that the Christian is as his Faith is If his Faith be in good plight his other Graces will be so too If there be a flourishing Faith there will be a flaming Love and there will be an abounding and an increase in other Graces Faith it hath an influence upon all other the Graces of the Spirit Grow in that and grow in all Now if you ask But how would you have us to grow or to what pitch and proportion would you have us to arrive You perswade us to a growth in Faith what growth is it that you press us to Will you now but a little weigh these things that I have to communicate I tell you thus your growth in Faith if so be that you will answer your duty it must first be a growth practically answering to the degrees of Faith that you come up to the degrees of Faith and to as high a degree of Faith as you can 2. That in a practical way you may answer the testimonies that are given of Faith 3. That in a practical way you may answer the eminent and signal examples and patterns of Faith 4. That in a practical way you may perform the acts and express the fruits and effects of Faith all this in a practical way And then shall you answer the duty and approve your selves to be such as are persons of a well grown Faith First of all when I perswade you to grow in Grace in the Grace of Faith interpret thus That every believing soul is to look unto and to press after such a growth as that there may be an attainment of Faith and of Faith in the degrees of it Thus we distinguish of a weak Faith and of a strong Faith We distinguish of a Faith of Adherence and of a Faith of Evidence and Assurance We speak of Believers some that are poor in Faith others that are rich in Faith according to the Apostles expression in James The poor of this world rich in Faith We distinguish of a living Faith and of a lively Faith We distinguish of a combating Faith and of a conquering Faith Of a conflicting Faith and of a triumphing Faith such distinctions there are Now our duty is to press after such a growth that we may be in the advancing and come up to the highest degree that we can attain unto Our Saviour complained of the Disciples O ye of little Faith Importing thus much that their duty was for to be much in Faith and to have a great Faith a well grown Faith such a Faith as the Woman of Canaan of whom I shall speak O woman great is thy Faith There are that are poor in Faith they have but a poor degree and measure of Faith but even as much of it as will keep life and soul together as I may so speak all that they can do is but to keep in life I but now our duty is to look after an inrichment in Faith that we may live like rich men live at a high rate that we may spend and spend very largely This is our duty That we have a lively Faith a Faith so improved as that its quick and active and nimble and can put on vigorously in the wayes of Grace and holiness this is our duty To grow from one degree to another to be stronger and stronger to proceed from Faith of Adherence unto Faith of Assurance Not only to have the Faith of Recumbency that we can hang upon Christ and roul our selves upon him for Salvation but that we may come to have a Faith of Confidence that we may not only be perswaded of the truth of Promises but that we may be perswaded of our personal interest and propriety in Promises And that we are not only perswaded of the truth of them but of our title to them that we may not only be able to say that This is a faithful saying that Jesus Christ came into the World to save sinners but that we may be able by Faith to say I and this Jesus came to save me as much as any other sinners in the World That we may not be only able to say He loved his People and gave himself for his people but we may be able by a well-improved Faith to say yea he loved me and he gave himself for me Thus could Paul say such was Pauls Faith A Faith of Assurance when we cannot only reflect with fears and difficulties but we can trample upon them and triumph over them and say with the Apostle I am perswaded that neither heighth nor depth nor length nor Principalities nor Powers nor things present nor things to come shall be able to separate me from the love of God that is in Christ. Such a growth we should have that we may come to bear up with a holy confidence towards God that we may be able to say I know whom I have believed and I know that my Redeemer liveth We know that if this Tabernacle were dissolved we have a building of God a house not made with hands eternal in the Heavens This is the Faith that we should press after a Faith of such a size as this of such a proportion as this and not rest contented with this That we can hang upon Christ though its a great Mercy to have the least degree of Faith yet this we should be pressing to that we may come to a holy confidence towards God This is our duty and that that we should endeavour to that we may come to be of such a grown Faith that 's the first thing 2. Our duty is to grow in Faith and to be of such a growth in Faith as that we may answer the high and honourable and glorious testimonies that are given of Faith that we may be able to give in our Justification of such testimonies and say thus and thus is Faith testified of 't is a true testimony I am able to prove it I am able to speak it out of my own person and from my own experience It s our blessed Sayiours speech Wisdome is justified of her children If we will approve our selves to be the children of Wisdome we should look after this in a special manner that we may be able to justifie the sayings of Wisdome Now what are the sayings of Wisdome concerning Faith the testimonies that are given of it Mark the Apostle in the 11th chapter of his Epistle to the Hebrews he tells us That Faith is the substance of things hoped for it is the evidence of things that are not seen Is this a true testimony It may be you will say you believe this that this is a truth concerning Faith I but what of that Is it a truth in you Is your Faith such a Faith Are you able to subscribe to this and to say yea blessed be God I can speak this from my own experience and say Faith is to me the substance of things that are hoped for Faith is in me the evidence of things that are not seen
way or no he hath begun the journey and he is doubting whether he be in the right way yea or no this will put him to a puzzel and make him to be fluctuating and hesitating had I best go on I doubt whether I be in the right way yea or no this will cause slackness of his motion but if he be sure that he is in the way this will be much to the incouraging of him to make a further progress So if I find and am sure that this be the right way that I have Grace in the truth of it this will cause us to labour after the growth in Grace Eighthly You are to be upon the Faithful and diligent exercise of what you have The reason why we have no more Faith is because we are not more upon the exercise of that Faith which we have We speak of trusting in God Alas how few are there of us that do any thing to purpose in the exercise of our trust and beleeving exercising Faith upon Christ and upon the Covenant of God in Christ concerning pardon of sin sanctification why for want of exercising what Grace we have already received wâ—… improve no more the promise is a faithful promise and God will be true to it He that hath to him shall be given He that hath what 's that he that hath and useth for we must needs understand it in that sense He speaks of the man that had the Talent and had imployed it had gain'd five talents he had imployed his talent saith Christ give him the other talent for to him that hath that is that hath and doth use and imploy what he hath to him shall be given If we would now but set our selves seriously and consideringly upon this business and exercise and imploy what Grace God hath given we may be confident of it that God will come in with the inlargeings of his spirit Ninthly Our duty is in order to growth in Grace to be constant in our attendance upon such means which God hath appointed for such a purpose Word and Ministry and other Gospel-ordinances as we lye fair for the injoyment of them Truly these means are provided for this very purpose that Christians may grow God hath set up a ministry in the World not only to bring persons that were strangers to Grace to the participation of it but that being brought to partake of Grace they may come to be increased in Grace Christ ascended up on high and gave gifts unto men for the perfecting of the Saints as well as for the planting of the Saints and this is our duty when we have sound the power of the Gospel upon our hearts to bring us from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God When we have found the efficacy of the ordinances to begin Grace our duty is to attend them still that that Grace being begun may by the same means be increased unto the day of perfection This is the will of God and we may be confident of this that when Christians come to Gods means propounding Gods ends mark what I say and accordingly wisely judiciously and conscientiously applying to the means to such ends and purposes they may be confident of it that God will come in with a blessing for God doth delight to crown his own means to prosper his own prescriptions he loves to see his meat that he gives his children to prove their nourishment their physick to promote their health God loves to see his means that he provides for the good of souls to see them succesful Consider can you think so dishonourably of God of the most blessed God that he should provide a Ministry continue it in the World continue his people in their attendance upon it what meerly that they might keep on in a formalizing course and be never the better Or can we think so dishonourably of God as that he would go and tye us to hear and attend the Ministry of his Gospel and Grace and withhold his blessing while we do conscienciously and judiciously apply our selves to such means Can we think so dishonourably of God as that he will suspend his working Ah Brethren the Lord delights to meet them with his blessing that remember him in his waies Do but think of that passage in Isa. 64. and look that Text full in the face and hear what it speaks to you Thou meetest him that rejoyceth and worketh righteousness those that remember thee in thy waies mark it Thou meetest them to what purpose why to prosper them to command thy blessing upon them I undoubtedly if we did but propound this to our selves when we come to attend the Ordinances think thus with our selves why God hath set up this Ministry in the World that his peoples souls might prosper that they might thrive that they might grow rich that they might improve in Knowledge and Faith and Holyness and Love and the like God hath given this that there might be the perfecting of the Saints the perfecting of my Soul I go to this means I attend this Ministry and I will attend in expectation of a blessing of God upon it I will wait upon God and I will expect his blessing and reckon upon it that I shall be the better for these means 't is God's means and he loves to be found in his own way and to bless and prosper his own appointments Oh this is that would conduce exceeding much to proficiency in Faith and Godlyness if we would but go this way to work But I tell you Friends our formality spoyls us it 's a most lamentable thing to consider what formalizing spirits many of us have Will you but mind this that I say I would I might not have that occasion that sometimes we have in the way of our preaching to speak to such a purpose people come together and profess to pray as that 's one part of our publick ministry yet how many are there of you that scarce ever close with one petition in a whole prayer your eyes are wandering and thoughts are roving Do not your consciences tell you that of a truth you make nothing of this duty but you can gaze and wander and look this way and that way and discover to others an unfixed heart and that you mind not the business that you are transacting What 's this but formalizing as if we came to set out a prayer and not to bear a part in prayer And so for hearing with what a formalizing spirit are we many times we can hear as if we were not at all concerned in any thing that 's spoken never considering of the ordinances in reference to God as that that hath the stamp of his Authority upon it O this if the Lord be not the more merciful it will be the ruine of our souls This Plague Formality We have got a course of going to Church as you use to say and keep on a course and go in account for prosessors but
World there are many they will be rich in the World and they decree and resolve upon it that they will be rich I sometimes whether God will or no. They carry the matter as if they would be rich whether God will or no. They would be rich rich in the World and they have no warrant for God hath not required this of any man that they should grow rich in the World He requires they should do their duty and if he will come in with a blessing so they ought to be thankful but he doth not command them to be rich in the World but there are that will be rich and resolve to be rich and so they run themselves into snares and temptations and many hurtful and noysome lusts that drown mens souls in destruction I but here 's the Grace of God to his poor servants His will is that they should be rich in Grace and he doth encourage thereunto by promising that he will prosper you in your way He hath given you such a stock he will give you more provided that you do but your duty and it is his mercy that he hath made it the matter of your duty to grow in Grace 2. And then reckon upon this for your encouragement and the quickening of you in your endeavours this way To be sure grow as much as you can you will never grow too good for God you can never have too much Grace you can never have too much Faith nor Love nor Holiness Godliness knows no bounds You can never have too much of God and Christ and Holiness When the foolish Virgins saw themselves at a loss as touching their oyle and come to the wise to buy of them nay say they spare us there we have none to part withal we will keep what we have gotten lest we should not have enough for us and you And so make account of this that when you have grown as high in Grace as you can you will have no over-pluss you will have none to spare SERM. VIII IT is God's great mercy that there are any in the World which have any Grace in them and that God should make such a pleasant and precious plant to take root and spring up in such a soyl as the soul is so barren of all good and so unapt to receive any good Now as it is God's mercy that any have Grace so it is their duty that have it for to grow in it and this duty you have been over and over charged with But I shall now come to what remains to be spoken concerning this Argument which I shall give a brief account of and then come to what follows in the Text. 2. The further encouragements unto the lively and vigorous prosecution of this matter a strenuous endeavour to grow in Grace the incouragements they are very great and I desire that you may know the force and power and vertue of them in your own hearts 3. If so be that you do indeed make it your business and do endeavour this to grow in Grace and shall do so as you are very like to do it if you endeavour after it you will have this advantage you will not be altogether so apt to be unsetled in your apprehensions concerning your state you will not be so much upon the questioning point concerning the truth and reality of the Grace of God in you as many are when you come to be of some considerable growth in Grace when you come to have much Faith and much Love and much Holyness much of the Fear of God you will not be so apt to be questioning the point and fluctuating in your souls concerning your Grace but you will be able to bear up against temptations of that kind and ready to make your confident avouchments and say if you be questioned about your Faith Yea Lord thou knowest I do believe Be questioned about your Love as Peter was Simon lovest thou me Yea Lord thâ—…u knowest I love thee And truly this is a great advantage that will come over to us by improvement in Grace for the truth and soundness of Grace it doth appear by its growth it is a clear demonstration that a plant lives wâ—…n it grows it may live and yet there be no discovery of its growth but when there is a growth there is a plain demonstration that the plant is alive and this benefit will come over by growing in Grace And while poor weaklings in Grace that are of low attainments and are apt to please themselves in their lower measures will be apt to be shaken by every wind of temptation and be put upon the questioning point upon every occasion whether there be any Grace in them yea or no. They that have but a little Faith a little Grace they will be apt ever and anon to be fluctuating in their spirits and doubting within themselves whether there be any thing of God and Christ and Grace in them Well-grown Christians will be able to bear up with a holy confidence that of a truth the Grace of God is in them 4. This incouragement we have to endeavour a growth in Grace God will be the more glorified Christ will be the more magnified the Gospel will be the more credited the more we have of Grace we shall be able to quit our selves honourably in our way of duty in our way of suffering Herein is our Father Glorified that we have much fruit and bring forth much fruit 5. God will glory in such and make his boast of them as he did of Iob Do'st thou not see my servant Iob that there is not a man like him in the earth an upright and a perfect man one that seareth God and escheweth evil The Lord doth make a holy boast of his eminent servant that was so raised up in Grace and Holyness And you know what our Saviour speaks concerning the woman of Canaan O woman great is thy Faith be it unto thee even as thou will Truly there is very much in that to consider of men and women of advanced Faith and Grace O! how Christ doth Glory in them and what is it that he can deny them Be it unto thee even as thâ—…u wilt draw thy requests and I will under-write them I will say amen to them what can God deny a soul that is improved in Grace of all others such are like to have the highest communications from God for this we may well think that God will order out his communications of mercy and comfort to his people according to their capacities the larger the vessel is the more liquor it takes in and accordingly the more shall there be communicated unto it Narrow hearts are like to have but little because they can receive but little they are little in capacity and are like to be accordingly but little in the communication that shall be made unto them 6. This will be our encouragement to endeavour a growth in Grace we shall by this means credit
of the best things Knowledge of the Lord and Saviour and yet notwithstanding persons may perift and perish the more dreadfully And I add that place in Heb. 10. where the Apostle speaks to this purpose saith he If we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin but a certain fearful looking for of Iudgement and fiery Indignation which shall devour the adversaries There may be a receiving of the knowledge of the truth and yet a wilful sinning and so a fearful expectation and nothing but that remaining for them a fearful expectation of Judgement and fiery Indignation Now all this considered Knowledg I and knowledge of the best things it may be had and yet persons under the power of the Devil persons that after their escape from worldly intanglements may be brought again into sorer bondage their latter end worse than their beginning and they may fall under the deep and more dreadful damnation Now the improvement that we are to make of this is only thus O let us take heed of resting in our Knowledge and bearing upon this that we are knowing men and knowing women able to discourse of the things of God and the mysteries of Religion O take heed of this considering what hath been now spoken to you that you may have a great measure of Knowledge and yet be meer strangers unto saving Grace far be it from me to speak a tittle to the disparagement of Knowledge but rather most vigorously to press your pursuance of it and that you endeavour after it as I shall perform to that purpose afterwards know that it is not good that the mind be without knowledge saith Solomon nay the heart cannot be good without Knowledge you cannot believe without Knowledge you cannot pray without Knowledge you cannot live without Knowledge you must have Knowledge or else you will never be sav'd O Ignorance it is of it self a damning sin only thus rest not in your Knowledge rest not in this that you have a light in your head but look to it that you have Grace in your hearts Look to this that you know and know to love and know so as that you may believe and live if you know these things saith our SAVIOUR happy are ye if you do them If you know the truth and know it in truth of heart as the Apostle speaks Since ye know the Grace of God in truth know it to be the truth and know it in the truth of your hearts O this is that that we should mind Truly that you may know for practice and the truth is you know no more to purpose than you know to practice And it is of sad consideration that which I have now to speak unto you it is of sad consideration that that knowledge which men and women attain to of God and Christ and Gospel-mysteries if so be that it be not reduc'd to practice if there be not a due improvement of it if there be a Science and not Conseience a Science and not a Conscience to make use of the knowledge it is of sad consideration that that I have now to say The day will come when all the Knowledge that you have gotten of Christ and of the mysteries of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God that knowledge will turn upon you and it will be to your everlasting torment O tremble at the thought of it This is the torment and will eternally be the torment of the damned in Hell that they had knowledge great measures of knowledge and yet notwithstanding did not improve their knowledge did not reduce it to practice they had light but did not live up to their light they knew the will of God O but they were not conscientiously careful to perform and do the will of God O this this will be the torment the Conscience of a man will be an eternal fury to him and it will everlastingly torment him when it shall tell him Did'st not thou know that Christ was given to save sinners and to save from sin Did'st not thou know that the Grace of God that brings Salvation it did teach to deny all ungodlyness and worldly lusts thou knowest this thou knowest that it was thy duty to live thus and thus to walk with God to deny thy self to cross thy corruptions it was thy duty to study to approve thy self to God and to keep a clear Conscience It was thy duty to own Christ in an hour of temptation did'st not thou know this to be thy duty Conscience will thus charge upon thee and then you shall know it O! how did this torment Iudas on this side Hell before he came there Oh! I know my Master was an innocent person and yet notwithstanding contrary to my knowledge I went and betrayed him into the hands of sinners O how did this torment Esau on this side Hell he knew that the Birth-right and the Blessing were things to be highly valued the temptation comes upon him he was a little pinch'd with hunger and Iacob takes the advantage there was a mysterie of Providence in it of his exigence and gets away his Birth-right from him But when the time comes that the Blessing was gone then Esau knows O this knowledge torments him that he knew the Birth-right what it was and how it ought to be accounted of and yet notwithstanding he past it away for a trifle O Conscience will torment another day when a man shall come to have his knowledge set a work I know that Christ was a precious Christ that Grace it was better than Gold I had conviction upon my Conscience and yet notwithstanding I chose the World rather than Christ I preferred my lusts and corruptions before the Lord Jesus I knew this to be my duty but I made no conscience of performing my duty Well the Lord set these things home upon every one of us and that we may be wise for our souls and take heed of resting in what we know but look to it that we have such a Knowledge as is accompanied with Grace such a Knowledge as is sanctified to us by Grace And this now I speak upon occasion of this Question SERM. IX 2 Pet. 3. 18. And in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. THree things seem to lye in the Text. First that it is God's will and Saints duty As to grow in Grace so to grow in Knowledge 2. That it is the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ which is the special Knowledge wherein Saints and Beleevers ought to grow 3. They that mind growth in Grace must in order thereunto endeavour a growth in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. First of all it is the good will of God and a Saints duty to grow in Knowledge God would have his people to be a knowing people a well-knowing people God doth take no pleasure in a people that pretend to Him and profess his Name