Gods Husbandry, Sermon 2 · Chapter 16
CHAP. XVI. Containing the fourth poynt of doctrine, that the people of God muſt increaſe in fruitfulneſſe.
SO are we come to the laſt poynt wee intended to ſpeake of: Doct. 4 The true Chriſtian muſt waxe better and better.viz. that the true branches of the Vine muſt labour to increaſe in fruitfulneſſe.
EueryEvery true Chriſtian man muſt proceed and goe forward in the fruits of the Spirit, growing better and better, and more and more abundant in the worke of the Lord. As we looke that a tree, the longer it growes in our Orchard, the more and more increaſe it ſhould yeeld vsus; in like manner ſhould wee behaue our ſelues towards God. The Apoſtle Peter wiſheth vsus to long for the ſincere milke of the Word, that we may grow thereby. A Chriſtian is like a young child that ſucketh on the breſt of his mother, who doth to this end receiue that kindly nouriſhment, that he may increaſe in ſtature and ſtrength of body. Paul aduertizeth the Theſſalonians, ſaying, I beſeech you brethren, as you hauehave receiued of vsus how you ought to walke and to pleaſe God, 1. Theſ. 4.1. and 10.that yee abound more and more. And afterwards concerning brotherly louelove, We beſeech you, that you increaſe more and more. And Dauid ſaith, Pſalm. 92.14. that the trees which are planted in the courts of Gods Houſe, doe bring forth fruit in their age, and are fat and flouriſhing. But the poynt is without deniall; and the reaſons of it are more then euident.
Reaſon 1 Firſt, they are ſhort of perfection, They are not yet perfect.ſo long as they liue in this world, and therefore muſt ſtriue forward to perfection. Paul himſelfe tels the Philippians, that he preſſed hard towards the marke, becauſe he not yet reached it, and wiſheth as many as are perfect, to be ſo minded. In a race, a man muſt neuer ceaſe running till hee touch the goale; wee ſhall neuer touch the goale of perfection, till wee hauehave deliuered vp our ſoules into the hands of God by death, (for heere we know but in part, and therefore can doe nothing in whole:) hence it followes, that till death we muſt be ſtill going onward. When a man hath attained his full ſtature he muſt grow, then indeed hee needeth onelyonly nutrition, but till then, augmentation is requiſite: (for theſe two motions are very different, as you know) and his limmes muſt become greater, and ſtronger, (yea and will doe ſo, vnleſſe diſeaſes hinder) Now we be but ſtriplings or rather infants in goodneſſe. In truth wee are but in the wombe of the Church; all the while we walke in this world, our death-day will be our birth day, and then we ſhall at once be made full and compleat: wherefore till then there muſt be a continuall addition of grace, to that wee hauehave already receiued. Indeed ſome Chriſtians, in compariſon of others, are called ſtrong men, (as euen of infants in the wombe, ſome are perfecter then other) but ſimply there is none a full growne man, brought to the meaſure of the fulneſſe of the ſtature of Chriſt, till hee be fully vnited to Chriſt, and walke no longer by faith, but by ſight, ſeeing as he is ſeene, and knowing as hee is knowne. Wee muſt conclude then to be walking forwards, till we lye downe in graues, for neuer are we at our iourneys end till then.
Secondly, Reaſon 2 God hath offred them ſit meanes of growing.the Lord hath affoorded and prouided vsus ſufficient meanes and helpes to grow. The Word of God is able to build vsus vp yet further: the Sacrament of the Lords Supper doth bring the body and blood of Chriſt vntounto vsus, to be our ſpirituall food. The Spirit of God that worketh in, and with theſe, and all other meanes, is a ſpirit of life, and ſerueth not alone to mortifie the deeds of our fleſh, but to quicken our inward man alſo, till wee come to bee perfect men in Chriſt, and hauehave his Image fully renewed in vsus. We want none helpes this way that wee can deſire, if we want not care to vſe them; and we may bee well aſſured, that hee which hath prouided them, did neuer intend that they ſhould bee prouided in vaine, but that hee would hauehave vsus vſe them, and by the vſing, attaine the fruit of them.
Thirdly, Reaſon 3 if we grow not better, If they grow not better, they ſhall ſoone grow worſe.it cannot bee long afore we grow worſe. There will bee a ſenſible decay of grace after a little while, if there bee not ſome addition to it. Wee moue either vpward or downeward, and wee cannot long hang in the middeſt; for things that doe but tend to perfection, and hauehave not yet gotten it, if they approch not neerer to it, will bee remoued further from it. If the fire be not fed with fewell, it will goe out: and a young tree, if it ceaſe ſhooting vp its branches, doth quickly ceaſe to liue. All naturall motions are more and more earneſt towards their ending, and ſo much more ſwift, by how much they grow neerer to their proper place of reſt: ſo muſt all the motions of goodnes be in Gods Saints.
Laſt of all, Reaſon 4 our growing in grace here, Growth in grace will procure growth in glory.ſhall procure vntounto vsus a growth in glory hereafter. The more holineſſe we attaine in this world, the more happineſſe wee ſhall attaine in the other world. EueryEvery dram of grace ſhall bee rewarded, as it were, with a pound of glory. If we be rich in the worke of the Lord, our labour ſhall not bee in vaine in the Lord, but hee will exceeding plentifully requite all the ſeruices which wee hauehave performed for him, and all the vertues which wee hauehave for his ſake laboured to get and exerciſe. He that ſowes liberally, ſhall reape liberally; hee that ſowes ſparingly, ſhall alſo reape ſparingly. This life is our ſeedes-time; that to come, muſt be our harueſt. Who would not bee incouraged by ſo ineſtimable rewards, to ſtraine himſelfe to all painfulneſſe, that he may grow? So it is poſſible to grow in grace, for we hauehave ſufficient helpes and meanes: it is profitable, for we ſhall grow in glory, and that alſo proportionably: it is neceſſary, for we are not yet come to our full growth: yea, it is of abſolute neceſſity ſo to grow, for elſe we ſhall grow worſe and worſe, euen from ought to nought, as the Prouerbe ſpeaketh: and all theſe reaſons confirme the poynt, and ſhew, that it is the duty of Gods people to wax better and better, onelyonly it may be demanded whether that all the Saints of God do performe this duty, and bee in act, more holy and vertuous, eueryevery day then other? To which I anſwere, that it is with Gods people, as with children who are ſubiect to many ſicke ſits, in which they doe weare away, and euen loſe their fleſh and ſtrength; but yet for all that they recouer, and come to be men at laſt, yea and ſtrong men too.
A Chriſtian oftentimes doth goe backward for a ſeaſon,Sometimes Gods people for a time doe grow worſe, but they recouer, and become more humble, that is, better at length. but hee recouers himſelfe, feeles his going backe, returneth, and at the laſt, becomes better indeed (though not in his owne feeling) then euer he was. For after (it may bee ſome long) fainting and fading of grace, hee is brought backe with a deeper ſence of his owne baſeneſſe, then euer he had before, and ſo growing in humility, growes likewiſe in all graces, (for with the growth of that, all doe grow,) though perhaps he may not liue to doe ſo many excellent workes, as formerly hee had done; and ſo the ſtory of holy Writ doth ſhew that it was with Dauid, who ſeemed worſe after his ſettling in the Kingdome then before, and was ſo for a while, but riſing vp againe, hee was more holy then euer before, though he fought not ſo many battels as before.