and full of glory: receiving the end of your faith, even the falvation of your fouls.' I Cor. xv. 55. 56.57. O death, where is thy fting? O 6 grave, where is thy victory? The fting of death is fin; and the strength of fin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jefus Chrift. Compared with Rev. v. 9. 10. And they fung a new fong, faying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the feals thereof: for thou wast slain, ⚫ and haft redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and haft made us unto our God kings and priests and we fhall, reign on the earth? Philip. iii. 3. We are the circumcifion, which " worthip God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jefus, and have no confidence in the flesh.' Neh. viii. 10. The joy of the Lord is your strength.' Compared with Pfal. cxix. 32. I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou fhalt < enlarge my heart."

None can have true Peace of Confcience, nor Joy in the Holy Ghoft, but true Believers: IS. Ivii. ult. There is no peace, faith my God, to

the wicked.' And when they have attained them, they may lose them again : Pfal. li. 8. ' Make me to hear joy and gladness that the bones which ' thou haft broken, may rejoice.' But the Seed of them, from whence they may be revived, cannot be loft, but abides with Believers in all Cafes : Pfal. xcvii. 11. Light is fown for the righteous, and gladnefs for the upright in heart.' Compared with John iii. 9. Whofoever is born of * God, doth not commit fin; for his feed remain eth in him and he cannot fin, because he is

born

'born of God.' The abiding Seed of Peace of Confcience in Believers, is, their State of Peace with God: Jer. xxxii. 40. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I ' will put my fear in their hearts, that they fhall not depart from me.' The abiding Seed of Joy in the Holy Ghoft in them, is, their faving Intereft in the Fulness of Chrift: 1 John i. 3. 4.

That which we have seen and heard, declare we " unto you, that ye alfo may have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jefus Chrift. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.' And out of these they may recover their loft Peace of Confcience, and Joy in the Holy Ghoft, by the renewed Actings of Faith and Repentance: -Rom. xv. 13. < Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy 'Ghost. Matth. v. 4. 'Bleffed are they that mourn for they fhall be comforted.' Compared with Pfal. cxxvi. 5. They that fow in tears, fhall reap in joy. And they may maintain and preferve them, by a holy tender Walk, and the daily Exercife of Faith and Repentance: Acts xxiv. 16. And herein do I exercife myself, to have always a confcience void of offence toward God, and toward men.' Compared with 2 Cor. i. 12. For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our confcience, that in fimplicity and godly fincerity, not with fleshly wifdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our converfation in the world, and more abundantly to you-wards.' John xiii. 10. Jefus faith to Peter, He that is N 2 • washed,

washed, needeth not, fave to wash his feet, but is clean every whit.' Pfal. xix. 12. 'Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from fecret faults.'

The Benefits flowing from Juftification, Adoption, and Sanctification, which may proceed on the mere Reality of Grace, without the Evidence of it, are, Increafe of Grace, and Perfeverance therein to the End.

It is of the Nature of Grace, as of a Seed, or the Morning-light, to increase or grow, till it come to Perfection: John iii. 9. Whofoever is born of God, doth not commit fin; for his feed remaineth in Eim: and he cannot fin, because he is born of God.' Compared with Mark iv. 26. 27. And Jefus faid, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man fhould caft feed into the ground, and should fleep, and rise night and day, and the feed fhould fpring and grow up knoweth not how. Prov. iv. 18. The path of the juft is as the fhining light, that fhineth more and more unto the perfect day.' John iv. 14. The water that I fhall give him, fhall be in him a well of water fpringing up into everlafting life.' "Eph. iv. 13. Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the ftature of the fulness of Chrift. And it doth grow accordingly, Prov. iv. 18. above cited. Nevertheless, it doth not therefore grow at all Times, but is liable to Decays; Rev. ii. 4. I have fomewhat against thee, because thou haft left thy firft love. The actual Increase or Growth of it depends on Supplies of Grace from Chrift the Head, communicated to us by the Spirit: Hof. xiv.

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5. I will be as the dew unto Ifrael: he shall grow as the lily, and caft forth his roots as Le banon. Compared with. . xliv. 3. 4. I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods < upon the dry ground: I will pour my fpirit upon thy feed, and my bleffing upon thine off. fpring and they fhall fpring up as among the grafs, as willows by the water-courfes.' John xv. 5. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the fame ፡ bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye " can do nothing.' Howbeit, it is our Duty to grow in Grace: 2 Pet. iii. 18. Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift. A Chriftian fhall grow in Grace, by exercifing it, and using the Means of it, diligently: Matth. xxv. 29. Unto every one that hath fhall be given, and he fhall have abundance: but from him that hath not, fhall be ta'ken away even that which he hath.' Pfal. xcii. 13. Thofe that be planted in the house of the "Lord, fhall flourish in the courts of our God.' The Graces, the Exercife whereof doth efpecially influence the Growth of all the reft, as well as their own, are, firft, Faith, and then Love: Gal. ii. 20. I am crucified with Chrift: Nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Chrift liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me? 2 Cor. v. 14. 15. For the love of Chrift constraineth us, because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead and that he died for all, that 6 they which live, fhould not henceforth live unbut unto him which died for

to themfelves,

them, and rofe again. 1 Tim. i. 5. Now the ' end of the commandment is charity, out of a pure heart, and of a good confcience, and of 'faith unfeigned.' True fpiritual Growth is dif cerned from falfe Growth, in that it is proportionable in all the Parts of the new Creature, and rests at no Pitch attained till it come to Perfection: Eph. iv. 15. But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Chrift.' Philip. iii. 13. 14. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I prefs toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Chrift Jefus." By Perfeverance in Grace to the End, is meant, a conftant Continuance in Grace, all along till Death: Col. i. 23. If ye continue in the faith grounded and fettled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven.' Matth. x. 22. He that endureth to the end, fhall be faved.' All who are once endowed with true Grace, fhall infallibly perfevere in it to the End, notwithstanding of Satan's Temptations, the World's Snares, and their own Corruptions: John x. 28. 29. And I give unto them eternal life, and they fhall never perifh, neither fhall any pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave them me, is greater than all and none is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.' 1 Pet. i. 5. 'Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto falvation." 1 John ii. 19. They went out from us, but they were not of us for if

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