A Worthy Communicant, Treatise · Chapter 15
Chap. 15. The growth of grace, and our wants, examined.
CHAP. 15 THe ſecond thing to be examined followes, the growth of our Graces. It is a point that concernes a man at all times to looke to the growth of his Grace, as that which muſt evidence the truth of it: for where there is no growth of Grace, there is no truth of Grace. True Grace is growing grace. There is a growing in knowledge, 2 Pet. 3. 18. A growing in wiſedome, Luke 2. 40. A growing in faith, 2 Theſſ. 1. 3. All true grace growes. There bee counterfeit and falſe graces; and this is a maine thing that differences true and counterfeit ones: True grace growes, counterfeit grace growes not. There is a great deale of difference betweene a true Tree, and a pictured Tree, betweene a true child, and the ſtatue or Image of a childe. A true childe growes, but the Image growes not, it is no taller nor bigger at an hundred yeeres end, than it was the firſt day it was made. Where there is truth of grace, there is life of grace, and life will put forth it ſelfe and cauſe a growth, as we ſee in living Trees, and living men that are not yet come to the fulneſſe of their growth, they grow becauſe they live. And to ſhew that true grace growes, we ſhall finde in Scripture ſeverall ages of Chriſtianity and religion, which are the ſeverall degrees of ſpirituall growth, the ſeverall degrees of the growth of a Chriſtian: ye have,
1 His conception, and the forming of him in the wombe, Gal. 4. 19.
2 His birth, 1 Peter 1. 23. 1 Peter 2. 2.
3 His childe-hood, 1 Cor. 3. 1, 2. Heb. 3. 13. 1 Iohn 2. 13. His infancy.
4 His well-growne age, or youth, when he is paſt the ſpoone, 1 Iohn 2. 13. Young men.
5 His full growne age, Epheſ. 4. 13. when he comes to mans eſtat, Heb. 5.
6 His old age. Mnaſon, an old Diſciple, Acts 21. 16. when a man is growne a gray-headed experienced Chriſtian, 1 Iohn 2. 13. when men be grown Fathers. Such as Pſa. 92. 12, 13, 14. All to ſhew, that where there is grace in truth, there will be growth. And therefore it concernes us at all times to try the growth of our grace. But though at all times it concernes us to examine the growth of grace, yet in ſpeciall manner doth it concerne us before we come to the Sacrament. As the Sacrament of Baptiſme is the Sacrament of our new birth, ſo is the Sacrament of the Lords Supper, the Sacrament of our ſpirituall nutrition and growth. And therefore is this a reaſon why baptiſme is but once; but the Supper is often adminiſtred and received, becauſe a man is born but once, but after he is borne, he ſtands in need to be fed often for his nouriſhment and growth. And ſpirituall growth is a maine end and fruit of this Ordinance. What makes the body grow more, than the uſe of food, in eating and drinking? In the Supper there is proviſion of ſpirituall food to make us grow. So that in this reſpect I may allude to that, Zech. 9. 17. How great is his goodnes, & how great is his beauty? corn ſhal make the young Man grow, &c. Gods goodneſſe is great in the Sacrament; he gives bread and wine, and with them, to every faithfull receiver, the Body and Bloud of his Sonne; that by the bread of his fleſh, and the wine of his bloud, hee may cauſe Chriſtians to grow. So that it concernes us much to examine our growth, that we may know what good our former receiving hath done us. It is a great helpe to our profit in receiving the Sacrament, to examine our ſelves how we have profited formerly. Then may we know whether we have profited, when we know whether wee have growne. Such, and ſo much as is our growth, ſuch and ſo much is our profit. And when we finde that we have profited, then may we comfortably ſtill expect the like bleſſing upon our uſe of the Ordinance. A man muſt needs go with little cheerefulneſſe to the Lords Table, when he knowes not whether he ſhall get any good by going, or not. That man that knowes not whether ever hee have received any good or no, by his former receiving, can have little hope of receiving any good by his future receiving. But when a man ſees he is growne by the uſe of the Ordinance, then he muſt needs goe full of hope to the Ordinance. The way to know a mans growth, is examination, and that by the ſignes of growth. And they be theſe:
1 Firſt, ſpirituall ſtrength. The more growth, the more ſtrength in ſpirituall things. In nature, ſtrength followes growth. Trees in their firſt beginings are weake, will bend and bowe every way, but as they grow, they grow ſtronger, and grow to that ſtrength, that they are fit for Timber, and the ſtrongeſt ſervices. When a Man is new borne, and a Babe, how weake and feeble a creature is he? but as he growes up, ſo he is ſtronger and ſtronger, and is at laſt fit for man-like ſervices. So it is in ſpirituall growth. A man at firſt is weake, Rom. 14. 1. but growth brings ſtrength. The man that growes in grace growes ſo ſtrong, that he can wreſtle with a ſpirituall enemy. A babe or a childe cannot wreſtle with a Man, much leſſe with a ſtrong Man; but a growne Man, he can wreſtle with a ſtrong Man, and haply can make his part good with him, foile him, and lay him on his backe. So a growne Chriſtian can wreſtle with Powers and Principalities, Epheſ. 6. with luſts and corruptions, and can get maſtery and victory over them. Yea, a Chriſtian that is growne can wreſtle with GOD himſelfe, as Iacob did. Now when a man is ſo ſtrong, that he can wreſtle with ſtrong ones, it is a ſigne that he hath growth in grace. The man that growes in grace, growes ſo ſtrong, that he can beare burdens, the heavie burdens of afflictions, and of the croſſe. An heavie burden laid on a childes back, would breake his back, but a growne man hath the ſtrength to beare a great weight. Sampſon could carry the Gates of Gaza upon his ſhoulders when he was a growne man, that would have cruſht him to peeces when he was a childe. He that can beare Chriſts croſſe in any kind, hath a proportionable meaſure of growth. It is then with ſpirituall growth and ſtrength, as it was with Chriſts natural and ſpiritual ſtrength, Luke 2. 40. The childe grew and waxed ſtrong in ſpirit. So if we grow we wax ſtrong in ſpirit, Pro. 24. 10. If thou faint in the day of adverſity, thy ſtrength is but ſmall. Small is their ſtrength that cannot beare a ſcorne, a laſh with the tongue, that ſhrink and ſink at a ſowre looke. As the man is, ſo is his ſtrength, ſay they to Gideon. And as a mans ſtrength is, ſo is a man; if but ſmall ſtrength, ſmall growth, little ſtrength, as little growth.
2 Secondly, a mans growth may be judged by his ſtomack, by his appetite to his ſpirituall food. So we ſee it is in nature. Young men have farre better ſtomacks to their meat than old men have, and the reaſon is, becauſe they are growing: for where there is growth, there is a more ſpeedy expence of the nouriſhment that is concocted; and therefore hunger in young bodies, is counted a ſigne of growth. Men that have done growing are hungry alſo; but nothing ſo ſoon hungry, nor ſo ſharp as yonger ſtomacks; becauſe where nature is growing, it cals faſter and ſooner for a ſupply than where it hath done. So it is here. The man that growes in grace, hath an hungry ſoule, a ſharpe appetite; he is never well but when he is feeding, he takes all occaſions to be eating: though he have had a good meale, and have beene well ſatisfied, yet hee is quickly hungry againe. Though he have bin well fed on the Sunday, yet he can have a ſtomack to a Sermon againe, before the week goe about. Though hee have had ſweet ſatisfaction and refreſhment at the Sacrament, yet he hath a good ſtomack to the Sacrament againe, before the monethmonth come about againe. Growers are hungry, and great feeders. If it be thus with us, we have an happy evidence of our growth. But this ſhewes how few grow, becauſe ſo little hunger after their ſpirituall food in the Word and Sacrament. You have many can goe faſting a long while together; one meale in halfe a yeare, nay, in an whole yeere can ſerve their turne, and it is enough, richly enough in conſcience; what needs ſuch adoe? It is eaſie to judge ſuch a mans growth, what it is. Their birth is rather to be queſtioned than their growth.
3 Thirdly, growth in grace is viſible and ſenſible to others. Where grace growes, it ſo growes that others may diſcerne it and ſee it. It is true here, as Mark 4. 26, 27. The ſeed ſhould ſpring and grow up, hee knowes not how. We cannot ſee corn grow, but we can diſcern when it is grown. For when it is come from ſprouting to the blade, from the blade to the full corne in the eare, by theſe ſeverall degrees it is diſcerned that it is growne, though wee could not ſee how it grew. So though we cannot diſcerne the growing of grace, yet we may diſcern when it is grown. So Luke 2. 52. It is ſaid that our Saviour increaſed in wiſedome before men, for it is referred to both things there ſpecified, 1 Tim. 4. 15. That thy profiting may appeare to all. If corne be ſowne and ſpeere in the ground; yet if it come not up and appeare above ground, wee doe not reckon that it growes. There is no man that growes in grace, but his grace will be ſenſible in one kinde or other. A Tree that is ſtinted and growes not, and a Tree that growes and thrives, may bee diſcerned each from other by their very bark and rind, a man may diſtinguiſh them by their lookes. By a mans looks and complexion it may be diſcern'd that a man is growing. A mans growth is diſcerned by his viſage & by his voice. A man that hath had a ſickneſſe, that hath kept under his growth, ſo long was ill coloured ill complexioned, but if once his diſeaſe bee cured, and a mans growth mends, there followes an alteration of his complexion. So is ſpirituall growth diſcerned; when a man growes in grace, there will bee an alteration of the viſage, an amendment of the complexion. The viſage of a man that growes, continues not the ſame it did before, Eccl. 8. 1. A mans wiſdome makes his face to ſhine, and the boldneſſe of his face ſhall bee changed. As when we have not ſeene ſome perſons a long time, they grow out of our knowledge, there is ſuch an alteration in their viſage we ſcarce know them, they are ſo altered by their growth, that they looke nothing like the men they were wont to doe: ſo in this caſe, a mans viſage and outward carriage, ſtrangely alters where the ſoul growes in grace: the outward behaviour of a mans life ſo changes, that a man knowes him not by his former lookes. It may be a mans behaviour was covetous, earthly, carnall, but if a man once grow in grace, he is growne cleane to another kind of behaviour. That look as it is ſaid of Chriſt, Luke 9. 53. They ſaw what he was by his face; ſo may a growing Chriſtian be diſcerned by his face: the life of ſuch a man hath another kinde of face, and of lookes with it, ſo as his old acquaintance wonder at it, 1 Pet. 4. 4. Thus alſo is growth in grace ſenſible by the alteration of the voice. When one growes towards mans eſtate, his voice alters and changes, he ſpeakes no longer like a childe, but he begins to have a big and a man-like voice, 1 Cor. 13. 11. When I was a childe, I ſpake as a childe, but when I became as a man, I ſpake as a man; which is true, not onelyonly of the ſubject, but of the ſound of a mans ſpeech. So the growth of a Chriſtian in grace, is ſenſible by the alteration and change of his voice. Even in this ſenſe it is true, though ſpoken in another, that they that beleeve ſhall ſpeake with new tongues, Marke 16. 17. The vaine, frothy, earthly tongue is gone: hee ſpeakes not vainly, fooliſhly, ſo children doe; but he ſpeakes profitably, to edification, Iohn 3. 31. He that is of the earth, is of the earth, and he ſpeakes of the earth. 1 Iohn 4. 5. They are of the world, therefore ſpeak they of the world. Here is an old tongue. But Pſal. 37. 30. The mouth of the righteous ſpeakes wiſdome, and his tongue talkes of judgement. Prov. 31. 26. She openeth her mouth with wiſdome, and in her tongue is the law of grace. Col. 4. 6. Let your ſpeech be alwayes with grace. Epheſ. 4. 29. That it may miniſter grace to the hearers. Here is a new tongue: here is a change of the voice, and a ſigne of growth. Looke then upon thine owne complexion, thou ſhalt ſee by it, whether thou haſt grown in grace by thy former receiving the Sacrament, Dan. 1. 12, 13, 15. Give thy ſervants pulſe to eat, and water to drinke. Then let our countenances be lookt upon,—And their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in fleſh than all the children, &c. By the looking upon Daniels countenance and the reſt, it appeared that they thrived and proſpered with their pulſe and water. So much more by mens countenances, carriages, and behaviours, if they be looked upon, whether they thrive, and grow with their Sacramentall food formerly received. But mens old viſages, and ill-favoured complexions, are ill ſignes how little growth there is. With too many it is as with Pharaohs ſeven ill-favoured Kine, they ate up the well-favoured, and the fat, but were ſtill as ill-favoured as before. Many come to the Sacrament after Sacrament, and eat and drinke at the Lords Table, but what alteration in their lives? Are not their lives as ill-favoured ſtill as before. Liſten to their voices, and as little change ſhall you finde there, as in their lives. Thus may we examine the growth of grace in generall. But beſides this, there muſt be a ſpeciall examination of the growth of the grace of faith: and that may briefly be thus diſcerned. A growne faith is a great faith, O Woman, great is thy faith, Mat. 15. Great faith is ſeene:
1 Firſt, not only in obedience, but in great obedience. Great faith does great workes of obedience. It was a great worke of Abraham, to ſacrifice his ſon. No wonder he did it, who was a man of ſo great faith as he hath the honour to bee the father of the faithfull, I am. 2. 5. Rich in faith. 1 Tim. 6. 18. Rich in good workes. It is a ſigne that a man is Rich in faith, when rich in good workes. A poverty or beggery in good workes cannot ſtand with a riches in faith.
2 Secondly, in great victories and conqueſts over great luſts, where corruptions and luſts are ſtrong, and get head, faith is little, Mat. 6. 30, 31. Mat. 16. 8. O ye of little faith. But where faith growes great, it fetches downe the greateſt luſt, the moſt radicated corruptions. As faith of miracles, a graine of it removes Mountaines, Mat. 17. 19, 20. Plucks up trees by the roots, Luke 17. 6. So much more doth juſtifying faith, when growne and great. Many talke of a great faith, yet cannot remove Molehils, nor pluck up ſmall twigs. Many will ſweare by their faith; how ſwearing and beleeving will ſtand together, I leave it to them to ſcanne. I but this is (they will ſay) a ſmall matter, a matter of nothing to ſweare by a mans faith. The ſmaller a matter it is, the greater evidence that ſuch have not a great faith; becauſe that would get great victories over great evils, therefore much more over ſmall ones. It is no great faith that cannot remove ſo ſmall a Mole-hill, that cannot pluck up ſo ſmall a twig.
3 Thirdly, In this, that it can and will beleeve on God, as a man may ſay with reverence, whether God will or no. It will beleeve in an angry God, in a killing God, Though he ſlay me, yet will I truſt in him. It will beleeve in a forſaking God, My God, my God, why haſt thou forſaken me? Why haſt thou forſaken me, and yet my God. It will not bee beaten off, not damped, nor diſcouraged with ſilence, nor with ſad anſwers, Matth. 15. 28. O woman, great is thy faith. A ſigne it was great, or elſe ſuch great duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page diſcouragements had overcome it.
4 Fourthly, great confidence and ſtrength of heart in the midſt of dangers and feares, Pſal. 112. 7. Hee ſhall not be afraid of evill tydings, why ſo? His heart is fixed trusting in the Lord. A fixed heart in ſuch a caſe a ſigne of great faith. Much feare is an argument of little faith, Mat. 8. 26. Why are ye ſo fearefull, O ye of little faith? Had they not reaſon to be fearefull? It was a great danger they were in, Verſ. 24, 25. True, but yet if they had had great faith, they would have had great courage and confidence in that great danger. For faith foreſees dangers, hath a quick eye to diſcerne a ſtorme before it comes, and ſo gives a man the liberty of himſelfe to provide againſt the worſt, and ſo that errour is taken off which ſuddenneſſe brings with it. And beſides, when a danger is come, faith doth as the bloud of the body doth in time of feare, it gets to the heart, and ſuccours and ſtrengthens it, Iohn 14. 1. Let not your heart bee troubled, yee beleeve in God, beleeve alſo in me. Great faith is full of great quiet, great comfort, great courage, and confidence in the middeſt of great feares and dangers. Thus in briefe may a man know the growth of faith. But if a man cannot finde his faith ſo growne, yet is it no barre to his acceſſe to the Ordinance. If a man find his faith weak, yet may he come, yet muſt he come that hee may helpe it hereby in its growth. But the more our faith is growne, the more comfort ſhall we have in comming, and the more benefit ſhall wee carry away with us Optima diſpoſitio ad Sacramentum Euchariſtiae eſt, non niſi ea qua peſsime es diſpoſitus, & e contra tunc peſsime es diſpoſitus, quando aptiſsime. Quod ſic intelligitur, quod quando ſentis te miſerrimum & egenum gratia, jam co ipſo capax es gratiae, & idoneus maxime. Luther.from the Sacrament.
3 The third thing, wherein our examination muſt be, is our wants. A ſpeciall end of our comming to the Sacrament, is to have our ſpirituall wants ſupplied. If we will have our wants ſupplied, we muſt come purpoſely with that intention. We cannot do that unleſſe we know diſtinctly and directly what our wants are. We cannot know what our wants of grace are, unleſſe we looke into our ſoules by examination. Wee ſhould doe in this caſe, as we ſee ſuch doe as go or ſend to market: at the market there is a ſupply to be had of all the wants of the family; if there want bread, if there want food, if any other houſhold neceſſaries be wanting, they are to be had at the market; therefore when any is to be ſent or to goe to the market, there is an inquiry what is wanting in the houſe. Is there bread or bread-corne enough in the houſe? Is there not ſuch and ſuch a neceſſary wanting? do you not need ſuch a proviſion into the houſe? So when we are to go to the Lords Table ſhould we doe with our ſelves. The wants of the ſoule are not a few. There is nothing that the ſoule can want or wiſh, but it may bee had aboundantly in Chriſt, and in him in his Ordinance. Now therefore ſhould the ſoule before the Sacrament bee inquiſitive into its owne wants. Say to thy ſoule, I am now going to the Sacrament, there is abundance of ſpirituall commodity to bee had, now then what is it that thou wanteſt? Doeſt thou not want aſſurance of thy pardon? Doeſt thou not want ſtrength of faith? Doeſt thou not want power againſt ſuch a ſpeciall luſt that hath haunted thee, and peſter'd thee a great while? Doeſt thou not want ſome healing vertue to ſtaunch ſome bloudy iſſue? Doeſt thou not need ſome quickning in thy ſpirit? Thus labour to ſearch and find out what be the wants of thy ſoule, and what be thy particular neceſſities.
In the Sacrament of the Lords Supper wee goe to CHRIST IESVS to have him helpe us in our wants and neceſſities. Now CHRIST IESVS will firſt have us know our wants, and be particularly ſenſible of them, before he will ſupply them. Hee councels the Church of Laodicea, to buy of him gold, raiment, eye ſalve, Apocal. 3. 18. But firſt hee convinces her of her wants, of her poverty, nakedneſſe, and blindneſſe, that ſhee comming to him in a particular ſenſe of thoſe wants, and making that her errand to him, ſhee may have them ſupplied. It was, one would thinke, a ſtrange queſtion, that our Saviour put to that man, Iohn 5. 6. Wilt thou bee made whole? was there any queſtion to be made of it, whether that a man that had beene ſicke eight and thirty yeeres would be willing to be made whole? It is ſure he deſired nothing more: why then doth Chriſt aske him that queſtion? purpoſely to affect him with the ſenſe of his want, to make him the more ſenſible of his neceſſity. So will Chriſt have men affected with the ſenſe of their wants, that would have a ſupply of their wants from him. It will not ſerve a mans turne in the generall, to know he wants benefit from Chriſt, but he will have a man in particular be ſenſible of that ſpeciall want wherein he would have his helpe. That is a remarkable place to this purpoſe, Luke 18. 35, 36. The blinde man hearing that Chriſt paſt by, he cries out, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David, and hee cries ſo againe, Verſ. 39. At laſt Chriſt cals him to him, Verſ. 40, 41. and ſaid, What wilt thou that I ſhall do unto thee? Did not Chriſt ſee he was blinde, and did not hee know what mercy it was he beg'd? Yes queſtionleſſe. But yet he would firſt have him particularize his wants, and in what particular it was he would have him ſhew him mercy, before hee would doe it. Have mercy on mee, was a general ſuit; many wayes might mercy be ſhewed: therefore Chriſt preſſes him to inſtance in his particular want, What wilt thou that I ſhall do unto thee? what is the particular mercy thou ſtandeſt in need of, that thou wouldeſt have me help thee withall? and then followes his anſwer, Lord that I may receive my ſight; Lord, I am blinde in this particular, I have need of thee to open mine eyes. And then Chriſt ſaith, Receive thy ſight. And he received his ſight. They then that come to Chriſt to receive any thing from him with a ſenſe of the want of that they would receive, they are they that are like to ſpeed in their receiving, what they deſire to have from Chriſt. I doubt whether hee ſhould have had that mercy, if he had only ſtill beg'd for mercy in generall; but when once he comes with a particular ſenſe of his want, then hee findes Chriſt ready to helpe him. It muſt be thus with us when we come to the Sacrament, if ever we will have good by it. Many they come that they may receive good by it, but doe not pitch upon ſuch particular good as they need, and all becauſe they know not what particular good from Chriſt they want: and that is not knowne for want of examination. There is nothing more prejudiciall to mens benefit by the Sacrament than this one thing, that men before they come doe not finde out their wants, and ſo in the ſenſe of them ſeek to Chriſt in his Ordinance. They comming without the ſenſe of any particular want, they come without the deſire of any particular grace or benefit from Chriſt. And comming without deſire, goe as they come. As our Saviour ſpeakes to his Diſciples, Luke 22. 35. When I ſent you without purſe, &c. lacked ye any thing? And they ſaid, nothing. So if a man ſhould aske many, When ye went to the Sacrament, lacked ye any thing? did you want any thing in your own particular feeling? they may anſwer, nothing. And what received they then? juſt as much as they lacked, juſt nothing. Therefore it ſhould be a mans wiſdome, ſo to examine his owne wants, that if Chriſt ſhould ſay to him when he is come to the Sacrament, what is it that thou wouldeſt I ſhould doe for thee? thou mighteſt be able out of a privity to thine own wants, upon examination to anſwer, Lord that my pardon might bee ſealed, Lord, that I may receive the vertue of thy death, that ſuch a rebellious luſt might be mortified, Lord, that I may receive thy Spirit, that mine uncleane heart might be ſanctified, that I might bee enabled with more ſtrength to performe ſuch a duty, &c. And Lord, upon this very errand, and for this end doe I come now to thee in thine Ordinance, to have help in this or that particular from thee. If once we could come thus with the ſight of our wants to receive, then would Chriſt anſwer, and ſay, Receive the mercies thou feeleſt the want of, receive my Spirit, receive power againſt thy luſts, receive ſtrength to obedience. They that come for they know not what, goe even away with they know not what.