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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A52407 Twenty sermons preached upon several texts by James Nalton ; published for publick good. Nalton, James, 1600-1662. 1677 (1677) Wing N124; ESTC R28705 269,750 474

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certain seasons wherein grace must be especially acted as there are certain seasons of the year in Spring you have buds and blossoms in Summer you have fruits green and growing in the Autumn you have the same fruits ripe and ready to be eaten Every thing is beautiful in its season Eccles 3.11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time so every grace is beautifully acted when it is seasonably acted Fifthly He that hath the least measure of grace must not be discouraged but must be acting it still that in the exercise of it it may be increased nay certainly a man that hath but one Talent Mat. 25.15 that is but a little measure of grace and doth act it well he shall have more comfort a great deal than he that hath five Talents and doth not wisely act them Thus you see the first thing opened what is required of a Christian that he may rightly act his grace The second thing for explication is But why must Christians thus be acting of their graces Let me give you these four reasons First The acting of grace will be a certain evidence of the truth of grace there is no more certain evidence of the truth of grace than the acting of grace it may be there are some poor souls that hear me that will be ready to say O what would I give that I might but have a certain and infallible evidence of the truth of grace though it were but as a grain of Mustard-seed that I could but say that I have true faith and true repentance and true love to Jesus Christ had I an assurance that it were in truth what would I give I will tell thee for thy comfort Here is a rule in the Text If thou walk in Jesus Christ that is if thou be acting that little grace thou hast received it is a certain token of the truth of it A painted fire will not warm a man a painted Cow will give no milk a painted Horse will not move a painted Tree will not grow so here a painted Christian a counterfeit Christian a Hypocrite counterfeit grace will never grow a counterfeit Christian is always a dead and barren Christian but if thou art a fruitful Christian it is a token that grace that thou hast is grace in truth as the Apostle speaks 2 Pet. 1.5 6 7 8 And besides this giving all diligence add to your faith virtue and to virtue knowledg and to knowledg temperance and to temperance patience and to patience godliness and to godliness brotherly-kindness and to brotherly-kindness charity for if these things be in you and abound they make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledg of our Lord Jesus Christ when a man is acting of his grace he is adding to his grace add to your faith virtue and to virtue knowledg c. When a man is acting of his grace then he is not barren nor unfruitful when these two go together then may a man be confident that he is a real Christian a Disciple indeed and not a Disciple in name only There are these two special properties of grace the acting of grace and the growth of grace and you have them both in that place 2 Pet. 1.5 6 7 8 the activity of grace when a man is not barren nor unfruitful in the knowledg of our Lord Jesus Christ And the growth of grace when a man adds to his faith virtue to virtue knowledg to knowledg temperance to temperance patience c. Compare these two places of Scripture together Gal. 6.15 with Gal. 5.6 In Gal. 6.15 says the Apostle For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but a new Creature compare that with Gal. 5.6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but faith which worketh by love In the former place namely Gal. 6.15 but a new creature there the Apostle speaks of the habit of grace in the latter namely Gal. 5.6 but faith which worketh by love there he speaks of the activity of grace when the habit of grace is turned into the activity of grace when faith worketh by love that is a token of true graceindeed A second reason is this The more you act your graces the more you shall encrease them Tradesmen know the more they trade with their Stock the more they increase their Stock Grace is like the Windows oyl the more it is poured out the more it is increased 2 Kings 4.6 Nay there is a promise made to that man that doth well use his grace Matth. 25.29 For unto every one that hath shall be given and he shall have abundance which place must be rightly understood our Saviour speaks there of gifts of the same kind and same order otherwise we will run into the Pelagian and Arminian opinion which is That the well-using of the gifts of nature will merit the gifts of grace so the Arminian would have the meaning of the words to be he that well uses the gifts of nature to him shall be given the gifts of grace Our Saviour there ●peaks no such matter but he speaks thus he that hath saving-grace shall have more saving-grace that man that hath saving-grace by well-using of it shall have more saving-grace as a man the more he plays upon an Instrument the more dextrous he grows the more cunning and skilful he will be So here the more you act your graces the more a great deal shall you increase them to him that hath shall be given and he shall have abundance Thirdly A third reason is this Because God hath given grace for that very end that it may be acted If God hath given thee grace it is not that thou shouldst hide it like a Candle under a Bushel nor for thee to put in a dark Lanthorn but that thou shouldst set it upon a Table for the advantage and benefit of others But the manifestation of the spirit is given to every man to profit withal 1 Cor. 12.17 And in 1 Pet. 4.10 As every man hath received the gift even so minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God And why are we said to be Stewards of the manifold grace of God because we should be dispensing them as Stewards that have their Masters goods not to put them in their own purses or to convert them to their own advantage but to be dispensing of them and diffusing them for their Masters advantage we are Stewards of the manifold grace of God look as God gives to some more riches than to others because he would have them to be more rich in good works than others so he gives to some more grace than he gives to others because he would have them diffusive of grace making others rich in grace He gives to some more comforts than he gives to others because he would have them to comfort others with the same comforts wherewith they themselves are comforted of God