his way rejoicing; and of thousands who have met with that joy at fealing ordinances, which they never could find in all earthly things: and no wonder, for then is the great feal of heaven fet unto the covenant betwixt the Lord and his people.

2. The internal mean is faith, Rom. xv. 13. "The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing." 1 Pet. i. 8.-" Believing ye rejoice with joy unfpeakable, and full of glory." Faith receives and applies the glad tidings brought by the word, and confirmed by the facraments. The Spirit of the Lord works faith at first, and excites and ftrengthens it and fo the peace which the Lord speaks to his people is firmly believed by the faint, and thus his heart is filled with joy.

VI. I come now to fhew the difference betwixt this joy and the joy of the hypocrite. That a hypocrite may have a joy in fpiritual things, is evident from Matth. xiii. 20. and is confirmed by the cafe of many deluded fouls, who may have their joys, as well as forrows, which are unfound as themfelves.

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1. True fpiritual joy rifeth in the heart, ordinarily after the word has had a precedent effect on the heart, to rend it for fin, and from it, Pfal. cxxvi. 5. "They that fow in tears, shall reap in joy." Matth. v. 4. "Bleffed are they that mourn; for they fhall be comforted." But delufive joy fprings up more quickly, while yet the heart is not rent for fin, at least not from it, Matth. xiii. 20. Compare Jer. iv. 3. Much pains the husbandman is at ere he can expect a crop; but weeds will grow up without pain or labour for them.

2. True fpiritual joy comes by the word, and that rightly understood; but delufive joy comes either without the word, or by misunderstanding of the word. The channel of divine communications is the word of God, If. lix. 21. That joy which comes by pretended revelations, dreams, or impreffions, without the word, and regard to it, is moft likely to be the effect of a heated fancy; and people had need to beware of being beguiled with thefe things. The written word is particularly the channel of fpiritual joy, 1 John i. 4. "These things write we unto you, that your joy may be full." And if an angel from heaven would speak joy to one whom the written word does not give ground of joy to, it would be but

a deceit, If. viii. 20. "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them."

3. True fpiritual joy is lafting; but delufive joy vanishes a way, and comes to nothing, as wanting a root, Matth. xiii. 20, 21. It has a feason, and when that is over it is extinguished, John. v. 35. "Ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light. I own a child of God may lofe his joy too; but here lies the difference. The ground of the believer's joy, fenfe of intereft, is sometimes removed out of his fight, and fo he must needs lofe his joy. But though the ground of the hypocrite's joy continue, namely, his fancied interest in the favour of God, and privileges of the gofpel, yet the joy goes; thofe things grow ftale and faplefs with him, which mightily affected him when they were new to him.

4. True fpiritual joy humbles the foul, and fills it with high and honourable thoughts of God; but delufion never ceases to puff up, Gen. xxviii. 17. "How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven." Exod. xxxiv. 8. "Mofes made hafte, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped." 2. Cor. xii. 11. Compare Col. ii. 18. For all the divine communications tend to empty men of themselves, to make Christ and his free grace all to a man; and holy familiarity with God impreffes an awe on one's fpirit, in fo far as the more one fees of God, the more he muft admire and adore him. But nature will always build up nature.

5. Lastly, True fpiritual joy is fanctifying, makes one the more tender and holy, the more he has of it. But delufion will never fanctify, Phil. iii. 3. Delufion is a cover to and nourifher of inward lufts, which get a peaceable shelter under it: but true spiritual joy makes one forward in the duties of univerfal obedience, Pfal. cxix. 32. "I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou fhalt enlarge my heart." And it makes one tender in moral duties towards God, and towards man.

Inf. 1. Unjuftified perfons cannot intermeddle with this joy, for it is a benefit that flows from juftification. It is a privilege peculiar to the faints; children's bread that is not caft to dogs. Ye may rejoice in the worldly comforts ye have, faying, This clothing, this money is mine; but you cannot fay, This God is mine.

2. When created streams are dried up, the joy of the ungodly is quite gone: but it is not fo with the godly, Job vi. 13. "Is not my help in me? and is wisdom driven quite from me?" Hab. iii. 17. 18. The great ground of the faints joy, and the objects of it, are beyond the reach of men, so that they cannot take them from them.

3. Moft groundless is the prejudice against religion, that it is a melancholy thing, Prov. iii. 17. "Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace." None have fuch reason to rejoice as the believer has. If the poor wretched and condemned creature has more ground to rejoice than he that is pardoned and enriched with his prince's favour, then the wicked has as much ground to rejoice as the believer who is juftified by grace. O! if the ungodly faw their ftate, they would never rejoice; and if the godly faw theirs, they would never defpond.

4. It is not God's allowance for his children to harden themselves in forrow, and refuse to be comforted, Phil. iv. 4. "Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I fay, Rejoice." As it is uncomfortable to themfelves, it is difhonouring to God, and is the fruit of unbelief.

5. O, unconverted finners, let the joy of religion draw you to it. Come to Chrift, in a way of believing on him, that ye may be justified. Close with the way of holiness, in renouncing all known fin, and complying with all known duty, that ye may have this fpiritual joy, 2 Cor. i. 12.

6. Lastly, Let the godly strive to attain this spiritual joy, and to maintain it, for God's honour, and their own comfort and usefulness.

OF INCREASE OF GRACE, AND PERSEVERANCE
THEREIN TO THE END.

PROV. iv. 18. But the path of the juft is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.

ITHERTO we have fpoken of the benefits flowing from or accompanying the fenfe of juftification. I come now to speak of those that accompany or flow from the being of it, namely, increase of grace, and perfeverance. In

the text there is an elegant comparison of two things like to one another. Wherein we have,

1. The fubjects of the comparison, the path of the just, and the fhining light.

(1.) The fubject compared, the path of the juft. The just, in the language of the Old Teftament, are those who are juftified by faith, Hab. ii. 4. "The juft fhall live by his faith." They are a travelling company, going towards Canaan; they have a path or way wherein they go, and they make a progrefs in it. The word here used fignifies, (1.) The progress itself, or courfe in the way, as Job vi. 18. "The paths of their way are turned afide." If. xxvi. 8. "In the way of thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited for thee." (2.) The place or way through which one goes. The thing meant is the gracious and holy life of the just.

(2.) The subject it is compared to, the fhining light, that Shineth more and more unto the perfect day. It is compared to light, both because it is comfortable to themselves, and inftructive, exciting to others, and honourable. It is not like the light of a meteor, that shines a while, and then difappears quickly; nor that of a candle, which burns and burns down till it waftes itself; but like the light of the fun, and not the evening-fun, that declineth, but the morning-fun, that with increasing brightness and heat advances to the meridian.

2. The points of the comparison. (1.) As that light is a growing light, fhining more and more; fo is the grace of God in a foul, going from one degree to another. (2.) As it does not go out, but grows on to the perfect day; fo grace never dies out, but goes on till it be perfected in glory. DOCT. "Increase of grace, and perfeverance, are benefits flowing from or accompanying juftification."

I. Of Increase or Growth of Grace.

Here I fhall fhew,

1. That real grace doth increafe or grow.

2. How a Chriftian grows in grace.

3. The causes of this growth.

4. The difference betwixt true and falfe growth.

5. Whether true grace grows always.

6. Apply.

FIRST, I am to fhew, that real grace doth increase or grow. This is evident from three things.

1. Scripture-teftimony. Grace is a holy feed that fprings and grows, Mark iv. 27.; however little at first, like a grain of mustard feed, Matth. xiii. 31. 32.; like leaven, ver. 33. God has promised it, Pfal. xcii. 12. Mal. iv. 2. "But unto you that fear my name, fhall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye fhall go forth and grow up as calves of the ftall."

2. God has appointed a certain ftature that his children fhall grow to, Eph. iv. 13. This is the perfection of grace. Hence the Chriftian is firft a little child, then a young man, then a father, 1 John ii. 13. They walk, they run, they fly, they mount like eagles, If. xl. ult.

3. This is the end of divine influences, If. xxvii. 3. and xliv. 3. 4. It is alfo the effect of divine ordinances, Eph. iv. 11. 12. It is the end of all the pains of the heavenly Hufbandman on the plants of his vineyard.

SECONDLY, I fhall fhew how a Chriftian grows in grace. He grows four ways.

1. Inward, into Christ, as the branch doth into the ftock, Eph. iv. 15. Cleaving to him, and knitting with him more firmly, his faith grows stronger, 2 Theff. i. 9.; his love more vigorous, his hope firmer, his dependence clofer, &c. This is the fpring of all other Chriftian increafe in grace. I

2. Outward, in good works, in all the parts of a holy life, piety towards God, and righteoufnefs towards men, Gen. xlix, 22. The growing Christian advances in the work of his falvation, Phil. ii. 12.; in the work of his regeneration, Acts xiii. 36. He goes on in the fruits of a holy life, for God's honour, his own good, and for the good and advantage of his fellow Chriftians, knowing that he is not born for himself.

3. Upward, in a heavenly difpofition, Phil. iii. 20. The end of his journey that he is aiming at is the upper world; and as he is coming out of this world in action, so he is coming out of it in affection, Cant. viii. 5. He grows more heavenly in his defires, joys, delights, griefs, forrows, &c.

4. Laftly, Downward, in humility, felf-denial, felf-loathing, refignation to the will of the Lord, &c. The more religion prevails, there are always more of these graces, Job xlii. 5. 6. Pfal. xxii. 6. 2 Cor. xii. 11. For the more grace there is, there is the more knowledge of God and one's felf; which are two boundless depths, the one of glory, the other of fin.