once at Rome were richer in wisdom and knowledge than the saints at Thessalonica, Rom. xv. 14 ; and the saints at Thessalonica were richer in faith, love, patience, and charity than the saints at Rome, 1 Thes. i. 4, ii. 8, compared with 2 Epistle i. 3, 4. It is with saints as with sinners, one sinner excels in one vice, another in another vice ; so one saint excels in one virtue, and another in another virtue. One is rich in joy, in comfort ; another is rich in humility, in fear ; another in faith and hope ; and another in love,^ &c. And mark how this arises.
It arises sometimes from hence, that every saint doth endeavour to excel in that particular grace that is most opposite to his bosom sin. Now every saint's bosom sin is not alike. It may be pride is one man's bosom sin, and hypocrisy another man's bosom sin, &c. Now it is the very nature of grace to make a man strive to be most eminent in that particular grace that is most opposite to his bosom sin, and upon this account it. comes to pass that one is rich in one grace, and another iu another.
Again, some saints have frequent occasions to act and exercise such and such graces. Others are called forth to act such and such graces. Now the more any particular grace is acted, the more that particular grace is increased. Frequent acts cause a stronger habit both in graces and in sins. If all Christians should be rich in all graces, what difference would there be between heaven and earth ? What need would there be of ordinances ? And when would Christians long to be dissolved, and to be with Christ ? &c.
The third proposition is this :
[3.] Souls may be rich in grace, and yet not knoiv if, and yet not Iferceive it.
The child is heir to a crown, to a great estate, but knows it not. Moses his face did shine, and others saw it, but he perceived it not. So many a precious soul is rich in grace, and others see it, and know it, and bless God for it, and yet the poor soul perceives it not. Now because a right understanding of this may be of much use to some sadded, dejected souls, I will shew you how this comes to pass.
First, Sometimes it arises from the soul's strong desires of spii'i- tual riches. The strength of the soul's desires after spiritual riches, doth often take away the very sense of growing spiritually rich. Many covetous men's desires are so strongl}'^ carried forth after earthly riches, that though they do grow rich, yet they cannot perceive it, they cannot believe it. It is just so with many a precious Christian ; his desires after spiritual riches are so strong, that they take away the very sense of his growing rich in spirituals.^ Many Christians have much worth, within them, but they see it not. It was a good man that said, ' The Lord was in this place, and I knew it not,* &c. Gen. xxviii.
Again, This ariseth sometimes from men's neglecting the casting up of their accounts. Many men thrive and grow rich, and yet by neglect- ing the casting up of their accounts, they cannot tell whether they go
* No grace grows alike in all saints. In the parable some brought forth thirty, some sixty, Koiue a hundred, &c.
" The sun ascends without perception ; and so it is often in this supernatural raotion, &c. The Greeks derive their word for desire from a root tliat signifies to l)urn. Now, if one should heap never so much fuel upon a fire, it would not quench it, but kindle it the more. The application is easy.
EpH. III. 8.] RICHES OF CHRIST. 181
backward or forward. It is so with many precious souls ; they grow in grace and are spiritually rich, and yet by neglecting the casting up of their accounts, they do not know it, they do not perceive it, &c.^
Again, sometimes it ariseth from the soul's too frequent casting up of its accounts. If a man should cast up his accounts once a week or once a month, he may not be able to discern that he doth grow rich, and yet he may grow rich ; but let him compare one year with another, and he shall clearly see that he doth grow rich. Though most are to blame for neglecting the casting up of their accounts, yet some are to blame for casting up their accounts too often ; for by this means they are not able to perceive their spiritual groAvth, and so can neither be so thankful nor so cheerful as otherwise they might. Let there be some considerable time between your casting up of your accounts, and you will find that your souls are grown rich, though for the present you perceive it not.
But then again, sometimes it ariseth from the soul's mistake in cast- ing up of its accounts. The soul many times mistakes ; it is in a hurry ; and there the soul puts down ten for a hundred, and a hundred for a thousand ; as sometimes men in hurrying over their books, they slip and make mistakes, and so they think there is nothing got, whereas indeed there is much got, and in the close they shall find it so. Many a gracious soul many times takes a great deal of grace for a little, and little grace for no grace. Look, as hypocrites put down their counters for gold, their pence for pounds, and always prize themselves above the market ; so sincere souls do often put down their pounds for pence, their thousands for hundreds, and still prize themselves below the market, &c.
The fourth proposition is this :
[4.] That saints must endeavour to grow rich in every grace.
It is the duty and the glory of saints to endeavour to grow rich in every grace. So the apostle, 2 Pet. i. 5 to 12, ' Add to your faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge,' &c. It is the work, the duty, the glory of a Christian, to be still adding one grace to another. So in chap. iii. 18, ' Grow in grace,' that is, in every grace, but more particularly and specially, ' in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ'
' Grow in grace.' That is, grow in love, in faith, in humility, in meek- ness, &c., but especially ' in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour,' because there was a special remedy against the error of those times, &c. All the graces that be in you are weak ; and therefore you had need to strengthen them all.
Again, You have the seeds of all corruptions in you ; and is there any way to be rid of every sin, but by thriving in every grace ?
Again, You have opportunities as well to thrive in one grace as in another.
Again, Will not Satan labour might and main to keep your graces low and poor ? You never hurt him less, you never honour Christ less, you never mind your work less, than when grace is weak and low. This he knows, and therefore labours to keep your graces down.
1 Seneca reports of one Sextius, that he would every nip;ht ask himself these three ques- tions : (1). What evil hast thou healed this day? (2). What vice hast thua stood against this day? (.3). In what part art thou hettered this day? &c. [Quintus Sextius : in Seneca, Epist. lix. 6 ; Ixiii. 11, 13 ; Ixiv. 2 ; xcviii. 13 ; cviii. 17 ; and JJe Ira, ii. 36 ; iii. 36.— G.]
182 THE UNSEARCHABLE [EPH. III. 8.