7. Seeeking the increase and multiplication of spiritual gifts suiteth best with the bounty and munificence of God. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have rich grace for us ; and we are most welcome when we seek for most plenty. God the Father is represented as ' rich in
^ See Spaiibeim. Dub. Evaiig., parto 31, Dub. 135, ct alius jpassim.
VeR. 2.] UPON THE EPISTLE OF JUDE. 89
mercy,' Eph. ii. 4 ; Rom. x. 12. We can never exhaust the treasures of f^race, and impoverish the exchequer of heaven. So Christ hath a ricli and full raei-it, 2 Cor. viii. 9, to make ns rich, &c. God the Son aimed at it in all his sufferings and condescensions, that he might make a large purchase for us, and we might not be straitened in grace. The Spirit of God is poured out TrXoi/crtw?, ' riclily,' Titus iii. 6. There is mercy enough in God the Father, merit enough in God the Son, efficacy enough in God the Spirit : God is not wanting, if M'e be not wanting to ourselves. If a mighty king should open his treasure, and bid men come and bring their bags, and take as much as they would ; do you think they would neglect this occasion of gain ? Surely no ; they would run and fetch bag after bag, and never cease. Thus doth the Lord do in the covenant of grace ; you will rather want vessels than treasure.
8. It is a necessary piece of gratitude : we would have mercy to be multiplied, and therefore we should take care that peace and love be multiplied also ; we would have God add to our blessings, and there- fore we should add to our graces; see 2 Peter i. 5. When we have food we would have clothing ; and when we have clothing we would have house and harbour; and Avhen we have all these things, we would have them in greater proportion ; the like care should we show in gracious enjoyments. When we have knowledge, we should add temperance, and when we have temperance, wo should add patience, &c.
9. We may learn of our Lord Jesus, to whom we must be con- formed in all things : Luke ii. 52, ' He gi-ew in wisdom and stature : ' the meaning is, his human capacity was enlarged by degrees according to his progress in age and strength, for in all things he was like us except sin, and our reason is ripened and perfected together with our age.
10. We may learn of worldly men, who 'join house to house, and field to field,' Isa. v, 8, and are never satisfied. So there is a holy covetousness in spiritual things, when we join faith to faith, Rom. i. 17, and obedience to obedience, one degree to another : our blessings are better, and the chiefest good should not be followed with a slacker hand ; it is our happiness to enjoy the infinite God, and therefore we Bhould not set a stint and limit to our desires. With what arts and methods of increase doth a covetous man seek to advance himself ? He liveth more by hope than by memory ; and what he hath seemeth nothing to what he expecteth. So should we ' forget the things that are behind, and reach forth to the things that are before us,' Phil. iii. 14. A covetous man seemeth the poorer the more he hath gotten : so should we grow humble with every enjoyment ; it is a good degree of grace to see how much we want grace. A covetous man maketh it the main work and business of his life to increase his estate : ' He goetli to bed late, riseth early, eateth the bread of sorrows,' and all for a little pelf. The strength of lust should shame us. Should not we make religion the business of our lives, and our great employment? Shall we be as in.satiable as the grave to the world, when a little grave eerveth the turn ?
Ohs. 2. The next thing which I am to do is to give you some obser- vations concerning growth in grace : they are these : —
90 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [VeR. 2.
1. To discern growth there is required some time. A total change, which is far more sensible than growth, that may be in an instant ; then a sinner, now a saint ; but there must be a competent time to judge of our growth ; we cannot discern it by single acts, so much as by the greater portions of our lives. We cannot so easily find out how we grow by every sermon as by comparing our past estate with our present: we do not fly to the top of Jacob's ladder, but go up step by step ;^ it is a work of time ; and so we may judge of our not grow- ing, if after a long time we are where we were, under the power of the same prejudices, or the same doubts, or the same lusts still ; see Heb. V. 12.
2. In the growing of saints there is much difference ; all the plants in Christ's garden are not of a like height and stature ; some that are more publicly useful have their five talents, others but two ; some thrive more, and grow of a sudden : 2 Thes. i. 3, ' Your faith grew exceedingly ;' others are weak and slow, and yet they are fruitful : we all grow according to the measure of a part, Eph. iv. ; that is, according to the rate of that part which we sustain in the body. A finger groweth not to the quantity of an arm ; they all grow, but the growth of all is not equal.