring forth the fruits of holiness, to the praise of God.

[2] It is an ineffectual, idle light.

That illumination, that is saving, is transforming: 2 Cor. iii. 18. We all.....as in a glass, behold the glory of the Lord, and are changed into the same image, &c. If a beam of the sun fall upon a looking-glass, it not only makes it glitter with a glorious light, but it represents the very image of the sun in the glass; but, let it beat never so clearly and strongly upon a mud-wall, though it enlighten it, yet it doth not thereby leave its image upon it: so, truly, illumination, that is saving, doth not only irradiate, but transform. If you look upon the sun when shining in its strength,