The more we grow in grace, the more God smells a sweet sacrifice from us ; that that comes from us is more refined and less corrupt. It yields better acceptance to God.
And then for others, the more we grow in grace, the more we grow in ability, in nimbleness, and cheerfulness to do them good ; and that that comes from us finds more acceptance with others, being carried with a strong spirit of love anddelight, which alway is accepted in the ej'es of men.
The more we grow in grace, the more cheerful we shall be in regard of ourselves. The better we are, the better we may be ; the more we do, the more we may do. For God further instils the oil of grace, to give us strength and cheerfulness in good actions, so that they come ofi' with delight. Our own cheerfulness increaseth as our growth increaseth. In a word, you see glory tends to glory, and that is enough to stir us up to grow in it. Seeing glory here, which is grace, tends to glory in heaven, we should never rest till we come to that perfection ; till the glory of grace end in glory indeed. For what is the glory of heaven but the perfection of grace ? And what is the beginnings of grace here but the beginnings of glory ? Grace is glory begun, and glory is grace perfected. Therefore, if we would be in heaven as much as may be, and enter further and further into the kingdom of God, as Peter saith, 2 Pet. i. 5, seq., let us be alway adding grace to grace, and one degree to another. Put somewhat to the heap still, that so we may go from glory to glory, from knowledge to knowledge, from faith to faith, from one degi-ee to another.
Obj. But it will be objected that Christians sometimes stand at a stay, sometimes they seem to go back.
Ans. In a word, to answer that, some because they cannot see themselves in growing, they think they grow not at all. It is but ignorance ; for we see the sun moves, though we see him not in moving. We know things grow, though we see them not in growing. Therefore it follows not, that
ABOVE THK LAW. 289
because we perceive not our growth from grace to grace, that therefore we grow not.
But put the case indeed that Christians decay in their first love and in Rome grace. There is a suspension of growth. It is that they may grow in some other grace. God sees it needful they should grow in the root, and therefore abaseth them in the sense of some infirmity, and then they spring out amain again. As after a hard winter comes a glorious spring, upon a check grace breaks out more gloriously. And there is a mystery in God's government in that kind, that God often increaseth grace hy the sight and sense of our infirmities. God shews his powerful government in our weakness ; for God's children never hate their corruption more than when the}- have been overcome by it. Then they begin to be sensible of it, that there is some hidden corruption that they discerned not before, that it is fit they should take notice of. The best man living knows not himself till he comes to temptation. That discovers himself to himself. Tempta- tion discovers corruption and makes it known, and then stirs up hatred for it. As love stirs up endeavour, so hatred aversation* and loathing. It is profitable for God's children to fall sometimes. They would never be so good as they are else. They would not wash for spots ; but when they see they are foul indeed, then they go to wash. But this is a mystery ; God will have it so for good ends.
It checks the disposition of some good people. They think they have not grace, because they have but a little. This phrase shews that we have not all at once. God carries us by degrees, ' from glory to glorj-,' from one degree of grace to another. God's children, when they have truth of gi-ace wrought in them, their desires go beyond their endeavour and strength. Their desires are wondrous large, and their prayers are answerable to their desires. Therefore in the Lord's prayer what say we ? ' Thy kingdom come ; thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven,' Mat. vi. 10. Can it be so in this world ? No. But we must pra}' till we come to it. We must praj- till we come to heaven, where prayer shall cease. So the prayers and desires of God's people transcend their endeavours. Their prayers are infinite. Hereupon, the chief thing in conversion being the desire, the turning of the stream of the will, when they find their will and their desire good, and their endeavour to fall short of their purposes, they say. Surely I have no good, because I have not that I would have, as if they should have heaven upon earth. We must grow * from glory to glory.' And thank God for that beginning. It is God's mercy that he w-ould work the least degree of grace in such rebellious hearts as all of us have ; that he would work any goodness, any change, though never so little. God looks not to the measure, so much as to truth. For he will bring truth to perfec- tion, though it be never so little. Let us be comforted in it. And it is God's government, to bring his children to glory by little and little, that so there may be a dependence of one Christian upon another ; the weaker on the stronger : and that there may be pity, and sweet afiections of one Christian to another ; and that there may be perpetual experience of God's mercy in helping weak Christians ; and a perpetual experience of that which is the true ground of comfort, justification ; that we must needs be justified, and stand righteous before God, by Christ's absolute righteousness, having experience of our imperfect righteousness. So a little measure of grace in us is for great purpose. Therefore let none be discouraged, especially con- Bidering that God, whom we desire to please, values us by that little good ♦ That is, ' aversion.' — G.