fo he must needs lose his joy. But though the ground of the hypocrite's joy continue, namely, his fancied interest in the favour of God, and privileges of the gofpel, yet the joy goes; those things gro stale and fapless with him, which mightily affected him when they were new to him. 4. True spiritual joy humbles the foul, and fills it with high and honourable thoughts of God; but delufion never ceases to puff up, Gen. xxviii. 17. How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. Exod. xxxiv. 8. Mofes made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped. 2 Cor. xii. 11. Compare Col. ii. 18. For all the divine communications tend to empty men of themselves, to make Christ and his free grace all to a man; and holy familiarity with God impresses an awe on one's spirit, in so far as the more one fees of God, the more he must admire and adore him. But nature will always build up nature. 5. Lastly, True spiritual joy is sanctifying, makes one the more tender and holy, the more he has of it. But delusion will never fanctify, Phil. iii. 3. Delufion is a cover to and nourisher of in ward lufts, which get a peaceable shelter under it: but true spiritual joy makes one forward in the duties of universal obedience, Pfal. cxix. 32. I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart. And it makes one tender in moral duties towards God, and towards nan. Inf. 1. Unjustified persons cannot intermeddle with this joy, for it is a benefit that flows from juftification. It is a privilege peculiar to the faints; childrens bread, that is not cast to dogs. Ye may rejoice in the worldly comforts ye have, saying, This cloathing, this money is mine; but you cannot say, This God is mine. 2. When created streams are dried up, the joy of the ungodly is quite gone: but it is not fo with the godly, Job vi. 13. Is not my help in me? and is wif dom driven quite from me? Hab. iii. 17. 18. The great ground of the faints joy, and the objects of it, are beyond the reach of men, so that they cannot take them from them. 3. Most groundless is the prejudice against religion, that it is a melancholy thing, Prov. iii. 17. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. None have such reason to rejoice as the believer has. If the poor wretched and condemned creature has more ground to rejoice, than he that is pardoned and enriched with his prince's favour; then the wicked has as much ground to rejoice as the believer who is justified by grace. O, if the ungodly saw their state, they would never rejoice; and if the godly saw theirs, they would never despond. 4. It is not God's allowance for his children to harden themselves in forrow, and refuse to be comforted; Phil. iv. 4. Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. As it is uncomfortable to themselves, it is dishonouring to God, and is the fruit of unbelief. 5. O unconverted sinners, let the joy of religion draw you to it. Come to Christ, in a way of believing on him, that ye may be justified. Close with the way of holiness, in renouncing all known fin, and complying with all known duty, that ye may have this spiritual joy, 2 Cor. i. 12. 6. Lastly, Let the godly strive to attain this fpiritual joy, and to maintain it, for God's honour, and their own comfort and usefulness. Of Increase of Grace, and Perfeverance therein to the End. PROVERBS IV. 18. But the path of the just is as the shining light, that Shineth more and more unto the perfect day. HITHERTO we have spoken of the benefits flowing from or accompanying the sense of justi VOL. II. Uu fication. I come now to speak of those that accompany or flow from the being of it, namely, increase of grace, and perfeverance. In the text there is an elegant comparison of two things like to one another. Wherein we have, 1. The subjects of the comparison, The path of the just, and the shining light. (1.) The fubject compared, the path of the just. The juit in the language of the Old Testament are those who are justified by faith, Hab. ii. 4. The just shall live by his faith. They are a travelling company, going towards Canaan; they have a path or way wherein they go, and they make a progress in it. The word here used fignifies, (1.) The progress itself or course in the way, as Job vi. 18. The paths of their way are turned afide. If. xxvi. 8. In the way of thy judgements, O Lord, have we waited for thee. (2.) The place or way through which one goes. The thing meant is the gracious and holy life of the juft. (2.) The fubject it is compared to; the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. It is compared to light, both because it is comfortable to themselves, and instructive, exciting to others, and honourable. It is not like the light of a meteor, that shines a while and then disappears quickly; nor that of a candle, which burns and burns down till it wastes itself; but like the light of the fun, and not the evening-fun, that declineth, but the morning-fun, that with increasing brightness and heat advances to the meridian. 2. The points of the comparison. (1.) As that light is a growing light, shining more and more; fo is the grace of God in a foul, going from one degree to another. (2.) As it does not go out, but grows on to the perfect day; so grace never dies out, but goes on till it be perfected in glory. Doct. Increase of grace, and perseverance, are benefits flowing from or accompanying justification. E I. Of Increase or Growth of Grace. Here I shall shew, 1. That real grace doth increase or grow. 2. How a Christian grows in grace. 3. The causes of this growth. 4. The difference betwixt true and false growth. 5. Whether true grace grows always. 6. Lastly, Apply. FIRST, I am to shew that real grace doth increase or grow. This is evident from three things. 1. Scripture-testimony. Grace is a holy feed that springs and grows, Mark iv. 27. however little at first like a grain of mustard-feed, Matth. xiii. 31. 32. like leaven, ver. 33. God has promised it, Pfal. xcii. 12. Mal. iv. 2. But unto you that fear my name, shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves of the stall. 2. God has appointed a certain ftature that his children shall grow to, Eph. iv. 13. This is the perfection of grace. Hence the Christian is first a little child, then a young man, then a father, I John ii. 13. They walk, they run, they fly, they mount like eagles, If. xl. ult. 3. This is the end of divine influences, If. xxvii. 3. & xliv. 3. 4. It is also the effect of divine ordinances, Eph. iv. 11. 12. It is the end of all the pains of the heavenly Husbandman on the plants of his vineyard. SECONDLY, I shall shew how a Chriftian grows in grace. He grows four ways, 1. Inward, into Christ, as the branch doth into the stock, Eph. iv. 15. Cleaving to him, and knitting with him more firmly, his faith grows ftronger, 2 Theff. i. 9; his love more vigorous, his hope firmer, his dependence closer, &c. This is the spring of all other Christian increase in grace. 2. Outward, in good works, in all the parts of a holy life, piety towards God, and righteousness towards inen, Gen. xix. 22. The growing Chriftian advances in the work of his falvation, Phil, ii, 12, in Uuz the work of his generation, Acts xiii. 36. He goes on in the fruits of a holy life, for God's honour, his own good, and for the good and advantage of his fellow Chriftians, knowing that he is not born for himfelf. 3. Upward, in a heavenly disposition, Phil. iii. 20. The end of his journey that he is aiming at is the upper world; and as he is coming out of this world in action, so he is coming out of it in affection, Cant. viii. 5. He grows more heavenly in his defires, joys, delights, griefs, forrows, &c. 4. Lastly, Downward, in humility, self-denial, felf-loathing, resignation to the will of the Lord, &ι. The more religion prevails, there are are always more of these graces, Job xlii. 5. 6. Pfal. xxii. 6. 2 Cor. xii. 11. For the more grace there is, there is the more knowledge of God and one's self; which are two boundless depths, the one of glory, the other of fin. THIRDLY, I shall shew the causes of this growth. 1. Union with Christ, John xv. 4. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine : no more can ye, except ye abide in me. He that is not united to Chrift can never grow in grace, more than a branch that does not knit with the stock. But where the Lord takes hold of the foul by his Spirit, and the foul takes hold of Christ by faith, there is an union whereby they become members of Chrift, and their growth is fecured. 2. Communion with Christ, John vi. 57. He that eateth me, even he shall live by me. He is the fountain of the faints life, who gives it them, and more abundantly. He is the head of influences, by which they are made to increase in grace, as the fap from the root and stock makes the branches to grow. And this communion they have with him, (1.) In ordinances public, private, and fecret, so that are made to grow by the fatness of his house, |