2. Then, again, that we may walk in the grace of God, and in the sense of it, let us every day labour to have our so}ds more and more enriched with the endowments and graces of God's Spirit, that we may be objects of God's delight. Let us labour to be affected to things as he is affected. Two can- not ' walk together except they be agreed,' Amos iii. 3. Let us hate that which God hates, and delight in that which God delights in, that we may have a kind of complacency, and be in love with the blessed work of the Spirit of God more and more. Let us labour to delight in them that grow in gi'ace, as the nearer any one comes to our likeness, the more we grow in familiarity with them. Labour also to preserve a clear soul, that God may shine upon us. God delights not in strangeness to us. His desire is that we may walk in the sense and assurance of his gi-ace and favour.
Quest. How shall we know that we are in a state of grace with God ? . Ans. I answer, that we do not deceive ourselves ;
1. We must look to the work of God's grace. God's grace is a fruitful grace. His favour is fruitful. It is not a barren favour ; it is not a winter sun.
2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. I, VER. 2. 15'
The sun in the winter, it carries a goodly countenance, but it heats not to aay purpose ; it doth not quicken. But God's grace, it carries hfo and heat where it comes. Therefore, if we be in a state of gi-acc and favour with God, we may discern it.
But in times of desertion, though a person be in grace and favour with God, yet many times he thinks he is not so.
It is true. Then, we must not always go to our feeling at such times, and the enlargement of our hearts by the Spirit of comfort, but go to the work of grace. For,
2. Where grace and favour is, there are the graces of tJie Spirit. As it is not a bai-e favour in regard of comfort, so it is not a barren favour in regard of graces ; for every heart that is in favour with God hath some graces of the Spirit. God enriches the soul where he shews favour. His love- tokens are some graces. Therefore, if the witness and comfort of the Spirit cease in case of desertion, let us go to the work of the Spirit, and by that we may know if we be in grace with God. For God's people are a ' peculiar people :' and God's children have always some peculiar grace. Some ornaments, some jewels the spouse of Christ hath, which others have not.
Therefore, examine thy heart, what work of God there is, and what de- sire thou hast after better things, what inward hatred against that w^hich is ill, what strength theu hast against it. Go to some mark of regenera- tion, of the ' new creature,' and these will evidence that we are in a state of grace with God, because these are pecuhar favom'S. And though we feel not the comfort, yet there is a work, and that work will comfort us more than the comfort itself vrill do.
3. And this is one thing whereby we may know we are in favour with God, when we can comfort ourselves, and can go to the throne of grace through Christ. When ice can go boldly to God it is a sign of favour. When we can call upon him, when we can go in any desertion to prayer, when in any affliction we can have enlarged hearts, it is a sign of favour with God. A mere hypocrite, or a man that hath not this peculiar grace, he trusts to outward things ; and when they are gone, when he is in trouble, he hath not the heart to go to God. His heart is shut up, he sinks down, because he relied upon common matters. He did not rely upon the favour of God and the best fruit of it, which are graces, but upon common favours. Therefore, he sinks in despair.
But a sound Christian, take him at the worst, he can sigh to God, he can go to him, and open his soul to him. ' By Chiist we have an en- trance to the Father,' Eph. ii. 18; 'We have boldness through faith,' Eph. iii. 12. Every Christian hath this in the worst extremity, he hath a spirit of prayer. Though he cannot enlarge himself, yet he can sigh and groan to God, and God will hear the sighs of his own Spirit ; they are loud in his ears. David, at the worst, he prays to God ; Saul, at the worst, he goes to the witch, 1 Sam. xxviii. 7, seq., and from thence to his sword's point, 1 Sam. xxxi. 4. But usually, the usual temper and disposition of a man in the state of grace is joy ; for, as one saith, grace is the begetter of joy ; for they both have one root in the Greek language. There is the same root for favour and for joy (e). So favour is usually and ordinarily with a sweet enlai'gement of heart. We may thank ourselves else, that do not walk so warily and so jealously as we should.