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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49244	Grace: the truth and growth and different degrees thereof. The summe and substance of XV. sermons. Preached by that faithful and painful servant of Jesus Christ, Mr. Christopher Love, late minister of Lawrence Jury, London. They being his last sermons. To which is added a funerall sermon, being the very last sermon he ever preached.	Love, Christopher, 1618-1651.; Cross, Thomas, fl. 1632-1682, engraver.	1652 (1652)	Wing L3156; ESTC R214001	127,409	242

and the victory and the majesty for all that is in heaven or in earth is earth is thine thine is the Kingdom Oh Lord and thou art exalted as head above all Both riches and honour come of thee and thou reignest over all and in thine hand is power and might and in thy hand is to make great and to give strength unto all Now therefore our God we thank thee and praise thy glorious name But who am I and what is my people that we should offer so willingly after this sort for all things come of thee and of thine own have we given thee Oh Lord our God all this store that we have prepared to build thee an house for thine own name commeth of thine hand and is all thine own which is an excellent pattern of humility after inlargement in duty David and the people had offered both bountifully and willingly towards the house of God the Lord had enlarged both their hearts and their hands Now all they did for God is here ascribed to Gods grace and bounty towards them It is excellent humility to ascribe our enlargement of Gods service to the enlargement of Gods grace towards us the way to have grace increased is humbly to acknowledge from whence we receive every grace 2. Ascribe unto Jesus Christ the glory of all the grace you have been made partakers of Thus did Paul upon all occasions I laboured more abundantly then they all yet not I but the grace of God which was in me and by the grace of God I am what I am I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God It was wel done of that good and faithfull servant to say Lord thy pound hath gained ten pounds he doth not say Lord my pains but thy pound hath gained When we give God the glory of his grace God wil give us the comfort and increase of our grace Learn therefore to ascribe unto Christ the initial progressive consummative work of grace in your souls Jesus Christ only who hath begun a good work in you wil perform it until his own day Jesus Christ is the author and finis●er of our faith He is the Alpha and the Omega And therefore the Apostle prayes The God of all grace who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Jesus Christ after that ye have suffered awhile make you perfect stablish● strengthen and settle you Grace is rather like Manna that comes from heaven then the Corn that grows out of the earth Grace is inspired from heaven Gifts and parts are acquired by industry and pains here on earth What God said by way of comparison between Canaan and Egypt is very applicable to this purpose For thus the Lord speaks to Israel The Land whether thou goest in to possesse it is not as the Land of Egypt whence tho● camest out where thou sowest thy seed and waterest it with thy foot as a garden of hearbs but the Land whither ye goe to possesse it is a land of hils and valleys and drinketh water of the rain of heaven a land which the Lord thy God careth for Thus it is with grace and nature nature may be and is improved with industry and pains and is like Egypt which might be watered by the foot i.e. with digging gutters and trenches which is the labour of the foot to let in the streams of the river of Nilus when he yeerly overflows his banks but grace is like the rain from heaven which onely falleth where God doth appoint who causeth it to rain upon one City and not upon another and one piece is rained upon and the piece whereupon it raineth not withereth 3. Disclaim all merit and self-sufficiency for so much as we arrogate to our own merit so much as we derogate from the free grace and mercy of God If with Ephraim God hath enlarged his grace towards thee that thou art like a green fig-tree yet let God have the glory of all thy fruitfulnesse and let him say from me is thy fruit found Oh consider that thou bearest not the root but the root thee Say Not unto us O Lord not unto us but unto thy name do we give the praise A gracious heart knows his own inability and his own insufficiency and imperfection that he is unable to overcome the least sin though never so small to exercise any grace though never so weak to perform the least duty though never so easie and as we have cause to acknowledge our inability so also our sinfull imperfections if God should enter into judgement with us he might condemne us not only for our worst sins but for our best duties 4. Have an eye to Jesus Christ Look up to him the author and finisher of our faith The word looking unto signifies in the original such a looking unto as that we look off those things which may divert our looking up to Jesus Labour my beloved to look still unto Christ as the author of grace when you have the greatest exercise or increase or comfort of your grace Say when thou hast the greatest strength of grace as Iehoshaphat did when he had that great strength of men 500000. Lord we know not what to do only our eyes are upon thee There are these three things which we should eye in Christs giving us grace 1. How voluntarily and freely Jesus Christ doth issue out his grace to his people Never did a mother more willingly give her child suck when her breast● did ake and were ready to break then Jesus Christ doth bestow grace upon his people Christ doth not like a merchant sell his grace but like a King freely bestow● all see the tenor of the Covenant of grace how free it was Ho every 〈◊〉 that thirsteth come ye to the waters and he that hath no money come ye buy and eate yea come buy wine and milk without money and without price Let him that is athirst come and whosoever will let him take the water of life freely nothing is so free as grace it is offered and is bestowed upon the freest termes imaginable All that Christ requires is but our receiving it It is the delight of Christ to shew mercy and bestow grace upon his people It is the meat of Christ to do the Will of God that sent him and to finish his work Never was man more willing to eat his meat when he is hungry then Jesus Christ was to do good and bestow grace upon them that wanted it So also it is said of Christ in Psal 72. which is clearly a prophesie of Jesus Christ that he should come down like raine upon the mowen grasse and as showers that water the earth Now there is nothing comes down more sweetly and freely then the rain upon a dry and thirsty ground 2. Secondly look unto Jesus

GRACE THE TRUTH and GROWTH AND DIFFERENT DEGREES thereof The summe and substance of XV. SERMONS Preached by that faithful and painful servant of Jesus Christ Mr. CHRISTOPHER LOVE Late Minister of Lawrence Jury LONDON They being his last SERMONS To which is added a Funerall Sermon being the very last Sermon he ever preached The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of Mustardseed which a man took and sowed in his field which indeed is the least of all seeds but when it is grown it is the greatest amongst herbs and becomes a tree c. Mat. 12. 31. 32. London Printed by E. G. for J. Rothwell at the Sun and Fountain in Pauls Church-yard 1652. To the Christian Reader OUr purpose in publishing this small Treatise is not to make old sores bleed or foment any ones discontent or renew any ones griefe concerning the much lamented death of this godly and Reverend Author nor shall we mention what great losse the Church of God had in the death of so useful and hopeful a Minister But we shall in a few words acquaint thee why this little piece is thus made publique There are many imperfect copies of Mr. Love's Sermons which are likely to be obtruded into the world by some who regard no other end in publishing and printing books then their own private gain To prevent which we have from his own notes published these Sermons and shall desire the Reader to take notice that whatever Sermons of this Author shall be thought fit to be published shall be attested with some of our hands who are intrusted with his Papers and hope none will be so injurious to the Author and others as to presume to print any thing of Mr. Love's without the said Attestation Thou hast here but the marrow and substance of the last Sermons preached by that late faithfull Servant of God Pulpit-repetitions and enlargments are here omitted we having endeavoured to accommodate thee in the price in buying and in thy pains in reading that thou mightst have much fruit though there be not many leaves Those bookes are best that have much worth and weight in a little bulk and such is this if we mistake not The Reverend Author though he had not attained many yeers yet he had gotten much experience about soul-affairs These were his last Meditations and therefore the more desired by and we hope will be the more acceptable to those to whose souls his Ministry was profitable and precious Thou wilt finde here no new uncouth and unscripturall expressions but plain practicall Doctrine old Divinity sound solid and conscience-searching truths The gracious Author preaching and pressing them on the hearts of his hearers from his own experience of them Neither wilt thou meet with any railings or reproachings of the publick and present Governours the usual though the most unjust charge against the Presbyterian Ministers This whole discourse is not about State but Soul-affairs which is another reason why it is published to check the licentiousnesse of this Age which hath surfetted upon absurd and unprofitable Pamphlets The Lord give thee to have thy spiritual senses exercised to discern both good and evil But alas What between State-mutations and Church-dissensions spiritual truths lie by neglected It is much to be feared the Work of Grace goes on but slowly few enquire into their Soul-state But to enquire into our spirituall estate is the best husbandry in the world If we are to be diligent to know the state of our flocks then surely we should give all diligence to know how it is with our precious and immortall souls The benefit and profit of this soul-searching will abundantly recompence our pains and care in performing it There are two great mistakes to which the best Christians are very subject 1. Either to despise and disparage the work of grace if their measures be small 2. Or else if their attainments be somewhat considerable to sit down contented with their acquired measures We beseech you take heed of both these evils which are both alike unthankfulnesse to God and injuriousnesse to your own soul the one despiseth the truth and the other neglects the Growth of Grace 1. If thou art one of the tender Plants in Christs Orchard a weak Lamb in his Flock a Babe in his Family yet Oh despise not the day of small things in thy soule though thy gifts be few thy comforts fewer yet tread not out thy selfe the smoaking flax stay thy selfe upon his name who is a rock of Ages and whose work is perfect and his grace unchangable who will bring forth judgement unto victory Sleight not the least measure of grace though the first and ruder draught be but drawn on thy soule yet be comforted in this that the image of Christ is begun to be renewed there But be sure thy grace be right Temporary faith partial obedience mercenary love pretended zeale legall sorrow feigned humility may make up a lifelesse picture of a professor who hath the form without the power of Godlinesse but it is true Grace that makes a true Christian Common gifts and graces may bring a man neer heaven but they will never bring a man into heaven This Treatise therefore will teach thee to bring thy grace to the true touch-stone It is one of the saddest considerations that can settle on the heart of a Christian to think how high a formall hypocrite may goe towards Heaven with his seeming grace and how low a true child of God may fall by sin towards Hell and yet have real Grace It is a dreadfull thing to think how many Professors in our age rest in duties performed and parts acquired and never examine themselves whether they are in the faith and have attained that true Grace which Reprobates and hypocrites can never have When we finde in Scripture Cain sacrificing Pharaoh confessing his sin Ahab fasting Saul weeping Jehu reforming Judas repenting and restoring Simon Magus believing Herod rejoycing and Felix trembling at the Word and yet not one of these had one dram of Grace How carefull should we then be to examine and prove our selves whether we are in a state of true grace Oh! it is very sad to fall short of them that fall short of Heaven As for the most part of Professors of our times it is much to be feared that their spirituall trading lies more for the increase of gifts and parts in which their Religion consists then for Grace which is the true reason why we have so little truth and peace amongst us for parts puffe up the minde pride begets contention and contention encreaseth errour Former times had lesse gifts but more Grace lesse knowledge and more conscience 1. If thou art one of those that upon good Scripture-grounds canst say thou hast the truth of Grace labour then after growth in Grace Oh labour that whilst others are joyning house to house and laying field to field till

is no other Prophet that is mentioned in all the Bible but onely one which is called The son of man and that is Daniel Now expositors give this reason why he is called by this title because he was a Prophet of the greatest gifts and had the most glorious visions of all the other Prophets Compare this Prophecy with Isaiah Jeremiah Daniel Hosea or all the rest yet Ezekiels prophesie is a more dark mysterious profound book Now Ezekiel being a Prophet of the greatest gifts God takes this care to keep his heart low Thou Son of man Thou Son of man and all is to keep his heart low which doth teach us thus much that those that have great gifts they ought to spend a great deal of time to keep their hearts humble and low because there is a flatuous humour in our nature whereby we are apt to swell and be puft up in the sense of our own gift 2. Caution Prize a little grace before a great measure of gifts ye will prize a pearle though no bigger then a pea more then a great heap of stones There is great reason why we should prize a little grace before much gifts 1. Grace will last when gifts are withering Blazing Comets will fall when the Star never falls a falling Star is no Star but only a Comet So the hypocrites may have a great blaze of their gifts and yet may fall like Comets that hover in the aire Grace is like a Star that keeps fixed in its orbe there is a great deal of difference betwixt a painted face and a natural complexion the painted face will not alwayes last but natural complexion that will alwayes remain Gifts are put paint the ornament of the creature but true grace which is as the natural complexion that will remain 2. Prize a little grace before much gifts because gifts will leave thee short of heaven Christ told the learned Scribe that he was not far from the Kingdome of heaven but alas for all his gifts and learning he fell short of heaven Many will say to me said Christ in that day Lord have not we prophesied in thy name and in thy name cast out devils and in thy name done many wondrous works You see it is observable these men might pretend to high and great gifts and yet they to whom God opened the sacrets of his Kingdome against them he shut the gates of heaven A man may be a Preacher and have the secrets of heaven opened to him and yet have the gates of heaven shut against him A man may attain the gift in Christs name to cast out devils a great and a miraculous gift and yet those men that cast out devils were themselves cast to devils We have done many wondrous works they that did wonders were made a wonder they that had so much gifts came short of heaven yea they who may preach to others may themselves be cast-awayes 3. Do not mistake strength of gifts to be strength of grace Parents would not judge their children strong when their heads and breasts are big and their feet but feeble so you may grow big in your heads in notions and speculations in gifts and yet feeble in practice of grace Now that you may not mistake your selves and may not be deceived I 'le shew you how you may know the difference betwixt those that have strong gifts and those that have strong grace In the generall take this As Art resembles nature so gifts resemble grace Now there are four differences 1. As grace strengthens corruption weakens It is with grace and lusts as it was with the house of Saul and the house of David As Davids house grew stronger and stronger so Sauls house grew weaker and weaker As the Ark was set up Dagon was throwne down the Dagon of corruption will be thrown down before the Ark of grace and the Ark of the Covenant But gifts may strengthen and yet corruptions never the weaker Indeed gifts discover corruption but we are not able to mortifie and subdue it Gifts discover many corruptions but mortifie none Gifts take a cognizance of many a sin but never put a period to any Men that have gifts are resembled to the Moon and men that have grace are resembled to the Sun the Moon hath an influence upon the water to make that move to ebbe and flow the Moon sheds light upon all creatures but no heat to make those creatures grow and spring So a man of gifts may have light but no heat to those gifts to make grace to grow and make sin to fade and wither Gracious men are like the Sun that doth not only give light but heat by the influence thereof things spring and grow out of the earth the great parts of a gifted man often occasionally strengthen his corruptions but do not weaken them Augustine could say Ignorant and illiterate man they take heaven when others with all their Schollership go to hell 2. Where there is strength of grace there the heart is more humbled under the measures of grace received the stronger the graces are the more the heart is humbled But strength of parts in most men makes them proud and lofty Empty vessels make the greatest noise and so do shallow streams So men that have great gifts are often empty of grace 1 Cor. 8. 1. They are puft up with pride who have more gifts then grace and by the humility of the soule you may know whether that soule be stronger in grace then in gifts 3. He looks more after the supply of the grace he wants then in a way of contentment in the grace he hath This argued Paul had much grace when he thus speaks I doe strive after more and more grace if by any means I might attain the resurrection of the dead that is I doe labour after perfection of grace which those shall have that are raised from the dead and exalted in heaven but now a man that hath gifts is more apt to look what he hath then what he wanteth Men of gifts are more apt to look upon their attainments then their imperfections they look upon their gifts in a multiplying glasse more then they are and upon their failings in an extenuating glasse lesse then they are 4. The more grace any one hath the more communicative he is that others may be partakers of the same grace When the Apostle speaks of the duties of husbands and wives he would have them further one another in the way to heaven considering they are heires together of the grace of God Christ also speaks to Peter When thou art converted strengthen thy brethren By Conversion is not meant Gods first act in bringing Peters soule home to Christ but it is meant by an establishing worke of grace as if Christ should have said Peter now thy grace is weak and it will be weaker by thy fall but when thou art recovered from thy fall and deniall

full of grace and truth but this fulnesse is in order to the filling of his members As in the natural body there are some special parts that do stand as officers unto all the rest the stomack receives much meat not for it self but that it might communicate it to all the members the head hath the senses seated in it not for it self but for the whole body So it is in the mystical body whereof Christ is the head the abundance of grace which is treasured up in Christ is in order to supply every member with grace For their sakes saith Christ himself of his elect I sanctifie my selfe that they also might be sanctified through the truth Some do refer this to Christ being set apart to the office of Mediatour that it was not for his own sake but for the sake of his members and though there be grace enough in Christ to qualifie his person yet also there is grace enough in him to justifie our persons too and sanctifie our natures 2. This also reproves the errour pride and folly of the Pelagians Papists and Arminians who derogate from God and arrogate to themselves These people like Sampson have lost their spiritual strength but do not will not know that it is departed from them They are poor and yet are proud and while they are setting up the praeise of nature they do prove themselves the enemies of grace Alas while they boast of a liberum arbitrium they have cause to bewail a servum arbitrium a● Luther calls it It is true man by the fall did not lose the faculty it self but he hath lost the rectitude of it And yet proud man will be like the spider spinning out a thread of his own and thinking to climbe up to heaven by threads spun out of his own bowels but let such who rejoyce in this Mihi soli debeo take heed at last that his hope be not cut off and that his trust become like a spiders web Alas poor proud wretch who made thee to differ Grevincovius the Arminian makes this proud answer to the Apostles question I my self made my self to differ This is Divinity much like that of the Heathens Seneca said That we live this is of God but that we live well that 's of our selves And Cicero hath also this saying and he tells us it is the judgment of all men That prosperity and sccesse is from God and must be sought of God but wisdom that is gotten by our selves which gave Augustine occasion to passe this censure upon him ●icero in endeavouring to make men free he made them sacrilegious But let us take heed of this proud leaven of Arminianisme and learn from hence to be convinced of the emptinesse and insufficiency of our nature to any supernaturall good For alas We are not sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves but our sufficiency is of God We have no grace but what we receive from Christ And grace is no way grace unlesse it be every way free We have little reason to boast of the freedome of our will to any thing that is spiritually good because our wil is not free til it be by grace made free We have no power to become the sons of God till it be given us to believe on his name and such are born not of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God XV. Sermon At Lawrence Jury London April 27. 1651. This was the last Sermon that ever Mr. Love preached 2 TIM 2. 1. My son be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus FRom the last clause in this text viz. Grace that is in Christ Jesus we have gathered this observation that All those measures of grace whereof beli●vers are partakers they doe receive them in and from Jesus Christ That this is so we have proved not onely by the types of the Old Testament but also by the expresse testimony of the New Testament and have also given the grounds and reasons of this point with some Application by way of reproofe and confutation of the Arminian and Socinian errours It remains we make some further Application of this point and so conclude the whole discourse 2. Vse is by way of exhortation unto these duties following 1. Dost thou receive all thy grace from Jesus Christ then labour to be humble in the acknowledgement of this Let the consideration and conscientious application of this doctrine quell all boasting in us of any excellency received Our wisdom righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption are all from Christ and therefore he that gloryeth let him glory in the Lord. Consider who maketh thee to differ from another and what hast thou that thou didst not receive now if thou didst receive it why didst thou glory as if thou hadst not received it Who but a proud foole would magnifie himselfe in that which either another giveth him or another hath done for him We count it an odious pride and folly in a man to boast himselfe of that which another hath done And therefore the Apostle professeth that he did not carry himselfe as those false teachers had done who were crept into the Church of Corinth saith the Apostle We doe not boast of things beyond our measure that is of other mens labours nor boast in another mans line of things made ready to our hand Now all grace is made ready to our hands and is onely the worke of Jesus Christ in us who worketh all our works for us Ammianus Marcellinus tels us of one Lampadius a great person in Rome who in all parts of the City where other men had bestowed cost in building he would set up his own name not as a Repairer of the work but as the chiefe Builder Such folly are they guilty of who wil set their owne names before Gods over the work of grace in their own souls Oh remember that boasting is excluded by the law of faith Faith is that grace which emptieth the creature of all its conceited excellencies and faith is that grace which wil give God the praise of the glory of all his grace Shall the groom of the stable boast of his masters horses and the Stage-player of his borrowed robes shall the mud wall be proud that the Sun-shines upon it We must say of all the good that is in us as the young man said to the Prophet of his hatchet Alas Master it was borrowed The Church of God is compared to the Moon Now all the light which the Moon giveth to the world she doth but distribute what is lent her all our graces and the shining of them whereby our light is seen before men is but a borrowed light from the Sun of righteousnesse David sets us an excellent pattern when he makes that humble acknowledgement Blessed be the Lord God of Israel our Father for ever and ever Thin● Oh Lord is the greatness and the power and the glory