Several Works

ot to rebel, to be tumultuous; for it is pure and then peaceable, the wisdom that is from this Spirit, yet it taught them not to regard it; whether it be fit to obey God or man judge ye? they rejoiced the more, that they were accounted worthy to suffer for Christ; this wind that bloweth where it listeth, it bears down all opposition, there is no resisting of that Spirit that speaks and acts in them. See the Martyrs, how it did triumph over their adversaries, they overcame their cruelty by the invincible patience, and yielding their bodies to a torment, rather then their consciences to the cruel commands of sinners, which tend to their wounding. Was there ever such a slave as Canaan a servant of servants shall he be; when another man, a great person, is a servant to sin, and thou for advantage or fear art a slave to him; is not this to be a servant of servants? to have this curse upon thy soul in the highest degree, to be a slave to a slave, is the deepest slavery that can be imagined: Therefore take heed lest such a bondage creep upon us at unawares, for our hearts are deceitful; take heed of sinful compliances with the prevailing evils of the times for advantage, this is to be a slave to men and to humors, and not to be free-men to Jesus Christ.

But if you would stand fast in this liberty in all these respects, then truly we must see to it, that we do not grieve the holy Spirit of Jesus Christ; for this is the principle of our liberty, where the Spirit of Christ is, there is liberty; and according to the proportion of his presence with, and working in any heart, is the liberty and freedom of that soul; he first works liberty, knocks off the bolts of the soul, pulls out of the horrible pit, he only answers our doubts, satisfieth the soul that is in bondage, by witnessing love to the soul, by applying the blood of Jesus Christ to the soul, this the Spirit doth, and he only establisheth the soul in this liberty, establish me with thy free Spirit; indeed, somewhat else may loosen a man, as to the outward practice from sin, but the Spirit only can loosen the heart from sin, and only can dissolve the sodering of corrupt affections, whereby our hearts and their sinful objects are soldered and glued together, and then the heart is broken from sin, as well as for sin, nor can anything else keep up the soul in the enjoyment of that liberty by this Spirit; and therefore if we would keep up and maintain our spiritual liberty, we must be sure to keep in with the Spirit; if we grieve him, he will grieve us, and leave us to fight with our own strength, and fall under sin, and so come to bondage again in part, to the grief and wounding of our spirits; some of us alas it may be, thought once we had been free, but have been brought into bondage again, and held under the power of sin, in terrors: we are ready to wonder when the lusts we thought had been dead and buried, do rise up again, captive us to them; but wonder not at it, for how often is this holy Spirit grieved by us, which is the principle of our liberty? if we consider this well, it will put an end to our admiration; if we would keep our liberty, not return to bondage, grieve not the Spirit.

First, he is grieved when he is neglected and slighted, his motions to put us on to such a duty, we shift and shuffle, and make one excuse or another, and will not do it; either to set upon a duty we never performed, or to do it in another manner then we have done at another time, this grieveth him; as for instance, he puts us on to reprove our Brother for a sin, not to suffer sin to lie upon him, and we smother it, we think it more offendeth another then us, or else it is an unthankful office, it is the way to lose a friend, to be accounted a busy-body, we see that men for the most part cannot bear a reproof, but they will snarl at least, if they do not turn and rent us, and bear us upon their backs. And therefore we neglect our duty, and so for any other; now alas, how often are we guilty in this kind?

Secondly, Take heed of all impurity, uncleanness, for he is a pure holy Spirit and will lie clean, he cannot endure a nasty place; this will grieve him, if it be pollution of the flesh, or pollution of the spirit, if harboured in the heart it will grieve the Spirit; and then as a man grieved, he departeth, that is his grieving indeed; properly he is not grieved, God is not subject to any passion, or fears, or sorrows, &c. because all things are always present with him, he seeth what we would be, before he had to do with us at all, but then, when we do actually thus pollute ourselves, he takes occasion to depart, to leave us to those evils, and to fill us with our own backslidings.

Thirdly, Take heed of sinning against conviction, against light, this is dangerous indeed, you may come to be shut up in darkness for this, to be bound in affliction and iron, to endure sad things upon your spirits; for if the Spirit of Christ who convinceth you this or that is a sin, be so far slighted as you heed it not, what if he then forbear? and is it not righteous he should forbear to shine upon your graces, that you should see anything that is ought in you? So that you shall walk in darkness and see no light: will not this be a paying of you home in your own coin? David could not be ignorant what his sin was before he committed it, and yet you see, he ventured upon it, and what it cost him.

Fourthly, Take heed of deliberate sinning, when a man hath time of consideration of his sin, to argue the case pro and con, as we use to say, and doth revolve with himself, O this is sinful, if I do it I rebel against God, I do what in me lies to undo myself; O but saith lust, man it shall be satisfied; God is merciful, there is time enough to repent, or it will easily be healed afterward. Now upon such deliberations as this, if a man will sin, there is much of the will in it, and so much the more wicked, and therefore now the spirit must needs be grieved; what can such a poor creature expect but to be brought under bondage? as you see it in David, his plotting and contriving the death of Uriah; these sins in cold blood, when a man is not under the sudden violent heat of a temptation, and yet will sin, O this grieves him much; if a pot be on the fire and the scum rise, we throw it out, we expect it would rise; but if no fire be under, and yet a scum arise, O this is so loathsome, it is not to be endured.

Fifthly, Take heed of Ranker and Malice, of grudgings of heart one against another, as the Apostle saith, grudge not one against another; prejudices, heart-burnings, grudgings upon injuries, real, or conceived and imagined: O this grieveth the Spirit, who is a Spirit of pure love, and will have them that look to enjoy him, to be a people of love, to cover much, bear and forbear, and forgive in love, for love will cover a multitude of offenses.

Sixthly, Take heed then of pride, of being lifted up, for the Spirit of Christ is a Spirit of humility: O he loveth to dwell in the lowly spirit: if we be lifted up we rob him of his honor, to arrogate that to ourselves which he hath been working for us, to think we are something of our own, of ourselves: he will let us know, to our sorrow, that we have nothing in our hearts but darkness, and bondage, and sin, and that all was from him.

Seventhly, Take heed of unthankfulness for what he hath done for us: when the Spirit of the Lord Jesus shall be at all this pains with us, contest with the quarrellings and disputings of our own hearts, against our own peace and comfort, and answer all our objections, and still our complaints, and seal up love upon our hearts, remove our trembling and fears, dispel our darkness, cleanse our loathsome hearts in a great measure of those lusts that did so much prevail against us, and we shall forget this now, and not return to him the praise, but either to grow into carnal security, and when we have rest from that which galled us, with the nine leapers, go our ways, never mind whence we received it, or else so much pore upon the remainder of our sins, as not to exalt that grace whereby we are in so great a part delivered? O this grieveth him, and therefore he may justly let us step back again, or let loose upon us again those lusts, that we were delivered from their strength, and never prized the mercy; that we learn to admire that grace; much more might be added, but this shall suffice.

The next use of the point shall be for satisfaction to some doubts, since we are delivered and set free from the Law, as you have heard from that; It may be thought, First, that the Law was an evil, that it is such a privilege of the Saints to be delivered from it. Secondly, It may be doubted how far we are set free from it, and therefore I will speak a little to each of them; for the first.

First, the Apostle meeteth with it, or rather prevents it, for seeing that carnal reason would be so ingenuous as to find out that cavil among others, against the Doctrine of faith, and of freedom from the bondage under the Law, as the strength of sin specially; What shall I say then, saith the Apostle, is the Law sin? that we are said to be delivered from it, and that sin hath its strength from it? and so deliverance from sin is a deliverance from the Law, as the strength of it. Or, is the Law death, since sin by this means doth work death? No, saith the Apostle, the Law is holy, just and good, the Law giveth no occasion to sin; but sin takes occasion, sin will not endure to be contradicted, it sucks poison out of that holy and good Law of God; meeting with opposition, it swells and rageth, so that indeed it is sin that is the evil, the Law is holy and good. O but the Law it works wrath, and works death, and can this then be good? and how can it be such a mercy to be delivered from it? is it a favor to be put into golden fetters? supposing the Law to be good and holy, yet since it is, as we may say, ginns, and fetters, and bolts, though of gold, to hold the poor soul in, to keep him in and up as in a prison, is this so good then? To this I answer, It is true, by the Law is the knowledge of sin, I had not known lust, except the Law had said thou shalt not covet; whether in the last command, or in each command, now I will not dispute; but the first motions, thoughts, risings and bubblings of corruption, I had not known them to be sin, but that the Law hath said, thou shalt not covet: Why, but was that then that was good made death to me? saith the Apostle: You must know the Apostle speaks here of a death, which is the receiving, as I may say, the sentence of condemnation in his own spirit by conviction, for this is all his knowledge of sin, that sin by the commandment might appear to be exceeding sinful; this is the dying there mentioned, sin revived and I died; which is in order to liberty, to make the poor creature see his necessity of Jesus Christ, that so he might make out after him, to make a pardon welcome, therefore he casts poor sinners into fet ters under this Law: So that if you look upon it in this subserviency to the Gospel, though the creature may be put to much grief by it, yet it is good; when pardon is proclaimed, that a Prince should cast those rebels into prison, to make them willing of a pardon; the Gospel is a savor of death to death you know, and yet it is a sweet savor in them that perish, and them that are saved; the Gospel is never the worse for that: and if the Law prove fetters to a poor sinner; to keep him under bondage forever, and bind him over to everlasting Judgment, this is through his own wickedness, that he will not accept of deliverance in the Gospel where it is preached: the Law is never the less good and holy.

But the second is the main thing, how far we are said to be freed from the Law of God, and how we are not freed from it?

First, we are delivered from it as a Covenant of righteousness, do this and live; that is to say, be thou exactly conformable to this Law forever; 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , want of suitableness to this Law is a sin, and every sin, the wages of it is death; if thou break it but in one, thou art guilty of all. Alas, Brethren, the Law was weak through our flesh, and could not justify, it could discover sin, as a glass, but not purge it; it could work wrath, work it out, but it could not pacify, therefore the Lord Jesus came and took upon him that name, the Lord our righteousness, and he is now, saith the Apostle, the end of the Law for righteousness: It was a School-master to whip us, to fright us, out of ourselves to Jesus Christ; therefore every soul in Christ now is delivered from the Law as a Covenant of life, that is clear; but this was mentioned before.

Secondly, Now from the rigorous exacting of obedience; for according to the Law, nothing is obedience, except perfect; if a man miscarry in one thing he is guilty of all, there must be a doing of everything written, yea in the fullest, most spiritual sense of it; yea a continuance in everything to the end, or else it is not obedience; but now the Lord accepteth of the desires of the upright heart, he heareth the prayer of such as desire to fear his name: the will now goeth for the deed, where the poor soul striveth to do and is not able; Dear friends, how sad a condition were we in many times if the Lord did so rigorously exact our obedience? how often do we come to pray, and can say nothing in his presence, can scarce sigh or groan? and in hearing and speaking his Word, though we do stir up ourselves to watch: O how often do vain thoughts run away with our hearts? now if we were under this exacting of the Law, what would become of us? what had become of Paul when he did the things he hated, the things he would not, &c. if he had been under the rigor of the Law? If there be first a willing mind, that imprimis Brethren, doth legitimate all the following Items, though never so weak; now the Law is in the hand of Christ, as a Father who pitieth and spareth us; alas, what had become of the best of us else long since? thus we are delivered.

Thirdly, From the curse of it, Gal. 3. 18. our Savior being made a curse for us, so that the curse of it doth not lie upon us to sink us, that is to say, the weight of the wrath or displeasure of God; Nor yet as a compulsion to obedience to this Law; as slaves and very wretched sinners may do much for the fear and dread of this curse of God, but this the Lord delivered his people from, he maketh them a willing people, he now showeth them greater reason against sin then ever they saw, now opens to them the grave, they see the rottenness of it, which they saw not before, now he opens his treasures of rich grace in Christ, and so by mediation of the understanding works upon the will, sweetly inclining it to God, though there be a moral suasion by apposition of object, as a Lamb is led by a green bush up and down; yet this is not all, there goeth more to the taking away the stone in the heart, and giving a heart of flesh, which doth most what lie in the making the will flexible and pliable, not so much in sorrow, and tears, and meltings, which doth many times accompany it, and sometimes not at all, or very little: Pharaohs heart was hardened, for he obeyed not, he was stiff and stubborn, and therefore said to be a stone: Now I say, a moral suasion will not reach to this, a man may use much oratory to a stone, and yet it remaineth a stone still; a Preacher may hold forth sin to be sin, and exceeding sinful, and hold forth Christ crucified by them and for them before their eyes, and yet alas, all will not do, they remain stones still: No, no, an inclining of the heart; he turns the hearts of men whithersoever he will, as he did the heart of Esau to Jacob upon his prayer, there was more then a suasion; and as he did the thief upon the Cross in the midst of his torments and agonies of death, then to think upon a Christ, then to have his heart towards him, that never regarded him in his life-time, and in the midst of a people reviling him, as you know, and upon the Cross suffering and dying, and yet then to be wrought upon, argues a wonderful divine power put forth upon the will. Well then, when the will is overcome, we are made free to the service of Jesus Christ; now we can delight in the Law of God after the inward man; it was a weariness to a sinner to hear the Word, specially if it came near to him, he could not endure to be grated upon; and a weariness to pray; now he delights in these things: So far we are delivered from the curse, as the great enforcement of Obedience.

Fourthly, From the provoking power of the Law, as you have often heard; now that Law that was the occasion of the rebelling of lust, is hid in the heart, that we might not sin against him; this is a great change indeed in a child of God from the former condition, when before, God would put his yoke upon our souls, we writhed and plucked away our neck, would not endure it; now it pleaseth us to be under it, it is sweet and easy to us now, it is a provocation to obedience, that before was a provocation unto sin.

But now on the other hand, we are not set free from the Law, as a Law, a rule of holy walking, of new obedience; our Savior did not by fulfilling the Law destroy it, but accomplish it; because we were not able of ourselves to do it, he under went the rigor of it, and took away all the condemnation of it, that it might be an easy yoke to us; and wherefore have we a Law written in our hearts, which is but a counterpane, as I may say, a disposition to do the revealed will of God, except we have this revealed will of his to be a rule to walk by? hath the Lord Jesus then lightened the yoke, sweetened it, given us his example, chalked out our way thereby as a pattern to us, and given us strength also to do it, and shall we refuse this holy Law, as a rule to walk by? it is true, it is not now in the hand of Moses, as a School-master, to lash, to terrify, to bring us to Christ, when once we are in him; but now it is a rule in the hand of Christ, in the hand of a tutor, that with all gentleness doth lead us by his Spirit into all truth; that is to say, not the knowledge, but the practice, that is, to be led into the truth: man may know much, and yet be far from being led into it, know nothing as he ought to know; now it is a rule in the hand of a Father, before it was a Lyon terribly roaring upon us, hell, and wrath, and ruin, and so it is still to every unbelieving creature, who are under it, as to the satisfaction of divine Justice by suffering, that is to say, under the curse, though as a Covenant of life none is under it since Adam, for I conceive it was not given for that end; but under it, as to satisfaction of divine justice they are: now I say it is terrible to such, but when the Lyon is killed by our Sampson, there is sweetness in it, out of the eater came meat: the very Law of God that is terrible, condemning, affrighting a poor guilty sinner; it is the delight of a David: indeed not a page of the Book of God, but is, as I may say, a hand-writing against every wicked wretch, wherein he may read his doom; and not a page wherein there is not something that ministers consolation to a Believer: for to see the terrors of the Law, which is a wounding, death, overwhelming a sinner; is a raising of his Spirit to consider what he is delivered from; well then, now it is a Law of liberty, Jam. 1. 25. his commands are not grievous, 1 John 5. 3. but yet we are under those commands still. So the Apostle was not without the Law, but under the Law to Christ; we make it not void by faith, but establish it: But thus much shall serve to be spoken to this.

The last Use shall be a word of comfort to poor creatures that are yet under this bondage. Something of encouragement I may give to sinners that yet are rebelling against the Lord Jesus, though if you continue so doing, there is no hope for you; yet know this, that the Lord Jesus hath laid down a ransom sufficient for all, and publisheth this liberty to all; he setteth open the prison doors, and if then you will not go free, thank yourselves: but of this before. I doubt such sinners as these will be snatching at the comfort which belongs not to them. Therefore mind it Brethren, you that please yourselves in sin, are given up to the ways of your own hearts, while you are such, it is not my work to comfort you at all; catch not at it, it concerneth you not; but I speak to poor sinners that are sensible of their condition, that are striving, struggling, groaning under the bondage, the yoke of sin, or the concomitants thereof, which you have heard spoken to so at large. Alas, may one say, I doubt all is not well with me, if where Jesus Christ cometh into a soul, revealeth himself in a soul, he brings liberty with him to that soul, then I am a poor creature without Christ to this day, for alas, I am in grievous bondage; O there is bondage of • ears, and bondage of sin; It is true, I do something saith one, but I doubt it is nothing but a slavish obedience out of fear; for this we must know, Brethren, that though it be true there is a fear which is merely slavish, when a sinner looks upon god as a severe terrible Judge, his Law a cruel bloody Law, while he seeth no mixture of mercy and love, and yet with Felix, trembles; or as they at the deliverance of the Law, when God revealed himself in so terrible a manner, trembled, could not endure the sight; now a man under the curse of the Law, he endeavors to do what he doth upon this ground, because of terrors; but a child of God he hath a principle of love, it is mercy, it is love, it is tenderness in Jesus that setteth him a going; terrors indeed do amaze, and astonish, and fright him out of himself; but it is love in Jesus Christ that setteth his soul a work to do his will; yet so Brethren, as that you must know there is not all fear banished out of the soul; but that we may the better understand it, let us consider 〈◊〉 a little distinctly.

First, there is to be a reverent fear of the Majesty of god in all his people; let us serve him with reverence and godly fear, saith the Apostle, for our God is, &c. a great God, and greatly to be feared: what an awe there is upon a poor peasants spirit when he appeareth before a mighty Prince? so here, and I doubt we have most of us cause rather to complain, that there is not so much of this holy awe upon us as there ought to be, O serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling: fear not, saith Moses, for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces: Fear not: that is to say, be not dismayed, astonished, God is come now to give a rule of obedience, that you may serve him with reverence, holy fear and trembling.

Secondly, There ought to be a fear of offending God, as a Son his Father, though he were sure never to be scourged for it; or because he is his Father, and carrieth so much love toward him, so tender of him, and good toward him, therefore he would not offend him.

Thirdly, There ought to be a fear of the judgments of God upon others; David was afraid of his judgments, when the Angel of the Lord was there; he durst not go up to worship before the tabernacle in Gibb •• n, because of the Angel of the Lord, I am afraid of thy judgments, &c.

Fourthly, We may fear chastizements, the thing I feared is come upon me, saith Job; since we know we do so often offend him and grieve him, we may expect and fear it; yea it is hardness and security for us not to fear.

Fifthly, A man, a child of God may have a fear of everlasting damnation, which serveth to rouse him up when he is growing secure, when • e hath drowned his evidences, blotted them; and it is necessary it should be so, for why else doth the Holy-Ghost, even in the Gospel, inculcate this upon the Disciples, fear not him that can kill the body, but fear him that killeth soul and body: And so, if ye live after the flesh ye shall die, but if by the Spirit ye mortify the deeds of the flesh ye shall live: these threatenings surely would not have been written to Believers, except they were to make some use of them, to be as an awe upon their spirits to keep them from sinning, to be a quickening to their souls.

Now on the other hand it is true; that there ought not to be in us such a fear, as to distract us; to drive us from, to weaken our Spirits, to disable us from duty, to cloud and drown all our delight in his ways, to blot out our apprehensions of his loveliness, and compassion, and bowels, so as to beget hard thoughts in our hearts of God, which will produce hatred of him; such a fear ought not to be in us, and though there may be a spice of it sometimes, even in the best, when they are not themselves, yet this is not the prevailing principle in the soul, but an holy fear of offending him, which ariseth from a mixture of love towards him, and holy reverence and awe of him, and of his Majesty and Greatness; and truly Brethren, this is no enemy to spiritual liberty; But I must not dwell so long, upon things.

But secondly, the main thing that I know most troubles a gracious heart, is, that he finds himself so much under the power of sin; O I find not this freedom, this liberty you speak of, I am a wretch then under the power of my corruptions: O the sad complaints to Christians, to men continually, from some poor disconsolate souls! and to speak a little for their consolation if the Lord breath in it.

First, Brethren, you must know this, that as sin hath had a time of settling and rooting, there will be a time of unsettling it; thou art of yesterday, it may be, and dost thou think to be so free the first day, as they that have many years been wresting, and fighting, and praying, and fasting, and mourning, and believing down their lusts? This is a great mistake: it is infinite mercy that thou hast thy hands let loose, and thy feet out of the mire and clay, and that thou art set upon a Rock, that thou hast now a standing and liberty to fight, thou must not expect a liberty from fighting and conflicting with sin while thou art in the flesh; mind you the Apostles two or three verses of the same Epistle to the Romans, he saith, the Law of the Spirit of life, the powerful working of the Spirit of life, hath set him free from the Law of sin and death: and yet a few verses before, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of sin and death? thou groanest under the burden, whereby it appears thou art delivered in a great part; thou art willing to be freed, and when the will is disentangled, the man is free in a great part.

Secondly, Brethren, know this for your comfort, that your labor is not in vain; striving against sin, fighting with it, you are sure to overcome, though sin lie hard upon you, you shall overcome it. First, the Lord he is able to break all the bonds: if he will deliver Peter out of prison, what shall hinder? his chains shall fall from his hands, the Iron-gates shall open of their own accord before him, nothing shall be able to hold them; It was somewhat hard for Israel to believe that they should be delivered out of Egypt, and somewhat a strange Message of Moses at the first; even as one should be sent to the great Turk to tell him, the God of the Christians commands him to let them go; but God tells him and them, that he is that he is; I am hath sent me, the great God, who is being itself, and from himself, he is what he is, he is able to destroy the Egyptians; dost thou believe this, that he can subdue thine iniquities, thy strong, impetuous, violent lusts? Secondly, then he will do it, he heard Israel groaning under bondage, and came down to deliver them, he remembered his Covenant; it was his faithfulness, Brethren, that brought him out, the self-same day the Lord delivered them; and the Lord will keep time to a day with thee that groanest under this bondage, if thou wer • but humbled, if it had done its work upon thee; for that and such like ends he would not suffer sin to prevail upon thee any longer, for he letteth not lusts loose upon a soul to woorry it, but to humble it, make it out of love with sin, to drive it to himself, to make it forever cleave closer to him; now there is promise upon promise for this, you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free; he speaks this to his Disciples, who did already know it in part; know himself, the truth, the way, and the life; and the truth in opposition to shadows, grace and truth came by Jesus Christ, and it shall make you free; how many promises are there? as in the text, therefore surely he will do it: Now what an encouragement it is to fight, when we are sure to overcome; yea, to endure hardship in this conflict.

But thirdly, consider it is the very office of Jesus Christ; the work which he received of his Father is to destroy the works of the Devil, to destroy strong holds, to lead captivity captive; therefore he came into the world: if it had not been for such poor creatures as are under bondage, there had been no need of Christ, he came to give himself a ransom for many▪ and to preach deliverance to them, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound, you have heard already, and therefore he was anointed of his Father, and received the Spirit, that he might set open the prison doors: Now poor burdened souls, if any such, whose body ofsin and death presseth them down sore, and they walk heavily, go • to him, spread your condition before him, put him in mind wherefore he came into the world, to set open the prison, to loose the prisoners; and thou hast an infirmity, and haply been bound with it many years, beseech him to exercise his Office towards thy poor soul; the Lord loveth to hear his people earnest and importunate, to plead it thus with him; but if thou canst not, yet be sure he will do the work which his Father hath given him to do; and what is that, but to set at liberty such prisoners as thou art, that groan under the burden and bondage of their lusts?

Fourthly, Consider how pitiful a heart he bears to his people laboring under corruption; when we are weak, it may be, sometimes the spirits of a poor creature are spent in labor in other services, and he thinketh he should be as lively then as at another time, but it is not likely so to be, and therefore when natural vigor decays in old age, though there may be as much uprightness, there cannot be so much vigor appearing in service always; Now men are apt to have sad thoughts of themselves upon this account, and so in other cases when wearied out; our Savior is tender and pitiful, he takes notice of every groan under it, when thou canst not help thyself but art foiled, and he pitieth and spareth. O saith he, to his Disciples, could ye not watch with me one hour? and at such a time as that was, when our Savior had most need of their watching wich him? alas they were asleep: Well saith he, I consider your weakness, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak: The Lord is ready to make the best of our conditions, and therefore be not altogether discouraged, though thou hast a weary hand with thyself, with thy own base heart.

Fifthly, But some will say, O but they are grievous workings of sin that are in my heart, whether they rise from within or from without, my heart closeth with them, and they are very horrid, and I know not what to think concerning it: But I say, was Paul buffeted, and canst thou think to escape? truly Brethren, I take it, the Devil befools himself much in putting a soul upon horrid sins, because that is the way to settle the soul so much the more fully, when the bit is bigger then will down; when Egypt dealt more hardly with the Israelites then before, it made them cry out, and then the Lord heard; so it may be, a soul was not so fully delivered from a sin, but he doth stick, as I may say, in the skirts of it, but now this maketh him cry out, more willing, more earnest to be delivered.

Sixthly, Take heed lest anguish of spirit so far prevail, as that thy soul refuse to be comforted, as the Psalmist saith; and the Israelites could not believe by reason of anguish of heart, when God had sent them a Savior to deliver them; it may be it is so with thee.

Seventhly, There will come a time when thou shalt be altogether free, thou shalt never see the Egyptians more, which now pursue thee and trouble thee, me thinks that the thoughts of this should refresh us, and make us desirous and willing to depart, Well then, whatever thy condition be in respect of the world, it may be afflicted, it may be friendless, it may be in other kinds, Oh me thinks one thought of this, that thou art free from guilt, and hast a free access to the Throne of grace, might exceedingly support thy spirit. But thus much for this use of the point also.

We are now come to the last promise in the bundle, and it is not the least considerable: That bondage under guilt, under sin, in its prevailing, could not but be a hindrance of growth, therefore if we lay so much weight upon the order of the words, something seemeth to be held forth of that nature, that this growth is a Concomitant of that liberty and enlargement promised before; but I will not hang too much upon that, though it be an undoubted truth; yet whether it may be argued strongly enough from the order of words, I will not urge.

Ye shall grow, or increase, or be multiplied, as some render it; and the same word is read for spreading themselves, the horsemen shall spread themselves, or they shall be multiplied, as others: Sometimes it is taken for springing up, Gen. 2. 9. Job 31. 40. Our translation is very suitable; some read it exilire, to spring, and leap, and wantonize, as Calves use to do when loosed from the stall; But I rather much adhere to our translation, and the meaning is, ye shall increase, and grow, and come on, you shall not stand at a stay, and be always at a pass, but grow. But what this growth is, of what it is meant, will be the Question; whether of a temporal or spiritual growth, a taking root in the world, & growing up and flourishing, which is spoken of the wicked, and sometimes the word is thus used for increasing, though thy beginning were small, said Bildad to Job, yet thy latter end should greatly increase; that is to say, his habitation should be made prosperous at the last, if thou wert innocent in his sight. So Solomon, it is said of him, that he was great and increased more then all that went before him: And so Rovanellus takes it here for an increase of glory, dignity, riches and prosperity; and so in that place of Jerem, when the Prophet first concluding, however it were, yet God was righteous and good to his people, yet he would plead with him concerning his judgments, Wherefore doth the way o • the wicked prosper? Wherefore are all they happy that deal treacherously? thou hast planted them, yea they have taken root, they grow, yea they bring forth fruit; though this be another Metaphor of a tree, the other of a sensitive creature. In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning thou shalt make thy seed to flourish, but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief, and of desperate sorrow: There it is taken for all manner of outward prosperity; but indeed me thinks this, though it may not be excluded, yet should not be the main thing here intended; for alas, though it be a great mercy to a people to be richly laden with benefits, blessed with the abundance of all things, so as that they may wax fat: yet if this be abused and they kick against God as Jesurun did, there is little comfort in it in comparison. It is true, it doth not necessarily follow, because here is the sum of the Covenant of grace, therefore earthly promises are to be excluded, for they are a part of the Covenant also, so far as good for us, and all included in that, I will be thy God. Godliness hath the promise now as well as then, of the things of this life, as well as of that which is to come; yet I shall rather speak to the other, the growth in spirituals; that is to say, the daily renewing of the inward man, the increase of their sanctification, and holiness, and grace; this I take here to be meant, and specially meant, and therefore thus we shall understand it; the promise is amplified by a comparison, grow ye shall as Calves of the stall; the word for stall signifieth an inclosure, a coop, any place made for to fat Cattle, or other creatures in; and we know that usually such do grow exceedingly, else there is a great deal of cost bestowed upon them in vain, and therefore our translators read that in the Proverbs, better is a dinner of herbs where love is, then a stalled Ox and hatred therewith.

There may be three things haply couched in the comparison.

First, that they shall grow in quantity as calves; calves shoot up and forth very much when they are in the stalls, do grow much more then if at random they run up and down; none grow so much as they: and therefore this is used to set forth the greatness of the growth.

Secondly, in fatness and sweetness, they grow very much, a stalled-Ox is fatted very fat, which is much sweeter and better then another; so they grow not only in quantity but quality, as we shall see hereafter.

Thirdly, the speediness of the growth haply is in this comparison, they grow faster then other creatures of the like kind when they are put into the stall, and therefore they are said to grow as the Lily, not only in beauty, which was greater then Solomon himself in all his glory had, but in speediness, for they say, this flower groweth much and discernably in one night; and though it be true, sudden growths are the more suspicious, yet God can, and sometimes doth work them, even with truth, as in the Miracle, he quickly turned water into wine; which he doth every year, though in greater time, by the operation of the Sun.

In a word then, the Holy-Ghost useth this simile to them, being rude and weak of understanding, that they might the better understand it, and have the greater assurance of it, that it should be so, therefore he propoundeth it so cross, saith Calvin.

But this as well as the other we must look upon as a Concomitant, yea an effect of the appearing of the Sun of righteousness to us, his arising upon the soul, that is the grand promise; all things else are promised and given for him and with him to us, and this among the rest, the going forth out of the prison was one, and this growing is another of the genuine and sweet effects of the rising of the Sun of righteousness upon them that fear him; so that take it in this connection, and then the note is this.

That soul or people that are under the influences of Christ, of the Sun of righteousness, are in a growing condition, they shall grow; there is not a soul that hath union and fellowship with the Lord Jesus, but he shall grow; ye shall grow up as, &c.

For the proof of the point we need not so m • ch, there is a notable place there in the Psalmist, they that are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the Courts of our God, the righteous shall flourish like a Palm-tree, and grow like a Cedar in Lebanon. Here you have growth promised, and flourishing, and to whom it is promised, and whence it cometh, and the comparisons whereby it is set forth, in these two verses growth is promised, they that are planted they shall grow and flourish; a tree flourisheth not except it grow after it is planted; when it is planted, alas it is little and •• ender, haply but a • eed, then it groweth up. 2. The persons to whom promised, they are such as are planted in the house of the Lord, that is to say, the Temple, which was a Type of Christ, and the Church of Christ, so that they must be in him, as afterward we shall speak; they shall flourish in the Courts of God's house, by Communion with him in his Ordinances. 3. The comparison, as a Palm-tree, which the Naturalists say, though cut down to the ground, yet springs up again, groweth up again. If a tree be out down, is there any hope it should grow up again, in that of Job? Yet this tree will grow again: if the Church, to take it o • f the whole body, for so we may as well as of single persons, if they be cut down to the very ground, so wasted as that there is scarce any visible, as in Elijah 's days, he thought he was alone, the Church then seemed to be all withered or grown over with nettles and brambles, to have no plants of righteousness in it, but yet then it shall grow again, and when persecution rageth and cuts it down to the very ground, yet he maketh it grow again; or of particular persons, though they be brought to such exigencies sometimes, as to say, their hope is perished from the Lord, and their faith seemeth to be extinguished with the violence of temptation, yet they shall grow again and increase. But the Palm-tree it groweth upward against the weight that oppresseth it, it will not be kept down, but groweth through all persecution, affliction, yea sins and falls, as afterward we shall have occasion to mention a little more fully. And like Cedars, grow tall and strong, and abide, as the Cedar is not subject to rottenness, nor decy with age. But for further proof, take that in the Psalmist, who passing through the valley of Bacah, make it a well, &c. they go from strength to strength, from army to army, or from strength to strength, passing through a solitary valley abounding with Mulberry-trees, which they say grow in dry and barren places, and so there is much difficulty in the passage for drought and other necessities, yet they dig up fountains, they make it a Well, a Cistern, they search the Scriptures, fetch up somewhat of consolation from thence; and notwithstanding all the difficulties, yet they go from strength to strength, walk towards Zion; all this was typical. And so the Apostle, whom beholding as in a glass, we are changed into his image from glory to glory; every degree of grace hath its glory, but we are changed from glory to glory, from a spark into a coal, from a coal glowing, to a flame. What else is the meaning of those Parables of the Mustard-seed, it is the least of seeds, or less then others, then many others, the Cypressfeed is so small as can scarce be discerned, and yet a great tree groweth of it; but this is small, and yet a great tree ariseth from it, Tremel. writes strange things of the Mus • ard-feed-tree in those Countries; this, it is true, is meant of the Kingdom of God without us, the administration of the Kingdom, the Word of God, how it grows; but that is not all, the Kingdom of God within us, within the Saints, where it cometh with power; doth also spread itself more and more, as Leven also hid in the midst of the meal, by degrees spreadeth itself further and further. So then you see the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , that it is so, that persons under the influence of Christ the Sun of righteousness, that have communion and fellowship with him, they grow in grace. And so, the path of the just is as the shining light that shineth more and more to the perfect day; or, as the morning light, as some read it, that you know groweth from one degree to another, until the per • ect day.

The next thing will be then to open the nature of this Spiritual growth, that we may understand what we speak of, and then we shall a little further confirm it, and apply it.

And the opening of it I shall deliver in several propositions as distinctly as I can; for the right understanding of the meaning of it: note in the first place, that growth is a motion or mutation from a less to a greater quantity; as you see a babe, though it be a man in a smaller letter, and have part for part, yet they are small, and grow to a greater bigness; the child grew in stature, saith the text, and in favor with God as well as with men. And so a plant or a seed is little at first, but it groweth to a tree, to a blade, and the s • all • to the ear, and the full corn in the ear, here is a motion from a less to a greater quantity: So a Calf of the stall must needs also shoot forth. Now for grace, you know it is either Relative or Inherent, and accordingly we must understand the growth; Relative grace, as that of remission of sins, and justification in the sight of God, and adoption to be sons and daughter, this, if looked upon as the act of God, it will be hard to say, that it is intended or remitted, that there is a growth or motion from a lesser to a greater quantity, for remission of sins being the act of God, we cannot say that one man's sins are more pardoned then another's, that believeth as well as he. So we cannot say, that one believer is more a Son then another, they are all the children of the most high; though a child grow in stature, yet his relation groweth not, he is a Son the first day he was born, as well as when he is at the perfect stature, this is plain; though every Son be not a Joseph or a Benjamin, yet he is a Son as well as any; which by the way ministers much refreshing to a poor weak soul, that eyeth his stature and growth. O he is so weak, such a babe, a child in comparison of some of the people of God, which are strong in faith, and can give glory to God, when they are doubting and scrupling every step they go, yet I say, though this be a burden, yet the main whereupon the comfort of a poor creature hangs, is alike to all, there is no growth; there the weakest, poor, sickly, froward-hearted child, is a chi • d as well as he that is strongest, healthiest, most serviceable; and though faith be weak, yet the relation of one is alike, the purchase, the price paid, the ransom is alike to all that believe, though it be but in some more weakly.

Only here mistake not neither, though this relative grace grow not, as of justification or adoption, yet the knowledge of this grace arising from the reflection of the soul upon its self, and the shining of the Spirit upon the works of grace he hath wrought in the soul, this is capable of a growth, it may be that a man may be a child of God, and yet not know it; alas, how long are our children children, and we look upon them so, and hearts and bowels yearn and tender them, and yet they know not that they are children; we need go no further then common experience for this: do we not see many a precious soul that lies at the feet of Jesus Christ for mercy, whose souls are sick of love for him, who prize him above all? O they are willing with all their souls to close with him for all ends and purposes, if he be but willing to close with them; they think they are not children, nor that they do not believe, when they do believe; for this very willingness of Christ in sincerity, is believing, and therefore they think they are not children, when they are dear in God's • ight: what think you of him that walks in darkness and seeth no light? do you think he can see his relation to God in Christ without that light? Surely no.

Again, another he hath some probability which begetteth an opinion in him concerning his condition, and that he hath received this special grace from the Lord, and been partaker of this love, to become a Son of God: others they rise higher then this, and have a strong confidence, and some a full assurance, and know that they are the Sons of God, that their persons are justified, they can triumph with the Apostle, who shall lay anything to their charge? can say, my beloved is mine and I am his: and my Lord and my God, with Thomas; they know the things freely given them of God, even by the Spirit of Christ: yea the same person, Brethren, may grow from such a doubting of his condition, to such a probability, such a persuasion, such an assurance of his condition, this therefore admitteth of a growth, but not the relative grace itself, but only our sense, feeling or knowledge of it: and so much for that.

Secondly, There is a grace inherent, which is indeed as the root; and the acts and issues of it are, as I may say, the fruit; but this grace within we shall speak to as most nearly concerning this purpose; the fruits I have spoken to, you know, at large upon another Scripture, and I would not in this discourse interfere with what I then delivered; or if we speak anything to the fruits that grow upon these internal inherent graces of the Spirit, as likely enough we shall, yet we shall not consider them as fruits rising from such a root, but as growing fruits, being bettered, improved according to the growing of the principles from whence they flow.

But for the grace inherent, by that I mean all those habits or gracious dispositions of the heart godly, as that of faith, & that of love, and humility, and sincerity, and spirituality, and self-denial; these things and all the rest in the habit or disposition of the soul is the subject of this consideration; and these Brethren, you know they are but qualities, though divine qualities, and therefore though growth or augmentation, according to terms of Art or Logic be not properly ascribed to them, yet according to Rhetoric, it is proper enough to speak it of anything under a Simile, that it groweth, if it any way increase, as if a quality: Now the light, for instance, or heat in the fire, or Sun, that is intended or waxeth more clear and more hot, this may be called a growing-light, or growing-heat, because that as in things that properly grow, there is an addition of one quantity to another, whereby it increaseth; so here, there is an addition of one degree of the quality to what was before, whereby it is more intense then it was before; therefore when we speak of grace growing, the speech is figurative, taken either from plants or sensitive creatures, that all their beginnings are small, but afterwards grow up to their pitch.

Secondly, A thing is said to grow properly, you know, when the increase is made, not by opposition as they call it, but by an inward receiving, that is to say, it is a nutrition, as the means; it was a custom to cast everyone a stone, and make a great heap, as upon Achan and Absalom: Why at first it was little, but every stone maketh some increase of the heap, and yet it groweth not properly; so a snow-ball, it is greater with rolling, but this is not properly growth nor augmentation; but it is when there is somewhat inwardly received, which by interchanges in man, at last is turned into his substance, and maketh an increase of it, as a man doth his food, and a r • o • doth the juice of the earth, which is concocted and becometh nourishment to the branches, whereby they grow and increase; this is properly growth.

Now to apply this proposition to the case in hand, when we speak of growing in grace, either we say the grace itself groweth, or else persons do in this or that grace. If the former, then this doth not so suitably hold, for the grace, the habit of faith, of love, cannot properly be said to receive inwardly this or that nourishment, but as qualities, have added to them such or such degrees, and so increase. But if we say, that a soul doth grow or increase in this or that grace, then it will hold somewhat more exactly, which is also a metonymical speech, a met onymie of the subject for the adjunct, to say the person groweth, when indeed it is but the habit of grace which is increased, the person continueth the same. I say, then it holdeth somewhat more near, though haply the Simile will not yet run upon all four neither; nor is it to be expected, the poor believing soul then receiveth nourishment inwardly, that is to say, that which is nourishment to his faith, to his love, whereby he groweth therein; some deeper knowledge of the riches, the exceeding riches of the grace of God, the riches of the Covenant of promises, whereby his faith is increased; and so somewhat more of the height, and depth, and breadth, and length of the love of God in Christ towards him he knoweth, which much heighteneth his love to Christ again. Now remember this is not by anything external; external additions to a thing may make it appear the greater, but not really the greater; as a man's clothes make him seem bigger then he is, yet he is the same in them and out of them, no bigger at all; there is very great difference between a weight hanged upon a Clock, the more weight, the more the motion is hastened; and a child that went but timorously and weakly, the Spirit of life within him prevailing, that he can run faster, and so groweth in stature and agility, there is much difference; & so there is much difference between an hypocrites growing in appearance, in duties, in services, in zeal, which appears to us, for we can but judge the root by the fruit; therefore we think they are grown there, but all this while are mistaken, for it is not the root of the matter within, it is some external weight, and that is hanged upon their affections; some by-respect or another to their credit, their profit, their Kingdom, as Jehu, that setteth them a working so fast more then before; there is great difference between such an one and a child of God, such as David, whose heart was perfect, who from the inward revelations of Christ in them, discoveries of his love, teachings of his Spirit, and quickenings, they grow up more and more, there is much difference I say. But this is the second, I am afraid I shall be too tedious herein, yet I hope this will not be unuseful to make things as plain as I can, as we go, that we may understand what we speak of.

Thirdly, The thing that groweth remaineth the same, though increased, the body that grows it is the same body still, though much increased; as a child and a man, he is the same person when a babe and when a man, only he is much increased by a continual nourishment: So it is here, a man's grace is the same, the same habit of faith and of love, but groweth much stronger, as in the case of Thomas and the rest of the Disciples you see it; it is the same that was a tender plant, and now is become a strong Oak or Cedar, only now it is more rooted then before, and grown up and spread itself; though a child of God have many shakings with contrary winds, temptations and false Doctrines, and sometimes his knowledge may be corrupted, and sometimes his faith may be shaken, yet I believe he is never plucked up by the root, and then planted again; when once he hath received that grace, and obtained that mercy, to be faithful, to believe, and have the graces of the Spirit implanted in the soul, these are never destroyed altogether; once alive to God, and that life never fails, because the principle, the fountain of it, that feeds it, never fails; the seed of God abideth, as the Apostle saith. It is true, there may be sickness, and weakness, and wounds, and distempers that may hinder the growth of a child, but yet he liveth and groweth afterward again, yea more then he did before haply, and this is the case; and though David and Peter broke their bones, though they be sore shaken, yet they are not plucked up by the roots, as trees dead and so planted again, nor doth any grace of God's planting wither away altogether, like Jonah 's gourd: the reason that is given for the withering away of some of the corn that was green, is because it had not root. This the third.

Fourthly, Another consideration to make out further the nature of this growth, is this, there must first be a life before there be a growth, either vegetative, or sensitive, or rational; you know if there be no life in the tree, if it have not a root alive to maintain it, it groweth not at all, stands at the same stay for proportion, and groweth dry indeed, and rotten, and fit for burning, and so there must be life in a man before he groweth, when he is dead all growth ceaseth, there is nothing but dissolution upon dissolution then; and so it is in this case, there must be a root, a planting into Christ, a grafting into him by his engrafted word; before we can grow up in him, we must be one with Christ, for you know that which had no root withered; it may make a show for a time and flourish, even as the grass upon the house top, but it withereth before it groweth up. Paul may plant, and Apollo may water, but it is he the Lord that giveth the increase, he that ministereth seed to the sowers, both ministers bread for your food, and multiplies your seed sown, and increaseth the fruits of your righteousness: Now this he doth in and through Christ, for he is the only pipe through which grace is conveyed to us, as things here are to be noted, to make this out fully.

First, that all the nourishment is from Christ, as the breastmilk is from the mother that brought it forth; so it is with us in respect of Christ, he travelled, his soul travelled with us, he was big with us, and O what sharp travel he had, such as never was, nor can be the like again, and he supplies the nourishment, the Word and the Spirit he promiseth shall never depart out of his people's mouths; and this is that the Evangelist hath, of his fullness we receive grace for grace; the sincere milk of the Word is his, he prepareth the sweet cup of consolation in the promises; so many precious promises, so many breasts a child of God hath to suck continually, there he hath prepared nourishment for our faith, and so in our trials and experiences, there is nourishment for our faith, and for our humility, and for our love, and all this is from him.

Secondly, But then beside this, there is a forming power, a power of concoction, digestion and assimilation, to turn these nourishments into the very substance, for so the Apostle, Some preach Christ of envy, saith he, supposing to add affliction to my bonds; the Devil and his Angels of light preach Christ, but with no good intent, not to gain credit but dishonor to the Gospel at the long run; we see it by too woeful experience; well saith the Apostle, I know this shall turn to my salvation, through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ; if a man take never so much down, if he have not a power to digest it, and turn it into substance, succum & sanguinem, he shall never grow by it: alas, do we not see many live under the Word, the sincere milk of the Word, and seem to draw as hard at the breast as any, hanging upon the Ministers lips, that should preserve knowledge, and yet grow not, come not on? there wants this digesting faculty, the Spirit of Christ to mix the word with faith; then when it is so mixed and concocted it groweth indeed, the Word groweth, then the poor Believer groweth, his faith groweth: And so the Apostle in that to the Corinthians; who beholding as in a glass, there is the nourishment, the Ordinances, the beholding Christ in them, but the power of concocting these, turning them to strength, is the Spirit, we are changed into his image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord; as there is not similitudinis, but identitatis, the glory as of the only begotten Son of God, full of grace and truth; there is the truth in general, that it is from Christ, and more specially that this power is his; in that one place to the Ephesians, from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body; he speaks of the growth of the Church in general, but there is par ratio for the growth of each member, for it is one part of the growing of the whole, that the members grow in stature as well as in number; and so in that place to the Colossians, Let not man beguile you of your reward: as a Judge▪ of the race of masteries prescribes, it is an exorbitant course to • un out of the way, and then promise you the reward for it; this will be but a beguiling of you in a voluntary humility, and worship of Angels, &c. and is worshiping of Saints any better then this voluntary humility and yet some there are that beguile poor creatures of their reward, promising them, if they run in this course they shall have it, not holding the head; me thinks an ingenuous Papist reading this, should begin to suspect their way, since to worship Angels, and such voluntary humility as God never commanded, as not to approach to Christ without a mediation of Saints, which he never commanded, is voluntary humility, and so this is not to hold the head Christ Jesus, from which, from the head, all the body by joints and bands have nourishment ministered and knit together, increaseth with the increases of God; it is the increase of God, because he is the Author of it, or else because of the greatness of the increase and its excellency, for so the name of God is often used in the old Scriptures, and their phrases the Apostles do often keep in the New. You see the nourishment is ministered from the head, as the sap is from the root of the tree, and it is his effectual working whereby it is turned to an increase of our faith and love; and therefore that soul that is not really and truly in the Lord Jesus, though he may for a time flourish, yet he will wither; he may be green, and yet be but a weed, and they grow fast, but they are not upon a right root, they spring not from such a seed, and therefore at their perfection they will be but wild Oats it may be, or Tares, which for a great while are so like to Wheat, as some of the Ancients speak, that it is not to be discerned from it until it come into the ear; and so many an hypocrite may have as broad a leaf, as green a blade, in externals: not be behind any for enlargements, and parts, and notions of the knowledge of Christ; and yet alas, though he had more and more degrees, this is not a spiritual growth, this is not from the head, from the root, the Lord Jesus, as a root of saving life. I deny not but he giveth those gifts and parts, but it is not as head of the invisible Church, who alone shall be saved; though as head of the visible Church there may be a communication of some fatness and sweetness of the Olive to them; that is to say, the Ordinances and privileges of the Church, which an hypocrite may enjoy, & yet be cut off when all is done, and thereby he may make some progress of knowledge, and a formality, but yet this is no true spiritual growth; this should make us look well about us, and see if our water do arise from this fountain, it will spread itself until it come to a river, grow broader and broader.

Fifthly, As it is from him, and therefore we must be in him before we can grow with this spiritual growth; so this growth in grace is a growing up into him; and good reason, if of him and by him be all things, that to him should be all things also; if Rivers be from the Sea, they return to the Sea again; there may be two things in this one expression of growing up into Christ who is the head.

First, that we grow up into a nearer fellowship and communion with him who is the head; and this is most sure, whether the growth of the members where it is, the faster do draw more and more yet from the head and other parts where the nourishment is prepared, I shall not meddle with, but this I am sure of, the more grace any soul receiveth, the more yet he may, it is in order to further fellowship and communion with the Lord Jesus; which is indeed an argument whereby the grace of Christ is as highly advanced as by any other whatsoever, that he should therefore increase the strength of his poor weak children, that they may draw more strongly from him, and their hearts more enlarged to receive more abundantly from his fullness; as a strong child will draw harder and harder still, the arms of the trees as they grow stronger and stronger, so they suck more juice from the root still to feed them and carry them on▪ Now I say, this is sweet to the soul, and it may be a character also of our growth; if we do grow in grace indeed, we shall grow up into him, we shall find a greater drawing of our hearts after him still, and suck more strongly from him: This the first.

Secondly, another thing comprehended under this growing up into Christ may be this, that all our growth is to his honor, it ends in him, who alone is exalted by it, it is the honor of the head when the members grow and become by the communication of the animal spirits, more vigorous and active, and fit for the discharge of their several works, this is the glory of the head; this may be understood two ways. First, it is the end of the thing itself, finis operis, the thing doth much advance him, when others behold such a fullness of strength and power flowing forth from Jesus Christ upon the members; to see the members of a body languid, and weak, and withered, it is not for the honor of the head, specially if generally so, though there may be also particular causes, as obstructions, and the like, but these are not so visible. What an honor is it to Christ to see a poor soul th 〈…〉 now is as weak as water, like the poor man in the Gospel, Lord help my unbelief, that ere long through the supply of grace from Christ, is able to say, My Lord and my God; to see a poor soul lie languishing under a lust, and not be able to stir, and yet ere long able to triumph over it; to see a poor soul that ere while was cleaving to the ground and to the dust, could not get up the heart, and now after a while upon Eagles wings running without weariness, and walking without faintness, is not this to the honor of Christ? But secondly, It must be so intended by us, else our growth is not right in the end, our end in desires of, and God's end in working; we must look to the end, Brethren, we desire strength against this and that corruption, to wax more valiant in this fight, to conquer, to triumph over them; we would have such a measure of knowledge, such a measure of faith, but what is our end; is Christ the end in all this? is it that we may more advance him? Ah that soul that indeed groweth into Christ, Brethren, groweth downward into the root, can be content to be anything, to be nothing that his blessed Savior may be advanced; so it was with John: Ah so with David, if the Lord will lay me aside, and I must not build him a Temple, but my son must do it, it is the Lord, why should I not submit? So if Moses must not bring them into Canaan, he is contented. O he would not have Joshua in another case envy for his sake, he wished all the Lord's people were Prophets, God would have the greater glory: when the Lord of • ered to make of him a greater people, O what then wilt thou do to thy great name, the enemies will say then, that thou broughtest them out to destroy them; he had rather die, and perish, and be nothing, then God should be dishonored. O dear friends, let this be considered, if we grow, we grow up into him; I say, it may serve for a piece of trial; though delivered in this place, I would have my whole discourse as applicatory as may be.

Sixthly, In a true growth we must know, there is an uniformity, as you know one member groweth in the body as well as another if it be a true growth; where some of the members receive no nourishment, but all the growth is found in the root, this is a disease, and not the effect of the principle of life within them; as you see it in the Rickets, a disease now ordinarily known by that name; but this uniformity is twofold.

First, in respect of the Church.

And secondly, of each particular member thereof, in regard of the graces of the Spirit which are growing in them.

First then, for the Church of Christ, there is an uniform growth there, that is to say, the Lord Jesus doth not communicate his sap, and vigor, and virtue so to one, as to spend it on him, and leave another without, but every wild Olive grafted into the Olive, either visible or invsible Church; the visible there is meant in that place of the Apostle, in whom the whole body being, &c. they receive accordingly, either the common influences of the Spirit with the Ordinances, whereby they grow up in that which we call common grace, and one as well as another; there is none sure but thriveth more or less.

Secondly, for the invisible, there is none so grafted but he groweth, he is one Spirit with the Lord, and therefore sure must needs grow that hath a continual supply of the Spirit, as the Apostle in that forecited place; the Lord Jesus in his invisible body, hath no withered arm nor legs, whatever there be in the visible, whatever dead and dry sticks may cleave to the visible Olive, there is none so cleaveth to the invisible; it is impossible a soul should hold the head, and hold inward communion and fellowship with him, and yet not to grow; but this is but for the Church, which thus uniformly groweth, one member as well as another.

Now secondly, for particular members, they also grow, and that uniformly also; grow not in one grace only, or in this grace, or that grace, nor in another, no, but they grow uniformly; that a man should be all faith and no love it is impossible, or all love and no knowledge it cannot be, there must be an uniformity in growth, if right; that were more like a wen and its growth, then growth of the body; you would not esteem that a growth, that a man should grow all in the eye, and it should become as big as the body almost, so that he could see wonderfully, but in the mean time the rest of the parts are as small as when they were born; grow in one grace, and grow in every grace, grow in sincerity, and grow in humility, grow in faith, and grow in love, & grow in all. A timpany, a growth of one member more then all the rest is monstrous, and so it would be in grace: Now though through defect or super fluity in natural causes, there may be a monstrosity in a birth or growth, yet it cannot be in respect of Christ, who doth alike extend his influence to the growth and increase of one as well as another grace which he hath begotten in the soul; so that if a man find he thinketh he groweth in faith, and thinketh he groweth in love, and yet grow not in zeal for the glory of God, groweth not in tenderness of heart and plyableness to his will, this is not a right growth: Alas, how many of us then do not grow in grace indeed?

Seventhly, Though there be an uniformity in growth, yet we must not so understand it, that every member groweth in the same measure with another, and yet may grow also in its due proportion; and so also in respect of graces, there may be somewhat of truth in it: but to speak the more distinctly:

First, consider the members of the Church of Christ, and ourselves, if we be such indeed; though all the members of the Church of Christ do grow, yet they do not grow all alike in the same measure; the Apostle saith, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part; so that you see each part hath a measure, every member hath not the same relation, the same office in the body, and so doth not require the same measure of strength, or the same quantity or greatness. Yea if it have a greater quantity then is meet, it is a burden and an hindrance, as if the joint of a finger should grow as much as the joint of a man's knee, would it not be monstrous? and yet both joints grow, but each according to its proportion, so that they grow all • que, but not • qualite • ▪ one as well as another, but not one as much as another, uniformiter, and yet difformiter, if every finger were as big as an arm, what an hand would there be, holding no proportion to the body, though the rest grow, this over-groweth its proportion. It is true, every child of God is not a David nor a Paul, nor is everyone called to those great undertakings that they were; the more eminent places in the body of Christ we have, the more we must look to it that we grow: If a man be a Magistrate or a Minister, I tell you Brethren, it is not enough that they be as other men in grace; and yet alas then, what disproportion do some of us make in the body of Jesus Christ, that stand in that relation to the body; and yet O how do other members over-grow us? Brethren, they are not to be blamed for their growing so fast, but we for our growing no fa 〈…〉 er, nor anymore proportionable to our relations; for a Magistrate to have no more courage nor zeal then another man, that is not called so to put it forth, is unsuitable, and so for wisdom and knowledge; and so for Ministers, are we as arms in the body, and have scarce the strength of a little finger? O how can we work for Christ, do the works of our conditions? if you see some eminent, as blessed be his name there are eminent, and have their measure of growth to their condition, you should be followers of them, follow after as hard as you can; therefore Ministers should be ensamples to the flock, in faith, in puriry, in holiness, 1 Tim. 4. 12. an example to believe in word, in conversation, in faith, in purity, &c. But alas, Brethren, may we not rather some of us take examples therein, how weak is our faith? yet I say, where there are such of eminency, and thou canst not reach them, yet be not discouraged because thou canst not get so much light as the eye hath, be not discouraged, it is required there more then in another; nor so much strength as an arm, a leg, when thou art it may be but as a little finger, only there may be a proportion; yea I will tell you Brethren, pity us, pray for us▪ Magistrates and Ministers, for I do verily believe there are none fall so much short of our proportion of growth in grace according to our relations as we do: But this is but the first.

And then secondly; for the graces in every believer; now the measure of every grace its growth, as I think, is much more hard to determine, whether all graces do grow according to the proportion of the growth of any one of them; that is to say, whether love to God, and zeal to his glory, do grow according to the measure of every man's faith, and so patience according to the measure of his faith; indeed I am at a stand here; if that one habit of grace did beget another, faith did beget love, it would be the more clear, because then according to the strength of the causes, the effect would be; a strong cause, a strong effect, the habits of grace in us being not voluntary agents; but I take it for granted that the efficient cause of all grace, one as well as another, is the same Spirit of the Father and the Son; it is the supply of the Spirit, as the Apostle calls it, whereby we grow in any grace; now the Spirit of God being a most free agent, is not tied up by a necessity of nature to work alike upon the same heart, to the increase of every grace; though he do work to the growth of every grace, yet whether he doth equally work to the increase of them all. So that what proportion of grace a Believer hath in one grace, he hath the same proportion of strength in another, is doubtful; specially since the Lord, who works in us both to will and to do of his own good pleasure, knoweth what trials he hath for everyone of us, some in one kind, some in another, some greater trials for their faith, and some for their self-denial, and some for their love, may accordingly work; but this is not so much material, if we can find we grow in every grace of the Spirit, whether we do grow alike in the measure of love, as in the measure of faith, or zeal, or spiritualness; as it will be very hard to judge, considering how hard it is to judge of the strength of our habits by their acts, which may accidentally be inter 〈…〉 itted and interrupted, and considering whatever knowledge we have at the best, of the faculties of our souls and their workings, and so of the habits of grace in them. So I take it, 〈◊〉 is not so much considerable if we could come to know it, only if we be sure we grow in all, and that we grow according to the measure proportionable to our condition or relation to the body: this the seventh.

Eighthly and 〈…〉 stly, that I shall speak to the opening the nature of this growth in grace; growth here hath no determined 〈◊〉 until death, until we come actually to the spirits of just men made perfect; in nature there is a determinate time for growth in quantity, which is properly growth about thirty years; the causes of it, I leave School-men to dispute, it is not so proper for us in this place; in nature there is in this life, yea haply when life is half run up, the maximum quod sic, as they call it, but not in grace: No, while we have breath, we must be growing, the hoary head must be found in the way of righteousness, going forward still; the path of the just must be as the growing light, shining more and more to the perfect day; this we pray for, that his will may be done by us on earth, as the Angels do, with that perfect plyableness, forwardness, cheerfulness that they do it; this we must press after, to come as near it as we can, even the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, to a perfect man, which perfection I take not only for a perfection of parts, as in some other places, where many are said to walk before the Lord with a perfect heart; as a seed is a perfect seed though no tree, and a child, a babe, is a perfect child, though not at man's stature, perfect; yet this I so take in this place, therefore remember this, Brethren, while we are here we are growing, if our growth be right; there may be some accidental hindrances, of which afterward, which for a time may hinder, but yet we shall afterward grow and never cease: sit still, set up a Herules power, and with a ne plus ultra, there is no such thing in grace, Brethren, until it be swallowed up in glory; & therefore the desires of the Saints that have tasted indeed of this grace of God, they are still kept above what they have received; do but observe it, and you shall find it so. O they would have more still, they are not strong enough to resist temptations, they would have more softness and easiness of spirit toward God, to echo to every hint of his will, thy face Lord will I seek: and this much tends to their growth, even as the appetite after meat and nourishment, doth to the growth of the body. O how strong is it in children when they are growing! but of that afterward: haply, you see then there is no time limited, no, never until you awake will you be satisfied with his likeness; remember this Brethren, I doubt many of us forget ourselves here, and think we may loiter and grow lazy when we are come to such a pitch; believe it, if your growth be right, it will be continual, you will go on still, and in old age be fat and flourishing, as the Psalmist speaks; thus it ought to be, and thus God hath promised it shall be and if it be not, it is for our want of believing, closing with it, improving of it for the growth of our graces: but so much for the opening of the nature of this growth.

For the Arguments, I will not trouble you with many, only something I shall speak that way; and the First shall be this, Because of Christ the Author and Finisher of our Faith, who works in us both to will and to do of his own good pleasure; his works are perfect, he goeth through-stitch with his works, he doth not bring his people into the Wilderness and leave them there, but unto Canaan; you see, if he create a world, his work is perfect, he leaveth none of his works without the last hand and file to polish them; therefore when he looks upon them himself, he saith, they are very good: we may be apt to have over-waning conceits of our own works, and therefore the Orator giveth a prudent advice, to lay aside our writings for several years, until the strength of our affection to that which is our own be wrought out, and it may then appear as a strange thing to us, that so we may the more impartially judge; but this is a rule suited to the weakness of poor passionate bemisted creatures, but for the Lord, he is not subject to any such thing as passions, all things being alike present to him from eternity, and therefore cannot be taken with any newness of excellency in anything, therefore what he saith is good, is very good; and was it not a perfection of his living creatures that they should grow and multiply, grow in number, and then the young substance in stature to perfection; and will he, think you, be more wanting to the new creature, will he leave it until it have all its due perfections, until every privation be filled up with a perfection? Surely no; must there be nothing wanting of perfection where he would make his power and his wisdom glorious? and will there be anything wanting, think you, when he cometh to make his grace glorious, as he doth in the work of Redemption? Surely no; no, no, Brethren, whatever God doth, he doth it like a God, if he ruin, he ruins to the utmost, so as no creature can, even soul and body, and that forever; and if he save, he saveth to the uttermost, from all imperfection and weakness in his people; if God be as the dew to Israel, he shall, he must needs grow as the Lily; this is such a dew so sweetly distilling upon our souls; O the gentle soft rain upon the mown grass, maketh it to spring again, grow again; so a soul, though cut down, as I may say, very low, sometimes with a sharp temptation, yet a refreshing from the presence of God, O how it maketh him spring up again; grace we use to say is of a growing nature, and therefore, though like a grain of Mustard-seed, yet it groweth, or as the seeds of the Cypress-trees, which they say are so small, as they are hardly discernible, and yet they grow to a great tree; and so in that place, thy talent or pound hath gained ten pounds; we ourselves do not gain it, though we traffick with it, yet it is ascribed to the grace itself: no, Brethren, nor can his grace in us increase itself, for though it be a divine quality, yet it is a creature, though the new creature, and therefore weak, and cannot support itself, much less increase itself; it would quickly languish, and faint, and die, were it not for a continual influence from the Lord Christ to supply it; were it not for this supply of the Spirit, would the members grow think you, could they extend themselves from one dimension to another, if it were not for the nourishment they receive? no more can his grace grow without a continual supply; as the light, you know how in a moment it vanisheth, if it be but cut from the influence of the Sun; there is a glorious morning without clouds ariseth upon us, the whole hemisphere is full of light; if the Sun should now set, would that light grow think you to the perfect day? Surely no; it would be night presently; now we have a swelling stream, it fills the Channel, and over floweth its banks, to the enriching of the ground about it, but cut it off from the Fountain, or from the Sea, and what will become of it? so that the growth, the continuance of the stream is from the fountain; so it is in this case, though a man's gifts and grace rise never so high, and over-flow at his lips, at his actions, to make others also fruitful and to grow, yet if there be not a continual supply from the Fountain, would it subsist, would it not languish? therefore this is the comfort, that he is an Author of it, I the Lord, hast thou not heard, hast thou not known, that I the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth faint not, neither am weary, and therefore though you faint and languish, yet I faint not, saith the Lord, I will renew your strength therefore, and ye shall run and not be weary, though now you cannot lift up your heads; therefore this is the first reason: It must needs be perfect, every good and every perfect gift cometh from the Father of lights, if any be more perfect then another, sure they are the gifts of his grace, but this is but the first.

The second Reason may be an auxiliary to the first, The Lord will perfect the work of grace he beginneth, and therefore there is such an increase, as the Apostle calls it, the increase of God: now why is this? because he hath appointed a measure of a fullness of stature to be attained by us, before we be made meet for the inheritance of the Saints in light; a child, while a child, is scarce able to manage an inheritance, he knoweth not what it meaneth; and so for a weak Christian; and therefore mark you what our Savior saith, ye must be converted and become as little children, else you cannot enter into the Kingdom of God; he saw some pride, and swelling, and ambition of their spirits; well, faith our Savior, this must be fetched out of you one way or other, either by love, or by the rod, or both, before you will be fit to enter into glory. O how heavenly and sweet do the Saints generally grow before the Lord takes them? Brethren, if so glorious a building as the temple of God be intended, will every rough stone, a rough-hewn-Christian be fit to lay in that building? O no, surely those knotty pieces shall be plained, and smoothed, and polished before they be laid in that glorious Temple in heaven: remember it, I say, Brethren, there is a meetness for heaven, and though haply many of us care not for it, we would not be too meet for it, lest we be taken to it before we be willing to part with the world; never fear that, while thou hast such a heart, it is well if thou be not so far from it that thou never come thither, thou needest not fear coming thither too soon. But there are two causes which seem to call for a word here to open them.

First, what will you say then to persons, that it may be no sooner are converted but they die; what time have they to grow in grace, and to come to this meetness of the inheritance of the Saints? Remember what was said before, that growth is not always in all of the same pace: What if God will create one Adam in perfect stature the first day, and the rest grow to it by degrees, why may it not be so? what if some grow as the L •• lies, shoot up quickly, much in a night, and others are longer about it; if all must grow and come to this fittness before he take them; and so if the Lord be a whole year turning water into wine in his ordinary way of providence, which is wonderful, and at another time, though not so often, do it in a moment; who shall say to him, what dost thou? this is as perfect wine, as fit to be drunk, as rich and full of spirits as the other; so the thief upon the Cross, he made a large progess in a short time; for I tell you, to believe in the Lord Jesus and confess him, and at such a time as that was, was no small power of grace, when himself was under the agonies of death, and Christ under disgrace and the shame of the Cross, and crucifying and dying, yea under the displeasure of his Father, crying out, My God my God why hast thou forsaken me? when he was forsaken of his Father in a sort, and forsaken of all men, ye • and of his own Disciples also, none of them then durst openly • cknowledge him, and crucifying, at that time Peter had denied him, they all fled from him before, though some of them stood and looked on, yet if they had been put to it at that time, it is a question what they would have done; therefore our Savior in tenderness towards them, would have them be let go, as you have it, when himself was taken; now at such a time as this, when heaven and earth, looked black upon our blessed Savior, to own him, to despise the shame of the Cross at the first dash, and to reprove his fellow that was crucified with him, it was a great measure of faith: I will tell you Brethren, it is like he that wrought that in him, had wrought a like measure of love, when he told him, he should this day be with him in Paradise: what such a wretch as I, that all my life time have lived so wickedly, and now am dying under my guilt; and in one day, at the last moment to be translated into a glorious Kingdom? O this could not but surely much enlarge his heart in love to the Lord Jesus, and that is the perfection of the Law: and so we see some Christians that grow more in a month, in a year or two, then many do in many years; some are foolish children that stick long in the place of breaking forth, some make haste, and run much in a little time, and therefore this hinders not but all should grow to their measure appointed of God, before they come to heaven.

And for the children of Believers; how can they come to this pitch, you will say, how can they grow • o such a height of growth? for answer,

First, It is worth the noting, that even they who deny them the privileges of the Covenant of grace, which are visible and outward in the Church of God, yet dare not profess, whatever they think to the contrary, but that they are saved, or may be saved, and profess tender thoughts of them; they are not such duri patres infantum, as to exclude them out of the Kingdom; it was the Disciples fault you know, and so it may be good men's now, to hinder them from coming to Christ; they thought they were but troublesome guests to him, they were capable of little, and therefore forbad them, but they got a rebuke for their labor; what, saith our Savior, is it not clear enough, even from the old Scripture, for there were no other then written; and they had means to know that they did belong to Christ and the Kingdom, else he would not have reproved them, Do you not know to such belongs the Kingdom of God? you might have known and ought to have known, and therefore you deserve a rebuke for it; and so it may be good men's faults now a days, but yet they dare not exclude them from the Kingdom of glory.

Secondly, It is to be noted, that no unclean thing shall ever enter into that place; Children by nature are the children of wrath, poor leprous polluted creatures, and therefore if there be not a pardoning grace and cleansing mercy for them, how can they enter into glory? and because we cannot apprehend how it should be conveyed, shall we therefore deny it? are we not all of us pure receptives in the first grace, and are not infants as purely receptives as we? Yea, are they not more purely receptives then we? for though it is true, they have the same seeds of rebellion, the same spawn, the same venomous poisonous nature with ourselves, miserable sinful offspring, of miserable sinful parents; yet according to their own principles, they cannot put it forth into such actual rebellion as we; and do not the acts increase and strengthen the habits, and the stronger the habits are, the stronger the opposition is against Christ, and therefore they are more purely receptive then we are: and therefore,

Thirdly, What hinders but they in as short a time as the thief upon the Cross, may be brought to as high a degree of grace as he, though in an unspeakable manner? Was it not more then ordinary that John leaped within the womb at the voice of the mother of the Lord? it was more then ordinary, else the mother would not have wondered at it, though a miracle it were; truly, Brethren, every work of grace is a miracle, and the greater miracle it is, to work upon a desperate, profane, hard-hearted sinner, that hath all his life-time been working wickedness with both hands earnestly; to make such an one in one day fit for heaven and glory, as the thief upon the Cross, where there is greater opposition, is not this a greater miracle then the other? Beside, let it be considered I beseech you, what our Savior saith, he that receiveth not the Kingdom like as a little child, cannot enter into it. It may be some will say, this is nothing, he compareth his Disciples to Doves and Sheep, &c. and so he doth to a little child, this proveth nothing: But let it be considered and weighed; and then I leave it to the judgment of impartial persons; he saith not only, you must be like children, and like Doves for innocence; he saith not, you must be like children for humility, and want of envy, for love; no, but ye cannot enter except ye receive the Kingdom as a little child: the comparison lies in the receiving the Kingdom, as well as in the qualities; so that except little children did receive the Kingdom, how can the Disciples be compared to them in receiving the Kingdom? how can they be, as I may say, made the very standard in receiving the Kingdom of God? we must receive it as little children receive it; you never find such a like speech of Doves or Sheep, that we must receive the Kingdom as Doves or as Sheep, because they are not capable to receive the Kingdom, it was never appointed nor prepared for them: Now if little children be made, as I may say, the pattern for humility, self-denial, which I tell you, Brethren, goeth far in Christianity. O which is the first step? humility, the second humility, the third humility, it reacheth to the top of the Ladder; and not only so, but the very pattern in receiving the Kingdom of God. Surely then, such children as we allow, as we must allow some, else the comparison were not true nor rightly framed, they must be allowed to be as holy as any others; truly Brethren, me thinks if we consider how much innocence there is in these little ones, which is not in us, O how we have rebelled all our days, which they never have done; played the hypocrites before the Lord, which they never have done; dealt falsely in his Covenant, which they never have done; have such strong lusts in act and vigor, and strong habits of sin, pride, and envy, and hatred to oppose the workings of grace in us, which they have none of; me thinks it might easily be yielded unto, that former supposition, that many of them are saved (and who dare deny it) that they have grace, and a great measure, so as to be made the standard of receiving the Kingdom; therefore they may quickly come to a great height: but thus much for this reason, I am carried further then I had any thought, when I first minded it as an Argument.

Thirdly, Another reason may be, because the greater our growth is, the more honor he hath from us, and the more services, and we the more comfort; this doth much what concern the growth of such as are of years of understanding, for to such I speak; I give it therefore as a reason, only of the growth of persons of understanding, though some part of it may reach others.

First then, hereby God hath the more service: Alas, what service hath a Father or Mother from a little child when it hangs upon the breast? many a weary hand she hath with it in its frowardness, but no help at all, but when grown up it will do something; so while a poor Believer is weak and feeble, feeble knees and weak hands, alas can scarce stand upon their legs, every little wind of temptation or doctrine is ready to blow him over, and stagger him, he stands scrupling and trembling at every step, and doubting, he cannot set a foot before another, but the Father is fain to take him by the hand and teach him to go, as he did Ephraim; this is the great time of God's taking pains (like a tender-hearted mother) with his children, and truly if his bowels were not as a mothers bowels, yea much more infinitely, he would never endure to handle us so tenderly in all our weakness and loathsomeness; now when we are grown up into Christ, are strong in his might and power, then we are able to do him some service, and he expecteth it of us, though the Lord knoweth we often requite him as Ifrael did after all his tenderness, he nourisheth and bringeth up children, feeding us with the bread of heaven, Manna is our daily bread, the Lord Jesus, he maketh out somethng of him to us continually, whereby we grow, and presseth the promises by his own Spirit, that they may give down their milk and sweetness to us, and when all is done, we rebel against him, even to the breaking of his heart, as he speaks after the manner of men; but this costs the people of God dear, whoever they be, though it be true the Lord hath no need of our service, we profit not him at all, he can work deliverance for his people and Church, if there were never a Hester to pray nor mediate to the King, some other way he will do it; yet he ordinarily useth the service of his people; and alas, that our reward may be the more abundant, our Crowns of grace may be the more weighty, so that there is not a step from the very Cradle to the Crown of glory, but all is grace, and growing, until it be swallowed up of that fullness.

Secondly, He is honored indeed so much the more, Brethren, by our growth, fortes oreantur fortibus: O when his people come to that strength, to bear the Cross of Jesus Christ, to deny themselves, to hate their lives for his sake, which the Disciples at all times were not ripe for; how doth this honor the Lord Jesus? O what Spirit is that whereby they are acted, that even their enemies themselves have been confounded with the consideration of it, and so when they are strong in faith, giving glory to God; a man weak in faith, a child, a babe that staggers at every difficulty, is questioning upon every occasion whether God be with them, as Israel, because they had no water; O, said they, is, God among us? because there was no water; now this is not to his honor, to have children live in a family together, eat and drink of the best, and yet to be always children, weaklings, as I may say, consumpsit, this is a dishonor to their Father and Mother; so it is in this case, what is more choice, Brethren, then the bread from heaven, this wine and milk which is to be had in Jesus Christ, which Believers live upon; and yet if they be weaklings, how doth it dishonor Jesus Christ? his flesh is meat indeed, and his blood drink indeed: but if we come not on with it, it will be hard to persuade men so; but where they see us go from strength to strength, that we can do singular things for Christ, in prosperity, in affliction, which others cannot do: O they will be ready to say, surely that which these men feed upon is rare and excellent diet indeed: Now, Brethren, alas, this glory is nothing to God, it is only that he may be acknowledged among men in the way of his grace, which addeth nothing to him, but to poor creatures it doth, yet it is all he requireth, and he is jealous of it indeed: Now for infants, truly Brethren, though they act little among men, specially while properly infants, that cannot speak for him, thence they have their names Infants; there may be little appearance, yet the very consideration of this, that the Lord should infuse grace, yea such rich grace, as you heard, into them, me thinks should take us up sometimes with more admiration then we are taken up with it; for I say, no man dare deny but that they may have grace, and some of them have grace, and all of them that die in infancy for ought we know, have: Now how admirable is it? but God hath made it visible in some extraordinary cases, as in John; is it stupendous that the like babe should leap in the womb for joy at the hearing of the report of Jesus, more then the most of Believers likely would have done upon a bare report? Beside, how many instances of little children wrought upon, even as soon as they can speak, I say, that can make it appear in an admirable manner, and to call God Father at very tender years, yea know him to be their God, and they his, and that they shall have a Kingdom prepared for them; me thinks these things are enough to convince us; there is no such necessity of years, Brethren. And then, is it not the more admirable, is not Christ more to be admired? Again, it is much for the comfort of his people, and truly this the Lord hath much in his eye, next to his own glory, which indeed is much magnified by the comfortable walking of his people; the more then a man groweth up in the knowledge of the things freely given of God by the Spirit of Christ, the more comfortably he walks, such are an ornament to their profession, an encouragement and invitation of others to enter upon the same ways, when they see the faces of the Saints that shine, to be anointed with the oil of gladness, and the Kingdom of God in them, to consist in righteousness, and joy, and peace, this encourageth others, that otherwise would be disheartened: Now I say, the Lord is very tender of his people's comfort; do but observe it, and you shall find, Brethren, the blood and Spirit of the Lord Jesus to run through all the veins of the Scripture, and all for the consolation of the Saints; these things I write to you, that your joy might be full, and that through consolation of the Scripture we might have hope; else why are there so many promises so often repeated again and again? how many promises of remission of sins set forth in various expressions every way, to affect and meet with every man's condition, but that his design is the comfort of his people? and wherefore are the examples of the Saints proposed to us; their falls, their restoring again, but for our comfort and hope? surely this is the design, Brethren; and therefore surely, he will carry on his people in the knowledge and understanding of them, the closing with them, else the work is done but imperfectly; for what though the righteousness of God be revealed in the Gospel from faith to faith, except there be an eye opened? and as the light groweth clearer, so the eye groweth stronger and clearer to behold it: it will be little matter of comfort to the people of God; what is a man the better as to comfort, to have rich means, and knoweth nothing of it at all? and then to grow in grace, in all the graces of the Spirit, Brethren, this doth wonderfully help to the comfort of the Saints: What is the complaint of the most of men? O they cannot l • ft up their heads, they cannot carry a cheerful heart; why? O they think they are hypocrites, they are not right with God, or they are in unbelief, they cannot believe in Jesus Christ, they cannot do this or that, or they cannot see that there is anything right in them: Why Brethren, it will not satisfy a tender heart, except he see and discover somewhat in himself of God's working; now when it is, small as a Mustard-seed, as a Cypress-seed, it is scarce discernible, but as it groweth from strength to strength, at last he cometh to see it, when sincerity of h • art doth more ordinarily and strongly prevail against the sly and subtle insinuations of sin upon the heart. O then the soul can see that his heart is right with God; and so for faith, when it is strong and acts strongly upon the Lord Jesus, the soul doth even feel that it doth believe, and so an end is brought to all those sad complaints; let men of corrupt minds say what they will, Brethren, the appearances of grace in the soul, is a notable evidence of our being clothed with the righteousness of Christ, when we walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit; for a man to pretend to have no condemnation upon him, and yet walk after the flesh, loosely and vainly, wickedly, and yet never doubt nor question his condition; I say, that man is in a desperate security, a lethargy, it is very great odds but he perisheth in it; the Apostle saith, such shall die; and they say, they shall live; but they will one day know, whether God's Word or theirs shall stand▪ Well then, this much furthers their comfort, and this is one of the Lord's great designs for our good, that we should walk comfortably, and therefore he brings o • that his work; that spark in a great deal of green wood, that smothers, and smokes, and puts out our eyes almost with weeping at it, he bloweth it up by his Spirit more and more, and bringeth judgment to victory, victory over our corruptions through the strength of the Spirit, and so victory over our doubtings, fears and discomforts. O what riches of grace is here! but thus much for the Arguments of the point.

For the Application then; First, this will speak the sad condition of two sorts of persons, and those are,

First; Such as make a profession of Jesus Christ, and yet grow not, are at a stand; we do innovere but not promovere, like a horse in a mill, go round, and are at night where they were in the morning; they go round in a formal compass of duty, but alas, grow not by it at all; look upon many professors, and consider what they have been, and shall you not find they had as much life seven years ago as they have now, they are grown in faith nothing, their faith is still as a grain of Mustard-seed, if they have any at all indeed, as they may, its true, and yet not grow for a time; the Apostle speaks of silly women, that are always learning and never come to the knowledge of the truth; and there are silly men among us that are always learning and yet are not come to the knowledge of the truth: Some indeed I pity much, there is a natural defect in their understandings, by mediation whereof all this growth is perfected, and it is so great in some, that they will hardly ever be able to apprehend much of the wisdom of God in a mystery, it is well if they understand the main thing, without which there is no life; but these are not the persons I speak of, but such among us have wit and parts enough, can understand, and manage, and improve anything else they take in hand, and yet in the matters of their souls, they take up their rest like tired Jades that will go no further: the Apostle reproveth the Hebrews for it sharply, that when for the time they might have been teachers of others, yet we had need to be taught ourselves the first principles of the Doctrine of Christianity: truly Brethren, me thinks you that have long known Jesus Christ, and have gray hairs upon your heads, and are found in the way of righteousness, when you see young striplings out-grow you, and apprehend much of the mysteries of Christ which you do not, this should be a shame to you: it is a strange sottishness and security that seizeth upon men, in respect of their souls: they would think shame that a young man of little or no experience should know them, to manage their trade better then themselves, that are of so long standing and experience, but here they are content to be out-stripped, and content themselves with anything; that your grace should be so small, as I may say, in the seed still, so small as a seed, and scarce discernible to this day; O what a sad thing is this! now your salvation is nearer then when you believed, and you are as far from being meet for it, as when you believed. O how unfit are we for death, though we have one foot in the grave already some of us, and we do not heed this? Surely, if this be a truth, that those who are planted in Christ do grow, and thou canst not find thou growest; what canst thou conclude, but one of these two things?

First, that either thou hast all this while deceived thyself, and thought thou hadst the root of the matter within thee, and hadst it not, for if thou hadst, thou wouldst have grown: The Kingdom of God will not be always as a grain of Mustard-seed, and that which is in thee haply appears to be no more; and is not this a sad condition, Brethren? is it not high time for you to look about you, when you are grown to such years, and never have been planted into Jesus Christ, never made one with him to this day? I say, a man that findeth he groweth not at all, he is where he was so many years ago, hath cause to fear this; and me thinks this should startle us, a company of lazy professors, that never matter whether they improve or no.

Or else secondly, which is bad enough, that thou hast some sad disease upon thee, that hinders thy growth: surely somewhat is the matter, Brethren, it is not right with you; if you have a child stand at a stay for two or three-years, while it should grow, you see it is a living child, but it groweth not; O surely it hath some disease or another, some obstructions hindering the course between the head, and heart, and the members, and you fear such a child will not live. O that you would but apply this to your souls! sure you have some desperate disease upon you, some obstruction or another; it may be the world is gotten between you and the root, and the head, which is Christ, and so the communication is hindered, you grow not up into him, draw nothing nearer to him at all; doth it never enter into your hearts to consider this, Brethren, are you not afraid of perishing in such a condition? I am sure your condition is sad, that a growing sensible Christian would not be in your case for a world; and are you not sensible of it? it is so much the worse. O how will you answer it, Brethren, considering how much influence you have had from on high, the Ordinances, the fat things of his house in abundance, the sincere milk of the word you have had in this place for a long time, more then most places have had it, and yet your souls have prospered no more under it; you have had five Talents, and yet it may be many that have had but two, but one, have out-stripped some of you; where you have had five Sermons, five opportunities of grace, many a poor soul would have been glad of one, and yet such it may be stronger in faith, more in humility, more spiritual minded then we are; can you answer this at the great day? But thus much for this first.

Secondly, It showeth us the sad condition of such, as instead of growing in grace, alas they grow worse and worse; as the Apostle saith, evil men and seducers grow worse; and indeed, we must know this, Brethren, we do grow either better or worse, as haply afterward we shall have occasion to speak to at large; either the house of David groweth stronger, or the house of Saul; either the flesh or the spirit prevails in the hearts of the people of God; there are two sorts of persons whose condition is under this consideration.

First, Such as have professed the name of Jesus Christ, and yet alas, though they were green for a while, now their leaf is fallen, their light is gone out, they are fallen from their place of standing among the Saints in appearance; never was there an age more fruitful in such barrenness then this is; alas, like a Fir-tree shaken with the wind, they lose their fruit, yea, are turned up by the roots, and now are become as a dry stick, fit for nothing but to burn, the latter end of such men is worse then their beginning, they are trees twice dead; not only dead by nature, but have lost their profession, which was a visible life, whereby they did appear to men to be alive; and is there any hope of such a tree living again? truly, Brethren, very little; I have oberved it, and I wish I could look upon it with a more trembling heart, that such men as these grow worse, fall off and decline, they are the saddest, hard-hearted, desperate, profane wretches afterward; or the most besotted worldlings, and seldom are they recovered. I know not whether I may speak to any such at this time, I hope the best things of you; if there be any such, let me tell thee, thou art in a more dangerous condition then those that never knew God to this day.

Secondly, Such as never yet had appearance of being planted into Jesus Christ, and so no growth in them, but are yet in their naturals; know this day, you are growing worse and worse, the Gospel doth not return in vain, you are worse every day then other, every Sermon then other; the Gospel is a savor of death to death to you; as there is nothing doth condemn sinners like to the Gospel rejected, so nothing doth harden sinners more then the Gospel, and those precious promises which men give the hearing to, day by day, but alas that is all. Isaiah, the most Evangelical Prophet, he cometh with a make you the ears of this people heavy, that hearing they might hear and not perceive. If the Son be not kissed when he is offered to sinners, but they turn their backs upon him, he will be angry; if the more worthy person be suitor, and be denied and slighted, and the heel lift up against him, will not this provoke him think you? surely it will: therefore God doth usually give up such to a reprobate mind, yea even for despising the light of nature, much more the Gospel, and giveth them up to hardness of heart; you shall ordinarily see where the Gospel cometh at the first among a people, it works more mightily then afterward; at first, though men are profane, yet they have not had the Sun-shine to harden the Clay into a Brick; the Word of God, this Gospel and means of growth, it is as fire, the coals of love, and either they do melt, or else burn sinners into stones and bricks, and sear their consciences that they are even past feeling, hence it is we have so many desperately wicked persons among us. O how sad a condition is this Brethren, to be growing worse and worse under the greatest mercy and love that the Lord manifesteth to any! Sinners, in good earnest, do you think it is the way to heaven to grow worse, and worse, or the way to the Chambers of death? Thou knowest thyself to be a more desperate profane wretch then formerly, making no conscience of that which heretofore thy soul it may be hath trembled at, now it goeth down without regret, or else if not in open profaneness, if thou meltest away in secret wickedness, that no eye takes notice of, and art worse and worse, what will the end of these things be? the Saints that grow, they grow up into the likeness, and image, and glory of Christ, they grow up into him; and thou growest up into the likeness of the Devil, up int 〈…〉 im; What will become of you? O that sinners would but lay these things to heart: if heretofore thou wast overtaken with a sin, it may be it was some trouble to thee; now thou wilt work the works of the Devil, thy will is engaged, and so much the more heinous the sin is; what can you expect, Brethren? O that God would open sinners eyes, that they might but see whether they are going, what they are doing, and they could but consider what bitterness this will be in the latter end, to grow worse and worse.

The next Use shall be then, Brethren, to take an account of ourselves, whether we grow or go backward yea or no; this is not the work of every day, Brethren, for it will hardly be discernible, if we daily should put ourselves to the trial, we should do nothing else, it would eat up that time, and those endeavors to grow, which ought to be laid out upon it, that so it may afterward appear; a man that should spend every day in casting up his whole Books, to see how he groweth in his estate, would h • nder himself of those endeavors to thrive that must be used, else he cannot thrive; besides, this growth is not the work of a day usually, though sometimes it may be so; but of months, or a year, or so; if a man should sit by his tree, or set his eye upon his child to behold his motion or growth, he would lose his labor, it is better seen afterward, as in another place afterward shall be spoken; besides, if we should daily judge of our growth and try it, alas what inconstant judgments should we make of our condition; for some days we are up, and some days down; it may be some days under the power of a temptation, and other days set at liberty from them; sometimes the Merchant maketh a losing bargain, sometimes a winning; sometimes his cash cometh in, and sometimes he is all in disbursements; therefore he must not, he cannot judge of his estate, whether he prosper or thrive by this or that day, but after a while he should look to it, cast up his Books, see how it standeth. Brethren, it is impossible to persuade a Merchant, except he be Bankrupt, and knoweth it is so, and therefore hath no mind to look upon his misery, else I say, you cannot persuade a Merchant but he will take his set times for perusing his Books, casting up his accounts, and not let it run too long neither, for fear of the worst, and if any should advise him to the contrary, he would take him to be his enemy, suspect him for one that would undo him; and yet alas, how easy are we to believe Satan and the world, when they shuffle us off from this work of casting up the accounts of our souls? I think we may all of us, or the most of us, plead guilty here; have we our times, Brethren, we set apart for this work of self-searching and trial? not an hour in a month, or many months; when we come to the Lord's Supper, an hour in a quarter, or a day in a year, yea, do you ever perform this duty at all? truly, it is an ill sign when we are so backward to search; the Lord persuade you to the duty: you heard before how sad a thing it is to be at a stand, not to grow; and beside, how canst thou be thankful if thou take not notice of it? he loseth his glory, and that will neither be for our advantage nor comfort.

And here I hope it may not be beside the Text, to speak of growth, under that other ordinary Simile, of growing like trees or plants; in Scripture, nothing more ordinary, then that where Believers are compared to trees of righteousness, and branches in Christ the Vine; and what is included in this comparison here, as to the growth in quantity, increase in quality, and goodness and swiftness of it, I hope I shall meet with in the other.

First then, look whether you grow more into the root, you grow downward, for if a tree grow not in the root proportionably, you know it will be top-heavy, and every blast is ready to over-turn it; that soul groweth to purpose, that groweth then in the root more; now what is this root but the Covenant of grace, as you have heard? when God would cut a people down by the root, he would dis-covenant them; now the Lord Jesus is the main of the Covenant, and therefore called the Covenant he and his Spirit are the great promises of the Covenant; Chris • as he is tendered for righteousness, for holiness, for redemption, and all. Now there are three graces specially which respect the root Jesus Christ, whereby we may be said to grow in the root, and therefore let us labor to search and try ourselves by them.

The first is Faith, Brethren, whereby indeed we are planted into him, and as that grows, so we are said to grow in the root; time was when our faith was but as a grain of Mustard-seed, but now hath it deeper rooting, faster hold of Christ; do we now embrace him more closely then we did? time hath been it may be, when we have understood little of the Covenant of grace, and so consequently could give but an assent to what we understood of it, and an answerable consent; but dost thou now understand it more, to give a firmer assent to the truth of the thing? wherein the Lord hath promised to give his Son, and with him remission of sins, that he will remember them no more, and blot out their iniquities; thou assentest to this truth now more then thou didst before. O the bloodiness of thy guilt was that which dismayed thee, the horridness, the filthiness, the multitude, the aggravations of thy sins; now thou seest and consentest to the truth of it, that God will swallow up all, they shall be (though scarlet) as white as snow; though the time was, the sight of thy sins did as much amaze thee, as the sight of the Egyptians did the Israelites, O thou knowest not what to do; now thou canst look upon them as swallowed up in the red Sea of the blood of Jesus Christ. O a Sea of mercy, a red Sea of precious redeeming blood! what will it not swallow up? dost thou find it? O observe, Brethren, how you grow in your assent to it; and so for mortification, subduing iniquities, because thou hast been pressed and pestered with thy lusts, thou hast been ready to • ay, all men are liars, in thy haste: O notwithstanding this Covenant of grace, I find my corruptions strong and lively: but now thou dost not upon this account question the Covenant, but assentest to it, and closest with it, consent as well as assent, and so waitest upon God for the fulfilling of it until his time; he that believeth, maketh not haste; though he make it not to grow, yet this is all thy salvation, here thou hangest thy hopes, and off this thou wilt not be beaten, though heretofore thou hast found, alas, thou couldst hardly fasten upon it at all, do you find this? Bretheen, see in what degrees: if we grow not here, we grow not at all to any purpose.

Secondly, And that which is indeed included in the former, is that of self-denial; if any man will be my Disciple, he must deny himself and take up his Cross; Deny himself; all that is desirable in himself, all that he looked upon as conducible to salvation, whether his works, or gifts, or duties, his privileges, or whatever; It is true, we had a root of our own in Adam, but that worm of sin hath smitten the root, and it is withered, and it is but rottenness, and therefore there is no growth to be expected from it but what will be rotten: Now Christ alone in the Covenant of grace is the root, and the more we grow off our own root, the more we grow into him, as the root: Now consider this, Brethren, it may be the time hath been thou hast built much of thy hopes and comforts upon what thou hast had in thyself. O if thou couldst but do this, and that thou couldst be quiet and take comfort in thy condition: now, though thou do more or do less, whatever thou art enabled to do through him, dost thou find that thou canst bless him for it, and yet go out of all, and be as though we had never done anything, counting all but as menstruous clothes, and yet not the less, but the more encouraged, that our own righteousness is not the bottom, because then it could not be sure, but we have such a root as never withers, even Jesus Christ. Alas, how far short are we in this? though we have seen it many times, when we would be standing upon our own bottom, that we cannot stand upon a thing that stands not under us, but sinketh, only upon the Rock Jesus Christ, yet we have not learned this many of us I doubt: this hinders our growth much; as if a vessel be indeed afloat, yet so shallow, keepeth so near the side of the shore, as that it ever and anon strikes upon the ground, it can make no considerable progress, and is in danger of smiting beside: so it is in this case; well, consider then, this hath been our case, we could not launch out into the deep, perfectly trust to that grace revealed in Christ, we must have one foot upon the ground, we must feel something of our own under us, or else we could not be quiet; is it thus with thee now? that thou ar • more come off this, thou canst now though thou see nothing in thyself, yea when there is most appearing in thee, yet wave all, come clearly off it, and alone cast thyself upon the waters, commit thyself to the deep, where no bottom is to be felt; this is growing in the root indeed.

Thirdly, In humility; this is another which indeed doth follow upon the other, and must needs do so, for nothing emptyeth more then faith, nothing layeth the soul lower, and indeed this is the prospering grace of the soul; that soul that is lifted up, as the Prophet saith, is not right within him: Learn of me, saith our Savior, for I am meek and lowly: O when the soul is thus low, then it is hungry, and thirsty, and poor in Spirit; and then it sucks from the Lord Jesus, then a taste of his love is sweet to the soul, then the Spirit being ready to yield to God in everything, to do all his will, God is ready to yield to the soul in everything that he requireth agreeable to his will; how do we grow in humility, Brethren? examine this, it is the first, and second, and third, and every step of Jacob's Ladder; dost thou find, that whereas thou wast wont to overlook and undervalue in comparison of thyself; now rather thou thinkest in good earnest, that everyone fearing God is better then thyself, because of the vileness of thine own heart, thou seest; before thou couldst not bear a reproof, but if thou didst not turn and all to rent him that reproved thee, though with never so much mildness, yet thou wouldst snarl, and quarrel, and be ready to cast as much as that came to, into his own teeth that reproved thee; now if thou be reproved, thou hast nothing to say, but fearest thy heart, it may be too true of thee, now it is welcome, thou lovest them that reprove thee so much the more; Brethren, it may be heretofore you would be apt to complain of yourselves, and of your own vileness, and make sad mone, and yet if another speak but an ill word of you, yea, if they speak no more of you then you deserve, you could not bear it; now if they speak ill of you, art thou ready to lay thy hand upon thy mouth, sure the Lord hath bid them speak evil, and there is cause enough for it, and they cannot say worse of me then I am. O here is a growth in humility; before thou wert ready to envy everyone that had more gifts, or more grace, more of the hearts of God's people then thyself; now thou art ready to say with Moses, enviest thou for my sake? thou canst sweetly submit to his disposal of thee: the least thou hast is more then thou deservest. O this is that which obtains much of the Lord, when thy heart is in such a frame, it is fit to receive; so Jacob, he was less then the least of his mercies, it was an argument wherewith he pleaded with the Lord; thou art content to be anything, though in never so mean a degree of service to him, so be he will be but thy Father and own thee; if thou mayst not be with him in the transfiguration upon the mount, if thou mayst be but a Disciple, if thou mayst not get within the cloud with Moses, nor be a Benjamin; yet if thou mayst be a Son and a Subject, though no Favorite, this is that thou art contented with. O here is a growth! Brethren, search and try, are we come to this pitch, or how far are we gone herein? is it better with us then it hath been in this respect?

But then secondly, we must try whether we grow upward yea or no, as well as downward; and this I shall consider according to the chief faculties of the soul, the mind and the will, and speak somewhat to each of them.

And first for the mind, the understanding. 1. Do you find, Brethren, that you grow and increase in the knowledge of his will, that the darkness that is upon your hearts naturally, doth vanish by any degrees? do you find the veil doth wear thinner that was upon your hearts, that you begin to behold the Lord Jesus with a more open face then before? time was when you were babes in understanding; are you new men and women, or are you past the state of babes? Alas, I doubt if the treasuries of our hearts were laid open, we should find them very empty of this heavenly knowledge, how few can bring out of their treasuries both new and old? This will appear in these two things specially.

First, if you be apt to be tossed up and down with every wind of Doctrine, and are not-stablished in the present truth, but your minds are floating, and hovering, and ready to settle upon anything that is presented to you, though contrary to what you have received, it is a sign that you are but children in understanding; how easy is it to deceive children, to put upon them Counters instead of Gold, to make them part with the one for the other? and how easy is it to lead captive silly-women, as the Apostle calls them that are ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth; a weak eye that cannot discern between things that differ, hath not his senses exercised to discern: it is very easy to put one thing upon them for another; truly Brethren, these times have the name for times of great light, and greater knowledge then there was before, and I do believe that knowledge shall increase by going too and fro; but yet for all that, men's eyes are very weak, they cannot discern between light and darkness, but put darkness for light; for what is the ground of all error, is it not the ignorance of the Scripture and the power of God? and was there ever any times more fruitful in error then these are? Alas Brethren, what strangers are many of us to the very principles of Religion, if examined, in them that pretend to such high discoveries and revelations of Christ in our times, such have need of milk, and not of strong meat; the wisdom of God in a mystery is a riddle to them; the Apostle spake it to them that were perfect, that is to say, grown men and women, in opposition to babes: Well then, look to it, if you find yourselves easy to be shaken, to turn with every wind of Doctrine like a weather-cock, it argues you are but children, but babes; you may persuade a child to anything, to be of twenty minds in an hour, because alas, he hath no sound well-grounded knowledge of anything, you may persuade him to part with his meat, his drink, for a toy, or by some pretended loathsomeness in it that is not, and so it is with poor, weak, ignorant souls; how do we see many cheated out of Ordinances, out of duties, out of close walkings with God, as things of no moment, by the cunning craftiness of them who lie in wait to deceive. It is a sad thing to see persons that should be of greater knowledge then ordinary, that in things so much controverted, as they are now a days, can in a few days time be so tost with a wind of Doctrine, as to take up a strange, a contrary practice; this easiness to forgo our principles, argues we are childish and weak.

Secondly, Are we grown in understanding? you will find it by this; thou wilt not be so ready, so easy to take offense as heretofore thou hast been: alas, before men are acquainted with the ways of God at all, you see they are offended at everything they see; the Jews were offended with the meanness of Jesus Christ, his descent, that he was the Carpenters Son, he was not like to be the Messias; alas, it was the weakness of their understanding, they did not consider those Scriptures, where it is said there should be no beauty in him that we should desire him; and that he should come meek and lowly, riding upon an Ass: and so they were offended at his Doctrine, when he told them, they must eat his flesh, and drink his blood, they could not conceive of it; and many of his Disciples went backward and walked with him no more. And so sinners, O they stumble at everything in the people of God, when they consider them, and pry into them, and find they miss it, and fall in their duties, they are prejudiced strongly against the ways of God upon this score; alas it is ignorance, they know not that they have a corrupt principle within, whereby they are laid open to sin, when lust and temptation meeteth, except the Lord do wonderfully keep them; they expect they should be as the Angels in heaven, altogether spotless and pure, even while they are upon the earth, and therefore they are offended. And so a weak child of God, that is newly come on to grace; alas, every little thing in the way they stumble at, for this offending is nothing else but stumbling upon a thing, so as to hurt themselves by it, either by being drawn to sin thereby, being encouraged to sin thereby, or else by being grieved at it without cause; you know a child cannot get over that which a man maketh nothing of, but he stumbleth and falleth: so the Apostle, where he discusseth of the use of indifferent things, saith he, All men have not this knowledge, that an Idol is nothing, and therefore if some weak ones, see a Brother that is strong eat of that which was offered to an Idol, which he knoweth to be lawful for him to do, he is offended at it: this argues weakness: now have we found it so, that we have been apt to take offense at anything, at everything in others almost? and now we can bear; it argues we see more clearly the grounds of such actions; but thus much for this.

Secondly, Another part of this growth upward, I place in the will, which is indeed the main, the commanding faculty of the soul, and indeed wherein the main of faith doth lie, and of other graces, as of tender-heartedness, and the like: dost thou find then that heretofore thy will was more unsettled and wavering, being as I may say, halting between two, thou wast not able to come up so fully, to such a resolution for God and for Christ, as to trample all under-foot for them; thou wouldst have them, but either hadst some reservation, in such a case thou wouldst be saved; now thy resolution breaks through all whatsoever, this is growth indeed.

A man of a weak resolution for Christ, alas if a temptation come, to deny him the allurements of the world, he forsakes him with Demas, and embraceth the present world, or the frowns of the world, he draweth ba • k to perdition; or else is foiled with Peter, or at least much abated in his zeal, groweth to a more indifferency of Spirit, would join Christ and Moses together with the temporizing Jews, to keep themselves from being persecuted; and as Peter himself afterward, alas his resolution was not yet so strong as afterward for fear of the Jews, he did forbear to walk with the Gentiles as before he had done, and so was an offense to them. Ah dear friends, it may be some of us can tell the time when for fear of men we have sadly miscarried, is it better with us now? have we now more courage? have we for fear of shame come to Christ with Nicodemus by night? and now are we not ashamed of Christ nor of his Gospel? As the Apostle, he was not ashamed of it, though it were persecuted, and though his meanness of speech were despised, his preaching in a suitable manner to the subject, which is a great part of a Preachers duty, he was not ashamed: Well then, now consider, doth the Lord give thee such boldness, such courage, such resolution of heart, as to hold fast the Word of his patience, the suffering-truth? it may be we may be tried in this point; if we be not grown we shall miscarry as heretofore we have done. Alas Brethren, a little touch with a finger, a little blast will blow a c 〈…〉 d over and over, but if we be grown, we shall find greater resolutions against sin, to avoid the occasions of it; do you find, Brethren, O the yielding frame of your hearts to sin, to weakness, every day it is weaker then heretofore, and done away, that now you can peremptorily deny a lust, deny a temptation? O you may not do this and sin against God! then we are grown in the will indeed: and the more strong we grow in these resolutions, the more we grow in this respect; but if we cannot cease to sin, Brethren, we are where we were; it may be we may be sometimes affected a little with our sins upon a flash or pang, but have no power nor strength to resist our wills, our wills are as weak as water to anything that is good, and against sin; we grow not, Brethren.

Again, as thus downward and upward, so see how we grow in fruitfulness; we have spoken at large to that subject, that we must bring forth fruits, or else we cannot escape the Axe; now I speak of the measure of the growth therein; a young tree of the first year, cannot be expected to bear so much, as when better grown; no more a young Christian: here I would only mind you of two things.

First, that we bring forth more fruit, that is, that we do more for God then we have done, and for his people, and for our own souls; it may be thou hast heretofore, but now and then prayed to God, dost thou now do it more often? it may be three times a day with Daniel and David: It may be heretofore thou gavest but little to the relief of the poor Saints and others in distress; dost thou now give more and more, proportionable to thy estate, as the Lord hath blessed thee? for that is the proportion which the Apostle maketh; and so where heretofore thou didst speak but now and then a savory word, now dost thou grow in that? is thy communication much more seasoned and savoury? is it all savoury, tending to minister grace to the hearers? heretofore thou hadst it may be scarce a thought of God in a day; now he is the object of the workings of thy soul, the thoughts of him are pleasant to thee, this is an high condition, it argues thou hast grown, thou art in a growing condtition; but this is not all, Brethren.

Secondly, Is that more fruit you bring forth, better then it was before? is it more mellow then formerly? or if thou bring forth no more in number, is it more in weight? for God takes not our services by number but by weight; and it is a sottishness of the poor blind Papists, to think that God is pleased with their much speaking, with pattering over so many Avy Mary's and Pater Nosters, or principles of the Doctrine of Christ. I wish our practices be not too like theirs; It may be heretofore thou couldest not enlarge thyself in prayer, and now thou canst; and thou thinkest thou art much grown, it may be in bulk, but not in goodness; are thy prayers now more, the breathings of the Spirit of Christ within thee, and less of thine own Spirit? O how much strange fire mingled with our sacrifices, and strange incense, strange zeal, even our own passions, instead of a zeal for God! Now Brethren, is our zeal and fire more pure, coming down from heaven, even from the Spirit of Jesus Christ, warming our hearts? Look to this, do we find that we grow more spiritual in duties, in prayer, do we act our faith more strongly, wrestle with God in spirit more then in words? children are apt to be taken with babbles and pictures, and flowers in the corn, and we w • th sweet and quaint expressions; but now have we learned to worship him more in spirit and in truth; to know that the great work of our duties lie in the frame of our hearts toward God, in prayer, in preaching, in hearing of the Word? It is childishness, Brethren, for one never to be well, or to place so much in it to be always upon the lap and dandled; do we find that now we would rather be made serviceable to him, and do it with more pure hearts, more pure ends, not for ourselves, but for his glory, we ask not gifts, parts, grace, to spend it upon our lusts as heretofore; not • or our own peace, that we might take our ends, but that we might be fitter instruments in his hands for his glory, not for our own praise and honor among men. O look to this, I tell you there is nothing sticks closer to us then this; now doth this sowrness, crabbidness of our fruits wear away by degrees; is it better with us in these respects then before? this is a sign of growth indeed.

I will add but one more, and that shall be this; Dost thou • ind that thou growest by the opposition thou meetest with in the work of grace, either from without or from within, or any way whatsoever?

First, I say, from opposition without, grace will grow and gather strength, and this either from men or from the Lood; from men, when they oppose the way of God wherein we walk, we must look to it that we grow so much the stronger, for that is the nature of grace, Brethren; as when Paul preached the faith which once he had destroyed, and the people were amazed, saith the Text, and they spake of him as a changling, is not this he that wasted them that called upon his name in Jerusalem? but Saul waxed so much the stronger, and confounded the Jews that dwelled at Damaseus, proving that this was the Christ. As the fire, they say, is hotter by antiperistasis, in coldest weather; the Palm-trees they grow like as you heard in the proof, that raiseth itself up under a weight of opposition. Well, look to this Brethren, I do not mean an Ish 〈…〉 elitish spirit, that is against everyone, and every man's hand against it; and that a man should out of a cross, crooked disposition, do anything, or vex and gall persons that oppose them; but grace will then be stirred up as the fire by the wind, that bloweth it this way and that way, it is in vain to blow it out, to offer it, for it increaseth the flame; there is no resisting that Spirit, whereby the Saints a 〈…〉 ted; look to it, is it thus with us, or do we find that opposition from men doth cool us, discourage us, dishearten us, so that we dare not own the Lord Jesus and his truth and way? Truly, it is to be feared it is not right with us.

Secondly, From the Lord, there is some opposition sometimes, he wrestleth with us; Jacob's wrestling with God implieth some opposition of God, as I may say, he wrestled with him, let me go, saith he, this stirreth him up so much the more earnestly to lay hold upon him, when the Lord would take his leave of him; and you see the poor man in the Gospel, when he was rebuked for crying after Jesus Christ, he cried so much the more earnestly; and so our Savior when he was in that great agony, or striving under the displeasure of his Father, saith the Text, he prayed so much the more earnestly. So the Lord doth sometimes hang back or hide his face, that he might draw out more and more his people's hearts toward him, as a Fisher draweth away his bait to make the fish follow it the more eagerly. Well, consider this now, do we thus grow, even by opposition? if the Lord say to us we are dogs, not fit for children's bread, can we conclude the worst against ourselves, and yet gather upon him for the crumbs at the least?

But then there is opposition from ourselves, from within, and that is from the rebelling of our lusts, they rise and swell, and many times over-bear us, we are foiled; do we grow by this? this may seem somewhat strange, that the acting of sin should tend to the increasing of grace, for that we must know, that it is not proper; for every act of sin properly doth strengthen the habits of sin, and the stronger sin is in the soul, the weaker grace is like to be; as the more the water cools, the less heat there is remaining in it; but it is by accident, as water cast upon a coalfire, at present it seemeth to put it out, but afterward it burns so much the hotter and fiercer. So grace takes occasion hereby to stir up itself so much the more, to set itself so much the more in opposition to it; it maketh a child of God so much the more humble, so much the more watchful and full of prayer, if it be right with them, and neither sin nor Satan gets by this at all. So if Peter be tost in that sieve of vanity, that temptation, and fall; O how it humbles him; and how afterward it fetcheth him off his own bottom! how valiant he grew for Jesus Christ? And Hezekiah his pride in the business of the King of Babylon, how it tended to humble him so much the more; do we find it thus? doth sin increase our grace, increase even by our falls? do we get ground of them yea or no? if not, it is not well with us. And thus much shall serve for the trial.

The next Use then will be for Exhortation to us all. If we find that we have none of this, we grow not at all, we are a company of poor formal professors, we are at a stand for proficiency, we know not what it means; I should advise all such, Brethren, to look to their standing, their being in Christ; it may be you have been deceived all this while, and except you be in him, except the Sun of righteousness be risen upon you, it is in vain to put you on to grow, as to the event, though not as to the discharge of our duty. A rotten root will not carry the branches on to any increase, they may be at a stand a while, but they will wither and rot, and perish as well as the root; look to your foundation, Brethren, me thinks I should not need to press this upon you, you know for the notion as well as it can be told you, that except you be in him, you can bring forth no fruit, much less can you increase in fruitfulness. If you do not shut your eyes, Brethren, & wink with them, as they in the Gospel did, they stopped their eyes lest they should see with them; the Sun of righteousness is ready to arise upon you, are you willing to have it so? would you have him to arise upon you? would you be made one with him? would you be found in him as the root, the head from whence righteousness and holiness proceedeth? deceive not yourselves, Brethren, Christ offers himself to you all, everyone that will may come and take him for his head, for his root, and so grow up in him; if thou wert willing, then what is the reason thou art not in him? well, surely then thou art not willing, (whatever thou pretendest) he would gather thee under his wings, as a Hen the Chickens, where they grow apace from the heat they are cherished with; but ye would not, ye would not; look to this in the first place.

Secondly, you that are alive through grace, and have this union with Christ, and yet it may be find you grow little, or haply can scarce see that you have grown; now will you be exhorted in the name of Jesus Christ, in the Apostles words, Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ; Labor to improve, to come on, to be fat and flourishing, content not yourselves to be babes in Christ, no nor young men, but grow up to be Fathers. The prosecution of this Use, the general Exhortation, I shall first lay you down some particulars, wherein among others specially we are to labor to grow, because haply if we rest in generals, each hearer hath not his skill to bring it to particulars. Secondly, the motives to enforce it. And thirdly, some general helps to growth, and then come to some other Exhortations.

First then for the first, wherein specially we are to look to our growth; and first in knowledge: we must • ook to it that we grow in the first place; as the Apostle hath it in that forecited place, Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ: Knowledge is not here put by way of contradistinct. from grace, as if it were no grace, but as being that special grace which doth so much promote and further the growth of all grace: beside, the Papists tell us, ignorance is the mother of devotion, and that faith is better defined by ignorance then by knowledge, but the Holy-Ghost calls faith knowledge, by his knowldege shall my righteous servant justify many, that is faith sure; and this is life eternal, to know thee the only true God; now do but observe it; they boast themselves so much of Peter, and how little they own him in this point; for saith he, grow in grace, and in the knowledge of the Lord▪ Jesus Christ, the knowledge of a crucified Christ: Now saith the Papists, this is the way to error and schism, and ignorance is the mother of devotion; just as the Jews made their boast of Moses, and our Savior confuteth them by Moses whom they so much boasted of, there is one who accuseth you, even Moses, in whom you trust, for if ye had believed Moses, ye had believed me, for he wrote of me. So there will be one that will accuse them in this point of knowledge, even Peter, in whom they trust. So the Apostle, that ye may grow up in him, speaking the truth in love; the speaking the truth in love, is the way to grow up in Christ; and so the receiving the truth, and the receiving of it in love; a well-qualified knowledge of Jesus Christ and him crucified; and therefore the Apostle desired to know nothing among them but this, if they knew Christ and him crucified, this knowledge would produce whatever else is requisite for them, not by its own power, but the Spirit of grace carrying it on. And so the Apostle to the Colossians, increasing in knowledge, or the acknowledgment of God, and strengthened with all might according to his glorious power, to all patience and longsuffering with joy. So the wise man himself tells us, a wise man is strong, yea a man of understanding increaseth strength: Why, but you will say, may there not be much knowledge and yet little grace, and therefore is this too necessary to grow in knowledge? I answer, It is true, there may be much knowledge where there is little grace, as in many an hypocrite; and many know much, but they know nothing as they ought to know it; but yet however there cannot be grace without knowledge, a compe 〈…〉 t considerable knowledge of Jesus Christ and him crucified; Fuel may be where there is no fire, but the fire will not burn nor continue if there be no fuel; knowledge, is as I may say, the very oil, the very fuel wherein the flame of the Spirit liveth in the soul, do but observe it, grace and truth came by Jesus Christ, grace and truth, therefore grace aboundeth now in the time of the Gospel; he came that they might live, and live more abundantly, because he came to reveal the truth in a more clear, full manner then before; when the veil is taken away, saith the Apostle, that was upon the face, then beholding Christ with open face, we are changed into his image from glory to glory: and truly there is all the reason that can be for it, for whereby grace is begotten, by the same means it must needs be preserved and increased: Now it is by the knowledge of the truth that we are begotten to God, therefore the Spirit is promised to be sent forth to convince the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. And so saith the Apostle James, he hath begotten us again of his own will by his word of truth, and therefore by this means grace is kept alive, by our keeping this knowledge; and increased by the increasing of this knowledge; Sanctify them with thy truth, thy word is truth, saith our Savior, concerning his Disciples; ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free; he speaks here of a further progress, for they were his Disciples already, only he promiseth them further freedom and liberty from sin, and this through the knowledge of the truth; how do men that are not right escape the pollutions of the world, but through the knowledge of the truth? as it is in that place, the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ: and how come they to wallow in their vomit again, to return to wallow in the mire, but by imprisoning and smothering the truth? the principles they have received put out the light, and then they may do what they please: the truth is, Brethren, all grace is conveyed through the understanding of men and women, because the Lord works upon us as reasonable creatures, and therefore proposeth things to the understanding, that it may Judge of them, assent to the truth of them, and judge the goodness of them, and then propound them to the will to receive them, to close with them, they that know thy name will trust in thee; the great reason wherefore poor sinners are strangers from the life of God is because of their ignorance, as the Apostle saith, therefore the heathen call not upon God, because they know him not; and therefore so many of us call not upon him as we ought, because we know him not; either we neglect it, or else do it in a slight slubbering man 〈…〉 t is because we know not God, what a God he is, searching the hearts, great and glorious, and jealous: what is the reason that poor creatures trust not more perfectly to the grace that is revealed, but because the eyes of their understandings are no more opened to behold the unsearchable riches of the grace which is in Jesus Christ, which is able to swallow up all their mountainous sins, wash out their spots, though never so deep; pay their debts, though never so deeply charged: if poor sinners did but know this, they would trust more perfectly; what is the reason we are so familiar with sin, and make no more of it? it is because we know little or nothing of it in comparison: Ah poor creatures, those that crucified Christ knew not what they did, else they would not have done it; and poor sinners now that stand it out in this their day, and slight the offers of grace, alas you know not what you do, else you would not do it; therefore if you would grow in any grace, all graces, in faith, in love, in anything else, you must labor to grow in knowledge. O Brethren, if we had but a clear understanding of the dimensions of the love of God, the freeness and fullness of it, that he should set his love upon such vile, filthy, polluted wretches, such as had no comeliness, but loathsomeness upon us, and to bring us so near to himself, to be one with him, to be one Spirit, and live and reign forever with him as Children, as a Spouse: if the soul did but know this, O how would it love 〈◊〉 Lord Jesus again! would men be proud, if they knew this as they ought to know it? O no: therefore look that you grow in this: there were never more ways and means to come to the knowledge of Christ, and him cr • cified, then now, if we be not wanting to ourselves shamefully: we cannot conclude ignorance of these things: this is the way to grow. A man of understanding increaseth knowledge: learn of anybody.

Secondly, Labor to grow in faith; the Disciples were sensible of this defect, therefore they prayed, that he would increase their faith; Faith hath a wonderful influence upon the soul in respect of all the Graces of the Spirit; Be it unto thee even as thou wilt: Mat. 15. 28. sa •• h our Savior to the Woman of Canaan; if we were but strong in Faith, if women would have their Wills, this is the way; and if men would have their Wills, this is the way, to labor to be strong in Faith; Faith is that whereby the union and communion with Christ is maintained; it is that whereby the soul cleaveth to him, and therefore according to the strength or weakness of that Will, the growth in other respects be also; a strong Faith draweth strongly from him: all the nourishment is from him, and the suppl • es of the Spirit whereby it is digested, is from him; Now a strong Faith draweth these from the Lord Jesus more abundantly to the soul then a weak Faith: this is that whereby we suck the milk out of the breasts of consolation, the Promises; we feed upon Christ, Eat his flesh, which is meat indeed, and drink his blood, which is drink indeed, no nourishment like to it; we do by Faith partake of the fatness of the Olive, and therefore accordingly grow in other Graces; One saith of it, that it is Faith that virtually is all Graces, because Faith fetcheth in the supplies of Christ to enable to all whatsoever; therefore it is that we are patient in tribulation, because we believe; and impatiency, it proceedeth from the want of Faith; he that believeth, maketh not haste; hence it is that we turn aside from following the Lord, that there is so much unevenness in our walking; we cannot walk uprightly with God, because of the weakness of Faith; if a man did believe God to be all-sufficient, to have all fullness of good in him, and a full defense from evil, to be a Son and a shield, would men for a little credit, a little honor to avoid a little trouble in the flesh, turn aside from followin 〈…〉 he Lord? surely they would not. How often doth our Savior rebuke his Disciples for the littleness of their Faith? they had Faith, but it was very little; How long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? saith he in one place, where they could not cast out the Devil: And will not God take care of you much more then of Sparrows? O ye of little Faith! had they so much of his presence with them, teaching them, and yet were but of little faith? Our Savior was displeased with it, he knew they could never do much to honor him while their Faith was weak: as now in the Gospel, and more difficult cases, as Num. 11. &c.

But may he not much rather take us up for this: the Spirit was not poured out as now he is, and we have more then the bodily presence, even the Spirit of Christ, and great encouragement to beg that Spirit, whereby we should exceedingly grow in this Grace; may he not say to us, O ye of little Faith, why do ye doubt? why do you walk so pensively, and hang the head, to the dishonor of my Grace? may he not say, O ye of little Faith, why do you perplex yourselves, and rack yourselves with cares of the World, what ye shall eat and drink, and how ye shall be prvoided for? doth not your heavenly Father take care of you? O ye of little Faith, why do ye in every perplexity and trouble, as men at a loss, run to this creature, and that creature, and not to the Lord wherein your help doth lie? O ye of little Faith, why do you, when means fail, then cast away your hope, as if there were no help in God? as if because the streams were dried up, therefore the fountain must needs be dry also; therefore Brethren, labor to grow in this Grace: if ever you would do any eminent service for Christ, or honor him, set the crown on him in any condition, labor to be strong in Faith.

Thirdly, In that Grace of Love, labor to grow therein. First to the Lord himself, to Jesus Christ: It may be thou dost love him, and according to the measure of Faith and Knowledge of him, the soul will love him usually, but we must labor to love him much more; love, we take it kindly if it be from the meanest person, and so doth the Lord Jesus. O love the Lord ye his Saints, you cannot love him too much; do you always err in his love: the more you love him, the more you may, for there is no end of his perfections, his love, his mercy, his bowels towards you, there is no searching of them, you may go yet deeper and deeper, and find a ground for the increase of your love still; you love Relations, Husband, Wife, Children, and more for relation, then for any excellency in them: many times fond we are: O that we could be so fond of Jesus Christ! how sick of love was Rachel, yea sick to the death for children? and so is many a fond mother; O we cannot live without them: Ah how few are thus sick of love to Jesus Christ! well, lobour to love him, and to this end.

First, Labor to present the Lord and Jesus Christas most lovely to thee; while thou entertainest hard thoughts of Jesus Christ, thou canst not love him; if thou thinkest thus with thyself, I would fain have him, but he is not willing to have me; if thou look upon him as rigorous and cruel, and one that delights in your blood, it is impossible that you should love him: O no, labor to present him to yourselves, as one whose bowels are continually yearning over poor souls, poor sinners, one full of compassions, full of mercy and tenderness: he desires not the death of a sinner; the Lord Jesus Brethren, is altogether lovely; it is true for his holiness, his purity, as well as his grace and mercy: but this is that which most moveth to love, at least while we are under weakness, it is an high pitch to love him for the beauty of Holiness that is in him. Think often then seriously upon it, what dear thoughts the Lord Jesus had to poor sinners; that rather then they should perish, he would interpose between them and the everlasting burnings, though be were sorely scorched for it; O will not this draw love! look upon him with his precious blood trickling down, and one drop overtaking another; O what haste did love make! O how lavish was his love! he would not spare any pains, any travel of soul, that sinners might live; and can you but love him then? O what an heart must that creature have, that can look upon the Lord Jesus wrestling with strongest wrath of his Father, so that he needed the Ministry of Angels at that time, and yet not love him? try, see whether such considerations as these will not heighten your love to him? we complain of want of love; Brethren, we cannot love a thing we know not, or that we consider not: see then if you do not find still some new beauty in him, for which you should love him yet the more.

Secondly, Let it be much upon your hearts, how much he hath forgiven thee. Alas saith the poor soul, if I knew that, that my sins were forgiven, I should love him indeed abundantly: It may be thou hast not a full persuasion of it; but hast thou not a good hope through Grace? and such a lively hope, as setteth a working out the scum, the pollution of thy heart more and more? Is not this cause of great love to him? why, he hath not left thee to sink in despair, and perish: O how much did that sinner love him! because he had forgiven her much, therefore she loved much. Dear friends, could this be, think you, without her heart dwelt upon this consideration? it was fresh upon her spirit: O the more she considered it, the more apparent were the riches of Grace towards her: O so many Devils cast out of me! would the Lord Jesus have such precious thoughts toward such a wretch as I? what, an Harlot, a filthy, unclean wretch, and would he think upon me? and pitch his love upon me? and pass by many others that had it may be but one devil, and make love to me that had seven? O she could not hold; her bowels within her were ready to break; she must love him, she must hang upon him, even upon his feet; she must wash him with her tears, and wipe them with the hairs of her head; though before as harlots use to do, she had been much in tricking and trimming her head, yet now they shall be dishrifled, and now they shall be a Towel to wipe the feet of Jesus Christ: O here is love! kiss his feet, if she may not kiss his lips, and blessed soul that had such an heart given her! Now Brethren, consider this, have not some of us had seven devils, have there not been seven abominations in our hearts? O it may be, we have been fornicators, adulterers, filthy unclean wretches, as vile wretches as ever breathed; now consider this often, is it so indeed? hath the Lord looked upon such as we have been, pitched his love upon the vilest of us, and to make us so nigh to himself, and shall we not love him? O where are such workings of love towards the Lord Jesus, as that poor woman manifested! our hearts are dead and dry: So the Apostle Paul, His love of Christ constrained him; O he was the chief of Sinners, and the Lord did so eminently save him, and call him out of darkness, when he was in the very height of his wickedness, that then mercy should • eet with him! that then a pardon should descend from heaven, when he was fighting and rebelling against heaven! and he should be conquered by the love of Christ, whose heart was full of blood against him! O this lying upon his spirit, did indear his soul to Jesus Christ. Ah dear Friends, I beseech you consider this; some of us sure, that hear this, this day, our hearts do tell us, we have been the chief of sinners, never viler then we: and hath the Lord met with us? not as an enemy, but poured out upon us such a stream of love, as we could no longer withstand it? and yet do we not love him accordingly? O labor to grow in love to Jesus Christ!

Thirdly, Mind the particular experiences thou hast had of his love and tenderness to thee. So the Psalmist, I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice; when he was in distress, then he cried to the Lord, and he heard him, therefore he would love him; how many deliverances hath the Lord wrought particularly for us? specially he hath kept us from sinning such a time, and such a time, so that thou didst not go on to the wounding of thy conscience, the dishonor of his name, and wilt thou not therefore love him? O dear friends, how often hath he shaken the rod over thee, and yet hath spared, and canst thou not love him? yea, though a child thinks the rod cannot stand with love, yet when he cometh to lay away childish thoughts, and to understand as a man, he loveth his father so much the more, that he hath chastened him, and not suffered him to take the way of his own heart; so should it be in this case. But consider, how many sweet experiences hast thou had of his love? which it may be many a poor creature would have given a world for one of them; many a kiss of his lips: thou scarce ever appearest before him, but thou hast a smile from him, some refreshing, some melting; doth not this indear thy heart? consider these things; there is many a poor child of God, that scarce ever findeth such sensible refreshings, and yet hang upon him, and loveth him; and O it is pure love indeed, when we hang upon him, though he frown upon us, though he seem to shake us off, not to heed us nor regard us; yet our souls it may be are sick of love for him, we must follow him still. But thou that hast such fore-draughts of his love sometimes, yea many times, O the remembrance of these me thinks should much increase love to him. Now this is of very great moment, for it will make us more abundant in the work of the Lord, and with much more ease it will come off: Paul labored more abundantly then they all, and it was nothing to him, O he loved much; and so it will be with us if we could get our hearts to it. What was it think you, that carried our Savior so cheerfully through all his travels, and griefs, and slightings of men? O it was his love, nothing is hard to love, therefore labor to be like-minded, to grow in love to the Lord Jesus.

But secondly, To grow in love one towards another, this is matter of rejoicing to the faithful over-seers of the Church of Christ, we are bound to thank God always for you Brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity, or love of everyone of you all toward each other aboundeth. So again, as touching brotherly love, you have no need that I write unto you, for ye are taught of God to love one another, and ye do the same thing to all the Brethren which are in all Ma • edonia, but we beseech you Brethren to abound more and more; you have it in that place of the Apostle to the Corinthians, that to be full of contention and dividing zeal, is a sign, not of growth, but childishness. I am of Paul, and I am of Apollo, and I am of Cephas, and I am of Christ; are you not carnal? that is to say, I could not write to you as spiritual, as grown men, but as carnal, as unto babes in Christ, such in whom the flesh did much prevail; surely Brethren, the way of love is the edifying-way, and therefore the body is said to edify itself in love; knowledge puffeth up, and from that pride cometh contention, as the wise man speaks; but love edifies. O how would the Church grow, and the Saints grow, if all the heat, and zeal, and pains which is laid out in maintaining breaches, factions, separations one from another, did all run in one stream to build up one another in our most holy faith, to make that our business? It is sweet when the members have that care one of another, that out of a pure spirit of love to consider one another, to provoke to love and to good works: Now if there be rents and schisms in the body, there will not be that • are one of another, and therefore no marvel if the Apostle note such, nigro carbone, mark them that caused divisions contrary to the Doctrine that you have received, and avoid them, set a cross upon their doors, have no fellowship with them. You know in the body, if there be a breach, a dismembering of the body, or some members out of joint, or fearful wounds, there is a grief of the spirit, and the growth is hindered: So it is in this case, when the Churches walked together with singleness of heart, then were they multiplied, then they prospered and increased indeed; the Holy-Ghost is grieved with bitterness, and wrath, and anger: when the Sea was divided for Israel to pass through, it was weakened, but when the waters were united again, they are said to return to their strength; so when the waters run in one Channel, which is love, O how strong is the Church of Christ! it groweth mightily then, then the Egyptians, the enemies of Israel are drowned in it; but so many fractions, so many streams, it being divided into each of them, is easily passable by the enemies: the Lord give a Spirit of love. O if there were but more love in Ministers to people, how would they do more then they do? or at least, in another manner then they do. And so in people, if they would be more earnest for their Ministers then they are; therefore if we would grow indeed, labor to grow in love to all the Saints, wherever indeed the image of Christ is, and to love them with a pure heart, unfeignedly, as the Apostle saith.

Fourthly, To grow in humility, to grow downward, to be willing to decrease, so the Lord Jesus may increase. Ah Brethren, if we were put to it, it may be we should find it very hard to be laid aside (as I may say) as David was to the building of the Temple, because he was such a man of blood; or as Moses was for his unbelief at the waters of strife. O the daily working this upon our hearts, what we were, and what we are, through grace in Jesus Christ; what infinite riches of grace is manifested to the vilest of sinners; this will make us lie low before him; but enough of this before.

Fifthly, In mercy, in bowels and compassions to persons in necessity and distress; O be ye merciful as your heavenly Father is merciful, take him for o •• pattern, and there will be continual room for growth and increase. So the Apostle exhorts the Corinthians, that as they abounded in other graces, so they would labor to abound in this also. Ah where are bowels, Brethren, towards one another's souls? with what tenderness did the Apostle stand over the souls of those poor people, warning them day and night with tears? And our Savior over Jerusalem; now I tell you again weeping, saith the Apostle. O that God would give such a heart to us, and such a heart to his people! indeed there is little tenderness and bowels one towards another, little pitying one another while under temptation; we can rather raise our hearts one against another, stomach one another, entertain prejudice one against another upon this account; but a spirit of meekness, and love, and tenderness, in restoring, setting one another in joint, if we be fallen, is not found among us, or very little: O labor to grow here, and then to abound in works of mercy, to give, and give much, liberally, and do it with a tender heart, an upright heart, out of obedience to God, not for ostentation.

But fifthly, Labor to grow in softness of heart, to see the stone wasting day by day. I do not mean by softness of heart, only an aptness to melt into tears, for many an one may have a soft heart, that cannot weep at all, though most dispositions are apt to it: and where it is, it is a sweet expression of the heart towards Christ often-times; though I must tell you, there may be much of this, and yet much hardness of heart; many tears shed, and it may be upon the consideration of sin, and yet the heart hard to this day; the softness of the heart, Brethren, lies most what in the plyableness and yielding of the spirit to God, when we are ready to do all the will of God; as David, I have found David my servant, one that will do all my will; that is ready to say, speak Lord for thy servant heareth, Lord what wouldst thou have me to do? Now alas, there is many a wretched heart, that it may be under a passion, weeping at the apprehension of sin, and yet go away and return to it again and again; the heart is not pliable, but stubborn: wherein did lie the hardness of Pharaohs heart? it lay in this, that he would not hearken to the Lord, nor let Israel go, though he had had so many judgments, and so many deliverances, yet all would not soften his heart; no, the iron sinews in his stiff neck, they remained such still, though sometimes he seemed to relent, yet alas, no sooner the hand was off, but the heart was more hard then before, he strouted it out, and would not yield to let Israel go. So when the Lord heapeth mercy upon mercy to melt out the s • one in the heart, to make it like wax to the fire, to the mould, to be put into a fashion, and it may be sometimes it draweth a few tears from the eyes, but the heart is never the more pliable to God. And so he cometh with rod upon rod, blow after blow, and yet doth it gently, and all to foften and make the poor creature more pliable to him; it affecteth a little sometimes, but is not the heart as stubborn, as unteachable, as far from yielding to God in all things as before? O this is the softness; as a piece of joyners work, it is all glued together, one part to another. Now then it is dissolved and broken, when the glue, the solder is melted, and one piece falls from another; so it is here, our hearts and their sinful objects are glued together by carnal affections; now then the heart is said to be broken to a softness, when these affections are dissolved, when our hearts and our objects of sin fall asunder each from the other; labor to grow herein, Brethren.

Sixthly, To be more spiritual in holy duties, more inward in our Communion with God; you have heard this spoken to in the trial. O labor then to grow in spiritualness, in prayer, to pray with more faith, with more fervency, with more purity of heart, not to ask anything to spend it upon our lusts. In meditation to keep closer to it without distraction, and so to read, to hear, to do all these duties in a better manner: but enough of this already.

Seventhly, In your holy walking with God, and with yourselves; as the Apostle saith, we be seech you Brethren, by the Lord Jesus, that as you have received of us how ye ought to walk and please God, so you abound more and more; when a man walks with God always, setteth the Lord as before his face, as the Psalmist speaks, then he will be able to walk pleasingly to him, when by faith he seeth him that is invisible, that is to say, God to be present with him, and knoweth him, to ponder his ways; O how eareful shall we be then of our thoughts, as well as of our words and actions! and this we do by faith, believing his presence with us, and his all-seeing eye to be upon us still, upon our hearts, and all their workings; according to the prevailing of these persuasions, and the constancy of them upon our spirits, will our ways be ordered: such a man will not dare to harbor vain thoughts in his heart, though they will rudely rush in, as a ruffian may rudely offer violence to a chaste Matron, she will not endure it; so it is here, O no, I dare not: as Joseph you see; and then walking with ourselves by more and more restection upon ourselves, upon our actions, our ways: the very truth is, the want of this is the great cause we grow so little, or if we do, that we can take so little comfort in it; herein lies the excellency and glory of a man above a beast, that he can recoyl upon his own actions, therefore labor to improve this. O be more in it, reproving yourselves when you find you have done amiss, whip those vain thoughts which pass through your souls, and give them their Pass; exhort yourselves, stir up yourselves, comfort and cheer yourselves in your God, which you cannot do, except you be much in this part of an holy walking, even reflecting upon yourselves and your own state.

Eighthly and lastly, that I shall speak to, shall be this, To labor to grow more and more in that assurance of your relative grace; your adoption, the growth and other grace, its true is a great help unto it, but labor to improve it to that end: how cheerfully might many a poor soul walk, if they did but know the things which are freely given them of God? O beg the Spirit to be a witnessing, a sealing-spirit to you more and more. And do the same diligence, saith the Apostle, to the full assurance of hope unto the end; we do content ourselves with a hope-well, which we ought not to do; we should strive to this of Thomas, My Lord, my God; my beloved is mine and I am his; canst thou say so upon good grounds? thou mayst be a justified and a sanctified person, which is done by the direct act of faith, which is acted upon the Word of Promise, and Christ in that Promise, which the poor soul doth close with, taking Christ for better for worse; but now this is by the reflect act of faith, and is grounded upon experience of our own condition ordinarily. I see, I feel, that I do believe, that I have chosen the Lord Jesus for my portion, and therefore he is mine and I am his; I have many sealings of his love to me, many kisses of his lips, it is given to me to believe, to be upright with him, I can approve my soul to him as Peter, Lord thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee; thus the soul by laying up those experiences that it hath of God and laying them together, doth from all come (through grace) to be able to conclude, that the Lord Jesus is his, to a full assurance of hope and faith; and what an heaven upon earth is this? Well, labor after it, though your conditions may be safe without it, yet not so comfortable to yourselves, nor so honorable to him, nor so profitable likely to others, all which considerations, if well weighed and improved, I presume are motives enough to it.

You have the first thing in this general Exhortation, and that is, wherein we are to labor, to grow and increase. Now for the Motives in a few particulars; and truly the first shall be that in the very Text, we must labor for it, because he hath promised it; therefore we must pray for it, and use all other means, for prayer is one, as afterward we shall speak; God had promised he would bring Israel into Canaan, but they must fight for it first, to dispossess the Canaanites: and so he promiseth health and strength to his people as choice mercies, but they must eat, and drink, and use Physic as often as occasion serveth; and it is an encouragement so to do, because God hath promised us those things so far as good for us, therefore use the means; he promiseth fruitfulness to the earth; what, shall the plough-man therefore cast the plough in the hedge and never strike stroke? it is true, if God bid them stand still, and only see the salvation of God, it is somewhat, else they must work, and serve providence in the use of means; so here it is promised, O, saith the Apostle, work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is he that worketh: Labor to be more spiritual in prayer, to grow therein, for it is his Spirit that beareth the heavier end of the burden, he helpeth our infirmities; let this be an encouragement to stir up our souls to it, because it is promised; think not Brethren, it is enough to sit still, and wait when this will fall into your mouths, or that an idle complaining will do it; no, no, you must be up and doing, and laboring to use the means, and the more, because he hath promised.

Secondly, Every man would grow and come on in other things, therefore we should much more labor to grow in the best things; you would yourselves, and have your children come on and thrive in body, you think their meat is not well bestowed, (as we use to say) if they should not prosper at all, but should devour, like Pharaohs lean kine, and be never the fatter; you would grow in your names, and in your estates, and every man would be adding bag to bag, house to house, land to land, and here they never think they are come to a full growth. O that the Lord would but make you half so dilgent in taking half the pains to grow in grace, as they do that grow in the world, how should we prosper? It is observable, that the Apostle saith of Gaius that good man, he wisheth he may prosper, even as his soul prospereth; it seemeth the good man, his inward man was renewed, though haply his estate or his body might wax old and decay, yet his soul prospered, and he maketh that a pattern of the prosperity of his outward man; may we not say on the other hand, O that your souls did prosper, even as your bodies prosper? You are fat and flourishing, and feed yourselves without fear, much pampering of the flesh, but the poor soul, O how lean, and thin, and consumpsit it is? what fat purses, and lean souls? Brethren, whatever you profess while it is thus, I must tell you there is much preposterousness in your endeavors, that all this ado should be made for a lump of clay, and the soul, the precious soul, the price of the blood of Jesus Christ neglected; men can rise at midnight, and with end • to follow their business, set it forward, if need so require, and other occasions, &c. O if we could be persuaded to use but the like diligence for the soul upon the like occasion.

Thirdly, Consider, if you grow not, you decline; either you increase or decrease, either you ebb or flow, wax or wain, for it is like a man that rows against the stream, if he go not forward, he is carried backward. So it is here, we have a stream of lusts to row against, and if we go not forward, be sure we go backward, and therefore if you observe it, the Apostle doth threaten the Hebrews upon this account (because they went not forward) with Apostasy, they were in danger of falling away quite from God that go not forward, therefore consider this seriously, and surely it will put us on to look to our growth; there is not an Ordinance wherein we appear before the Lord, but either we soften or harden, we get something or lose something by it, it returneth not in vain, not the Word, nor any other appointment of his.

Fourthly, Another shall be this, we cannot else withstand enemies, bear crosses; alas, a child is over-born by a touch, he cannot withstand a potent enemy, therefore we must labor to be strong men, whom resist, saith the Apostle, steadfast in the faith; there is no stedfastness but by faith, nor any resisting but by this stedfastness; if we give ground, the Devil will pursue the victory, if we turn our backs upon him; now we cannot keep our ground except there be some strength. Its true, every child of God is born with his armor on him, as is fabled of the race of those Giants; so the Saints have their breast-plate of faith to keep the heart, and the shield to preserve the body, but as they grow in strength, so are they able to wield their shield, yea it groweth stronger and more able to bear off a blow. Alas, our Savior saw his Disciples were not able to bear a temptation at that time, John 18. 8. therefore, let them go, saith he, to them that sought for him, if ye seek me; let these go; as yet they were not grown to that stedfastness; but now, what if the Lord should for holy ends give Satan liberty to sift thee to the very bran, and thy faith be weak? O what sad work will there be then in thy soul? therefore our Savior prayed, that Peters faith should not fail him; but yet you see how near it was, and what it cost him; and so except we be grown in wisdom and understanding, we shall be ignorant of his devices; and he will take us alive at his pleasure, because we know not where he will have us, nor what his methods of deceiving are, that there we might watch. And so for crosses, it is not a child can bear the cross, specially if great; some little affliction they may bear, as you see our Savior did train up his Disciples to it by degrees: at first only they threatened them, and charged them not to preach in that name of Jesus Christ; then afterwards, when by that experience of the power of God with them, they were somewhat grown, then they were scourged and imprisoned, and as strength grew, so afflictions grew: we are not able to suffer much for Christ: while our faith is weak, our love is small, our patience inconsiderable, therefore we must labor to grow in every grace of the Spirit.

Fifthly, Because the stronger our graces are, the more discernible they will be; this was hinted before in the arguments of the point, and this will put an end to many sad complaints that a child of God maketh concerning himself, when his grace becometh more visible, not only to others, but to himself, by reason of the greatness of it, and the Spirit of God shining upon it to discover it. O how comfortable may such an one walk!

Sixthly, Consider the end of all the Ministry and Ordinances God hath given, it is for our growth, as in that place, therefore he gave some Apostles, some Evangelists, same Pastors, for the edifying of the body of Christ; now, hath the Lord been at all this pains, rising up early, and sending messengers upon messengers, one after another, and pouring out the gifts of the Spirit, to befit them for that work, and all to build us up, and yet we are children and dwarfs? What a shame is this to us, and what a grief is this to God? and is not this the way to make him repent of the good he hath done unto us, and to withdraw them?

Seventhly, A very hypocrite, Brethren, may grow in some things, and therefore we had need look to it, to go beyond them in our growth; an hypocrite may grow in parts and gifts, may learn to pray and preach most plausibly; may make long prayers, with those hypocrites, though they grow not inwardly at all, therefore take heed of sticking here: or because thou growest more civilly, escapest the pollutions of the world, and yet alas, art the same in disposition, a swine in nature; yea, there may be a growing in assent to the truth, such a saith as the Devils have, which maketh them tremble, and some kind of affection too, as Herod had; but by how much we see there is danger of being deceived, by so much the more narrowly we had need to look to it, that we grow there, where there is no deceit; grow in the spiritualness of service and duty, in that of self-denial, humility, and saving-faith, and love.

Eighthly, Wicked men grow worse and worse, and why should not we grow better and better? Shall Satan's Kingdom so increase and grow strong, and shall not the Kingdom of Jesus Christ grow stronger also? how much the more need had we to stir up ourselves in this respect, considering how many grow worse and worse?

Ninthly, The stronger we grow in the habits of grace, the more easy will our acting of grace be to us; we come off so hard with a duty, as with prayer, or the like; what is the reason? but because we are so weak in the Grace of prayer, so unacquainted with it: O how a man delights to do the things which he is befitted for, and habituated to! O how quickly are some men's spirits up in duty, like tinder to the fire of the Spirit; or like the spirits of wine or oil, quickly fired: therefore God would have the fat offered up, it would quickly take fire; and when our services come off with delight and cheerfulness, then the Lord is pleased with it; so you see, They rejoiced they were counted worthy to suffer for the Name of Christ; and yet a little before, were so weak, that they all forsook him; what a difference is here? and so they rejoiced that God had given them such a willing heart to lay out themselves upon the Temple, to build an House to the Name of God; when a man's love and mercy is weak, what he giveth, it cometh hardly from him, like drops of blood (as we say) but afterward he can freely, willingly empty his purse for Christ's sake; this is one way Brethren, to make the Commands of God not so grievous to us, as they seem to be, until we be thus grown.

Again, We must grow to our pitch, before we can enter into the kingdom: Mat. 18. 3, &c. Therefore upon all these considerations, let us be exhorted to make it our business to improve, to grow, to wax stronger and stronger day by day; But thus much for the Motives.

For Helps, that will be the next enquiry what we should do to grow in Grace; since it is so necessary a work lying upon us all? And I might speak distinctly, First, To the Grace which is inherent in us, wherein our holiness consisteth; and Secondly, That wherein our comfort consisteth, even the knowledge of our relative state to God; But the main thing is that holiness, those several Graces of the Spirit, each whereof shining with its own luster, and yet by the symmetry and conjunction with the rest, make up the perfect beauty of Holiness.

First then in general, If thou wouldst grow indeed, and art in good earnest in this matter, thou must exercise Grace, if thou wouldst grow; what a rich treasury is that of the Mind, above that of a man's Che • t? the more he useth of the one, the more he hath; the more he useth of the other, the less he hath. How did the Talent increase but with the using? that is signified, by putting them out to the Changers; and so the Talent or Pound gained five Talents, or ten; therefore it is observed by so me, that the Scripture in commanding or requiring any Grace of us, doth directly and immediately command the Acts and the Habits obliquely, as the Fountain to the Stream: So Baxter saith. The way to get away our indisposedness to Prayer, saith Luther, is to pray it away: exercise that Grace according to the ability given, and thou shalt find it grow: it is much to be preferred before an idle complaining, a diligent soul that is up and doing; thou findest thy Faith is weak, it may be thou canst scarce call it anything, but unbelief: labor to act it, put it forth often: the nature of it lies in the souls sincere willingness to take Jesus Christ, to have him for a Savior and Lord, to save from iniquites, as well as from the condemnation of sin now, though weakly put forth, the acts of willing Jesus Christ, as he hath offered himself, and thou shalt find it will grow: often be rolling thyself and thy burden, poor burdened soul upon the Lord Jesus: cast thyself upon him, and thou shalt find as much rest in it for the present, so also an increase of faith, and a feeling also, that thou dost believe after a time. And so for other things: alas, is there a day that goeth over our heads, but there is use for Faith? it is the very life of a Christian: The life I now live, I live by the Faith of the Son of God; and therefore as much need of the exercise of it daily, as of any vital acts whatsoever; and you shall find, you have occasions for it, either some temptations from your own hearts, some corruptions stirring and disquieting your peace, or some scourgings from without, some buffetings of Satan, some deadness and security growing upon you daily: O there is daily need of acting Faith, as there is to eat and drink; therefore Israel, their Manna was their daily food; and if they were daily stung, they must daily look up to the Serpent; and which of us is not? though you have a Lamp lighted; Brethren, There was enery morning daily a triming of the Lamps of the Sanctuary, and pouring oil into them afresh: you know, they will not continue, but go out in obscure darkness, except there be a feeding of them with oil; this we may do, and this we ought to do; and indeed, a man that exerciseth not his Grace, is, as if he had none; neither hath the strength, nor the comfort of his Grace; for Habits are for Acts, and then Acts strengthen the Habits again. The Learned Aristotle said, A wise man differed nothing from a fool, if he exercised not his wisdom; and saith the Wiseman, Even a fool, when he holds his peace, is counted wise; the Act is that chiefly commanded, and that chiefly rewarded of God; the exercising of Grace, and that whereby it groweth, which is the main thing here I mind: Hath not every day its evil sufficient to it? now if faith • e not upon the wing, what a condition is that soul in? therefore exercise it: use legs, and have legs And so for love; put it forth, exercise it toward the Lord Jesus daily, and toward his people, that is the way to grow. Brethren, how do benumbed limbs that have no feeling nor strength, gather strength, but by rubbing, and chasing, and exercising of them? though a man's legs be so benumbed, falling for a step or two, he can scarce set them to the ground, yet use them a little, and they will come to themselves again: If Merchants money lie still, it is a dead thing, it increaseth not; but they must turn it up and down, and return it, use it, and exercise their trade with it, and it groweth. And truly I am persuaded, it is the great reason we are many of us so weak as we are, we lie complaining and making sad moan before the Lord of our weakness, and yet are careless in the exercise of the Grace wherein we pretend we would grow: The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labor; we may mourn ourselves away off our legs, and spend our days in lamentable complainings, and shall never be the better, except we put forth into act, what we have already received; if we be not faithful in trading with a little, will he give us more? action and motion increase heat: if you see a poor creature lie starving, ready to perish for want of fire, his legs are stiff, cannot hardly move them, is that the way to help him? no, up to the fire, up, and exercise your limbs, rub them, chafe them, if you would get heat and agility into them.

Secondly, See to it, that we exercise one as well as another: for there is such a sweet harmony and dependency of the Graces one upon another, that they do one strengthen another; the acts of our Graces, do, (as I may say) co-operate, and sweetly conspire to the promoting one of another, (that is to say) of the acts, and these acts then strengthen the habits. As for instance, you see in an Arch, one stone strengthens another, take away one of them, and all the rest are ready to fall upon your head; and therefore the Apostle exhorts so earnestly, That they should add to Faith, Temperance, &c. not as if they could add one habit to another, for they are infused together, but the acts are to be added one to another; For if ye do these things, (saith the Apostle) then ye shall not be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ: yea, you shall never fall: yea, you shall have an abundant entrance into the everlasting kingdom; The strength of a building, you know, lies not in the strength of one piece, but in the due compacting of it, and joining part to his part; if there be never so strong beams, if the other parts be weak, the rafters, the wall-plates, or such considerable pieces, and not well joined together, the building is weak, and will easily fall: therefore if you would be strong, and grow indeed, look that we exercise all the Graces of the Spirit we have already received; not only Faith, nor only Love, nor only Humility, nor only Self-denial, but all: labor to act them all: and Temperance, and Heavenly-mindedness, &c. and you shall find, that as each Grace doth grow by the exercising of itself, so by the exercising of them all; they will have a mutual influence each upon the other, to strengthen one another: the act of Faith will strengthen the acting of love, and that will strengthen faith again, and so for the rest.

Thirdly, If you would grow in Grace, You must be much in prayer: for a man of much Prayer, is a man of much Grace, and therefore the Prophet puts them both together: He will pour out the Spirit of Grace and Supplication. And so the Apostle Jude, But you Beloved, building up yourselves in your most holy Faith, praying in the Holy Ghost: and there is the like reason for building up ourselves in any other Grace: praying by the Spirit of God, is the way you see, to grow in Grace: there is very great reason that Prayer should be a great means of increasing Grace. First, Because in Prayer, there is the greatest exercising of Grace, of all Grace usually, of any other service we do to God: there our repentance is exercised, for you always find the Saints in drawing nigh to God: David, and Ezra, and others, that still they begin with bewailing their iniquities, expressing their sorrow for them: because no man was to appear before. God, but with pure hands, and pure feet; and therefore since we gather soil continually, there is need of acknowledging our iniquities, and then he is faithful and just to forgive them; there is the exercise of Faith, if anywhere, else that is it whereby we wrestle with God in Prayer; Prayer is indeed a wrestling with God, as Jacob, it was his faith whereby he overcame, and got the blessing; a man must pray in Faith, else it is nothing worth at all; God accepteth no service, but where there is Faith mixed; there is Love exercised toward God, and to his people; we go to him, it is an acting of our desire toward him, our delight in his presence, and love to his Saints, when we can pray feelingly for them: And so Humility: O saith Abraham, Who am I, dust and ashes? And Jacob, I am less then the least of thy mercies; In a word, all the Graces are set awork in prayer, that is a working prayer indeed; our thankfulness and all our supplications in all things are to be made known, &c. Every wheel is set a going in the soul, if it be 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 an effectual prayer; and therefore by the exercises of the Graces they are increased; do you think that by acting Faith upon the Promises, pleading them? (as Jacob did) Thou saidst thou wouldst do me good, &c. and so in many other places: Remember thy Word to thy Servant, whereupon thou hast caused me to hope: (saith the Psalmist) That this doth not increase Faith, and so the acting of Love: increase it therefore. Luther, a man of much Prayer, was a man of much Grace, of much Courage, and Zeal, and Faith, and Diligence in the Service of God. And that famous Servant of God, Mr. Bolton, It is said of him, that six times a day he prayed: and so others: observe it when you will, where you see a growing Christian indeed, follow him to his Closet, you shall find that man a man of much prayer; So David, and Daniel, &c.

But Secondly, There is another reason for it: Because Prayer doth carry the soul to a nearer communion with God: O it is the gaining acquaintance with God; acquaint thyself with God, that thou mayst have peace with him, and thou shalt have prosperity: and therefore when Job discovered such weakness in his impatiency, saith that friend of his, Surely thou restrainect prayer from the Almighty; if thou didst maintain communion with God, it would not be thus with thee. Now whither should we go with empty vessels, but to the fountain? whither should poor, weak, wounded, lame, feeble creatures go, but to him that hath all power to heal and strengthen them? God hath treasures of grace, it is true, and he is not streighthearted, he giveth liberally; but the treasury is locked, and prayer is the key, and faith the hand that turns it; we must to the treasury, if we would be rich in grace, rich in faith, and heirs of the Kingdom; which of us would be poor, if we had a warrant to go to the Treasury, to fetch what we please? O what pains would there be, the Treasurer should have employment enough: if God would but persuade us it is so in this case, we should visit him more, the great Treasurer of heaven, the Lord Jesus, in whom all treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hid; yea, and of faith and all grace, for of his fullness we receive grace for grace. O how would we ply him, give him no rest, he would have much more of our company, but that we have slight persuasions of these things, and make use of prayer as a duty and a task many of us, and not a singular means of improving our graces: Brethren, were we but as much in Communion with God as David, we might have the strength of David; it is but ask and have, knock and it shall be opened; the Spirit which works all this, will not be denied, if you ask, and ask not amiss, as you heard lately. God will expend willingly his treasures of grace upon us, and pour out the fullness of his Spirit upon us, but he will be inquired of for these things.

Well then, if we would grow in grace, we must be much in prayer; I do believe some of us can speak it but too experimentally, that when we have found corruptions prevail, and ourselves foiled and brought under, this hath been the reason, we have restrained prayer from the Almighty; either we have neglected this duty, or else we have been slight and slubbering, shuffled it, if not out of doors, yet to the very door; and generally observe it, we can more easily find time for anything then for prayer, every other business hath its hours to attend upon, but if anything be neglected, it must be prayer, or else posted over. Whereas, alas, it would no more hinder our business then our meal-times do, which must be had: and I know, Brethren, that some of us are able to say it, that we have seen when the prospering presence of the Lord hath been with us, we have come on more, and done more in a short time, then at another time, in many times as long a time; and yet so wretched hearts we have, that we content ourselves with anything in this duty, if we appear before the Lord, we think it is enough; we do not strive unto prayer, and watch unto prayer, and labor by blowing the green wood, that will hardly kindle, to get it on a flame, before we go out of his presence. O Jacob would not let him go without a blessing: Brethren, in what a sad manner do we many times rise off our knees, with our hearts further off from God then we came: is this to obtain a blessing? no, no; we must take pains in this work, if we would grow: the Lord persuade our hearts.

Alas, you will say, you have prayed, and prayed, and yet for ought you can perceive, you grow not: To this I might answer many things.

First, Dost thou find that hereby thou never gettest thy heart in a better frame? art thou never wrought up to some sweet frame of heart in respect of faith, and love, and humility? Why here is an improving, this is the main thing in prayer; when we can find our hearts wrought up to such a frame, it is the very growth itself in a great part, therefore thou art mistaken.

Secondly, If thou do not find it may be sometimes such warnings, and notwithstanding all the pains, thon hast sometimes been blowing at the coal, until thy arm ache with holding the bellows; and thy heart aches, and yet thou canst not get thy faith and thy affections into a frame, but thou art as dead and dull as before. Now in such a case observe it, dost thou not gain thus much by it, to have viler, lower thoughts of thyself, to see the necessity of an high-Priest the more feelingly; this humbleth, this emptyeth of self more, and is not this a growth in grace? Yea, and no small improvement.

But thirdly, If thou be put to wait for an answer, know, it is the excellency of faith to wait upon him, to hold out as the woman of Canaan. And Jacob wrestled all night with God. So Daniel, his answer cometh not as soon as he began to pray, but he must wait a while, he must go through with his duty, and afterwards the answer cometh; if the Lord give thee a heart to wait upon him, to hang upon him, not to give him over; Brethren, you are growing, and you are not aware of it, it is no easy matter to wait upon God. Alas, a poor sinner in a mood sometimes, and in a flash under a stirring Sermon, O he will go and pray, and if an answer come not presently, there is an end, it dieth; but a child of God, he waiteth upon God, he will have no nay, if he will not answer at one time, he will to it again and again; as Paul sought God thrice for the removing the Thorn, before he had an answer. And so Elias, seven times his servant was sent, and brought an answer of nothing appearing, and at last but a little cloud; and his prayer was fervent too, as appears by the story.

Fourthly, You must grow upon God, knock harder; if he come not at the first, cry louder, cry out so much the more; importunity will overcome him at the last; yea if by the delay of an answer, as thou thinkest, thou be kept praying, and more and more fervently; there is nothing, Brethren, wherein we more grow then in prayer itself, where the Lord exerciseth us with such occasions, as put us on to stir up all our strength to wrestle with him. Well, the Lord persuade our hearts to a diligence in this duty, for we are as averse from it as from any. O how our hearts do hang back? and if the Lord persuade us not, and by the invincible bonds of the Spirit, bind us close to it, we shall see by woeful experience, how quickly our slippery hearts will either shift themselves out of it, or else into a formality in the service.

Fifthly, Observe your answers also; take heed of being always complaining, as if we had received nothing, or were nothing grown, whereby God loseth the glory of what he hath done for us already, this is not the way to procure more, this is the way indeed to grieve God's Spirit, which is the Spirit of prayer; and then if he be grieved, we shall find a woeful declining in prayer, and then our growth will go on but very slowly. I beseech you pardon me for standing so much upon this point, to press it upon you, I know many of you cannot but see the necessity of it; and truly observe it, since these times of outward prosperity of the people of God, mind it in your own cases, lookers on may easily observe it, and since our hands have been so full of the world, if there be not a declining; and indeed I think (If I am mistaken, I should be glad to be mistaken) that this is the main thing wherein we are hurt, we are so upon hurries, and so thronged, our hearts, and heads, and hands so full of the world, that we cannot have those times and seasons to work our hearts up in this duty; it is sad when our hearts have most need of pains-taking with them, as in such cases they have, that we should find least time to do it in: What can become of this think you?

Fourthly, Another help to this growth in grace will be this; Conscientiously and diligently to use the Ordinances, all of them, as well as that of prayer; I speak to that particular, because it is of so general concernment, running along with all the rest, for sanctification of them to us. You heard before, that knowledge is the great means whereby our grace doth grow; it is conveyed through the understanding, the consent of the will to close with Christ, it is greater or lesser according to the apprehensions which the mind hath of Christ, of his goodness, his loveliness, the necessity of him, &c. therefore, grace and truth came by Jesus Christ, and whom beholding as in a glass, we are changed into his image; this glass, what is it but the Ordinances of God? O, how fat do men grow that fare deliciously every day? is there not great difference between feeding upon husks when the kernel is gone, and feeding upon the finest of the wheat? how quickly will the weakest man grow strong, feeding upon the one; and the strongest weak, when he feedeth upon the other? Alas, when it came to that, the Prodigal was almost beaten off his legs: Why the Ordinances of God, they are a feast, a feast of fat things, marrow and wines upon the less well-refined; in this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make to all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well-refined; What are these but the Ordinances of God? these are the green pastures and still waters, with these he promiseth to satiate the soul of the Priest with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the Lord: And my soul shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house, there it is; and in the 63. Psalm, the Psalmist longs after the enjoyment of God in his Ordinances, in his Sanctuary, O, saith he, my soul shall be satisfied with marrow and fatness: What can be said more, Brethren? Is not this the way to grow fat, to increase? and did not God give therefore Pastors and Teachers to dispence the Ordinances for the edifying of the body? in that place to the Ephesians. Well, but all this will not do, except we make use of these Ordinances; mind you, they are the fat things of the house of God, we must have them in the stall, in the coop, in the fold, in the house of God, that is to say, the Church of God, if we would flourish indeed; as the Psalmist speaks, they that are planted in the house of the Lord, shall flourish in the Courts of our God; and therefore the Spouse in the Canticles was so earnest, Shew me where thou feedest thy flocks, where thou makest them rest at noon: Alas, many poor Believers may be to seek where the Lord Jesus feedeth his flocks, specially in these days, wherein there are so many pretences to the way of Christianity, which is but one; but at least, me thinks this will follow from those Scriptures, that the house of the Lord, the Courts of his house is the Church of God; therefore we should inquire where the flocks are fed, that we may walk with them and among them, it is the way where the Lord Jesus is found then ordinarily; and indeed I do desire to pity such as yet cannot see this; but this is not all.

Secondly, There is the use and improvement of the Ordinances, which is much more necessary then the other; desire the sincere milk of the Word: milk, for sweetness and nourishing; and sincere, without mixture of error or human wisdom: Alas, Brethren, if we come not to it with desires, get our affections up when we come to it, and look not to it that we digest it when we have heard it, we are not likely to grow by it: Alas, alas, no marvel we are so lean in our souls some of us, as if God bad in heavy displeasure sent the curse upon us: what is the matter? we come to hear the Word, but with what affections? come reeking out of the World into it, with our heads, and hearts full of it: the stomach is full already, there is no room for the Word to take place in our hearts: and we are much for hearing, but digest but little. Ah Brethren, this meditation upon what we hear, we are all of us short in: that is the man that groweth indeed, as in the first Psalm, he shall flourish that meditates day and night: For my own part, I am persuaded, that upon a Sabbath-day, it is not so much how much we hear, to spend our whole time in it, that there is no time left for chewing upon it, for working it upon the heart by meditation: No plough-man would do so, think he never plougheth and soweth enough, and never maketh use of the harrowing. Alas, much of it is stolen away, he hath little increase; we go • ow out of the presence of God, and into the world again over head and ears, without any care to work the Word upon our souls; how can you expect to prosper in your souls? you may have fat purses, but you are like to have but lean souls, you digest not your meat; a Physician will tell you it is not how much you eat, but how much you digest, that tends to health and growth. And so for the other Ordinances of the Supper, there is meat indeed, and drink indeed; but do we look to it to improve that Ordinance for strengtheuing of faith, to get our graces up, our appetites up, our faith, our love upon the wing when we come, to act faith and love in the Ordinance, to draw from the Lord Jesus, to drink and drink abundantly? Alas, wisdom hath killed her beasts, and mixed her wine, and furnished her table among us; and we come indeed, but without wedding-garments many times, and without appetites, and so we are cast out, and instead of receiving Christ, more and more of him, we are more hardened, Satan entereth into some poor souls. Ah, no marvel then if they grow not in grace. If we had not the fat things of the house of God, Brethren, it were something, but the Lord hath not denied them to us, his table is richly furnished; the dainties are the same, though the Maidens that are sent forth now to call you are weak and unworthy, that should not derogate from the esteem of the feast; now what can we say for ourselves? if we will play with our meat, if we will not fall on when we come to it, if we matter not for digesting it, where Brethren, will the guilt lie? O be humbled for that we have neglected this salvation so much as we have done, though it may be we have not mist an opportunity, yet that we make no better use of them then we have done, that is the first step to a reformation of it: Do you think this were a pleasing carriage of a child, when he is poor, and lean, and ill-favored, his Father provideth a rich banquet, royal dainties for him, setteth them before him, entreateth him to fall on, he complains of his weakness and faintness, and yet will not eat; this is frowardness, it is not pleasing to God, who hath so richly provided for us; to hear his people complaining always of their weakness in faith, and weakness in love, and all graces of the Spirit; and though he hath provided such dainties for them in his Ordinances, as never eye saw, nor any tasted, but a Believer, and they might be fat and flourishing, if they were not wretchedly wanting to themselves; they complain, and complain, but never mind it; to eat, to feed, to improve the Ordinances for this their growth: I have spoken the more largely here, because I know, Brethren, I know it is our own wretched neglect of ourselves in this case, that is the great cause of our want of growth.

Fifthly, Another help shall be this, labor to get the distempers of your souls healed, that hinder your growth: it is impossible while a man hath a Woolf in his flesh, or a greedy wen that sucks all the nourishment from the body, that he should grow: Alas, everyone of us can best tell where our diseases are. Some have obstructions between the head and the heart, the passages are not opened, and so they grow indeed in the head, but the heart is poor, and dry, and withered, all notion, and no affection; how little affection have we the most of us? nothing answerable to what we apprehend of the riches of grace in Jesus Christ, all is not well with us, Brethren. Alas, how many of us have surfeited of the world and the comforts thereo • ? and so our appetites are lost to these dainties and fat things of the house of God, whereby we should grow up like Calves of the stall. O for Christ's sake, and as you love your souls, take heed of the world and love of it. Ah, we little know how close it sticks to us, and how indiscernably it insinuates itself upon us? It may be we consume all upon our lusts, make all we have received but a stepping-stone to raise our proud spirits upon; how apt we are to be admiring ourselves? this was well done, and that was well done by us: instead of admiring rich grace to such poor dust and ashes as we are; this dammeth up the fountain, Brethren, this provokes God to withdraw his Spirit, and presence, and alas, what can we do then? then we see what we are. Well, if we would grow, we must begin at the right end, we must labor to get these lusts that do prevail, down; if a child have such a disease as the Rickets, or some other disease upon it, you may give it all the nursing, and tending, and feeding that can be, it will never grow uniformly, but all runs into the head. It is in vain to complain of the want of growth, the way is to go to the Physician, get some prescription for the healing of the disease; and so we must look to it, Brethren, if any object come between the Lord Jesus and your hearts, and so interrupt the sweet and saving influences of Christ from you, you cannot grow; you see that shrubs in the Wilderness, that never see where good cometh, or plant a Tree or Plant in such a dark place where the Sun never cometh, but is kept off by this or that hindrance, it will not grow; and so under trees that shade the Sun, and keep the rain from the seed, most herbs will not grow; and so it is in this case; therefore look to this Brethren, in the name of Jesus Christ, as ever you hope to recover yourselves, and to grow indeed.

Sixthly, Labor to make special use of the promises of God, that particularly concern this matter; I know this is reducible to that former head of exercising-grace, and particularly the grace of faith, because this is a special object whereupon the act is to be exercised; but for orders sake, we shall put it distinctly by itself in this place; is this the grievance of thy soul indeed, that thou growest not? Why here is a rich Treasury in the promises, which if it were drawn out, cannot but much further our growth.

First then, search out these promises, they are many, I cannot give you them all, a taste I will, to help the weak; What a sweet promise is that in the first Psalm? look upon it as such, they shall be like the tree planted by the rivers of water; Brethren, nothing ordinarily kills trees more then drought, I think, and thus to have moisture with heat, they must needs grow and flourish; therefore in that place of Job, a tree, though cut down, yet through the scent of water it will sprout again: Now there is a sweet promise to that end; and so, they that are planted in the house of the Lord, they shall flourish; this in the Text, they shall go forth, (it is a promise) they shall grow up as Calves of the stall. And that in Hos. 14. 5. God will be as the dew unto Israel, and he shall grow up as the Lily, and spread his roots as Lebanon; grow in rootedness, and grow quickly, and grow in beauty and sweetness, the smell shall be as Lebanon; here the growth is set forth under that metaphor of a tree, or plant; the dew, you know, upon the mown grass, maketh it spring again, else it would wither; and the corn for a time as dead under the clod, yet the dew maketh it grow up; or as the corn that seemed to wither away, the dew refresheth it, and maketh it revive indeed. I will not burden your memories, take but one more, and that is in the Prophet Isaiah, to them that have no might he increaseth strength, and he giveth power to them that faint; to them that have no mights, the original is very emphatical, the plural with the Hebrews, as some note, when it is affirmative, setteth forth the abundancy, the eminency or excellency of any quaility or virtue, as wisdoms for wisdom, in many places in the Proverbs; that is to say, the most excellent wisdom or abundance. So in the negative, it often signifieth the great want in an eminent degree of such or such a qualification, as here, such as have no strength; that is to say, very little, none at all, such as faint and languish, then you know strength is very little. So again, they are a people of no understandings, in the plural number; and again, there is no safety, or salvation, or deliverance wrought in the earth: there is no deliverance at all: the meaning is not, there are not many deliverances, but there is not any at all; and so here, such as have no mights it is in the Original, and we read such as have no might. Alas they have no strength, to those he will increase might. Now I say, gather together such promises as these.

Secondly, Not only so, but dwell upon them in your thoughts; it may be at the first or second sight of them, there will be little arising to the soul from them, but you must dwell upon them, as the Be doth, that will not off the flower until she hath gotten some sweetness from it; So do you, make these promises the object of your meditation: can you have anything sweeter to meditate upon then a promise in such a condition as this is? Sure David, when he meditated upon the Word of God, and his meditations were sweet to him, were not only the commands but the promises: these indeed are the honey-suckles to dwell upon; these you shall find much refreshing in: break the bones if you would have the marrow in them. You will not be able at first to find the depth of these promises, to apprehend the fullness of them, except you dwell upon them, and then you can never further improve them to your comfort.

Thirdly, More then this, you must • ay your mouths to them; these are the breasts of consolations; if the child will have anything, he must draw, and draw hard sometimes, and the mother is fain to help in some cases to press it down too, & all little enough; the child is pleased and taken to see the breast, but this will not feed nor nourish; no more will our beholding the promises, except we suck, and suck strongly; and the Spirit of Jesus Christ is ready, Brethren, to press those breasts, to make them give down their milk, their sweetness and fatness to us, specially in prayer before the Lord; take the promises that concern this condition of yours, tell him he hath been pleased to make such gracious promises; he was free, and might have been so still if he had pleased, but now he hath engaged himself to give strength to them that have no might; and Lord, here is a poor soul that hath no might, no strength; I am in a poor, lean, faint, languishing condition, wilt thou not make good thy Word to thy poor creature? thou hast caused me to hope upon this Word, thou hast put the breast into my mouth, or at least thou hast shown it thy poor creature, and wilt thou not make it give down its sweetness to me? O make good thy Word to thy poor creature. Lord I am in a declining condition, I am even withering, and lose of my greenness, growing yellow, or that which thou hast done for me lies under the clods; thou hast promised to be as the dew unto Israel, wilt thou not make good thy Word unto me? and so thou hast planted me in thy house, and promised I shall grow and flourish, &c. Press the Lord thus with his Word, O he loveth to have his bond sued in the Court of heaven. I dare undertake that such a soul that is thus stirred up to act faith upon the promises of God, that soul is in a growing condition. Brethren, these are the wells in the valley of Baacha, the wells of salvation, you must draw from them, and then you grow from strength to strength.

Seventhly another; I shall name but this: The greatness of the object whereupon your hearts are to dwell much, and that is God himself, for there is nothing doth greaten the mind more then the greatness of the Object, whereupon it is conversant; you see it by experience in all things, what low minds, what poor and weak apprehensions they have that are exercised upon low objects, never rise higher; what heightens the mind of a Prince, but the thoughts of a Kingdom? What difference is there between the mind of the meanest Mechanic and the deepest Politician? Such difference must there needs be between the heart of a man that is poring always upon low things, and God is very little dwelt upon. It is said of Moses, that is the ground of it, he waxed great, saith the Text, not only in body, but in mind and Spirit; he waxed strong in Spirit, was a man of a great mind; his eye was upon him that is invisible, the great God Jehovah Elohim, who giveth being to his promises, keepeth Covenant with his people, and is Mighty, Almighty, can do what he will do in heaven and earth, and all deep places: This made him so great: therefore he was above the fears of the Kings wrath, he cared not for it; Before indeed he was afraid and fled, he then had not had so much converse with God, and contemplation of him, and knowledge of him, as afterward he had. Well then, you say your faith is weak, you know not how to get it strengthened, lift up your thoughts to this great object, do but peruse his name a little now and then, yea often, the Lord, the Lord God, gracious and merciful, &c. See if there be not an abundance there to swallow up all thy doubts and fears; O thou art a miserable creature! it is true, but he is a merciful God, and thy misery is but the misery of a creature, and his mercy is the mercy of a Creator, a God; and what are thy thoughts of thy misery, when thou hast aggravated it to the height as much as can be? they are but finite thoughts, and his thoughts of pardon and mercy, they are the thoughts of a God, infinitely above thy thoughts, either of misery or mercy; if his thoughts of mercy and pardon were not more then ours, we were in a sad condition, for then they would never answer his thoughts of our misery, which are infinitely above ours of our own misery. Alas, but I am the most vile unworthy wretch in the world, O you know not what I am; alas, is it for such an one as I to believe? Suppose so; he is gracious: O it is most free, infinitely free what he giveth, he looks for nothing at thy hands, only acceptance. O but sure I have wearied out his patience, he hath waited upon me so long; he is long suffering. O but I have such an abundance of sin, my heart is so full: there is an abundance of goodness, abundantly pardon in him, yea and truth also, &c. Alas, but I shall never hold out, nor keep my heart with him, I shall quickly back-slide: But he it is that keepeth mercy for thousands; O if our hearts were but much in meditation of God, his name, the Lord our righteousness; and this name, his works, the great things that he hath done, how would it raise our spirits to believe, and how would it increase our love to him, and our fear of him? There is mercy with thee, that thou mayst be feared; we should find a very great influence upon all our Graces, to increase them, even from the greatness, the fullness, the riches of this Object: O his Almighty Arm! whereby he laid the foundations of the heavens and earth, and hanged the earth upon nothing; and what then, though thou be nothing, he can lay a foundation of eternal comfort, and an heavenly Kingdom, as well as the earth upon nothing; and bestow his riches of Grace, as well as his power and wisdom upon nothing: therefore labor much to improve this great Object. O it will take the heart much off these poor little nothing vanities of the world, it will make us contented with our portion, it will arm us against all the fears of men and lights of the world; what will it not do, if the Lord be pleased but to breath upon our endeavors, in fixing our hearts upon this so high an Object?

Eighthly, Another is, to use the Society of growing Christians; there is much in the communion of Saints, which presupposeth an union, maketh increase of the Body, to the edifying of it self in love; as the Fellowship of the Graces of the Spirit, and their co-operation or working together, doth help to strengthen the whole; so the Fellowship of the Saints tends very much to building up. So the Church, When they continued together daily with one accord, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , with one consent, with one heart, then the Lord added to the Church daily, such as should be saved; and not only so, but hereby the hands of the people of God are strengthened, and their spirits quickened: the fire groweth to a flame, when many brands are laid together; if there be but one live coal, and many dead ones, lay them together, and there will be an increase of the heat; he that will walk alone, and apart from the communion of Saints, I do believe, shall quickly know by his own spirit, what the want of them is; but now there are some that are move growing and grown then others are: alas, how many are under diseases, the world, or somewhat as bad, that they are at a stand, proced not, or rather decline? there is little to be got by the fellowship of such: no, no, the people that we find are so full, they are over flowing continually, their lips feed many, they are bringing out of the good treasury of their hearts, things both new and old; they are still telling what the Lord hath done for their souls, or still they are stirring up others; you shall receive something still, if your own hearts be not out of frame to receive: O how the example of a lively, sensible, diligent, close-walking Christian will provoke us? (as the Apostle saith) Your charity hath provoked many: it will put us upon it, to follow harder after God, To do the same diligence with them, to the full assurance of hope to the end; wherefore else are the experiences and examples of the Saints in Scripture written? what David found, and Jacob found by experience of God in prayer, wrestling with him; and what their fallings cost them both; but that they being dead, might yet speak to us, and with us, and we might converse with their living examples, though themselves be dead: even as faithful Abel being dead, yet speaketh; and why should there not be such a Fellowship of Saints to communicate what they have found of God? I do believe, Brethren, some of us may with thankful hearts bless the Lord, that ever we saw the faces of some of his people, that we have by their examples, and by their words been much quickened, much stirred up, much provoked; therefore if we would grow, converse with such; if thou be weak in faith, find out some of the people of God whom he hath made eminent, strong in Faith, converse with them; and if they be not very communicative, as some are more reserved, whereby they are not so profitable to others, draw it out from them, dive into their experiences, how they came to that measure of Faith, wherein they can so glorify God, and walk so cheerfully before him. And so for Humility and Tenderness: where thou findest any eminent in these, make an improvement of them, join thyself to them in a more special manner; labor to get somewhat from them, this is a special help to growth in Grace. And for knowledge of your relative State, lay together your experiences you have had of God; beg his Spirit to shine upon them, else you will see nothing but by his light; but a word or two more to this afterward. Thus much for the General Exhortation.

I have a double Exhortation, which is more particular: and then a word of Comfort, and so shut up all. For the particular Exhortation.

First then, Be sure that we grow according to our measure; For every part hath a measure according to the effectual working, in the measure of every part. I doubt many of us that should be as the eye to the body, have much less light in us then other parts of the body; and such as should be as the arm and hands to work, alas, are like little fingers for growth, come on poorly: How should Magistrates grow, and Ministers grow, and such as bear an Office in the body of Christ? they should be much more grown, their Faith should be much more strong then other men's, because they have greater works lying upon them then other men; and who is their sufficiency, but Jesus Christ? and how is he strong to any of us, but according to the measure of Faith? If Paul had not had a strong Faith, he had never done the works of his condition with such unwearied pains; no, nor Moses, nor Joshua; Faith it works by Love: a weak Faith can do little, and is not this the reason that some of us in these employments, alas, act so poorly for Christ? our faith is weak, and so our knowledge is weak: few Apolloes mighty in the Scriptures, able to convince gain-sayers, therefore the Apostle exhorts young Timothy to give attendence, do his diligence in reading as well as in Exhortation; give thyself wholly to these things, that thy profiting may appear to all men. As Jerome, I think, said he did, discere & docere, as he learned a lesson, so he taught it to them; there is a double score then, upon which Ministers are to labor to grow. First, upon their own account, because they have greater works to do, and greater temptations usually to grapple with, then others have; for the Devil is most malicious against the Light-bearers, such as have the Torch in the hand to give light to others, Even the light of the knowledge of the Glory of God in the face of Jesus: He knoweth they are laboring to pull down his Kingdom, and do you think he will not labor to pull them down, their souls down? O how his finger itches to be winnowing them, as he did the Disciples! he desires it, he begs it; as he did to molest Job, that Pillar of Religion in those parts, so he would buffet and exercise the poor Ministers of Jesus Christ: I know not what others have, but I am sure some have their hands full, and their hearts full. O what need then to be men grown, and strong in Faith, to resist steadfast, of knowledge in his depths and devices! But this is not all: Secondly, Because the growth of others doth much depend-upon our growth: are they not as the bones to the body? when they grow no more, the body groweth no more: They are called Pillars in the house of God; and what proportion the pillars bear to the house, the bones bear to the body. No marvel, If Teachers be such as know not what they say, and whereof they affirm; (as the Apostle saith) That their hearers also be like those silly women, always learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. O what need then had young Timothies to be stir themselves wholly to these things, because alas, else they will be able to say nothing either for substance or manner, that may be for the edification of the body. It is true, there are no new revelations now: the Scriptures are able to make the man of God perfect to every good work: but how short do we fall in our understanding of them? it is matter of sadness, and would be more if our hearts were more sensible to consider, that for ought we know many are dwarfs, because we are so ourselves; Brethren, help us for your own sakes.

But there are others also that should be exhorted to look to their growth, that it be proportionable to the means of Grace you have, and do enjoy, according to your time of standing in the Church of Christ; how long hast thou been planted in the house of the Lord? many years: you should be Fathers in Israel, and Mothers in Israel, as Deborah was; and is it so with you? Brethren, It is very sad to consider, that some among us that have hoary heads, found in the ways of righteousness, and have so long been in that way, and yet are so heavy, and so dull, and so ignorant, and so little Faith and Heavenly-mindedness, that there are many Christians that are but of yesterday, outstrip them in many things; is not this a shame? therefore labor to answer your mercies, your experiences, your light and means you have enjoyed by your growth, for this is expected; assure yourselves, there is not a Talent but shall be accounted for; and if you perish not, yet you are not like to have a full reward, you will suffer loss: for a Calf of the Stall to grow no fatter then another, that hath not such feeding, it will not be born: to be like Pharaoh's lean kine, devouring all before us, and yet be never the fatter, but as poor, and lean, as if we had never lived under a lively searching Ministry, as you of this place for the most part have done; assure yourselves, Brethren, your guilt is very great; to be watered every moment, and yet be as dry, and hard, as if you had never seen when good had come.

Thirdly, Another particular Exhortation shall be to help one another; Brethren, were we not wanting one to another in this respect, we should be a people much more strong in the Grace which is in Jesus Christ. But alas, you will say, is this in our power to help one another to grow? all the supply comes from Jesus Christ the Head; It is true, it doth so principally, Phil. 1. 19. Joh. 1. 16. 2 Cor. 3. 18. But he communicates by the mediation of instruments, there is a supply of every part, by that which every part supplieth, (saith the Apostle) as you see the spirits conveyed from the head to the lowest parts, it is by mediation of the other parts between the head and the foot; before it cometh thither, it passeth through some others. I know the Lord Jesus is not bound up to any instruments, he can teach by his own Spirit, yea, and always doth, sometimes without means, sometimes breathing in the means, and this is most ordinary; and therefore something we must look to it, that we supply everyone of us; you have heard it is the end of all Christian Society to build up one another, and it is the end wherefore the Lord intrusteth us with such Talents, to lay them out for the good of others, whereby our own Talents grow in the using, and we are instruments in the hand of God, to improve others; hath the Lord then: revealed himself to thee? thou wast in an horrible pit, where there was no standing; thou sunkest yet lower and lower: hath the Lord set thy feet upon the Rock? what then, wilt thou keep this always to thyself, when called to speak of it? mind you, Christ and David, they speak of it, what God had done; And many shall hear, and fear, and shall trust in God: it encourageth them▪ wherefore doth Paul so often speak what he had been, and he had obtained mercy? O that others that should come after, might believe, and never be discouraged by their sins, though never so great. And so the Psalmist, Again, my soul shall make her boast in God, the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad; this poor man cried to the Lord, and he heard him. No sooner did Andrew find the Messiah, but he tells Simon: O we have found the Messiah. And so Philip saith to Nathaniel: and the woman of Samaria, she no sooner had the knowledge of Christ, O she was full, she was big, until she was delivered: O come, and see the man that told me all that ever I did: is not this the Christ? I would (saith the Apostle) that your hearts might be knit together in love, and comforted, &c. that to this end you should know what conflict I had for everyone of you; wherefore are we delivered out of temptation, but to set up way-marks? O take heed how you come there, warn others that they come not near such a temptation: when thou art converted, strengthen thy Brethren: and therefore comforted, that we might comfort others; and therefore endued with knowledge, that we might feed many. Now truly Brethren, as the Apostle saith of the solemn meeting, so I may say of the occasional meetings together; it is not for the better many times, but for the worse; and how a sad a thing is this? when Saints shall meet together, to have so sweet an opportunity of stirring up one another to love, to good works, that either we shall spend the time in