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from his Juftice. Not that there lies an Abfolute and Antecedent Obligation upon God to bestow greater Rewards upon greater Saints; for if Eternal Life it felf be (as the Apoft le reprefents it) the Gift of God, Rom. 6. 23. no doubt but the Degrees of it are fo too. God cannot become a Debtor to Man, or to any other Creature but by a free Act of his own. He may indeed oblige himself to us by a voluntary Ingagement, but we cannot pass any ftrict Obligation upon him by any thing we can do; and to talk of Meriting in this Sense is no less than Blafphemy, and I can hardly believe that any Man that underftood himself, ever thus held it.

But tho' God be not abfolutely obliged to his Creatures, but only upon Suppofition, and confequently cannot be Abfolutely bound to reward greater Saints with greater Happiness, yet if we once fuppofe him to ingage himself by Promise to be a Rewarder of Vertue in general; there will be all the Reason in the World to think that by the fame Promife he has alfo Virtually obliged himfelf to crown the greatest Vertues with the greatest Rewards. For fince the Reafon why he ingaged himself to be a Rewarder of good Men was not (as is already precaution'd) any Abfolute Merit of theirs, but only to fhew his great Love of Vertue and Goodnefs, 'tis reasonable to conclude that by the fame Motives, and in pursuance of the fame End, he alfo ingaged himself to be a more liberal Rewarder of greater Saints. Since this is as necessary a

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Means to fhew his Love to Vertue and Goodnefs as the other. And therefore tho' we should grant (which yet in the Sequel will appear otherwife) that God had exprefly promised only to be a Rewarder of Vertue in general, yet fince the End and Reafon of this His Ingagement was to fhew His great Love to Vertue, this would be warrant enough to conclude, that he had implicitly and virtually ingaged Himself to have an equal regard to the feveral Degrees of Vertue, and to reward them after their respective Proportions.

But to rife higher yet, tho' God cannot be in Strict Justice obliged to reward the best of our Services but by an Ingagement of his own, much lefs to reward them with Eternal Happiness, yet I think there must be acknowledged a kind of Congruity or Becomingness on God's part fo to do, even Antecedently to any Promise or Covenant. There is indeed no ftrict Obligation till after fome Covenant; but there may, and I think must be a Congruity even before. For tho' there be no Proportion of Equivalence between our beft Works and the Rewards of Heaven, and confequently no poffible room for any strict Merit, yet I cannot but think with a Perfon of great Judgment and Moderation, that there is a Proportion of Conveniency; that is, as he afterwards explains it, tho' there be nothing ftrictly due from God to the Services of good Men, yet 'tis highly worthy of God to reward them; upon

Le Blane Thefes
Theolog. p. 590.

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which Account they also may be faid to be worthy, according to that of the Apocalyps, They shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy, Rev. 3. 4.

AND indeed unless we will admit of this Congruity, I do not fee how to justifie the Sense of that Apoftolical Maxim, He that comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a Rewarder of them that diligently feek him, Heb. 11. 6. 'Tis plain that the Apostle here fpeaks of the Grounds of Natural Religion, and what fhould move and qualifie a Heathen Man to make his first Addres fes to God. This he tells you is to believe the Being and the Providence of God, that he is, and that he is a Rewarder. But now how fhall a Heathen Man believe that God is a Rewarder? By any Revelation of his? But that he is not yet fuppofed to admit. He must therefore conclude it by his own natural Reason, by confidering the Idea and Nature of God, the Toys

O, that which may naturally be known of him, and how becoming it is for fo excellent a Being to reward those who apply themselves ferioully and heartily to him.

WELL then, if it be reasonable to believe upon the Stock of natural Principles that God is a Rewarder, without being affured of it by any Revelation (which is here fuppofed in the Heathen's Cafe) then it follows, that even antecedent

to any Promise of God there is a great Congruity, tho' not a ftrict Obligation that he should be a Rewarder. For otherwife what Ground could the Heathen Man have fo to Conclude or Be

lieve? This Congruity therefore must of Neceffity be allow'd, however apt fome may be to startle at it, when the Word Merit is put before it. This is Prejudice, but the thing it felf as I have here stated and explained it, is both innocent and neceffary to be granted. And if there be fuch a Congruity that God fhould be a Rewarder in general, then by the fame Proportion it follows that he fhould difpenfe his Rewards according to the Degrees of Vertue. There being certainly at least as much Congruity in this as in the other.

AND befides this, there is no reason to queftion but that the Goodness of God which is in it felf infinite, and which is already fuppofed to exert it felf fo liberally as to reward the little and defective Services of a fhort Life with Eternal Glories, will also be fo confiftent with it felf, as to reward those most, who have preffed forward to the highest Degrees of Sanctity. And were it not for this, I do not fee what Incouragement there is for Men to Excel in Vertue, which yet the Goodness of God obliges us to fuppofe. For what should move a Man to be eminently good, confidering how difficult it is to be fo, and how little recompens'd in this World, if it were not in order to a greater Reward hereafter?

If it be faid, that the least Degree of Glory is a fufficient Incouragement for the greatest Degree of Vertue; I grant it is fo, were that greatest Degree of Vertue the neceffary Condition of it, M

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without which the leaft Glory could not be obtain'd. But fince lefs will fuffice for that (as must be admitted, unless you will fay that all glorified Saints are equally good and vertuous) I do not fee how there can be fufficient Incouragement for higher Attainments, but only upon the Suppofition of greatest Rewards. Which therefore from the Goodness as well as Justice of God there is good Reafon to conclude.

THIRDLY and lastly, From Principles of Reafon I appeal to Holy Scripture, which I think will be found to fpeak as fully and plainly to this purpofe as may reasonably be defired. For there we find that God will render to every man according to his deeds, Rom. 2. 6. And again, that every one ball receive the things done in his Body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad, 2 Cor. 5. 10. And left this fhould be referr'd to the general Diftribution of Rewards and Punishments, more exprefly it is faid, that he that fows fparingly fall reap allo sparingly, and that he that fows bountifully ball reap also bountifully, 2 Cor. 9. 6. The fame again is exprefly reprefented under the Parable of the Talents committed to the Management of Servants, who were feverally rewarded according to their feveral Improvements, Luk. 19. And tho' Parables are not allowed to conclude throughout, yet certainly as to the thing directly and purposely intended by them they are as conclufive as any other Forms of Speech, which in this Parable must be the different Difpenfation of Rewards hereafter, or nothing.

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