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<DATE>2013-02-07</DATE>
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<NAME>Olivia Bottum</NAME>
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<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>THE <HI>Regenerate mans growth</HI> in GRACE. <HI>SHEWING,</HI> That Regeneration of nece&s;&s;i|tie requireth an augmenta|tion in <HI>Grace.</HI></P>
<P>With the Motives to move us to grow, Signes to know whether we have grown; the lets that hinder our growth; and helps to fur|ther our growth</P>
<P>Preached in a Sermon at <HI>Lanca&s;ter,</HI> upon a day of Humiliation, by <HI>N. B.</HI> Mini&s;ter thereof.</P>
<Q><HI>Si fulminis aquae fi&s;tare caeperit putre&s;cit, fi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">gratia|rum decur&s;us ubi recur&s;us non fucrit.</HI> <BIBL>Bern.</BIBL></Q>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed by <HI>John Daw&s;on</HI> for <HI>John Williams.</HI> 1646.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2" MS="y">
<HEAD>TO MY LOVING PARISHIONERS OF <HI>LANCASTER.</HI></HEAD>
<P>_THESE fir&s;t fruits of my labours, were purpo&s;ely commen|ded to the Pre&s;&s;e; for the benefit of you my faithfull flock, who were plea&s;ed
<PB REF="3">(about three yeares agoe) to chu&s;e me <HI>(minimus Apo&s;tolo|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">um)</HI> to be your Pa&s;tor to feed your &s;oules. And &s;ince I came among&s;t you; I have &s;et my &s;houlders unto my worke, and according to that poore talent, God hath given me, have laboured to build you up in the know|ledge of God, in that perfect building, whereof Chri&s;t is the corner &s;tone. I ble&s;&s;e God, that I can &s;ee the fruits of my labours, in any of you; that you u&s;e the means for grace, and the know|ledge of God, and labour to
<PB REF="3">thrive herein; hold on, and Gods ble&s;&s;ing will guide, and goe along with you; that of babes and children in Chri&s;tianity&punc; you may all grow to be tall Chri&s;tians in time: therefore have I joy|ned the following Sermon, to &s;tirre you up to <HI>growth in grace.</HI> Which &s;hall bee ever my endeavours, and pray|ers; for God is my witne&s;&s;e, <HI>I have not &s;ought yours, but you,</HI> and am re&s;olved with the Apo&s;tle to <HI>&s;pend and be &s;pent for you.</HI> Had I &s;ent this &s;ub|ject to the publike view, be|fore the&s;e times of troubles;
<PB REF="4">it would have been di&s;ta&s;t|ed, as it was there, where it was fir&s;t preached; but God (by his &s;peciall providence) having brought me among&s;t you (a willing people) I am encouraged to recommend it to you, for protection; de|&s;iring it may finde as much affection with you, now Printed, as it did attention, when it was Preached to you; I confe&s;&s;e my booke is brought forth in a bloody time, when our crying &s;ins have cau&s;ed clouds to ri&s;e every day, and poure down &s;howers of blood on the
<PB REF="4">land; It comes into a criti|call age, and will meete with many <HI>Annomus,</HI> many <HI>Antagoni&s;ts;</HI> therefore I have &s;ent it for protection, to my Pari&s;h, from whence it came, and where it was mo&s;t re&s;pected; you mu&s;t expect it will bee carpt at, though it have many friends; yet you know I am not without <HI>enemies,</HI> who have ca&s;t dirt both at you, and me; and &s;hall my booke thinke to e&s;cape &s;cot-free; nay, who&s;e malice hath en|deavoured, to diver&s;e me from you, and to cut a-&s;un|der,
<PB REF="5">the conjugall knot be|twixt us; but a cur&s;e I feare will follow them; who &s;eek to put a&s;under, tho&s;e that God hath joynd together; yet Ile leave their cen&s;ure to the God of ju&s;tice, and pray for them, that God would forgive them; for they know not what they doe; and that <HI>the God of patience,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 15.5.</NOTE> <HI>and con&s;olation, would make us all followers of God, as deare children; and grant that we may be like mind|ed, one towards another in Chri&s;t Je&s;us.</HI> And my prayer for you, is that our <HI>Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t him&s;elfe, and God even our
<PB REF="5">Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everla&s;ting con&s;ola|tion, and good hope through grace, would comfort your hearts, and e&s;ta|bli&s;h you in every good word and worke.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your loving Mini&s;ter, NEHEMIAH BARNETT.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="6">
<PB REF="6">
<HEAD>To the Chri&s;tian Reader.</HEAD>
<P>_TOrment me not <HI>(good Rea|der)</HI> upon the rack of thy ra&s;h cen&s;ure, that I &s;hould be growne &s;o audacious as to meddle with &s;o weighty a &s;ubject as this; and crowd in for company, a|mong &s;uch a throng of writers as now pe&s;ter the world: I deny not, but the Pre&s;&s;e is over-pre&s;&s;ed with many worthle&s;&s;e works of petty <HI>Pamphle|tors;</HI> and <HI>Cen&s;urers</HI> bee &s;o bu&s;ie every where, enough to bla&s;t the fir&s;t fruits of my labours in the bud; but who can e&s;cape the &s;courg of evill tongues, for there be many that dee
<PB REF="7">little le&s;&s;e, but gird at their brethrens labours. If any <HI>Que&s;tioni&s;t,</HI> &s;hall demand why I publi&s;h this tract; one rea&s;on among&s;t the re&s;t, that in|duced me to it; was the declining age wherein wee live: wherein there is many <HI>dwarfes in grace,</HI> and others grow &s;lowly, or rather decline, and fall away more and more. Another was the reque&s;t of &s;ome friends; that &s;o earne&s;tly de&s;ired the coppies of it; that I thought by &s;ending it to the Pre&s;&s;e, it might be a good meanes to free my &s;elfe from future troubles: yet the <HI>importunity</HI> of friends I out&s;tood, who could not prevaile with me, for the publi&s;hing of it; when loe at length, the <HI>improbity</HI> of hard cen&s;ures hath wrung it out of my hands, for when it was fir&s;t preached, it was branded for a factious Sermon by &s;ome; therefore I was willing the world &s;hould bee judge between me and my <HI>Cen&s;urers,</HI> who&s;e ga<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">l'd
<PB REF="7">backs were then prickt by my reproofes: Therefore <HI>(good Reader)</HI> peru&s;e it with a &s;ingle eye, and if thou can&s;t reade not well de&s;erving in it, thou mai&s;t perceive my well meaning</P>
<P>But for mine owne part, I &s;light every <HI>Momus,</HI> I am &s;o well acquain|ted with the worlds folly, that I &s;corne either to flatter, or feare it.</P>
<P>Is it not a &s;trange and har&s;h hu|mer (too much abounding in the world) to mi&s;interpret other mens actions, rather then to give them a charitable con&s;truction: and it is the nature of many men, to behold with &s;ore eyes, their brethrens new growne felicities; but the be&s;t is, I had rather bee <HI>di&s;prai&s;ed</HI> by true &s;peaking, then <HI>honored</HI> for lying; although many men had rather be prai&s;ed with lyes, then reproved with truth. Therefore if any poore &s;oule, &s;hall reape benefit thereby (as I doe not doubt, but through Gods ble&s;sing ma|ny
<PB REF="8">will, I &s;hall comfortably under|goe the cen&s;ure of &s;uch as mi&s;take my aime herein; and if any thing bee herein profitable, and well done, I give the glory to God, and prai&s;e to his Name: If any thing ami&s;&s;e (as ala&s;&s;e needs mu&s;t, being done by me) <HI>Qui &s;um maximus peccatorum minimus Sanctorum)</HI> The &s;hame light on me who &s;ought not divine a&s;si&s;tance, with that &s;elfe emptine&s;&s;e as I ought: thus hoping <HI>good Chri|&s;tian Reader</HI>) thou wilt take in good part that which I have penned, for publike profit, I commend it to thee, and thou to God, and the Word of his grace, and remaine</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><HI>Thine in Chri&s;t Ie&s;us,</HI> N. B.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="sermon">
<PB N="1" REF="8">
<HEAD>THE REGENERATE Mans growth in GRACE.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL>2 <HI>Peter</HI> 3.18.</BIBL>
<P>But grow in grace, &amp;c.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P><HI>_THe</HI> Character <HI>of a true Chri&s;tian, con&s;i&s;ts in the augmentation of grace:</HI> This is an unfallable di|&s;tinction, betwixt the <HI>Regenerate,</HI> and <HI>Unregenerate</HI> man; this is the be&s;t way to get Gods ble&s;&s;ings here, and a ble&s;&s;ed reward here|after; for the be&s;t of ble&s;&s;ings
<PB N="2" REF="9">waite upon the growth of grace, as a hand-maiden on her Mi&s;tris; honour on vertue: and the re|ward of a gracious life here, is an eternall life hereafter.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pre&s;tat non na&s;|ci quam &s;ine gra|tia mori</NOTE> But know, 'its better to be unborne then to die without grace, and he that growes not in grace never ob|taines a ble&s;&s;ing of God in this life; nor let him looke to dwell with him in the life of glory. <HI>Then grow in grace.</HI></P>
<P>IN this Chapter our Apo&s;tle <HI>Peter</HI> &s;eemes to have met with &s;ome in his time,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cohe|rence.</NOTE> that doubted of the day of Judgement, &s;aying, <HI>Where is the promi&s;e of his comming.</HI> To <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 4.</P>
<P>Therefore he produceth argu|ments to a&s;&s;ure us of the certainty of Chri&s;ts comming to Judge|ment. To <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 8.</P>
<P>Proclaiming the perdition of
<PB N="3" REF="9">ungodly men at that day, and therefore warnes us to ha&s;ten our repentance, and that becau&s;e the <HI>day of the Lord will come as a thiefe in the night.</HI> ver&s;. 10.</P>
<P>In which day we mu&s;t looke <HI>for the heavens to be di&s;&s;olved, the elements con&s;umed, and the earth bur|ned; &s;eeing we are</HI> in expectation of the&s;e things, <HI>he exhorts to be dili|gent, that we may be found of him in peace without &s;pot, and blamele&s;&s;e.</HI> ver&s;. 14.</P>
<P>Now to prevent us from fall|ing away, he warnes us that we be <HI>not led by the errours of the wicked, and &s;o fall from our owne &s;tedfa&s;t|ne&s;&s;e.</HI> ver&s;. 17.</P>
<P>And to this end, pre&s;cribes us a pre&s;ervative, from falling into Apo&s;tacy in the&s;e words. But <HI>grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Je&s;us Chri&s;t, to him be glory both now and for ever.</HI></P>
<PB N="4" REF="10">
<P> Let us fir&s;t enquire,</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1 <HI>What is meant by grace here.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>2 <HI>What it is to grow in grace.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>3 <HI>Who is a &s;ubject fit for growth</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>Of the&s;e in their order.</P>
<P N="1">1 <HI>Grace</HI> is either taken for the love and favour of God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Grace is two|fold ei|ther active or pa&s;ive.</NOTE> whereby we are accepted of him in Chri&s;t, and &s;o it's <HI>Active.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2 Or for the gifts wrought in us by <HI>Gods</HI> &s;pirit, &amp; &s;o it's <HI>Pa&s;sive.</HI></P>
<P>The former is <HI>gratia acta,</HI> grace begun. The later is <HI>gratia aucta,</HI> grace increa&s;ed; which is the grace here commended.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1"> The &s;everal acceptations of <HI>grace</HI> in Scripture, for brevities &s;ake, I omit: but if it be the <HI>grace</HI> that hath reference to God, it &s;hould note the grace of Election; which S^t. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, <HI>was according to his pur|po&s;e, and grace.</HI> 2 Tim. 1.9.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2"> If it hath reference to us, it im|plies the gifts of the Holy Spirit
<PB N="5" REF="10">be&s;towed upon us by God, in this &s;en&s;e. See <HI>John</HI> 1.16. <HI>of his ful|ne&s;&s;e we receive grace for grace.</HI> <MILESTONE N="3"> Or that which hath reference to the future e&s;tate of glory in which &s;en&s;e. See 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.13.</P>
<P>Now our Apo&s;tle looks not at the fir&s;t acceptation of grace, w^c^h is of Election; becau&s;e it is with|out life and cannot grow: nor at the la&s;t, becau&s;e we cannot get to glory unle&s;&s;e we have grown, for the life of glory is pa&s;t growth, but it hath reference to the middle which is the gifts of the Spirit, as renovation by his Spirit, re|demption by his Sonne, in &s;end|ing him out of his bo&s;ome to di&s;|clo&s;e his &s;ecrets unto us which are of two &s;orts.</P>
<P N="1">1. Such as have re&s;pect to the <HI>e&s;&s;e,</HI> and <HI>bene e&s;&s;e of a Chri&s;tian,</HI> as tho&s;e cardinall graces, faith and repentance; love and obedience.</P>
<P N="2"><PB N="6" REF="11"> 2. Such as have re&s;pect <HI>ad or|natum,</HI> to the decking of a Chri|&s;tian, as good wit, memory, and good invention; que&s;tionle&s;&s;e the Apo&s;tle meanes we &s;hould grow in all grace, but e&s;peciall in the be&s;t.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>What it is to grow in grace.</HI></P>
<P>As the body may grow in &s;ta|ture till it be taller: So the &s;oule may grow in grace till it become holier. For there is a quickning life of the &s;oule whereby it grows in goodne&s;&s;e: as well as there is a naturall life of the body where|by it growes in talne&s;&s;e. You know what it is for a childe to grow, when his foode is well di&s;ge&s;ted, his members thereby nouri&s;hed, his &s;pirits augmented, his &s;trength increa&s;ed, and his whole proportion of body en|larged, you'le &s;ay that childe growes.</P>
<PB N="7" REF="11">
<P> So it is with the &s;oule, when Gods word which is the &s;oules foode is well di&s;ge&s;ted; &s;o that the &s;oule thereby is nouri&s;hed, his de&s;ires more enlarged; his affections more quickned, the life of grace more augmented, you may call this a growing Chri&s;tian.</P>
<P>When his faith is more and more &s;trengthned, his charitie more and more enflamed.</P>
<P>When his con&s;cience is more <HI>obedient,</HI> and his <HI>obedience</HI> more con&s;cionable.</P>
<P>When he labours for more holine&s;&s;e here, that he might have more happine&s;&s;e hereafter: and &s;trives to get more grace, that he might have more glory. <HI>This is to grow in grace.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>Who is a &s;ubject fit for growth.</HI> He mu&s;t be &s;uch a one as is neither in the &s;tate of unregeneracy, nor
<PB N="8" REF="12">yet in the &s;tate of glory.</P>
<P N="1">1. Not an <HI>unregenerate</HI> man becau&s;e he hath no &s;pirituall life in him whereby he may be &s;aid to grow.</P>
<P N="2">2. Not a glorified man, for he is come to the perfection of his growth, and cannot be &s;aid to grow.</P>
<P N="3">3. It mu&s;t be one in a middle e&s;tate: A <HI>regenerate</HI> man, &s;uch a one that hath &s;haken off his cor|ruption. Such a one as is a&s;cend|ing higher to &s;ome perfection, increa&s;ing both the multitude and mea&s;ure of his grace: Such a one as is travelling in the way of glo|ry, yet not got to glory: So that when the Apo&s;tle bids us grow in grace; I conceive the &s;ubject fit for growth mu&s;t be a <HI>regenerate</HI> man, &s;uch as to whom Saint <HI>Paul</HI> writes <HI>Eph.</HI> 3.18. <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>being rooted and grounded in love.</HI>
<PB N="9" REF="12">Now the Apo&s;tles injunction be|ing cleared, hence this propo&s;ition may be rai&s;ed.</P>
<P><HI>That Regeneration requires an augmentation of grace.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">The Propo&s;i|tion.</NOTE></P>
<P>Or more briefly.</P>
<P><HI>A Regenerate man, mu&s;t needs be a growing man</HI></P>
<P>A Chri&s;tian newly <HI>Regenerate,</HI> is like a child newly borne, that de&s;ires to &s;ucke the brea&s;ts of his mother, and receives that whole|&s;ome nouri&s;hment, that thereby he may increa&s;e in &s;trength and &s;tature: therefore Saint <HI>Peter</HI> wi&s;heth us, <HI>as new borne babes de&s;ire the &s;incere milke of the word that we may grow thereby.</HI> 1 Pet. 2.2.</P>
<P>And the Prophet <HI>David</HI> P&s;al. 92.13, 14. Tels us that the trees <HI>that be planted in the hou&s;e of the Lord, &s;hall flouri&s;h in the courts of our God, They &s;hall &s;till bring forth fruit
<PB N="10" REF="13">in old age, and &s;hall be fat and flou|ri&s;hing.</HI> Where there is no fruit to be found, there is no growth to be expected; and there is no Symptome of a Chri&s;tian growth without fruits: The tree is for the fruit, and but for the fruit there had beene no tree: When there is no hope of fruit we cut it downe, and make it &s;erve for fewell.</P>
<P><Q>Men doe delight to plant trees in their orchards for de|light; as for &s;hade in hot &s;um|mer &s;ea&s;ons: But God delights to &s;ee no &s;uch trees in his Or|chard, &s;uch that beare nothing but greene leaves or glorious blo&s;&s;omes,</Q> I meane &s;uch as &s;a|tisfie them&s;elves with <HI>Hypocriti|call &s;hewes</HI> and <HI>fruitle&s;&s;e formallities.</HI> But if we be growing trees we be fruitfull, let us &s;hew our Faith by our fruits, and let the grapes
<PB N="11" REF="13">of piety, clu&s;ters of equity, and fruitfull branches of &s;obriety, te|&s;tifie eternally, internally, exter|nally, to God, to our own con&s;ci|ence, and to the world, that we are growing and fruitfull Bran|ches, inoculated by the Art of Regeneration into the &s;tocke of our Vine, Chri&s;t Je&s;us.</P>
<P><HI>Rea&s;ons why a Regenerate man mu&s;t be a growing man.</HI></P>
<P>We &s;hould grow in grace, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> that wee might credit Chri&s;t our Schoole-ma&s;ter. For God our heavenly Father, would have us to make it appeare that we have beene in Chri&s;ts Schoole, and prove good pro&s;icients in grace, we know it is a di&s;honour and great di&s;paradgement to a Schoole-ma&s;ter, a di&s;credit and great di&s;grace to a Scholler, to be found a non-proficient, a loy|terer, a dunce in learning: But
<PB N="12" REF="14">let it never be &s;aid that we are non-proficients, loyterers, dun|ces in the Schoole of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Our Vniver&s;ities admit of no Schollers in tho&s;e famous Soci|eties; but &s;uch that are as well growne in &s;ome good mea&s;ure of learning, as of &s;tature: So here it holds true no <HI>Abcedarie</HI> can be admitted to the Vniver&s;itie of glory; but fir&s;t he mu&s;t bee ad|mitted into the free-&s;choole of Election, and there well grounded in the Grammar of grace, well skild in the Art of mortification, and every day reade a lecture of Repentance; and I mu&s;t tell him in this Schoole he mu&s;t &s;ometimes ta&s;t of the whip and &s;courge of affliction, and he mu&s;t not onely be a good Arti&s;t, but a good Lin|gui&s;t, e&s;pecially be able to &s;peake the language of <HI>Canaan.</HI></P>
<P>Then I may boldly &s;ay he is
<PB N="13" REF="14">fit for the <HI>Academie of heaven,</HI> where he &s;hall finde God his Creator, to be his chiefe <HI>Chan|cellour,</HI> Chri&s;t his Redeemer to be his <HI>Tutor,</HI> the ble&s;&s;ed Saints and Angels, to be his fellow <HI>Pupills,</HI> and there take the degrees of <HI>glory</HI> according to the growth of his <HI>grace. Then grow in grace.</HI></P>
<P>We &s;hould be growing or make an Augmentation of our grace, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> becau&s;e here we are &s;hort of per|fection; were it not a mon&s;ter in Divinity, to &s;ay that a Chri&s;tian can attaine to a perfection of grace in this life. Doth not Saint <HI>Paul</HI> bid <HI>us run,</HI> which argues,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 9.24.</NOTE> that we have not yet got the goale of perfection? Doth not he bid us <HI>fight,</HI> which argues,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 6.12.</NOTE> we have not yet got the conque&s;t over it? And doth not Saint <HI>Peter</HI> here bid us <HI>grow,</HI> which argues, we have not
<PB N="14" REF="15">growne to perfection.</P>
<P>The be&s;t of us are but &s;triplings and Infants in goodne&s;&s;e, the truth is, we are but in the <HI>wombe</HI> of the Church while we live in this world, our deaths day mu&s;t be our birth day, till then we mu&s;t be making a continuall Addition of grace to that we have recei|ved.</P>
<P><Q>I deny not but the grace we received at fir&s;t, may be &s;aid to be perfect in regard of parts, as a childe is &s;o farre a perfect man, becau&s;e it hath all the parts of a man; but not perfect in re&s;pect of degrees,</Q> &s;o that when we fir&s;t receive this grace, we are but babes in Chri&s;t; yet babes may be tall men in time.</P>
<P>Wherefore if we that are Schollers in Chri&s;ts Schoole, would credit our Schoole-ma&s;ter: If we that are babes in Chri&s;t
<PB N="15" REF="15">would come to perfection. <HI>Then let us grow in grace, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>We &s;hould grow in grace, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;."> that we might be <HI>helpers</HI> in the Church of God, to &s;trengthen the weake Chri&s;tians and to comfort tho&s;e that are afflicted.</P>
<P>Will it not be a comfort to any Mini&s;ter or private per&s;on, that hath been an in&s;trument to further the growth of grace in any, He may &s;ay with Saint <HI>Paul,</HI> what <HI>is our hope, our joy, our crown of rejoy|cing, Is it not you in the pre&s;ence of our Lord and Saviour Je&s;us Chri&s;t at his comming.</HI> 1 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 2.19. Ther|fore we &s;hould not &s;atisfie our &s;elves with what grace we have, but labour to get more, make our &s;elves un&s;atiable coveteous after grace, and never thinke we have enough, labour every day to be more holy, more heavenly minded, more patient, more
<PB N="16" REF="16">temporate, more praierfull: That the weake may be &s;trengthened by our vertues, and may by our good works which they &s;hall be|hold glorifie God in the day of vi&s;itation.<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet 2.12.</NOTE> <HI>And that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 1.4.</NOTE> <HI>by the comfort wherewith we our &s;elves are comforted of God.</HI> Grow, grow I &s;ay every day better and better, if we would have Gods favour, and de&s;ire to be compa&s;t under the clouds of his protection: If we would admi|ni&s;ter comfort to our owne con|&s;ciences, and gaine us glory in Chri&s;ts Kingdome, if we would credit Chri&s;t our Schoole-ma&s;ter, if we de&s;ire to attaine to perfecti|on, and would become helpers in the Church of God, to &s;trengthen the weake and comfort the af|flicted. <HI>Then grow in grace.</HI></P>
<PB N="17" REF="16">
<P> We &s;hould grow in grace lea&s;t <HI>we being led away with the errour of the wicked,</HI> <MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="Rea&s;."> <HI>fall from our owne &s;tedfa&s;tne&s;&s;e.</HI> 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3.17. For we &s;hall meere with many enemies and have many &s;ieges, that wee &s;hall not be able to keepe our &s;tanding in grace, unle&s;&s;e we be growne to &s;ome &s;trength in grace; for no &s;ooner is the fallow-ground of our hearts plowed, and the &s;eed of Gods grace &s;own ther; but pre&s;ently Satan that enemy of our &s;oules is ready <HI>to &s;teale it away,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 13.25.</NOTE> <HI>and &s;owe his tares there.</HI> No &s;ooner hath God laden the &s;hip of our &s;oules with the trea&s;ures of his grace; but the Divell is ready like a Pirate to rob us of it, and &s;trives to make &s;hipwracke of our &s;oules: He &s;till is &s;triving by the fierce tempe&s;ts of his temptation, to &s;plit our &s;oules again&s;t the rockes of de&s;paire, and will &s;till
<PB N="18" REF="17">be labouring with his mu&s;tring forces to &s;top our happy progre&s;&s;e in grace. Hee'le come to us with <HI>Haec omnia tibi dabo,</HI> All the&s;e things will I give thee, if wee'le hearken to him: and envying our growth, doth &s;till labour to nippe our budding graces, with the cold fro&s;t of affliction, and tempe&s;ts of of temptation; therefore they that mu&s;t goe into boy&s;terous tem|pe&s;ts, had neede to be grown to be men and not children. But we mu&s;t all through the boy&s;te|rous tempe&s;ts of Satans &s;tormes; and therefore had neede to bee grown to &s;ome &s;trength &amp; height in grace, otherwi&s;e, we &s;hould ne|ver be able to <HI>hold our &s;teadfa&s;tne&s;&s;e.</HI> If we would credit Chri&s;t our Schoolema&s;ter, if we would at|taine to perfection, if we would be able to &s;trengthen the weake, and keepe our former &s;tead|fa&s;tne&s;&s;e.
<PB N="19" REF="17"><HI>Grow then in grace.</HI></P>
<P>We &s;hould grow in grace, <MILESTONE N="5" UNIT="Rea&s;."> Be|cau&s;e, if we are not &s;till growing, we &s;hall be declining; if we grow not better, it will not be long but we &s;hall grow wor&s;e. There will be a &s;en&s;ible decaying of grace, if there be not a continuall addition of grace. The fire will decay, un|le&s;&s;e it be fed with fewell: Grace will be decaying, unle&s;&s;e we be continually adding to what we have received. <HI>Chri&s;tianity</HI> doth admit of no <HI>Sol&s;tice,</HI> but a conti|nuall &s;pring, as long as we have the life of grace: It is a &s;aying not &s;o old as true, <HI>Non progredi e&s;t re|gredi,</HI> not to goe forward in the growth of grace, is to goe back|ward: Still there mu&s;t be a <HI>plus ultra;</HI> what Saint <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Pray continually, rejoyce evermore.</HI> 1 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 5.17. is true of a &s;pirituall growth, grow continually, increa&s;e ever|more,
<PB N="20" REF="18">never &s;top nor &s;tay in grace. This growth mu&s;t not be by fits, a little to day, and le&s;&s;e to mor|row, and afterwards give over. But we mu&s;t proceede in a conti|nuall growth, never declining or de&s;i&s;ting: If the &s;treame of the water cour&s;e &s;tand &s;till, it will corrupt: So of grace. In rowing up a River, if we re&s;t our oares we fall downe the &s;treame. We know the Arke would not &s;tay with the <HI>Phili&s;tians;</HI> neither will the grace of God tarry with &s;in|ners.<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 6 14.</NOTE> <HI>Light would never have Com|munion with darkne&s;&s;e:</HI> they will never keepe company together; let us then like Chri&s;tians, follow grace as a Scholler doth his &s;tudy; he is at it to day, and to morrow, and the next day, and all the daies of his life; he is labouring to en|crea&s;e his learning, and grow in knowledge: Though &s;ometime
<PB N="21" REF="18">he meetes with a play day, and be taken off from his &s;tudy, yet if ye &s;eeke him, you know where to finde him, he is or &s;hould be in his &s;tudy: So a <HI>Chri&s;tian</HI> &s;hould every day be growing in grace, and in knowledge, e&s;pecially, of our Lord and Saviour Je&s;us Chri&s;t; though &s;ometimes &s;ome dulne&s;&s;e may creep upon him, yet he quick|ens him&s;elfe, and &s;ets to it again, never cea&s;ing till he lie down in his grave, for never till then, is he at his journeis end.</P>
<P>If we would credit Chri&s;t our Schoole-ma&s;ter. If we would attain to perfection. If we would &s;trengthen the weake, and com|fort the afflicted. If we would be able to keepe our &s;tedfa&s;tne&s;&s;e, and &s;tanding in grace. If we would not decline. <HI>Then let us grow in grace.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="6" UNIT="Rea&s;."> We &s;hould grow in grace be|cau&s;e
<PB N="22" REF="19">a growth in grace, will pro|cure a growth in glory; the more holine&s;&s;e we attaine to here, the more happine&s;&s;e hereafter; nay, every dram of grace &s;hall be re|warded, with a pound of glory,</P>
<P><HI>If we be &s;teadfa&s;t,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 15.58.</NOTE> <HI>unmoveable, alwaies abounding in the worke of the Lord, for as much as we know that our labour is not in vaine in the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>We know this life is our &s;eede time, that to come our Harve&s;t; let us then &s;ow liberally, that we may reape plentifully.</P>
<Q>Hoc momento unde pendet eternitas.</Q>
<P>This life is a moment of time, whereof all eternity of life, or death, dependeth: Then it be|hoves us to grow in grace here; that we might augment our hap|pine&s;&s;e hereafter.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 2 10.</NOTE> <HI>He who can give thee a crowne of life, if thou be faith|full unto the death,</HI> is faithfull to
<PB N="23" REF="19">performe; he will not faile to give thee a Crown, a Crown of life; that giveth life, that keepeth life, life everla&s;ting; a life of immor|tality, a life of eternall felicitie.<NOTE PLACE="marg">The heads of all.</NOTE></P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1 If thou woulde&s;t credit Chri&s;t thy Schoole-ma&s;ter.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. If thou woulde&s;t attaine to perfection.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. If thou woulde&s;t &s;trengthen the weake, and comfort the affli|cted.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. If thou woulde&s;t be able to keepe thy &s;teadfa&s;tne&s;&s;e, and &s;tanding in grace.</ITEM>
<ITEM>5. If thou woulde&s;t not decline.</ITEM>
<ITEM>6. And if thou woulde&s;t win a Crown of glory, <HI>Grow then in grace, &amp;c.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<P><HI>We will now apply it, and we &s;hall finde, that all &s;orts of people, of what &s;tate and condition &s;oever, comes in the fir&s;t u&s;e to be reproved.</HI> The me|ditation of this reclining age
<PB N="24" REF="20">wherein men were colder in Chri&s;tianity, and deader in all &s;pi|rituall duties; cau&s;ed this &s;ubject fir&s;t to be the object of my medi|tations, wherefore this reprehen|&s;ion &s;hall be directed.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. <HI>Ad Populum;</HI> To the people.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. <HI>Ad Clerum;</HI> To the mini&s;ter.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. <HI>Ad Magi&s;tratum;</HI> To the magi&s;trate.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>Ad Populum;</HI> unto the people, wherein there is no growth found; but rather a de|caying, and you &s;hall finde this decaying to be among&s;t too ma|ny: once they were con&s;tant com|mers to Church, and diligent hearers of the Word, but now &s;low paced to Gods hou&s;e, and are become carele&s;&s;e, and negli|gent hearers: once they were often in prayer, and frequent in reading; but now they are &s;tran|gers to the Throne of grace, and
<PB N="25" REF="20">&s;eldome reade: once they were lively in the &s;ervice of God, but now (more is the pitty) little le&s;&s;e then dead. The grapes of good words, and fruit of good workes decayes in them. So that it is to be feared, a con&s;umption hath taken all their vertues; or what &s;hould be the rea&s;on, that there &s;hould be &s;uch a change and alteration in them: Doe they thinke the Word le&s;&s;e powerfull to worke Faith in them, that they le&s;&s;e frequent it, doe they thinke prayer le&s;&s;e prevalent with God, that they are le&s;&s;e exerci&s;ed in it? Doe they think reading the Scrip|tures, le&s;&s;e profitable to increa&s;e their knowledge, becau&s;e now they have laid it a&s;ide? O that they would but con&s;ider, how extreamely they di&s;honour God, di&s;courage others, and endanger their owne &s;oules, by this decli|ning
<PB N="26" REF="21">in grace. We may complain as <HI>Paul,</HI> Heb. 5.12. <HI>For when for the time yee ought to be teachers, yee have need that one teach you againe, which be the fir&s;t principles of the Oracles of God, and are become &s;uch as have need of milk, and not of &s;trong meate.</HI> Though the Lord hath &s;ent forth many painefull labou|rers in his Vineyard: Though the Word of God be preached plen|tifully in mo&s;t places, yet in many of the&s;e places where the meanes of grace is plentifull, are not there many found as ignorant, (I had almo&s;t &s;aid,) as <HI>Pagans</HI> in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Je&s;us Chri&s;t? I pray God there be not many among&s;ts us that are dwarfes in grace, and dunces in knowledge; <Q>our growth is like that of the oake, &s;low and in&s;en&s;ible, &s;o that we may &s;ooner finde it <HI>crevi&s;&s;e,</HI> then <HI>cre&s;cere.</HI></Q> Al|though
<PB N="27" REF="21">we of all others have en|joyed better meanes for growth, greater helpes for knowledge, we have had the word of grace powerfully, and painfully preached a long time unto us; therefore more will be required of us, it will be expected that we be growne &s;trong men in grace, men of knowledge. Let us not be like <HI>Hezekiahs</HI> &s;unne that went back|ward; but <HI>Davids</HI> &s;unne, that rejoyced to run his race. Let us no longer decline and decay in grace, no longer be fruitle&s;&s;e, no longer &s;tand at a &s;tay. <HI>But let us grow in grace.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>Ad Clerum;</HI> To the clergy, All of us come under this roofe to be reproved; I as well as you, yea, all of us are ju&s;tly to be reprehended of non-pro|ficiencie, that we have not grown according to that education, and
<PB N="28" REF="22">meanes, God was plea&s;'d to af|ford us.</P>
<P>O that I had nothing to accu&s;e my &s;elfe and my brethren off. We that &s;hould be teachers of others, had need to be taught our &s;elves, in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Je&s;us Chri&s;t. We that &s;hould be watchmen over o|ther mens &s;oules, had more neede of others to watch over our &s;oules. We that &s;hould be the &s;alt of the earth to &s;ea&s;on others, have little &s;alt in our own hearts. We that &s;hould be di&s;pen&s;ers of grace, we have no grace of our &s;elves to di&s;pence.</P>
<P>Some of us in&s;tead of feeding our flocks, &s;tarue them; and &s;uch as be full of <HI>&s;cience;</HI> but where's their <HI>con&s;cience?</HI> What &s;oule can &s;ay he was the better for their profound knowledge, this neglect of feeding our flock, is the cau&s;e of
<PB N="29" REF="22">&s;o many barren &s;oules, and <HI>dwarfs in grace.</HI> Shall painefull preach|ing be cen&s;ured for preci&s;ene&s;&s;e? God forbid; &s;hall we that are the &s;pirituall Phy&s;itians (whom God hath tru&s;ted with his peo|ples welfare, which he hath pur|cha&s;ed with his owne blood) neglect to heale the broken hearted, recover the lo&s;t, bring home the wandring &s;heepe to the &s;heepfold of Chri&s;t, God forbid. Shall we that are placed in the Church; <Q>as mothers to bring forth children to God, be barren and bring forth none, or when we have them, put them forth to nur&s;e. This (as <HI>Doctor</HI> Adam <HI>&s;aith wittily) is not more unkinde in a naturall, then unnaturall in a &s;pirituall mother.</HI></Q></P>
<P>Hath God given us milke to feede his &s;heepe, and &s;hall we put them over to hirelings, who &s;uffer
<PB N="30" REF="23">the wolfe to enter and teare the lambs: O where is our care of tho&s;e &s;oules committed to our charge.</P>
<P><HI>Ac &s;i victuri e&s;&s;ent &s;ine cura, cum pervenerint ad curam.</HI></P>
<P>As if they had forgotten all care, when they had gotten a cure.</P>
<P>But Saint <HI>Bernard</HI> concludes again&s;t them: If thou love&s;t not thy charge thy People, <HI>Plus quam tua, plus quam tuos, plus quam te,</HI> More then thy goods, more then thy friends, more then thy &s;elfe, thou art not worthy to undertake this office. Are not we &s;tewards, and labourers in Gods Vineyard, and &s;hall we be found negligent, and loyterers? God forbid. Let our heartie de&s;ires for the good of our people, breake forth with Saint <HI>Au&s;tine,</HI> into open wi&s;hes, that when Chri&s;t comes to judgement, (if it be his will)
<PB N="31" REF="23"><HI>Inveniat nos precantem, vel praedi|cantem,</HI> either praying for, or preaching to our people; that thereby we may forward others in the growth of grace.</P>
<P>Thirdly, <HI>Ad Magi&s;tratum,</HI> Unto the magi&s;trate: That the word of God may become powerfull for the beating down of &s;inne, for the &s;trengthening of grace, and the furtherance of growth in grace in any, it ought to have the &s;word of ju&s;tice joyned with it; for we that are Gods me&s;&s;engers may point at &s;inne; but it mu&s;t be you that are Gods vice-gerents, that mu&s;t puni&s;h &s;inne; he hath put the &s;word of ju&s;tice in your hands to &s;uppre&s;&s;e &s;inne, &s;o farre as it lies in your power, who&s;e autho|rity is to re&s;traine raging &s;innes, that they raigne not among&s;t us.</P>
<P>O pitty mi&s;erable &s;oules that
<PB N="32" REF="24">have no pitty to them&s;elves, our words will not worke upon them, let your &s;words compell them to the &s;ervice of God. <HI>Verbum in|formet, &s;ed virga reformat.</HI> The Word may informe them; but the &s;word doth reforme them. The law unle&s;&s;e it be put in exe|cution, is (by &s;ome) compar'd to a wooden dagger in a faire &s;heath; <Q>and tho&s;e that have the &s;word in their hands, &s;tand like the picture of Saint <HI>George</HI> with his hand up; but never &s;triking,</Q> then thinke not your office well di&s;charged, if you but threaten offenders; hence it is that &s;o many tap-hou&s;es &s;warme with drun|kenne&s;&s;e, beggers wandring the paths of idlene&s;&s;e, and &s;o many Sabboths &s;pent in prophane&s;&s;e: Dare you &s;uffer per&s;ons popi&s;hly addicted to contemne and revile Religion, to per&s;ecute and af|flict
<PB N="33" REF="24">the Church of God, to mo|le&s;t, and ma&s;ecrate his Mini&s;ters, and not oppo&s;e their Popery, hin|der their oppre&s;&s;ions, and &s;top their prophane&s;&s;e; have you not God to &s;upport you herein, the Law to direct you, Religion to rule you, con&s;cience to encourage you, and all the&s;e on your &s;ide to helpe and further you; then up and be doing, and the God of Heaven aide and pro&s;per you.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> King 20.42.</NOTE> <HI>Take heede le&s;t his life goe for your life, if you let &s;uch e&s;cape.</HI> Are not <HI>Magi&s;trates</HI> our common-wealths <HI>Pilates,</HI> that &s;hould &s;ave the Ship of mens &s;oules from peri&s;hing; but if either threatnings can terri|fie him, or mens favours move him to &s;werve from Ju&s;tice: He is unfit for the&s;e prophane times. Are not <HI>Magi&s;trates</HI> Gods &s;word|bearers: why then &s;hould not they un&s;heath them in Gods
<PB N="34" REF="25">cau&s;e, that thereby piety might be defended, the poores poverty re|lieved, and the widdowes wrongs rited; and then the prophane will feare you, the godly will prai&s;e you, the poore will ble&s;&s;e you, and many prayers will bee laid up in <HI>Heaven</HI> for you. And let mee deale plainly, for plaine dealing is be&s;t. The <HI>Magi&s;trates</HI> neglect of re&s;trai|ning of &s;in, is a &s;peedy way to in|cen&s;e the wrath of God; the <HI>Philo|&s;opher</HI> will &s;ay, <HI>Nec he&s;perus nec ve&s;|perus, formo&s;ior e&s;t ju&s;tici&acirc;:</HI> Neither the <HI>evening</HI> nor <HI>morning &s;tar,</HI> more glorious in heaven, then <HI>Ju&s;tice</HI> is on earth. He &s;pake well that &s;aid, <HI>It is very acceptable to God, when the Gods of the earth are like the God of Heaven, ju&s;t and impartiall in pu|ni&s;hing offenders,</HI> which is a meanes to turne Gods wrath from us, to continue his gracious pre&s;ence w^t^h us, to open the windows of <HI>heaven,</HI>
<PB N="35" REF="25">and poure down upon us his ble&s;|&s;ings in this life; &amp; Crown us with everla&s;ting glory in the life to come. O helpe! for Chri&s;t his &s;ake, helpe us to further others <HI>in this growth of grace.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Of examination,</HI> <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> to try whether we be growing or declining Chri|&s;tians. Now the Regenerate man is often mole&s;ted, with jealous feares, lea&s;t all be not well with|in; and therefore he examines, and &s;earches his deceitfull heart; and &s;earching it, he finds barren|ne&s;&s;e, and much hardne&s;&s;e of heart; and when he hath found it, he bewailes it, and for the time to come, he labours to reforme it, and grow more fruitfull. Now becau&s;e there is unwillingne&s;&s;e in the fle&s;h, to &s;uffer the &s;oule to be ript up, but &s;tarts back like a fe&s;tred leg that is lanced; there|fore we will pre&s;cribe &s;ome mo|tives
<PB N="36" REF="26">to enforce this examina|tion.</P>
<P><HI>By this &s;pirituall &s;earch,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>1</HI> Moti.</NOTE> we &s;hall prove whether we have profited in the Schoole of Chri&s;t, and di&s;covering our backwardne&s;&s;e and non-proficiencie; it will make us que&s;tion our e&s;tate thus: what have I had &s;o much teach|ing, and am I ignorant? what a non-proficient am I, have I heard &s;o many &s;ermons and am never the better? what a dunce am I, have I liv'd &s;o long unto the Go&s;|pel, and have profited nothing? what a bea&s;t am I, have I had &s;o many opportunities of doing good works of mercy, works of charity, and have neglected them? Certainly I am &s;till car|nall; this examination will di&s;|cover our unprofitablene&s;&s;e.</P>
<P><HI>This &s;pirituall &s;earch,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>1</HI> Moti</NOTE> will make us &s;peedily to pluck up our feete,
<PB N="37" REF="26">and runne more &s;wiftly in the waies of Gods Commandements. When a traveller hath con&s;umed mo&s;t part of the day in loytering, and &s;hall pluck out his watch, and &s;hall perceive how much time he hath mi&s;-pent; it will make him &s;purre the harder, and ride the fa&s;ter to his journyes end: So the knowledge of this mi&s;-pent time; will make us play the good husbands for the time to come, and prove a good pre&s;ervative again&s;t prodigality of time: Yea, the knowledge of this mi&s;-pent time, will make us runne more &s;wifter in our &s;pirituall race to|wards heaven.</P>
<P><HI>This &s;pirituall examination,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>3</HI> Moti.</NOTE> will admini&s;ter wonderfull con&s;ola|tion to that Chri&s;tian, that &s;hall finde by this &s;earch, that he is a growing Branch in Gods Or|chard; for thereby he &s;hall bee
<PB N="38" REF="27">a&s;&s;ured that he is partaker of the &s;pirituall juice of the true Olive tree.</P>
<P>By this growth he may be a&s;|&s;ured, that he hath this &s;pirituall life of Regeneration; which a&s;&s;u|rance comes with comfort to the &s;oule, like the <HI>Angel to the &s;hep|heard;</HI> the comfort is, that he may be a&s;&s;ured he is the Sonne of God, which comfortable words whi&s;|pered in the eares of a dejected &s;oule, were enough to make him leape for joy; this is comfort that will make him caper, this is comfort that makes the rough waies to Heaven &s;eeme plea&s;ant, this comfort revives the heart of Gods children, after they have beene to&s;&s;ed with afflictions. There is no tongue able to ex|pre&s;&s;e the ine&s;timable &s;weetne&s;&s;e of that con&s;olation, that is com|unicated to a Chri&s;tian, by a &s;en|&s;ible
<PB N="39" REF="27">feeling of a growth of grace; it is that &s;weet &s;tream of plea&s;ure, which comming from the bankes of Heaven; waters by &s;ecret pa&s;|&s;ages the hearts of the godly: Il'e appeale to the <HI>Regenerate,</HI> whether they can finde any com|fort like to this, The Children of God are not able to con&s;eale this comfort, that call to their bre|thren; &s;aying, come and il'e tell you what God hath done for my &s;oule.</P>
<P><HI>In the examination by it &s;elfe,</HI> we &s;hall di&s;cover to every one the&s;e &s;ignes, whether they have grown or no.</P>
<P><HI>I may perceive</HI> a childe hath growne, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Signe"> when he hath a &s;tronger di&s;ge&s;tion; milke is for Babes, but if he can di&s;ge&s;t other meates, that are &s;tronger, it argues that he hath growne: So a Chri&s;tian may be di&s;cerned to have grown;
<PB N="40" REF="28">when he can di&s;ge&s;t &s;tronger points of Reprehen&s;ions, and Ex|hortations. When he can brook the threatning of the law, as well as the promi&s;e of the Go&s;pel. When he can di&s;ge&s;t har&s;h Doct|rines, which are terrifying to the fle&s;h; as well as plea&s;ing promi&s;es, which are refre&s;hing to the &s;oule. In a word; When he can di&s;ge&s;t rigorous precepts, for the refor|mation of his life; as well as &s;weet &s;entences, for the Salvation of life. This man hath a good di&s;ge&s;tion; which is a &s;igne he is grown in grace, pa&s;t a child, he will quickly become a tall Chri|&s;tian, a &s;trong man. <HI>This is the fir&s;t &s;igne to di&s;cover your growth.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Signe"> We all can di&s;erne a child to have growne by his garments, when they are grown too &s;hort for him, that they will not cover his nakedne&s;&s;e; you
<PB N="41" REF="28">will conclude he hath grown: So when the Spirit of God &s;hall di&s;cover our corruption, that thereby we doe di&s;cerne the gar|ments of our righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, too &s;hort to cover our wickedne&s;&s;e, to hide our &s;pirituall nakedne&s;&s;e Then we might conclude we have grown.</P>
<P>When Gods &s;pirit di&s;covers unto us our impiety, and &s;hewes us our &s;pirituall poverty, and un|covers our wretchedne&s;&s;e, and makes naked our unrighteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e; &s;o that we &s;ee the garments of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, too &s;hort for us; then we fly to the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t Je&s;us, who hath gar|ments fit for all Gods Saints; but none can be partaker of it, but by the union which he hath with Chri&s;t Je&s;us: his diety being the fountaine from whence all grace and Salvation doth flow, and his
<PB N="42" REF="29">humanity being the Conduit, by which all the waters of Gods grace be conveyed to us from him, as from a Fountaine; wee have &s;trength from him, we have life from him, and by the vertue of this Vine, we grow more and more in grace. This is the &s;econd &s;igne.</P>
<P>Thirdly, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Signe"> <HI>We may know a child to have growne,</HI> when we finde him more &s;erviceable to us, when for his &s;trength he is able to performe &s;ome &s;ervice for us: So if we are growne in grace, we are able to performe more acceptable &s;ervice to God, we are more active in his &s;ervice: as long as we are in our Minority, we are but <HI>Pidlers</HI> in his &s;ervice, we can do nothing to any purpo&s;e, nothing worthy-prai&s;e, nothing worth accep|tance; but when we are grown to &s;ome &s;trength, we are more
<PB N="43" REF="29">&s;erviceable in the Church of God; to &s;trengthen weake Chri&s;tians, to rai&s;e up them that are fallen, to comfort tho&s;e that are afflicted, by our exhortation, &amp; &s;upplicati|ons; when we can cry <HI>Abba father,</HI> when we are able to put up peti|tions to the Court of Heaven, that are prevalent both for our &s;elves and others; when our faith is growne &s;tronger, then when we were fir&s;t converted; when our love is growne from a few friends, to the love of many; when our patience growes meek|er, our humility lower; for humi|lity is be&s;t when it is lowe&s;t; when you &s;hall finde it with <HI>Iob</HI> in the du&s;t, there it growes both in fa|vour of God and man. This is the third &s;igne.</P>
<P>Fourthly, <MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="Signe"> <HI>When a childe is able to beare a burden,</HI> it argues that hee is growne: So when a Chri&s;tian is
<PB N="44" REF="30">better able to beare the burden of affliction and cro&s;&s;es; it argues that he is growne in grace. Before we were converted, the lea&s;t wrong mole&s;ted us; now we can beare a loade of injuries: once words would provoke us, once wee ac|counted &s;ufferings torments, af|flictions, puni&s;hments; now wee account them preferments, when per&s;ecution for Chri&s;ts &s;ake and the Go&s;pell, is held our honour and dignity. <HI>Ip&s;am&abque; Crucem, Co|ronam.</HI> And the Cro&s;&s;e a Crowne. Then wee may conclude wee are growne in grace.</P>
<P N="1">1. Was not <HI>Paul</HI> grown to be a &s;trong Chri&s;tian, that could &s;ay, <HI>Who could &s;eparate us from the love of Chri&s;t,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8.38.</NOTE> <HI>neither tribulation, nor angui&s;h, nor per&s;ecution, &s;hall be able to &s;eparate us from the love of God, in Chri&s;t Je&s;us;</HI> and what Saint <HI>Paul</HI> promi&s;ed, he performed, for all
<PB N="45" REF="30">this he was able to beare; for though the &s;word &s;eparated his head from his &s;houlders, yet it was not able to &s;eparate him from his head Chri&s;t Je&s;us.</P>
<P N="2">2. Was not <HI>Job</HI> growne to be a &s;trong Chri&s;tian, that he could beare &s;uch a burden of affliction, they were &s;uch as if heaven and earth had con&s;pired to over-load him; yet he was growne able to beare them, and re&s;olved <HI>though the Lord would kill him, he would put his tru&s;t in him.</HI> Job 13.5.</P>
<P N="3">3. Is it not manife&s;t that <HI>Da|vid</HI> was growne to be a &s;trong Chri&s;tian, that he could bear &s;uch a heavy burden of per&s;ecution? though he was a man after Gods owne heart; yet here he was but as a <HI>Pelican</HI> in the wilderne&s;&s;e, his afflictions were &s;uch, that he went &s;till with weeping eyes, while he lived in this valley of teares.</P>
<PB N="46" REF="31">
<P> The&s;e &s;trong Chri&s;tians, knew there was no Crowne without cro&s;&s;es, no reigning without &s;uf|fering; though <HI>Aegritudo carneni vulnerat, &s;ed mentem curat,</HI> Afflicti|ons wound the fle&s;h, but cure the &s;pirit. Grow then in grace, that we may be able to beare the bur|den of affliction.</P>
<P>Of exhortation, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> to exhort all to approve that he hath &s;pirituall life by his growth; for nothing doe more argue life then a pro|portionable growth. 1. Wee cannot glorifie God, nor profit our &s;elves, nor credit our bre|thren, more then by a continuall growth in grace. 2. We cannot make better preparation to en|counter with the King of feare, and all uncomfortable cro&s;&s;es. 3. We cannot make the a&s;&s;urance of our eternall happine&s;&s;e, more large, firme, and undeceiveable;
<PB N="47" REF="31">then making a continuall pro|gre&s;&s;e in the vertues of Chri&s;t Je&s;us, and the graces of his Spirit; therefore let there be no decli|ning in any ca&s;e, no revolting in any kinde, for by declining we &s;hall proclaime to the world, that Gods &s;ervice, is an unprofitable &s;ervice; by revolting we doe but occa&s;ion a di&s;couragement to our fellow brethren, and <HI>Jeoperdize</HI> our &s;oules &s;afety, and hazard the full fruition of eternall happine&s;&s;e: let us not &s;lack our pace in this &s;pi|rituall progre&s;&s;e; but as the God of heaven reneweth his mercies to us, and enricheth us daily with his bounties; &s;o let us renew our obedience, and let our graces be thriving more and more; but above all things take heed of back-&s;liding: If any man draw back, my &s;oule &s;hall have no plea|&s;ure in him, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Saint <HI>Peter</HI> &s;aith,
<PB N="48" REF="32"><HI>It had been better they had not known the way of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 10.38.</NOTE> <HI>then after they knew it, to turne from tho&s;e heavenly commands given unto them.</HI> 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2.21.</P>
<P>If you &s;hall demand, <MILESTONE UNIT="Que&s;t."> whether the Regenerate, may totally and finally fall from his former &s;teadfa&s;tne&s;&s;e, and become a re|probate?</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;."> I utterly deny that he truly being <HI>Regenerate,</HI> may totally fall; becau&s;e God hath expre&s;ly pro|mi&s;ed, that he will make to his Servants an everla&s;ting covenant, <HI>That he will not turne from them to doe them good,: but will put his feare into their hearts, that they may not depart from him. Jer.</HI> 32.40. <HI>And if ye do the&s;e things, ye &s;hall ne|ver fall,</HI> &s;aith Saint <HI>Peter.</HI> 2.1.10. If you examine the ver&s;es before, you &s;hall find that the adding of grace to grace, is a good meanes
<PB N="49" REF="32">to prevent back-&s;liding; for grace is of a pre&s;ervative power, that if a Chri&s;tian be once ingrafted into Chri&s;t by Regeneration, and adde grace to grace, he can never totally, and finally, fall from grace: I deny not but the Childe of God may fall from &s;ome de|gree of that grace, which he hath had in former times, he may fall with <HI>David</HI> in &s;ome gro&s;&s;e &s;inns, he may fall from the &s;en&s;e and feeling of Gods grace, and think him&s;elfe utterly deprived of grace; and this may be by rea&s;on of &s;ome &s;trong and powerfull temptation, as in <HI>David:</HI> or bad company is many times the fall of Gods children, as the impious high Prie&s;ts wicked &s;ervants, prompted <HI>Peter</HI> to deny his Ma&s;ter; or the feare of &s;ome per&s;ecution, and lo&s;&s;e of great mens favour, or &s;ome &s;uch natu|rall
<PB N="50" REF="33">infirmity, doth prove to be the fall of many; there may be this <HI>lap&s;us,</HI> or fall, in the be&s;t of Gods &s;ervants that are truly <HI>Re|generate;</HI> but there is in them againe, a ri&s;ing by <HI>Repentance,</HI> which pre&s;erveth them from pe|ri&s;hing; for God hath put his feare into their hearts, that they may not depart from him. I con|fe&s;&s;e that an hypocrite that &s;eemes to be regenerate, and is not, that &s;eemes to have &s;aving grace, may with <HI>Judas</HI> and <HI>Demas,</HI> fall from that which he &s;eemeth to have; becau&s;e they that embrace the profe&s;&s;ion for by-ends, as for profit, or carnall re&s;pects, as to plea&s;e others, &s;uch a profe&s;&s;ion as is emrbaced for &s;uch cau&s;es, mu&s;t needs cea&s;e when the cau&s;e is cea&s;ed; for he that in Hypo|cri&s;ie begins a profe&s;&s;ion, com|monly in Apo&s;tacie ends it; <HI>but
<PB N="51" REF="33">Lord put thou thy feare in our hearts, that we might never depart from thee. Jer.</HI> 32.40. That this ex|hortation might be more preva|lent: I &s;hall endeavour, fir&s;t, to remove tho&s;e lets that may hin|der our growth, and then pre|&s;cribe &s;ome helps to farther it, that the lets being di&s;covered might be avoided, and helps being pre&s;cribed might be embra|ced.</P>
<P><HI>The fir&s;t let, is not living under the meanes of grace,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>1.</HI> Let.</NOTE> that doctrine of the Go&s;pel, that <HI>Ip&s;i&s;&s;imum dei verbum,</HI> the very Word of God, living not under the &s;un-&s;hine of the Go&s;pel may hinder our growth; I dare not &s;ay that all that live under the meanes of grace, therefore nece&s;&s;arily doe attaine unto grace. No we &s;ee Plants and Stones, wet with the moi&s;ture of the &s;ame clouds; war|med
<PB N="52" REF="34">with the beames of the &s;ame Sunne, the Plants grow; yet you di&s;cerne no alteration of the Stones: So there are many that live in the &s;un-&s;hine of the Go&s;|pel, and have the fructifying dewes of Gods grace, plentifully &s;houred upon them; yet their hearts are &s;o cold and hard, that it neither warmes, nor mollifies them: &s;o that no growth at all can be di&s;cerned in them; can there be any growth expected, either in our <HI>Popi&s;h recu&s;ants,</HI> that re&s;u&s;e the word of grace, or in our <HI>wordly recu&s;ants,</HI> that ab&s;ent them&s;elves from it? How can Faith either be begot or increa&s;ed in any that neglect the Word, and live out of the <HI>climate,</HI> or compa&s;te of grace: Saint <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 16.17.</NOTE> <HI>Faith comes by hearing, not by &s;eeing,</HI> not by feeling, but by hearing; the fire of Faith is not
<PB N="53" REF="34">kindled in us without hearing.</P>
<P><HI>Slighting the preaching of the Word,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>2.</HI> Let.</NOTE> <HI>and neglecting the hearing of the &s;ame;</HI> when as preaching is the Pipe, our eares the Channell to convey grace from Chri&s;t the Fountaine, into the Ci&s;terne of our &s;oules: &s;o that the rea&s;on why many grow not, becau&s;e either this grace is tendred, but not embraced, or embraced, but not improved: when we come to a neighbours fea&s;t, we &s;trive to be there fir&s;t; but how &s;low are we in comming to fea&s;t at Gods hou&s;e, unto many &s;oule-fatting dayes have we been invited, to fea&s;t our leane &s;tarved &s;oules; but we come not our &s;elves, but &s;end our excu&s;es, one hath bought a farme, he mu&s;t goe to &s;ee it, he cannot come; another hath married a wife, and though hee be earne&s;tly invited, yet he
<PB N="54" REF="35">cannot come, can the&s;e excu&s;es be taken: <HI>Po&s;tponetur deus bovibus, qui nos aequavit Angelis;</HI> When God is &s;et behind your oxen, who hath made you equall with his Angels: or &s;hall a wife keepe you from comming, it were better to live alone, then to have &s;uch a helpe; if lawfull bu&s;ine&s;&s;e might not hinder our comming, much le&s;&s;e, &s;porting, and revel|ling, &s;leeping, or drinking. What if &s;ome heavy &s;ickne&s;&s;e, when thou art &s;porting or playing &s;hould vi&s;ite thee, &s;uch a play|fellow will pre&s;ently turne a mar|mirth? and it had been better that he had found thee praying, then playing. What if thou when thou art &s;leeping, grimme Death &s;hould take thee napping, and ca&s;t thee into thy la&s;t &s;leepe; had it not beene better that he had found thee praying in the Church,
<PB N="55" REF="35">then &s;leeping at home? what if when thou art drinking while thou &s;hould'&s;t bee hearing, the King of feare &s;hould make that draught thy la&s;t? had it not been better that he had found thee praying, reading, or hearing; then playing, &s;leeping, or drink|ing. Many judgements may fall upon men, for their ab&s;ence from the hou&s;e of God. Keepe then within the &s;peare of grace, and then the God of grace will keepe you; let it be your joy, and re|joycing, as it was <HI>Davids,</HI> to goe into the hou&s;e of God; <HI>David</HI> pronounced <HI>them ble&s;&s;ed that dwelt in Gods hou&s;e:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s; 84.4.</NOTE> dwelling implies a continuall re&s;idence there, our children mu&s;t be there, our &s;er|vants there, our hearts and affecti|ons there, that if Chri&s;t &s;hould come, he might find us rather in <HI>the hou&s;e of prayer, then in the denne of theeves.</HI></P>
<PB N="56" REF="36">
<P> <HI>The abu&s;e of the doctrine of grace,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>3.</HI> Let.</NOTE> which is the Go&s;pel, or the pro|mi&s;e of grace, <MILESTONE N="2"> which are the <HI>co|venants;</HI> <MILESTONE N="3"> or the pledges of grace, which are the <HI>Sacraments.</HI> When we prize not the doctrine of grace, when we make it not our portion, and account it not our chiefe trea|&s;ure; many make it their talke, and others their pretence; and the&s;e are accounted good go&s;pel|ers; but wher's the man that makes it his chiefe delight, that earne&s;tly hearkens to its com|mands, that willingly &s;ubmits him&s;elfe to be moulded by it: we doe not acknowledge that it is <HI>Evangelium,</HI> a me&s;&s;age &s;ent unto us from God, as a token of his love, containing the meanes how we may be &s;aved: and &s;o much Saint <HI>Paul</HI> includes in tho&s;e words to the <HI>Jewes;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 13.26.</NOTE> to you is the word of Salvation &s;ent: Now if God
<PB N="57" REF="36">&s;end it, and we &s;light it, God cannot chu&s;e but take it ill at our hands: put the ca&s;e the <HI>King</HI> &s;hould finde us rebellious &s;ub|jects, Traitors to his Highne&s;&s;e, violating his lawes, abu&s;ing his emba&s;&s;adours; it cannot be deni|ed, but &s;uch Traitors de&s;erve ter|rible tortures; yet grant that he out of his love, and princely cle|mency to his &s;ubjects, &s;hould &s;end oft times his &s;ervants, with me&s;|&s;ages of peace, which containes the meanes and way how thou mai&s;t be &s;aved; would it not in|cen&s;e his Maje&s;tie the more, if thou &s;hould&s;t &s;light his me&s;&s;age, and di&s;pi&s;e his me&s;&s;engers, &s;carce giving them the hearing: Even &s;o the God of Heaven, the <HI>King</HI> of <HI>Kings</HI> hath &s;ent his Go&s;pel unto us, his rebellious &s;ubjects, containing a way whereby we may be brought to Salvation,
<PB N="58" REF="37">and be perpetually pre&s;erved from peri&s;hing, yet if we neglect this benefit, &s;light this me&s;&s;age, abu&s;e his Emba&s;&s;adour, God cannot chu&s;e but be provoked, his wrath much incen&s;ed, and we mu&s;t needes expect puni&s;hment, corre&s;pondent to our rebellion; an&s;werable to our ingratitude, which were the intollerable tor|ments of an eternall <HI>Tophet.</HI></P>
<P>And Secondly, we abu&s;e the promi&s;e of grace, by deriving, an encouragement, and boldne&s;&s;e to finne; becau&s;e God is gracious, and mercifull; they will goe on in their ungracious cour&s;es, with this encouragement, that God is gracious, and make this the bur|den of their &s;ong, that God is mercifull, and makes Gods mer|cy, a pack-hor&s;e for his iniquity, and conceives God to be all com|po&s;'d with mercy, and no Ju&s;tice;
<PB N="59" REF="37">but God might fitly be compar'd, to the Bee which is full of &s;weet honey; but being provoked, we &s;hall finde him to have a &s;ting: So God is full of &s;weete mercy; but if we provoke him by our impenitent &s;innes, and abu&s;e his mercifull promi&s;es, we &s;hall finde that he hath ju&s;tice to puni&s;h us for our offences: will you heare Gods pleading with his mercy again&s;t ungracious men, that &s;tand guilty at the barre of Gods Tribunall.</P>
<P>Mercy pleades;<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a. 111.4.</NOTE> <HI>I am full of compas&s;ion, &s;low to anger and of great kindne&s;&s;e; I will not deale with him according to his &s;ins,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a 103 10</NOTE> <HI>nor reward him according to his iniquities</HI> P&s;. 103.10</P>
<P>Ju&s;tice &s;harply an&s;weres,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deu. 32.35.</NOTE> ven|geance <HI>is mine, and I will repay it: as for his &s;inne, I am of purer eyes,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Hab. 1.23.</NOTE> <HI>then to behold his iniquity;</HI> But mercy pleades,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 1.18</NOTE> <HI>though his &s;innes
<PB N="60" REF="38">be as red as &s;carlet, yet I will make them as white as &s;now;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 31.34.</NOTE> <HI>I'le blot out all his &s;innes, and remember his ini|quities no more.</HI> But ju&s;tice an&s;we|reth,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jude 4.</NOTE> he hath <HI>turned my grace into wantonne&s;&s;e, he hath departed from me; and therefore &s;hall he peri&s;h.</HI> But mercy an&s;weres,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe. 2.10.</NOTE> they are the <HI>workman&s;hip of mine owne hands, you know whereof they are made,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 103.14.</NOTE> <HI>Remember they are but du&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>But Ju&s;tice &s;aith, <HI>They have added iniquity to iniquity,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezech. 7.8.</NOTE> <HI>let me poure the fury of my wrath upon them.</HI> But mercy pleades,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezech. 33.11.</NOTE> <HI>I will not the death of a &s;inner, but rather that he repent him of his wickedne&s;&s;e, and live.</HI></P>
<P>Ju&s;tice an&s;wers; he hath abu&s;ed my grace that I offered him, and lives &s;till in his unrepented &s;innes; nay,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Reve. 2.21.</NOTE> I have given him <HI>time to repent him of them, but he would not, there|fore &s;hall he peri&s;h.</HI> Now mercie is &s;ilent, and &s;tops her eares, when
<PB N="61" REF="38">&s;he &s;ees the &s;inner hath abu&s;ed her; now &s;hee gives place to Ju&s;tice to pa&s;&s;e the &s;entence of judgement on the ungracious impenitent &s;in|ner. Take not then boldne&s;&s;e to &s;inne with pre&s;umption of Gods mercie, for God hath but two wayes to deale with us; By his &s;weete mercie, or by his ju&s;t judg|ment: He hath tryed by his mer|cie, but that hath not wrought up|on us; that we have abu&s;ed. Now wee mu&s;t expect that hee &s;hould deale ju&s;tly with judgement, and if this will not prevaile with us, and worke upon us, there is no hope of us: then <HI>Lord have mercy upon us.</HI> Therefore, let us either re|nounce our intere&s;t and title wee have in our &s;innes and iniquities, or el&s;e of nece&s;&s;ity, all intere&s;t or title we challeng to Gods mercy, or Chri&s;ts merits. When the mer|cy of God is abu&s;ed by wretched
<PB N="62" REF="39">men, when Chri&s;ts merits &s;hall embolden men to commit that for which he dyed, they &s;eeme to ca&s;t their &s;innes behinde them on the backe of Chri&s;ts merits; and &s;o ride &s;wiftly with mercy in their mouths to hell.</P>
<P>And thirdly, <MILESTONE N="3"> <HI>When wee abu&s;e the pledges of grace,</HI> which are the <HI>Sa|craments.</HI></P>
<P>Either of <HI>Bapti&s;me,</HI> <MILESTONE N="1"> when wee doe renounce the oath of &s;upre|macie in <HI>Bapti&s;me;</HI> and there every Chri&s;tian is initiated into Chri&s;ts Kingdome, and takes his oath to bee a true &s;ubject to Chri&s;t his Captaine; to renounce the world, the fle&s;h, and the devill. We have done thus and thus; and have ta|ken Chri&s;t to be our Prophet, that he may &s;hew the way that leads to happine&s;&s;e; and were willing to take him to be our Prie&s;t, that hee may purcha&s;e for us eternall glo|ry:
<PB N="63" REF="39">but when hee &s;hould bee our King to governe us, to rule and reigne over us, to bridle our u&s;ur|ping lu&s;ts, to re&s;traine our rebel|ling wills; this we cannot away withall: our unruly lu&s;ts, our un|tamed wills, and ob&s;tinate hearts, will then renounce our oath, and we will &s;hew our &s;elves di&s;loyall &s;ubjects to our Soveraigne, di&s;|claiming that oath wee tooke in <HI>Bapti&s;me.</HI></P>
<P>So in the <HI>Sacrament</HI> of the Lords Supper; <MILESTONE N="2"> wee enter into covenant with God, and the word <HI>Sacra|ment</HI> &s;ignifies an oath: &s;o that to receive the <HI>Sacrament,</HI> is to take an oath, to for&s;ake our former &s;innes and lu&s;ts, and to walk more watch|full for the time to come: we co|venant with God to deale with our &s;innes, as our &s;innes dealt with our Saviour; they crucified him, and put him to death. So wee
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<PB N="64" REF="41">&s;hould crucifie and put them to death; but if we doe neglect this, forget our covenant, following our former &s;innes, returning like a dogge to his vomit again, we proclaime our &s;elves perjur'd per&s;ons: <Q>I have read a &s;tory to this purpo&s;e, that when the <HI>Pa|gan,</HI> beheld Chri&s;tians receiving the Sacrament; and beheld with what reverence, and with what devotion they demeaned them|&s;elves in that holy bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, he was inqui&s;itive what that action meant; and being an&s;wered by one of them, that after God had emptied their hearts of pride, envy, coveteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, conten|tion, &amp;c. He did now enter in him&s;elfe with a purpo&s;e to dwell there. Then he was &s;ilent for the pre&s;ent, but following them home, and ob&s;erving them (that were communicants) for
<PB N="65" REF="41">two daies; and when he &s;aw them fall to quarrell one with another, to uncleane&s;&s;e, and drunkenne&s;&s;e, he pa&s;t this cen|&s;ure upon them, with <HI>exclama|tion:</HI> I confe&s;&s;e your Religion may be good, your devotion good, your profe&s;&s;ion good; but your <HI>ho&s;pitality</HI> is &s;tarke nought: are you &s;o <HI>unho&s;pitable</HI> that you would not &s;uffer your God to dwell two daies in your hearts,</Q> in the&s;e words; <HI>Apud quos ne Deus quidem biduo comorari permittitur.</HI> This is the &s;hame of Chri&s;tians; this is the di&s;paragement of grace; and the&s;e are the lets that hinder our growth. We will pre&s;cribe you now &s;ome helpes to further your growth. <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Help."> The fir&s;t is <HI>Praier:</HI> and I may well begin with it, for it is a &s;peciall helpe to all graces; it is that <HI>Clavis Coeli,</HI> which opens
<PB N="66" REF="42">the trea&s;ure-hou&s;e of Gods gra|ces; it is that <HI>Nuncius Dei,</HI> that fetcheth grace to the &s;oule. Prayer procures it a being in us, and like the former, and latter raine, makes it grow in us: if thou woulde&s;t grow continually, take the Apo&s;tles advice, and <HI>pray continually;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 The&s;. 5.17.</NOTE> this cour&s;e <HI>Monica</HI> Saint <HI>Au&s;tines</HI> mother tooke, &s;he went twice a day to the Church, and kneeling down up|on her knees, poured forth ma|ny teares from her eyes, not begging gold, or &s;ilver, of God; but that hee would be pleas'd to poure his grace upon her &s;onne, and convert him to the true faith: and thus mu&s;t we doe; otherwi&s;e, in vaine may we ex|pect that ble&s;&s;ing of grace; for which we doe not &s;o much as begge: if thou lack grace, <HI>aske of of God,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Jam. 1.5.</NOTE> <HI>that giveth to all men libe|rally,
<PB N="67" REF="42">and upbraideth none, and it &s;hall be given him. Dare vult deus,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>S.</HI> Aug</NOTE> <HI>&s;ed non dat ni&s;i petenti, ne det non capienti.</HI> God is willing to give, but he will not give, but to him that askes; lea&s;t he offer his ble&s;|&s;ing to him that is not willing to receive it; it is a generall rule, <HI>Petite, et dabitur vobis;</HI> aske and have, without asking no having. <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Help."> <HI>The &s;econd is a good de&s;ire;</HI> which is the &s;pirituall appetite of the &s;oule: that man-childe that hath a good appetite, or &s;tomacke, is like to prove a growing childe: So it is with the regenerate man, finding his wants and emptine&s;&s;e of grace; hath a continuall de&s;ire of more grace, and labours to increa&s;e that which he hath recei|ved; he con&s;iders with him&s;elfe, how farre &s;hort he comes of what he might have obtained, and what others have obtained; or if
<PB N="68" REF="43">the be&s;t of us &s;hall compare our &s;elves with tho&s;e of Gods &s;er|vants, who are mentioned in holy Scripture, for our imitation, we &s;hall finde our &s;elves come &s;o &s;hort of them, that we may doubt of our &s;elves, whether we have any grace at all.</P>
<P>How &s;hort are we of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> for meekne&s;&s;e; how farre &s;hort doe we come of <HI>Nehemiah,</HI> in zeale for Gods wor&s;hip; how &s;hort of <HI>Job</HI> in patience, in the time of his affliction: and thus comparing our &s;elves with Gods Saints, we &s;hall finde we come &s;o &s;hort of them, that it will &s;tirre up our de&s;ires, and whet our appetites; it makes us pre&s;&s;e harder towards the mark; And &s;tudy what cour&s;e to take, that we may fill up tho&s;e vertues that are wanting in us, that we might increa&s;e tho&s;e Talents that
<PB N="69" REF="43">God hath be&s;towed upon us; that wee might get more graines of grace, unto that little which we have received; and when the Lord &s;hall perceive our de&s;ires, to be thus &s;harpned, it will be a good argument to move the Lord to be&s;tow more grace upon us: for he loves to feede the hungry, and give drinke to the thir&s;tie: <HI>Boetius</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Quod unicuique viro bono incerto e&s;t quaedam cupiditas boni,</HI> That in every good man, there is a fervent de&s;ire of more good; and what good can any man de|&s;ire, rather then grace; <HI>Non dor|mientibus, &s;ed vigilantibus,</HI> It falls not to the &s;luggards &s;hare, but tho&s;e that are de&s;irers of it. <HI>Therefore he that de&s;ires not grace, de&s;erves not glory.</HI> <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Help."> As good diet is a good helpe to further the growth of the body: &s;o is the good word of God, that &s;piritu|all
<PB N="70" REF="44">foode, a good helpe to further the growth of the &s;oule: The be&s;t foode is Chri&s;t, that bread of life, that water of life, that word of life, nay, life it &s;elfe. If you remaine in me &s;aith our Sa|viour, <HI>yee &s;hall bring forth much fruit.</HI> This word is offered unto us, in the Word and Sacrament; for what &s;inne &s;oever the Word di&s;covereth to us, we mu&s;t run to Chri&s;t for &s;trength to overcome it: what obedience the Word commands, we mu&s;t fly to Chri&s;t for power to perform it: what affliction &s;oever we are burdened with, we mu&s;t ha&s;ten to Chri&s;t, and &s;eek to be reconciled to God, in and through him: &s;o that come cro&s;&s;es, come tribulation, or per|&s;ecution; yet our hungry &s;oules &s;hall fully feede on Chri&s;t, that true bread of life.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ignatius.</NOTE> As <HI>Ignatius,</HI> Bi&s;h. of <HI>Antioch,</HI> Saint <HI>Peters</HI>
<PB N="71" REF="44">&s;ucce&s;&s;our, who was by the King of <HI>A&s;syria,</HI> commanded to be torne in peeces by wilde bea&s;ts; and being led to the place of torment, uttered this golden &s;entence: <Q><HI>Nihil moror vi&s;ibiium, nec invi&s;ibilium, modo Je&s;um Chri&s;tum acquiram:</HI> I care neither for things vi&s;ible, nor yet for things invi&s;ible, onely this is my care that I may attaine Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and with him everla&s;ting Salvation.</Q></P>
<P><Q>And when the Bea&s;ts were let loo&s;e upon him, the&s;e were his la&s;t words, as &s;aith Saint <HI>Hierome;</HI> I am Gods corne, and the teeth of the&s;e wilde Bea&s;ts mu&s;t grind me to peeces, that I may bee pure bread, and &s;ine manchet, for Je&s;us Chri&s;ts table in heaven.</Q></P>
<P>The Saints of God did &s;o hun|ger after Chri&s;t, the &s;pirituall food; that before they would
<PB N="72" REF="45">loo&s;e that, they would loo&s;e life it &s;elfe: they did not care what cour&s;e fare their bodies were fed with, &s;o that Chri&s;t the food of their &s;oules, might not be taken away: they did not care how their bodies were u&s;'d, &s;o that God would &s;pare their &s;oules: and he that feeds on this living bread, which came downe from Heaven cannot chu&s;e but grow: <HI>Out of this &s;trong,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Judges 14.14.</NOTE> <HI>came &s;weetne&s;&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>The <HI>Lion</HI> of <HI>Juda</HI> yeelds honey, &s;uch as never came out of any earthly hive; he is both <HI>Victor</HI> and <HI>Victus;</HI> Conquerer for us, and food to us; and who gives this food to us, but he that gave him&s;elfe for us, and dranke to us the cup of the New-Te&s;tament, in his owne blood: his blood and wounds doth nouri&s;h our &s;oules like the Pelican; rather then her yong-ones &s;hall peri&s;h, feedes
<PB N="73" REF="45">them with her owne blood; &s;o that in the Sacrament, we eate not onely <HI>Panem Domini,</HI> but <HI>Pa|nem Dominum,</HI> not onely the bread of the Lord, but the bread the Lord.</P>
<P>Hence it may be called <HI>Viati|cum animae,</HI> the food that nouri&s;hes our &s;oules, in it's voyage to hea|ven. God grant that we may never want this food, to nouri&s;h our hunger &s;tarved &s;oules. It may be deare in regard of the preciou&s;|ne&s;&s;e of it; but not deare in re|gard of the price, wee pay no|thing for it, but faith, and love.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">John 6.34.</NOTE> Let us all pray with the Di&s;ci|ples; <HI>Lord evermore give us this bread.</HI></P>
<P>Why &s;hould our &s;oules be &s;tar|ved, while <HI>there is bread enough in our fathers hou&s;e?</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Luk. 15.17.</NOTE> Why &s;hould we fa&s;t, while we may fea&s;t? why &s;hould wee &s;tand at a &s;tay,
<PB N="74" REF="46">while we have plenty of grow|ing food.</P>
<P>Let us Chri&s;tians be like tra|vellers, that pa&s;&s;e from towne, to towne, till they come to their home; &s;o we from grace to grace, till we come to Heaven. <MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="Help."> The la&s;t <HI>is a good di&s;ge&s;tion;</HI> when the naturall food is conveied into the &s;tomacke, and there well con|cocted by naturall heate; and is made fit to be di&s;per&s;ed into the other members, and parts of the body, for the &s;trengthening of them: &s;o the Word of God mu&s;t be di&s;ge&s;ted in the &s;oule; mu&s;t be &s;hewed by meditation, and pon|dring the word in our hearts, &s;uf|fering our thoughts to dwell on it &s;ome good while: then it proves whol&s;ome nouri&s;hment to our weake and hungry &s;oules. Your comming to heare, doth manife&s;t a de&s;ire to have your &s;oules fed.
<PB N="75" REF="46">Now you know a childe that re|ceiveth food in his mouth, and al|&s;o in his &s;tomack, and doth not re|taine it there, but ca&s;ts it up &s;pee|dily againe, doth not di&s;ge&s;t it; and that childs &s;trength cannot be augmented, nor growth increa&s;|ed: So if you receive the Word into your eares, and let it fall a|gaine &s;peedily, and not retaine it in your hearts, and there di&s;ge&s;t it by meditation; your &s;oules cannot be &s;trengthened, and can|not grow at all. We mu&s;t re|member, that God doth not re|quire our bare bodily pre&s;ence at the Church, or at any of his ordinances; but we mu&s;t bring our &s;oules to Church, as well as our bodies; wee may be pre&s;ent with body, but ab&s;ent in minde; our minde mu&s;t be &s;et on what is delivered: we mu&s;t heare as it is the Word of God, and not of
<PB N="76" REF="47">man, as it is the onely meanes ap|pointed for the planting of grace in our hearts; as it is a powerfull meanes to beate downe &s;inne in us, and build us up in the new man, and to change our barren|ne&s;&s;e, into fruitfulne&s;&s;e. Thus if we would di&s;ge&s;t the Word of God, the God of Heavens would not faile to give his ble&s;&s;ing to it. To make it powerfull to Salva|tion, to every one of our &s;oules; cau&s;ing us daily to bring foorth more fruit of good living, to the honour and prai&s;e of his holy name. We mu&s;t know that the Word of God is full of &s;pirituall &s;ap, and heavenly moi&s;ture, which is of a fruitfull, and grow|ing nature; now we might bee growing Chri&s;tians, if we were not &s;lothfull: let us be no longer &s;luggards to our owne &s;oules; But practi&s;e the policy of the
<PB N="77" REF="47">painfull Bee, to lodge the &s;weet honey, of Gods Word, in the hive of our hearts, again&s;t the day of di&s;&s;olution. If we had any love to grace, we would labour after the meanes of grace: we &s;ee what paines the voluptuous man takes, to pur&s;ue his plea&s;ures; we &s;ee what labour the ambitious man takes, to attain to more honours; we &s;ee what care the coveteous man takes, to obtaine riches; and why &s;hould not we that are Chri|&s;tians, and &s;omewhat illuminated with Gods word; u&s;e the like paines, care, and diligence, to in|crea&s;e the goods of our &s;oules, and labour to get a higher degree of this &s;pirituall promotion, and &s;trive to enjoy a fuller fruition of heavenly plea&s;ures. There is no commodity, &s;o profitable, no dignity, &s;o honourable, no feli|city, &s;o delightfull, as to be fruit|full
<PB N="78" REF="48">in good works, and to abound more, and more, in the vertues, of the inward man, and the grace of Gods ble&s;&s;ed Spirit.</P>
<P>Therefore good Chri&s;tians, if ever you de&s;ire, to be accounted good Scholers in Chri&s;ts Schoole, if ever you will vi&s;it the univer&s;i|tie of glory, if ever you purpo&s;e to be placed in the Paradice of God him&s;elfe; Grow then in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Je&s;us Chri&s;t, to him be glory, both now and for evermore. Amen.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
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<P>Imprimatur.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>CHARLES HERLE.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
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