far will our hearts' be commanded to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith be bath called us. The knowledge of God hath a commanding influence upon the heart, to delight in him as the GOD of falvation; for real grace is a fpiritual understanding of divine things; and caufes the foul's adherence to, and holy delight in them, as they are glorious, and exalt the glory of GOD in all his perfections.

Note, A carnal man, by an attentive confideration of the ftriking evidence which the word of God gives of divine truths, may be fatisfied that they are things real and fubftantial, yet he never delights in them, for that change of foul, which principally diftinguithes a real Chriftian from an hypocrite, confifts in the affections; the real Chriftian's underftanding is enlightened into the truth, his affections cleave to, and delight therein; whereas the Hypocrite (with all his attainments) nevet is content with the wifdom, love, and power of GoD, as difplayed in the falvation of finners.

All divine truths, have their dependence upon, meet, and centre in CHRIST, our growth in grace confifts in farther acquaintance with him, as he is made known in the word of GOD, in all his relations, offices, and characters. This made the Apoftle, when he heard of the faith and love of the believing Coloffians, fo earnestly pray for the increase of it, Col. i. 9, &c. For this caufe faith he, we alfo, fince the day we heard it, do not ceafe to pray for you, and to defire that ye may be filled with the knowledge of his will, in all w fdom and fpiritual underStanding that ye may walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, increafing in the knowledge of God, ftrengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and long fuffering with joyfulness.

This prayer of the Apoftle, not only teftifies his love to the Coloffans, as believers in CHRIST, and fellow-members of the fame body, but his longing defire for their spiritual welfare, and growth in grace, that they may be filled with the knowledge of God's will, which is one of the greateft blefings the Christian can enjoy on this fide eternity. O what a lofs is the Chriftian at when the providence of GoD is dark and gloomy, to know the will of God by these difpenfations! for the providence of GoD points out this way to be his will, and the Chriftian feems pleafed therein, then on a fudden, a crofs difpenfation arifes, which blafts every expectation, and the mind is again plunged into obfcurity. In this diftreffing cafe, the Chriftian probably labours for years, and this makes him earnestly defire to know the will of God:

The Apostle prays that ye may be filled with the knowledge of his will; which fhews, that there is greater growth of grace to be attained in this life than what we are apt to conceive, for he does not only pray to know the will of God, but to be filled with the knowledge of his will. And fure I am, he did not pray for a bleffing that was not (through grace) attainable in this life, for he adds, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; implying, that the knowledge of the will of God is only to be enjoyed, as the wifdom of GoD. This enables the Chriftian to walk worthy of the LORD unto all well pleafing, to be fruitful in every good work; engages him to a holy watchfulness, and confcientious regard to all the appointed means of grace, as fuch an ineftimable bleffing is enjoyed thereby. That the Apostle prayed for their increase of knowledge in the fublime and profound truths of the gospel, is manifeft, for he adds, ver. 26. 27. even the mystery which hath been hid from ages, and from generations, but now made manifeft unto the Saints. To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Chrift in you the hope of glory.

That JEHOVAH's wifdom fhines in all his works with a luftre peculiar to its own nature, is evident; but in the affair of our redemption by the LORD JESUS, there is such a glo rious difplay of the wisdom, love, and power of God, as aftonishes the minds both of men and angels; that GOD fhould manifeft his divine wrath and indignation against fin, and yet at the fame time fecure the falvation of the finner. This is wildom and love worthy of a GOD, that he fhould over-rule great evil, to advance and bring to view and full enjoyment the highest good, viz. the immenfe treafures of divine grace and kindness, which lay hid in God, who doth all things according to the counfel of his will.

That growth in grace depends upon a fpiritual perception of thefe truths, and a full affurance of understanding of the deepeft myfteries in religion which is attainable, is evident from the Apostle's defire, viz. that the hearts of the believing Coloffians might not only be knit together in love; but unto all riches, of a full affurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Chrift; which mystery of the Trinity is the greateft, the moft incom prehenfible the word declares, yet the infpired Apoftle defired that they might enjoy a full affurance of the understanding of the truth of it, though not of the mode or manner of the divine existence (which is incomprehenfible either to men or angels)

but of the reality of the natural, eternal existence of Father, Son, and Spirit, in one divine effence, of their being three, as to their divine perfons, or fubfiftences, but one as to their divine nature, which is the mystery of the Unity in the Trinity, or the unity of nature in the trinity of perfons, the Triune GoD: Each of thefe divine perfons hath his part, or office, in the œconomy of falvation; they are the fame in nature, their love, wifdom and power the fame, through the whole of our redemption; and it is a deep, profound, mysterious display of love to loft finners.

The Apoftle may not only mean the mystery of the Trinity of perfons (or divine fubfiftences) in unity of effence, but the mystery of CHRIST's being God-man, having two diftinct natures, yet one perfon for ever: likewife the mystery of the divine operation of the HOLY GnosT, effecting a spiritual change, or new-birth in the foul. Thefe are fome of the fublime ideas of faith which thofe enjoy that grow in grace.

Friendly. Doth not growth in grace confift in a growing acquaintance with the doctrines of grace?

Truth. Yes, in an experimental acquaintance with them and feeling their power.

Firft, Of election; when the Chriftian fees that electing love, or the fixed act of divine favour, is fovereign grace, therefore called the election of grace; that the LORD was at liberty either to chufe or refuse him, according to the fovereign. pleature of his will; that there was no motive in him to induce or move Gon to fix his precious love upon him; that he takes motives from himfelf, to elect, diftinguifh, and fet him apart as a veffel of mercy, while others (it may be, fuch as have more amiable difpofitions) are paffed by, this makes the believer exclaim, HE hath mercy upon me, because HE will have mercy! O the riches of electing love! The wonders of diftinguishing grace! LoRD, why me? why me? O what fhall I render to the LORD.!

Secondly, The foul grows in grace when it views that all its confolations and divine refreshments fpring from God's everlafting love in CHRIST, before the world began; that the grand fource of all its blifs lies there, that whatever degree of life and comfort it enjoys, it is but the opening of the leaves of the book of life, in a manifeftative way to the mind, that it may fee clearly that its name is wrote in Heaven. The foul does not always enjoy fuch ftrength of comfort, as to view electing love with propriety of intereft therein, only as its fecurity, but whatever hope it now enjoys, or may enjoy, of Heaven

and happiness, redemption, effectual vocation, and divine joy flow therefrom. Now when the foul views this, there is a real growth in grace, though not to thofe fublimated heights of joy which others through grace have attained.

Thirdly, A believer grows in grace when he fees that his juftification, or difcharge from the curfe of the law, is an act of grace, being freely justified by his grace, through the redemp tion which is in Christ Jefus. This confifts of three parts, yet all of grace, for juftification, as it is in GOD, is an immanent act of grace, upon the foundation of CHRIST's furetiship, and undertaking to pay the debt of fufferings and obedience, which his people owed to law and juftice; hence he is called the Lamb fain from the foundation of the world. CHRIST becomes our furety, to pay all that we owed, upon which GOD the FATHER, in the capacity of a Judge, discharged in his own eternal mind, all his people from condemnation by the law, which was his decreeing never to impute fin to them; and a nonimputation of fin includes therein, a free juftification from all fin, Bleffed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute fin; and again, God was in Chrift reconciling the world to himself, not im puting their trefpaffes unto them.

There is a representative justification, which was an act of the highest grace.-When CHRIST rofe from the dead, he rofe as our head and reprefentative, having, as furety, paid our debt both of sufferings and obedience; his resurrection was an eternal discharge from all obligations of law and juftice; and he being difcharged by GoD, our great Creditor, as our furety, paid by his precious blood and obedience all our debts, we were then discharged in him, when he rose from the dead, for faith the Apoftle, who died for our fins, and rofe again for our juftification. Now growth in grace confifts in a fpiritual understanding of thefe things, by which means the foul becomes rooted and grounded in the things of GOD.

There is a fenfible difplay of justification to the foul by the obedience and death of CHRIST, which is a juftification by faith, or the foul being fenfibly discharged from condemnation, by the death and fufferings of the SAVIOUR, Rom. v. 1. Being juftified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jefus Chrift. And this is that branch of juftification which principally concerns the foul to have fpiritual acquaintance with, and a fettled eftablishment, therein is comprehended the foul's growth in grace.

Likewife growth in grace confifts in an experimental meetnefs for heaven by the grace of CHRIST; it is not hearing,

praying, nor reading, that prepares the foul for heaven, but a participation of grace from CHRIST's fulness, by which means the foul is made meet for the heavenly inheritance; for grace does not only form a difpofition in the mind for the enjoyment of glory, but grace is glory itfelf in a weak and infantine ftate.

Moft profeffors think that fanctification is a progreffive work, they think that a Christian is fanctified and made more fit and meet for heaven, day by day, when it is not a fucceffion of days which brings on a fucceffive work of fanctification in the foul, but the enjoyment of the prefence of CHRIST, and the communication of his fulness; by which means the foul is transformed into CHRIST's likeness and image, and in this fense we may be faid, to be renewed day by day, as we enjoy the presence, and transforming beams of CHRIST's love upon our minds, 2 Cor. iii. 18. But we all with open face, beholding as in a glafs the glory of the Lord, are changed into the fame image from glory to glory, even as by the spirit of the Lord. Now when the foul is led to view election, adoption, juftification, and fanctification, as acts of free unconditional grace, and to feel the power and life of these acts in fome meafure, influencing it to take a holy delight and pleasure in them, fuch a foul may be faid to grow in grace.

Friendly. May a believer grow in grace and not be fenfible of it?

Truth. Yes, there is fometimes a growth in grace, and the believer not fenfible of it for a time; it is fo gradual that the Chriftian finds his foul, as to growth, like a plant in the garden, which though we cannot difcern it growing, yet we can eafily perceive that it has grown. This is often the cafe, and upon reflection the Chriftian can look back and view that his light, understanding, and knowledge of divine things are greater than they were; that by nature he was a child of wrath, even as others; at enmity with God, by wicked works; without bope, and without God in the world; but now, through grace, no longer a ftranger, and fojourner, but a fellow citizen of the faints, and of the houshold of God. Now through grace, faith the Chrif tian, I can draw near to GOD with holy delight and pleasure, and rejoice when I have, and can by faith hold communion. with him; for I am never more happy than when I am upon the mount with my beloved! Once I faw no beauty in CHRIST, that my foul fhould defire him, but now, because of the favour of his good ointments, his name is as ointment poured