Several Works, Work 3 · Part (6 of 6)
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 diſhonour of my Grace? may he not ſay, O ye of little Faith, why do you perplex your ſelves, and rack your ſelves 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, labour to grow in this Grace: if ever you would do any eminent ſervice for Chriſt, or honour him, ſet the crown on him in any condition, labour to be ſtrong in Faith.
Thirdly, In that Grace of Love, labour 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 labour 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 Pſal. 31. 32.his Saints, you cannot love him too much; do you alway err in his love: the more you love him, the more you may, for Prov. 5. 19.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 Gen. 30. 1.them: Ah how few are thus ſick of love to Jeſus Chriſt! well, lobour to love him, and to this end.
Firſt, Labour 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 thy ſelf, 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, labour to preſent him to your ſelves, 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 Cant. 5. 16.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 perſwaſion 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 Luke 7. 47.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 1 Cor. 6. 9, 10.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 1 Tim 1. 13, 15.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 labour 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, Pſal. 1 16. 1.becauſe he hath heard my voice; when he was in diſtreſs, then he cryed 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 diſhonour 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 laboured 2 Cor. 5.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 Saviour ſo chearfully through all his travels, and griefs, and ſlightings of men? O it was his love, nothing is hard to love, therefore labour 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 rejoycing to the ſaithful over-ſeers of the Church of 2. Theſ. 1. 3.Chriſt, we are bound to thank God alway for you Brethren, as it is meet, becauſe that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity, or love of every one 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 2. Cor. 3.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 edifie it ſelf in love; knowledge puffeth up, and from that Eph. 4. 16.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 1. Cor. 12. 25.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 Rom. 16. 17.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 multiplyed, Act. 2. …6, 47. Eph. 4. 30, 31.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, labour 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 Iohn 3. 30.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 Luk. 6. 36.growth and increaſe. So the Apoſtle exhorts the Corinthians, that as they abounded in other graces, ſo they would labour to abound 2 Cor. 8. 7.in this alſo. Ah where are bowels, Brethren, towards one anothers ſouls? with what tenderneſs did the Apoſtle ſtand over the ſouls of thoſe poor people, warning them day and night with tears? And our Saviour 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 pittying one another while under temptation; we can rather raiſe our hearts one againſt another, ſtomack one another, entertain prejudice one Gal. 6. 1.againſt another upon this account; but a ſpirit of meekneſs, and love, and tenderneſs, in reſtoring, ſetting one another in joint, if we be faln, is not found among us, or very little: O labour 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, Labour 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 Acts 13. 22.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 plyable, but ſtubborn: wherein did lie the hardneſs of Pharaohs heart? it lay in this, that he would not harken to the Lord, nor let Iſrael go, though he had had ſo many judgements, 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 plyable 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 plyable 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 ſoder 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; labour 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 tryall. O labour then to grow in ſpiritualneſs, in prayer, to pray with more faith, with more fervency, with more purity of heart, not to ask any thing 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 your ſelves; 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 1 Theſ. 4. 1.God, ſo you abound more and more; when a man walks with God alvvay, ſetteth the Lord as before his face, as the Pſalmiſt ſpeaks, then he vvill be able to vvalk pleaſingly to him, vvhen by faith he ſeeth him that is inviſible, that is to ſay, God to be preſent vvith him, and knovveth him, to ponder his vvaies; O hovv eareful ſhall vve be then of our thoughts, as vvell as of our vvords and actions! and this vve do by faith, believing his preſence vvith us, and his all-ſeeing eye to be upon us ſtill, upon our hearts, and all their vvorkings; according to the prevailing of theſe perſvvaſions, and the conſtancy of them upon our ſpirits, vvill our vvaies be ordered: ſuch a man vvill not dare to harbour vain thoughts in his heart, though they vvill rudely ruſh in, as a ruffian may rudely offer violence to a chaſt Matron, ſhe vvill not endure it; ſo it is here, O no, I dare not: as Joſeph you ſee; and then vvalking vvith our ſelves by more and more reſtection upon our ſelves, upon our actions, our waies: 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 labour to improve this. O be more in it, reproving your ſelves when you find you have done amiſs, whip thoſe vain thoughts which paſs through your ſouls, and give them their Paſs; exhort your ſelves, ſtir up your ſelves, comfort and chear your ſelves in your God, which you cannot do, except you be much in this part of an holy walking, even reflecting upon your ſelves and your own ſtate.
Eighthly and laſtly, that I ſhall ſpeak to, ſhall be this, To labour 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 labour to improve it to that end: how chearfully 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 Rom. 8. H…b. 6. 11.ſame diligence, ſaith the Apoſtle, to the full aſſurance of hope unto the end; we do content our ſelves with a hope-well, which we ought not to do; we ſhould ſtrive to this of Thomas, Iohn 20. 28. Can. 2. 16.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; Iohn 21. 17.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, labour after it, though your conditions may be ſafe without it, yet not ſo comfortable to your ſelves, nor ſo honourable 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 labour, 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 labour 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 Phyſick 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 ſtroak? 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 Phil. 2. 12.he that worketh: Labour to be more ſpiritual in prayer, to grow therein, for it is his Spirit that beareth the heavier end of the burthen, he helpeth our infirmities; let this be an encouragement Rom. 8. 26.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 labouring 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 labour to grow in the beſt things; you would your ſelves, 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, 3 Iohn 2.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 your ſelves Iude 12.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 endeavours, 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 perſwaded 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) Heb. 6. 4.with Apoſtacy, 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 labour to be ſtrong men, whom reſiſt, ſaith the Apoſtle, ſtedfaſt in the faith; 1 Pet. 5. 9.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 armour 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 weild their ſhield, yea it groweth ſtronger and more able to bear off a blow. Alas, our Saviour 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 Saviour 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 Saviour did train up his Diſciples to it by degrees: at firſt only they threatned them, and charged them not to preach Acts 4. u….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 labour to grow in every grace of the Spirit.
Fifthly, Becauſe the ſtronger our graces are, the more diſcernable 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 Eph. 4. 12.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-denyal, humility, and ſaving-faith, and love.
Eighthly, Wicked men grow worſe and worſe, and why ſhould not we grow better and better? Shall Satans 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 our ſelves in this reſpect, conſidering how many grow worſe and worſe?
Ninthly, The ſtronger we grow in the habits of grace, the more eaſie 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 mens ſpirits up in duty, like tinder to the fire of the Spirit; or like the ſpirits of wine or oyl, 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 rejoyced they were counted worthy to ſuffer for the Name of Chriſt; Acts 5. 41.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, 1 Chron. 29.to build an Houſe to the Name of God; when a mans 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 emptie his purſe for Chriſts 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 luſtre, 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 mans 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 Luke 19.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 any thing, but unbelief: labour 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 Saviour 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 rowling thy ſelf and thy burthen, poor burthened ſoul upon the Lord Jeſus: caſt thy ſelf 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 Gal. 2. 20.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 Exod. 16.which of us is not? though you have a Lamp lighted; Brethren, There was enery morning daily a triming of the Lamps of the Exod. 30. 7.Sanctuary, and pouring oyl into them afreſh: you know, they will not continue, but go out in obſcure darkneſs, except there be a feeding of them with oyl; 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 Mat. 6. 34.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 benummed limbs that have no feeling nor ſtrength, gather ſtrength, but by rubbing, and chaſing, and exerciſing of them? though a mans legs be ſo benummed, 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 perſwaded, 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 labour; Prov. 12. 25.we may mourn our ſelves 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 2 Pet 1. 5. to 12.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 joyning 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 joyned 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: labour to act them all: and Temperance, and Heavenly-mindedneſs, &c. and you ſhall find, that as each Grace doth grow by the exerciſing of it ſelf, 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. Zec…. 12 10.And ſo the Apoſtle Jude, But you Beloved, building up your ſelves in your moſt holy Faith, praying in the Holy Jude 20.Ghoſt: and there is the like reaſon for building up our ſelves 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 alwaies 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 1 Tim 2. 8.gather ſoil continually, there is need of acknowledging our iniquities, and then he is faithful and juſt to forgive them; there James 4. 8.is the exerciſe of Faith, if any where, 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 James 5. 16.pray feelingly for them: And ſo Humility: O ſaith Abraham, Gen. 18. 32.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 Phil. 4. 6.wheel is ſet a going in the ſoul, if it be foreign 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 Gen 32. 12. & v. 9.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 thy ſelf with God, that thou mayſt have peace with him, and thou ſhalt Iob 22. 21.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 Luk. 13. 5.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 lockt, and prayer Iam. 5. 5.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 imployment enough: if God would but perſwade 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 fulneſs we receive grace for grace. O how Col. 2. 3.would we ply him, give him no reſt, he would have much more of our company, but that we have ſlight perſwaſions 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 Luk. 11. 9.denyed, if you ask, and ask not amiſs, as you heard lately. God Iam. 4. 3.will expend willingly his treaſures of grace upon us, and pour out the fulneſs of his Spirit upon us, but he will be enquired 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 our ſelves foyled 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 any thing then for prayer, every other buſineſs hath its hours to attend upon, but if any thing 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 our ſelves with any thing 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 labour 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 Exod. 32.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 perſwade 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 it ſelf 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 ake with holding the bellows; and thy heart akes, 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 thy ſelf, to ſee the neceſſity of an high-Prieſt the more feelingly; this humbleth, Exod. 28. 38.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, Mat. 15. Gen. 32. Dan. 10. 12.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 eaſie 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 dyeth; 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 2 Cor. 12. 7.he had an anſwer. And ſo Elias, ſeven times his ſervant was ſent, and brought an anſwer of nothing appearing, and at laſt 1 King. 18. 42.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 Luk. 11.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 it ſelf, 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 perſwade 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 perſwade us not, and by the invincible bonds of the Spirit, bind us cloſe to it, we ſhall ſee by woful 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 alway 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 Gods Spirit, which is the Spirit of prayer; and then if he be grieved, we ſhall find a woful 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 Iohn 1. 17. 2 Cor. 3. 18.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 leggs: Why the Ordinances of God, they are a feaſt, a feaſt of Iſa. 25. 6.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 Pſal. 23.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 Ier. 31. 14.houſe, there it is; and in the 63. Pſalm, the Pſalmiſt longs after Pſal. 36. 8.the enjoyment of God in his Ordinances, in his Sanctuary, O, ſaith he, my ſoul ſhall be ſatisfied with marrow and fatneſs: Pſal. 63. 5.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 Pſal. 92. 12.in the Courts of our God; and therefore the Spouſe in the Canticles was ſo earneſt, Shew me where thou feedeſt thy flocks, where Cant. 1. 7.thou makeſt them reſt at noon: Alas, many poor Believers may be to ſeek where the Lord Jeſus feedeth his flocks, ſpecially in theſe daies, 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 Pſal. 92. 12.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 pitty 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 1. Pet. 2. 2.ſincere, without mixture of errour or humane 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 ſtomack 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 perſwaded, 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 ſtoln 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 Phyſitian 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 Iohn 6. 55.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 Prov. 9.her table among us; and we come indeed, but without wedding-garments many times, and without appetites, and ſo we are caſt Mat. 22. 11.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 denyed 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 our ſelves? 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 vvere a pleaſing carriage of a child, vvhen he is poor, and lean, and ill-favoured, his Father provideth a rich banquet, royal dainties for him, ſetteth them before him, intreateth him to fall on, he complains of his vveakneſs and faintneſs, and yet vvill not eat; this is frovvardneſs, it is not pleaſing to God, vvho hath ſo richly provided for us; to hear his people complaining alvvay of their vveakneſs in faith, and vveakneſs in love, and all graces of the Spirit; and though he hath provided ſuch dainties for them in his Ordinances, as never eye ſavv, nor any taſted, but a Believer, and they might be fat and flouriſhing, if they vvere not vvretchedly vvanting to themſelves; they complain, and complain, but never mind it; to eat, to feed, to improve the Ordinances for this their grovvth: I have ſpoken the more largely here, becauſe I knovv, Brethren, I knovv it is our ovvn vvretched neglect of our ſelves in this caſe, that is the great cauſe of our vvant of grovvth.
Fifthly, Another help ſhall be this, labour to get the diſtempers of your ſouls healed, that hinder your grovvth: it is impoſſible vvhile a man hath a Woolf in his fleſh, or a greedy vven that ſucks all the nouriſhment from the body, that he ſhould grovv: Alas, every one of us can beſt tell vvhere our diſeaſes are. Some have obſtructions betvveen the head and the heart, the paſſages are not opened, and ſo they grovv indeed in the head, but the heart is poor, and dry, and vvithered, all notion, and no affection; hovv little affection have vve the moſt of us? nothing anſvverable to vvhat vve apprehend of the riches of grace in Jeſus Chriſt, all is not vvell vvith us, Brethren. Alas, hovv many of us have ſurfeited of the vvorld and the comforts thereo…? and ſo our appetites are loſt to theſe dainties and fat things of the houſe of God, vvhereby we ſhould grovv up like Calves of the ſtall. O for Chriſts ſake, and as you love your ſouls, take heed of the vvorld and love of it. Ah, vve little knovv hovv cloſe it ſticks to us, and hovv indiſcernably it inſinuates it ſelf 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 our ſelves? 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 vve do then? then vve ſee vvhat vve are. Well, if we would grow, we muſt begin at the right end, we muſt labour 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 Phyſitian, 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 hinderance, 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 your ſelves, and to grow indeed.
Sixthly, Labour 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 it ſelf 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 Pſal. 92. 12.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 Lilly, 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 burthen 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 Iſa. 40. 29.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 vertue, 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 Iſa. 27. 11.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 Bee 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 any thing 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 Pſal. 104. 34.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 fulneſs 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 any thing, 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 ingaged 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 ſhewed 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 Mechanick and the deepeſt Polititian? Such difference muſt there needs be between the heart of a man that is poring alway upon low things, and God is very little dwelt upon. It is ſaid of Moſes, that is the ground Exod. 2. 11. Heb. 11.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 Exod. 34. 7.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 Pſal. 30. 4.find a very great influence upon all our Graces, to increaſe them, even from the greatneſs, the fulneſs, 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 labour 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 endeavours, 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 Eph. 4. 16.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, foreign, with one conſent, with Acts 2. 46.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 Mat. 2. 35.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 2. Cor. 9. 2.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 Heb. 11. 4.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 glorifie God, and walk ſo chearfully before him. And ſo for Humility and Tenderneſs: where thou findeſt any eminent in theſe, make an improvement of them, joyn thy ſelf to them in a more ſpecial manner; labour 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, Eph. 4. 16.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 mens, becauſe they have greater works lying upon them then Ioh. 15. 5.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, Gal. 5. 6.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 thy ſelf wholly to theſe things, that thy profiting may appear to all men. As Jerom, I think, 1 Tim. 4. 15.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 labour 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 2 Cor. 4. 6.of the Glory of God in the face of Jeſus: He knoweth they are labouring to pull down his Kingdom, and do you think he 2 Cor. 7. 5.will not labour to pull them down, their ſouls down? O how his finger itches to be winnowing them, as he did the Diſciples! Luke 23. 31.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 ſtedfaſt, of knowledge in his depths and devices! But this 1 Pet 5. 9.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 Gal. 2. 9.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, alway learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. O what need then had young Timothies to … Tim. 1. 7. 2 Tim. 2. 6.be ſtir themſelves wholly to theſe things, becauſe alas, elſe they wil 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 our ſelves; 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 wayes 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 labour to anſwer your mercies, your experiences, your light and means you have enjoyed by your growth, for this is expected; aſſure your ſelves, 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 Pharoahs 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 your ſelves, 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 ſupplyeth, (ſaith the Apoſtle) as you ſee the Eph. 4. 16.ſpirits conveighed 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 every one 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 alway to thy ſelf, when called to ſpeak of it? mind you, Chriſt and David, Pſal. 40. 3.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 Pſal. 34. ….poor man cried to the Lord, and he heard him. No ſooner did Andrew find the Meſſiah, but he tels Simon: O we have found the Meſſiah. And ſo Philip ſaith to Nathaniel: and the Ioh. 1. 44, 45.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? Ioh 4. 24.I would (ſaith the Apoſtle) that your hearts might be knit together Col. 2. 1, 2.in love, and comforted, &c. that to this end you ſhould know what conflict I had for every one 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 neer ſuch a temptation: when thou art converted, ſtrengthen thy Brethren: and therefore comforted, that we might Luke 22. 32.comfort others; and therefore indued 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 Eph. 5. 4.fooliſh talking, and jeſting, and looſeneſs, and looſeneſs of Spirit: I tell you, Brethren, obſerve it, you little know what hurt you do your own ſouls by this lightneſs, nor what hurt you do to others: do you never reflect in the evening, what you have been doing, what company you have been in, what you have done, what you have gotten? methinks it ſhould make our▪ hearts ake, to conſider this day, through the lightneſs and frothineſs of my Spirit, I have not only ſinned my ſelf, but drawn others to it: this is not to grow, nor to help, but hinder one another. Or elſe we are diſcourſing of the world, of this and that bargain; or elſe raking into the infirmities of others, and pleaſing our ſelves with that, ſpecially of thoſe: that are not altogether of our minds, whereby our ſpirits are imbittered, not to ſtir up one another to bowels and compaſſions to them. How many ſuch opportunities doth the Lord put into our hands, and we have no heart to them? ſhall I beg of you, and of the Lord this day, that there might be a labouring either to do, or receive ſome good: O think every moment ill ſpent in the Fellowſhip of the people of God, that is not thus improved; and indeed if our hearts and mouths be not ſet a work thus, they will be working upon ſomewhat which is worſe, to the grieving and wounding of our ſpirits, and grieving Gods Spirit: Thus much for this Exhortation alſo.
The laſt Ʋſe then, ſhall be a word of comfort to every poor believing ſoul, that it may be, from what hath been ſaid, may be diſcouraged. If it be thus, that ſuch as upon whom the Lord Jeſus is ariſen, they are in ſuch a growing condition, then what ſhall I think of my ſelf? alas, I am weak, am very feeble, am at a ſtand, &c. For anſwer, I ſhall ſay a few things.
Firſt, There are ſeveral ſtates and ſtatures in Chriſt, there are babes in Chriſt, and ſuch as have need of milk, and not ſtrong meat; as the Apoſtle ſaith, ye have need of milk: I could not 1 Ioh. 2. 13, 14.ſpeak to you as to ſpiritual, but as to carnal, as to babes in Chriſt; that is to ſay, ſuch in whom the fleſh was very ſtrong and prevailing; 1 Cor. 3.So the Apoſtle John writeth to all the Saints under three ſtates, ſome were babes, ſome young men, in their ſtrength and vigour, ſome old men, Fathers of grown experience in the waies of Chriſt; Fathers in Iſrael, and Mothers in Iſrael; ſome are but juſt entred into the School of Chriſt, ſome are of a middle form, ſome of the higheſt, ſome are but gotten within the door of the houſe of God, and happy it is for them that are but once within, for then they ſhall go further and further: Others are gone further, into the inner Chambers, and are acquainted with the Lord Jeſus in the moſt inward manner; What then, wilt thou conclude, that becauſe thou art not a man the firſt day, or preſently, therefore thou art no child of grace? No, ſuppoſe thou art but a child, and weak, and every temptation over-turns thee, draweth thee aſide, yet remember thou art a child: though thou be not a ſtrong deeply rooted Cedar, yet thou art planted it may be lately: though yet for the time we might be men spiritual, perfect, as the Apoſtle ſaith, to bear the wiſdom of God in a myſterie, and yet are babes; it is matter of humiliation, but not of deſpair.
Secondly, Another is this, that the people of God, though they are in a growing condition, yet it is not ſo to be underſtood, as that every moment they grow, they have their declining fits; trees and plants, you know, have their Winters, and children have their ſickneſſes and fits, when they are at a ſtand, though afterward haply they ſhoot out ſo much the more for it; and ſo many times the people of God do, they are under a diſtemper for a while, and decline, and a man would think they were even withering and dying, but it reviveth again; many times grace in the hearts of the children of God, through corruption, are like the light of a candle ready to go out, even in the ſocket, but yet afterwards they are ſtirred up, they trim up their Lamps, ſhine more clearly and ſweetly then before: I ſay, do not conclude therefore thou art no child of God, becauſe it is not altogether with thee as it hath been: thou haſt found thy heart much more large toward God, much more tender, &c. Brethren, we may loſe our firſt love, and grow cold and dead, yea and it is poſſible Rev. 2. 4.for a child of God to dye under ſuch a condition, and yet not miſcarry in the main, though it is not ſo comfortable for him, nor ſo honourable for God; therefore take heed of concluding your ſtate by what you feel at preſent; it may be ſome temptation hath prevailed, ſome diſtemper is upon thee, therefore thou muſt heal that, get that removed, and thou ſhalt ſee thou wilt grow.
Thirdly, Even then thou mayſt be growing in the root, for there muſt be a time for that, Brethren: when we are leaſt in our ſelves, and ſee we are nothing, can do nothing, ſpecially being ſenſible of it: O how this humbles us! we are no loſers by this, our roots cannot be too much ſpread, nor the foundation too much ſtrengthened; this driveth us the more to Chriſt, maketh us the more ſeriouſly inquiſitive after our ſtate, to be ſure to look to our grounding and eſtabliſhing upon him, and this will fit us for further growth.
Fourthly, In the next place know this, that even then, when there is nothing appearing, thou thinkeſt thou art nothing, haſt nothing, all ſeems to be withered, no fruit appears, even then the Lord ſeeth the root in the ground: though wee ſee it not, he takes notice of it, and is pleaſed with it; though Jobs friends think he was a withered branch, cut off from Communion with God, yet he had the root of the matter within him: come into a garden in the ſummer, how pleaſant and how glorious it is furniſhed with all variety of plants and flowers; in the winter there is nothing appeareth, they are under ground; but now the Gardener, he knoweth what roots he hath there, though they appear not, and he can tell you what plants he ſhall have ſpringing up in the ſpring, and he is choice and tender of the places where they grow, as if they did appear and put forth; the Lord knoweth, if there be but the root of the matter in thee, if never ſo ſmall, if right, he knoweth it, and he knoweth the thoughts afar off, long before we think them, he knoweth our works afar off, I know Abraham, he will command his houſe after him, to keep Pſal. 39. 2. Gen. 18. 19.my Commandments; the Lord knoweth what ſinners would be if they lived, and therefore many times cuts them off; and he knoweth what his people would be and will be, though for the preſent under a temptation, under a cloud, and ſeem to be all withered and dryed up. Is this nothing? Brethren, he knoweth what root, what ſeed he hath ſown in the heart, and that it will put forth; Say not then, ſurely thou art not regarded of God, becauſe thou doſt not appear to thy ſelf to grow at every moment.
Fifthly, Alas, but you will ſay, if I did come on thus and thus, as ſuch an one doth, it were ſomething like. I anſwer, it is good to follow the pattern of fruitful and growing-Chriſtians; but what if God will not give thee that meaſure that he giveth another? What if thou be but as a little finger in the body, and ſuch an one is as an arm? canſt thou expect then to grow as much as ſuch an one? is not he wiſe, and knoweth beſt what meaſure is good for us? Secondly, For that thy deſires are yet higher then thy growth, it is good for thee, deſire growth as much as thou wilt; and I could wiſh your deſires were more earneſt, for then your endeavours would be more anſwerable then they are; but if thy deſires be in good earneſt, and thou makeſt it thy work to grow and come on, and yet canſt not reach thy deſires; ſhould this diſcourage? No; thou ſhouldſt be encouraged, and bleſs the Lord that thy deſires are kept up after more and more; that you ſay not ſufficit, for this is the way appointed of God for growth, that ſtill the deſires of his people ſhould be uppermoſt; and for my own part, I think there is not a better ſign of a growing, then an eager ſtomack, except it be a diſeaſe, which can hardly be in ſpirituals, though a man may deſire alſo to hear more then he digeſts. See, the Church was following Chriſt, and yet ſaith ſhe, Draw me, I will run; We go after thee, but we Cant. 1. 4.would run.
Sixthly, Growth is not ſenſible, is not viſible until afterward; that degree which is in the motion is not perceived until afterward: you ſee trees, and plants, and children, they have grown, but if you ſit by them, ſet your eyes upon them to ſee them grow, and cannot diſcern it, and ſhould complain, alas, they grow not; would you not bewray much weakneſs? So it is in this caſe: A Merchant, it is true, caſts up his daily accounts, what cometh in, what goeth out, but he doth take the ſtate of his condition but now and then: So ſhould we, though daily we examine our ſelves, how we gain or loſe, ſuch a day, in all paſſages; yet to examine the ſtate of our growth in the general every day, is to little purpoſe, as I told you before; the Kingdom of God cometh not with obſervation; both the Kingdom of God in Pſal. 110. Hoſ. 14. Mar. 4. 27.the adminiſtration of it groweth inſenſibly, as the falling of the dew from the womb of the morning; thou haſt the dew of thy youth, and God will be as the dew to Iſrael. So the ſeed ſown, is ſaid to grow while he that ſowed it ſleepeth, he knoweth not how; it is vain to obſerve it while it is growing, but afterward it will appear.
Seventhly, Though it may be thou grow not in affections ſo much as thou thinkeſt, thou maiſt grow notwithſtanding in the underſtanding, and in the will, in the main part of the ſoul; for the paſſions indeed, they are the loweſt part, and yet we are apt to place moſt in them. O if we can be but ſo and ſo affected … a rapture of joy, a melting into tears, it may be with many of us, is more then a ſweet yielding Spirit to the will of Jeſus Chriſt; this is a great miſtake. It may be heretofore, when the matter was new to thee, thou waſt more affected with it paſſionately then now thou art; as you ſee new things do affect our nature moſt, which, as ſome well obſerve, is the reaſon wherefore children are taken and affected with every thing at the firſt, becauſe every thing is new to them, which men are not, except with things which are ſo to them. Beſide, as the blood groweth colder in old age, and the ſpirits are not ſo agile, there cannot be expected that vigour of affection in old perſons, and weak, and ſick perſons, as in young▪ perſons, this is the caſe. Beſides, theſe paſſions they are wonderful unconſtant, and there is no judgement by them at all, they do ſo ſtrangely ebb and flow; ſome mens natures are more paſſionate, apt to grieve, to be affected with every little thing, and there a little matter will ſet their paſſions afloat; others are more ſtock-like, it is much that moveth their affection: Now a little thing will not move them. But ſuppoſe that thou doſt not grow in theſe ſo much, how is thy underſtanding? doſt thou grow there, abound in the knowledge of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt? before thou waſt empty, kneweſt very little; now thou haſt a Treaſury of knowledge, and thou goeſt on herein: do we grow in our judgements, Brethren? doſt thou not value Chriſt and grace at a higher rate then before, counting all things droſs in compariſon of him? doſt thou not cleave to the Lord with more full and ſtrong purpoſe of heart then before? this is growth indeed to the purpoſe.
Eighthly, If thou grow not in bigneſs, doſt thou grow in ſweetneſs? this is growth Brethren. At firſt, Chriſtians run up 1 Cor. 8. 2▪to a great height, a pace they grow in knowledge, but afterwards they grow in the ſanctifiedneſs of that knowledge: Alas, when they know much, they know little as they ought: Now thou comeſt to know it as thou oughteſt, ſo as to humble thee, ſo as to endear thee to Chriſt more: Now thou art more peaceable, more apt to forgive, leſs cenſorious, haſt not ſo much of that dividing ſpirit that formerly thou hadſt: doſt thou grow, I ſay, in ſweetneſs therefore, if thou grow ſo? ſo much in heat? this is the fatneſs and the ſweetneſs of the growth, and there is great comfort in this.
Ninthly, In the laſt place, as David ſaid of the Covenant of God, and his family, though he make it not to grow, yet ſaith he, this is all my hope, and all my ſalvation; yet he truſted in him. 2 Sam. 23. 5.It is God that maketh it to grow (Brethren) and he is free, and rich in his influences; and what if he make it not to grow for a time? what then? wilt thou queſtion all his work in thee? No, no, but rather labour to believe it away: Here are many promiſes, truſt in him, though he make it not to grow; hang upon him ſtill for this growth, and if he ſtill make it not to grow, yet ſtill make this thy ſalvation, his Covenant: if he ſee not ſuch a meaſure fit for thee, be humbled for what thou findeſt to be the obſtruction, but caſt not away thy confidence, though he make it not to grow: and thus much for this.
FINIS.