Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

fo he must needs lofe his joy. But though the ground of the hypocrite's joy continue, namely, his fancied intereft in the favour of God, and privileges of the gofpel, yet the joy goes; thofe things gro ftale and faplefs with him, which mightily affected him when they were new to him.

4. True fpiritual joy humbles the foul, and fills it with high and honourable thoughts of God; but delufion never ceases to puff up, Gen. xxviii. 17. How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. Exod. xxxiv. 8. Mofes made hafte, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped. 2 Cor. xii. 11. Compare Col. ii. 18. For all the divine communications tend to empty men of themselves, to make Chrift and his free grace all to a man; and holy familiarity with God impreffes an awe on one's spirit, in fo far as the more one fees of God, the more he muft admire and adore him. But nature will always build up nature.

5. Laftly, True fpiritual joy is fanctifying, makes one the more tender and holy, the more he has of it. But delusion will never fanctify, Phil. iii. 3. Delu. fion is a cover to and nourisher of inward lufts, which get a peaceable fhelter under it: but true fpiritual joy makes one forward in the duties of univerfal obedience, Pfal. cxix. 32. I will run the way of thy com mandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart. And it makes one tender in moral duties towards God, and towards man.

Inf. 1. Unjuftified perfons cannot intermeddle with this joy, for it is a benefit that flows from juftification. It is a privilege peculiar to the faints; childrens bread, that is not caft to dogs. Ye may rejoice in the worldly comforts ye have, faying, This cloathing, this money is mine; but you cannot fay, This God is mine.

2. When created streams are dried up, the joy of the ungodly is quite gone: but it is not fo with the godly, job vi. 13. Is not my help in me? and is wif

dom driven quite from me? Hab. iii. 17. 18. The great ground of the faints joy, and the objects of it, are beyond the reach of men, fo that they cannot take them from them.

3. Moft groundless is the prejudice against religion, that it is a melancholy thing, Prov. iii. 17. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. None have fuch reason to rejoice as the believer has. If the poor wretched and condemned creature has more ground to rejoice, than he that is pardoned and enriched with his prince's favour; then the wicked has as much ground to rejoice as the believer who is juftified by grace. O, if the ungodly faw their ftate, they would never rejoice; and if the godly faw theirs, they would never defpond.

4. It is not God's allowance for his children to harden themselves in forrow, and refuse to be comforted; Phil. iv. 4. Rejoice in the Lord always and again I fay, Rejoice. As it is uncomfortable to themselves, it is difhonouring to God, and is the fruit of unbelief.

:

5. O unconverted finners, let the joy of religion draw you to it. Come to Chrift, in a way of believing on him, that ye may be juftified. Clofe with the way of holinefs, in renouncing all known fin, and complying with all known duty, that ye may have this fpiritual joy, 2 Cor. i. 12.

6. Lastly, Let the godly ftrive to attain this fpiritual joy, and to maintain it, for God's honour, and their own comfort and usefulness.

Of Increase of Grace, and Perfeverance therein to the End.

PROVERBS iv. 18.

But the path of the just is as the Shining light, that Shineth more and more unto the perfect day.

HITHERTO we have fpoken of the benefits flowing from or accompanying the fense of jufti

VOL. II.

U u

fication. I come now to speak of thofe that accompany or flow from the being of it, namely, increase of grace, and perfeverance. In the text there is an elegant comparifon of two things like to one another. Wherein we have,

1. The fubjects of the comparison, The path of the juft, and the fhining light.

(1.) The fubject compared, the path of the just. The juit in the language of the Old Teftament are thofe who are juftified by faith, Hab. ii. 4. The just shall live by his faith. They are a travelling company, going towards Canaan; they have a path or way wherein they go, and they make a progrefs in it. The word here ufed fignifies, (1.) The progrefs itfelf or courfe in the way, as Job vi. 18. The paths of their way are turned afide. If. xxvi. 8. In the way of thy judgements, O Lord, have we waited for thee. (2.) The place or way through which one goes. The thing meant is the gracious and holy life of the juft.

(2.) The fubject it is compared to; the fhining light, that Shineth more and more unto the perfect day. It is compared to light, both because it is comfortable to themselves, and inftructive, exciting to others, and honourable. It is not like the light of a meteor, that fhines a while and then difappears quickly; nor that of a candle, which burns and burns down till it waftes itfelf; but like the light of the fun, and not the evening-fun, that declineth, but the morning-fun, that with increasing brightnefs and heat advances to the meridian.

2. The points of the comparifon. (1.) As that light is a growing light, fhining more and more; fo is the grace of God in a foul, going from one degree to another. (2.) As it does not go out, but grows on to the perfect day; fo grace never dies out, but goes on till it be perfected in glory.

DOCT. Increase of grace, and perfeverance, are benefits flowing from or accompanying juftification.

I. Of Increase or Growth of Grace.

Here I fhall fhew,

1. That real grace doth increase or grow. 2. How a Chriftian grows in grace.

3. The caufes of this growth.

4. The difference betwixt true and false growth. 5. Whether true grace grows always.

6. Lastly, Apply.

FIRST, I am to fhew that real grace doth increase or grow. This is evident from three things.

1. Scripture- teftimony. Grace is a holy feed that fprings and grows, Mark iv. 27. however little at first like a grain of muftard-feed, Matth. xiii. 31. 32. like leaven, ver. 33. God has promised it, Pfal. xcii. 12. Mal. iv. 2. But unto you that fear my name, fball the Sun of righteousness arife with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves of the stall.

2. God has appointed a certain ftature that his children fhall grow to, Eph. iv. 13. This is the perfection of grace. Hence the Chriftian is firft a little child, then a young man, then a father, 1 John ii. 13. They walk, they run, they fly, they mount like eagles, If. xl. ult. 3. This is the end of divine influences, If. xxvii. 3. & xliv. 3. 4. It is alfo the effect of divine ordinances, 3.4. Eph. iv. 11. 12. It is the end of all the pains of the heavenly Hufbandman on the plants of his vineyard. SECONDLY, I fhall fhew how a Chriftian grows in grace. He grows four ways,

1. Inward, into Chrift, as the branch doth into the ftock, Eph. iv. 15. Cleaving to him, and knitting with him more firmly, his faith grows ftronger, 2 1 heff. i. 9; his love more vigorous, his hope firmer, his dependence clofer, &c. This is the fpring of all other Chriftian increase in grace,

2. Outward, in good works, in all the parts of a holy life, piety towards God, and righteoufnefs towards inen, Gen. xiix. 22. The growing Chriftian advances in the work of his falvation, Phil, ii, 12, in

the work of his generation, Acts xiii. 36. He goes on in the fruits of a holy life, for God's honour, his own good, and for the good and advantage of his fellow Chriftians, knowing that he is not born for himfelf.

3. Upward, in a heavenly difpofition, Phil. iii. 20, The end of his journey that he is aiming at is the upper world; and as he is coming out of this world in action, fo he is coming out of it in affection, Cant. viii. 5. He grows more heavenly in his defires, joys, delights, griefs, forrows, &c.

4. Laftly, Downward, in humility, felf-denial, felf-loathing, refignation to the will of the Lord, &c. The more religion prevails, there are are always more of thefe graces, Job xlii. 5. 6. Pfal. xxii. 6. 2 Cor. xii. 11. For the more grace there is, there is the more knowledge of God and one's felf; which are two boundless depths, the one of glory, the other of fin..

THIRDLY, I fhall fhew the caufes of this

growth.

1. Union with Chrift, John xv. 4. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine: no more can ye, except ye abide in me. He that is not united to Chrift can never grow in grace, more than a branch that does not knit with the flock. But where the Lord takes hold of the foul by his Spirit, and the foul takes hold of Chrift by faith, there is an union whereby they become members of Chrift, and their growth is fecured.

2. Communion with Chrift, John vi. 57. He that eateth me, even he fall live by me. He is the fountain of the faints life, who gives it them, and more abundantly. He is the head of influences, by which they are made to increase in grace, as the fap from the root and flock makes the branches to grow. And this communion they have with him,

(1.) In ordinances public, private, and fecret, fo that

re made to grow by the fatnefs of his house,

« ZurückWeiter »