nourishment whereby the new creature liveth, and is nourished up towards perfection. Spiritual life needs to be fed, and must have supply of nourishment; and believers derive the same from Christ, whom the Father has constituted the head of influences to all his members, Col. ii. 19. "And not holding the head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered," or supplied, &c. "Now, this supply is the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ," Phil. i. 19. The saints feed richly, eating Christ's flesh, and drinking his blood, for their spiritual nourishment; yet our Lord himself teacheth us, that it is the Spirit that quickeneth even that Spirit who dwells in that blessed body, John vi. 63. The human nature is united to the divine nature, in the person of the Son, and so (like the bowl in Zechariah's candlestick, Zech. iv.) lies at the fountain head, as the conveyance of influences, from the fountain of the Deity; and receives not the Spirit by measure, but ever hath a fulness of the Spirit by reason of that personal union. Hence, believers being united to the man Christ, (as the seven lamps to the bowl, by their seven pipes, Zech. iv. 2.) his flesh is to them meat indeed, and his blood drink indeed; for, feeding on that blessed body, (i.e. effectually applying Christ to their souls by faith,) they partake more and more of that Spirit, who dwelleth therein, to their spiritual nourishment. The holiness of God could never admit of an immediate union with the sinful creature, nor (consequently) an immediate communion with it; yet the creature could not live the life of grace, without communion with the fountain of life: Therefore, that the honour of God's holiness, and the salvation of sinners, might jointly be provided for, the second Person of the glorious Trinity took into a personal union with himself a sinless human nature; that so this holy, harmless, and undefiled humanity, might immediately receive a fulness of the Spirit, of which he might communicate to his members by his divine power and efficacy. And like as, if there were a tree, having its root in the earth, and its branches reaching to heaven, the vast distance betwixt the root and the branches would not interrupt the communication betwixt the root and the top branch; even so, the distance betwixt the man Christ,

who is in heaven, and his members who are on earth, cannot hinder the communication betwixt them. What though the parts of mystical Christ (viz. the head and the members) are not contiguous, as joined together in the way of a corporal union? The union is not therefore the less real and effectual. Yea, our Lord himself shews us, that albeit we should eat his flesh in a corporal and carnal manner, yet it would profit nothing, John vi. 63. we would not be one whit holier thereby. But the members of Christ on earth are united to their head in heaven, by the invisible bond of the self-same Spirit dwelling in both; in him as the head, and in them as the members; even as the wheels, in Ezekiel's vision, were not contiguous to the living creatures, yet were united to them, by an invisible bond of one spirit in both; so that when the living creatures went, the wheels went by that, and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up, Ezek. i. 19. "For," says the Prophet, "the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels," ver. 20.

Hence we may see the difference betwixt true Sanc tification and that shadow of it, which is to be found amongst some strict professors of Christianity, who yet are not true Christians, are not regenerated by the Spirit of Christ, and is of the same kind with what has appeared in many sober Heathens. True sanctification is the result of the soul's union with the holy Jesus, the first and immediate receptacle of the sanctifying Spirit; out of whose fulness his members do, by virtue of their union with him, receive sanctifying influences. The other is the mere product of the man's own spirit, which, whatever it has, or seems to have of the matter of true holiness, yet does not arise from the supernatural principles, nor to high aims and ends thereof; for, as it comes from self, so it runs out into the dead sea of self again; and lies as wide of true holiness, as nature doth of grace. They wha have this bastard holiness, are like common boat-men, who serve themselves with their own oars; whereas, the ship bound for Immanuel's land sails by the blowings of the divine Spirit. How is it possible there should be true sanctification without Christ? Can there be true sanctification, without partaking of the Spirit of holiness?

Can we partake of that Spirit, but by Jesus Christ, the way, the truth, and the life? The falling dew shall as soon make its way through the flinty rock, as influences of grace shall come from God to sinners, any other way but through him whom the Father has constituted the head of influences, Col. i. 19. "For it pleased the Father, that in him should all fulness dwell; and chap. ii. 9. "And not holding the head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God." Hence see how it comes to pass, that many fall away, from their seeming sanctification, and never recover; it is because they are not branches truly knit to the true Vine. Meanwhile, others recover from their decays, because of their union with the life giving stock, by the quickening Spirit, 1 John ii. 19. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us."

A fifth benefit is Growth in Grace. "Having nourishment ministered, they increase with the increase of God," Col. ii. 19. "The righteous shall flourish like the palmtree, he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon," Psal. xcii. 12. Grace is of a growing nature; in the way to Zion they go from strength to strength. Though the holy man be at first a little child in grace, yet at length he becomes a young man, a father, 1 John ii. 13. Though he does but creep in the way to heaven sometimes, yet afterwards he walks, he runs, he mounts up with wings as eagles, Isa. xl. 31. If a branch be grafted into a stock never grows, it is a plain evidence of its not having knit with the stock.

But some may perhaps say, If all true Christians be growing ones, what shall be said of those, who, instead

growing, are going back? I answer, first, There is a great difference between the Christian's growing simply, and his growing at all times. All true Christians do grow, but I do not say they grow at all times. A tree that has life and nourishment grows to its perfection, yet it is not always growing; it grows not in the winter. Christians also have their winters, wherein the influences of grace, necessary for growth,are ceased, Cant. v. 2. I sleep. It is by faith the believer derives gracious influence from

Christ; like as each lamp in the candlestick received oil from the bowl, by the pipe going betwixt them, Zech. iv. 2. Now, if that pipe be stopped, if the saint's faith lie dormant and unactive, then all the rest of the graces will become dim, and seem ready to be extinguished. In consequence whereof, depraved nature will gather strength, and become active. What then will become of the soul? Why, there is still one sure ground of hope. The saint's faith is not as the hypocrite's, like a pipe laid short of the fountain, whereby there can be no conveyance; it still re mains a bond of union betwixt Christ and the soul; and, therefore, because Christ lives, the believer shall live also, John xiv. 19. The Lord Jesus puts in his hand by the hole of the door, and clears the means of conveyance; and then influences for growth flow, and the believer's graces look fresh and green again, Hos. xiv. 7. "They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine." In the worst of times, the saints have a principle of growth in them, I John iii. 9. His seed remaineth in him." And, therefore, after decays they revive again; namely, when the winter is over, and the Sun of righteousness returns to them, with his warm influences. Mud thrown into a pool may lie there at ease; but if it be cast into a fountain, the spring will at length work it out, and run clear as formerly. Secondly, Christians may mistake their growth, and that two ways. (1.) By judging of their case according to their present feeling. They observe themselves, and cannot perceive themselves to be growing; but there is no reason thence to conclude they are not growing, Mark iv. 27. "The seed springs and grows up, he knoweth not how." Should one fix his eye ever so stedfastly on the sun running his race, or on a growing tree, he would not perceive the sun moving, or the tree growing; but if he compare the tree as it now is, with what it was some years ago, and consider the place in the heavens, where the sun was in the morning, he will certainly perceive the tree has grown, and the sun has moved. In like manner may the Christian know, whether he be in a growing or declining state, by comparing his present with his former condition. (2.) Chris tians may mistake their case, by measuring their

growth

by the advances of the top only, not of the root. Though a man be not growing taller, he may be growing stronger. If a tree be taking with the ground, fixing itself in the earth, and spreading out its roots, it is certainly growing, although it be nothing taller than formerly. So, albeit a Christian may want the sweet consolation and flashes of affection, which sometimes he has had, yet if he be growing in humility, self-denial, and sense of needy dependence on Jesus Christ, he is a growing Christian, Hos. xiv. 5. "I will be as the dew unto Israel, he shall cast forth his roots as Lebanon."

Quest. But do hypocrites grow at all? And if so, how shall we distinguish betwixt their growth, and true Christian growth? Ans. To the first part of the question, Hypocrites do grow. The tares have their growth as well as the wheat: And the seed that fell among thorns did spring up, Luke viii. 7. only it did bring no fruit to perfection, ver. 14. Yea, a true Christian may have a false growth. James and John seemed to grow in the grace of holy zeal, when their spirits grew so hot in the cause of Christ, that they would have fired whole villages, for not receiving their Lord and Master, Luke ix. 54. "They said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, to consume them, even as Elias did?" But it was indeed no such thing; and, therefore, he turned and rebuked them, ver. 55. and said, "Ye know not what manner of spirit ye arc of." To the second part of the question it is answered, That there is a peculiar beauty in true Christian growth, distinguishing it from all false growth: It is universal, regular, proportionable. It is a "growng up to him in all things, who is the head," Eph. iv. 15. The growing Christian grows proportionably in all the parts of the new man. Under the kindly influences of the Sun of righteousness, believers grow up as calves in the stall, Mal. iv. 2. Ye would think it a monstrous growth in these creatures, if ye saw their heads grow, and not their bodies; or if ye saw one leg grow, and another not; or if all the parts do not grow proportionably. Ay, but such is the growth of many in religion. They grow like rickety children who have a big head, but a slender body; they get more knowledge into their heads, but no more holiness infa