The anatomie of a Christian man VVherein is plainelie shewed out of the VVord of God, what manner of man a true Christian is in all his conuersation, both inward, and outward. ... By M. William Covvper, minister of Gods Word.

CHAPTER IIII. Of his New Growth.

The Lords Command.

FOllow truth in loue, and in* 1.1 all things grow vp in him who is the head, Christ Ie∣sus, by whom all the body being coupled and knit to∣gether by euery ioynt, for the furniture therof (accor∣ding to the effectual •…•…ower which is in the measure of euery part) receiueth increase of the body vnto the edefying of it selfe in loue. Ephes. 4. 15. 16. Cleanse yee therefore also your selues from all •…•…il∣thnesse of the slesh and Spirit, and grow vp vnto •…•…ull holinesse in the feare of God. 2 Cor. 7. 1.

The Christians Prayer for Grace to obey this Command.

O Lord a 1.2 who perfectest euery worke which thou beginnest, bring forward I beseech thee in me this worke of my regeneration, b 1.3 Stablish O God that which thou hast wrought in me, that I may grow daily in grace, till •…•… be perfected. c 1.4 Alas, Lord, my corruption hath in such sort choaked the seede of thy word, that it is scarce sprung vp to the blade, which after so long planting and wate∣ring, should haue brought out long ere now the ripe fruit of godlinesse: d 1.5 where in regard of the time, I ought to haue beene a teacher of others, I am yet alas but a babe, e 1.6 inexpert in the word of righte∣ousnes. Lord s•…•…ue me from that curse of the wicked, f 1.7 that I should waxe worse and worse, let g 1.8 me not end in the sl•…•…sh, when I haue begun in the spirit: Punish not my former sinnes with a barren heart, that I should be like that accursed earth, h 1.9 which beares nothing but thornes and briars, i 1.10 these are th•…•… fruits of the slesh, which k 1.11 grieues thy spirit, but as a liuely member of Christs body, quickned by his spirit, l 1.12 I may encrease with the encreasings of God,

and be daily filled with the fruites of righteous∣n•…•…sse, which are to the praise and glory of thy name, through Iesus Christ.

The Christians Practise of this Command.

THE light of the righteous shines more* 1.13 and more vnto the perfect day, Pro. 4. 18. and hee goes from strength to strength, till hee appeare before God in Sion, Psal. 84. 7. When I was a childe, I spake as a childe, I vn∣derstood* 1.14 as a childe, and thought as a childe, 1. Cor. 13. 11. But as I grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord Iesus, 2. Pet. 3. 18. I put childish things from mee, 1. Cor. 13. And now I giue all diligence to ioyne ver∣tue with faith, and with vertue knowledge, and with knowledge temperance, and with tempe∣rance patience, and with patience godlinesse, and with godlinesse brotherly kindnesse, and with brotherly kindnesse, loue, 2. Pet. 1. 5. Thus being knit to the head by ioynts and bands, I encrease with the encreasings of God, Coloss. 2. 19. fruitfull in all good works, and encreasing in the knowledge of God, Coloss. 1. 10. till at

length I become a perfect man in Christ Iesus. Eph. 4. 13.

THE OBSERVATIONS.

VVHat the inclination of a childe is, can∣not* 1.15 well be knowne in his infancie, but with time as he growes, his disposition is more and more manifested, therefore doe wee first speake of the Christians growth, before wee come to speake of his manners.

Growth in grace and godlinesse, is an inse∣perable* 1.16 consequent of spirituall life. Elijah fed by God, walked in the strength of that bread forty dayes: but the Christian being nouri∣shed, as is said before, doth walke all his dayes in the strength thereof, making a daily pro∣gresse in godlinesse, till at last he become a per∣fect man.

The blessing pronounced by the Lord vpon* 1.17 man in the first creation, was this, Encrease and multiply: and the blessing pronounced vpon man in the second creation, is this, Grow in* 1.18 grace and knowledge. The Christians being as trees of righteousnes, and planting of the Lord,* 1.19 in whom he will cause righteousnesse to grow for his owne glory. Seeing we see that the first

stands effectuall vnto this day, shall we thinke that the second can be ineffectuall? No indeed, he is not blessed of the Lord, who growes not in grace.

For it is promised vnder Christs kingdome,* 1.20 Esa, 55. 13. that the Firre should grow in place of the thorne, and the Myrrhe tree should grow in place of the Nettle, that is, the seede of grace should spring vp in that heart, wherein the root of bitternesse had budded before. And except we finde this change wrought in vs, we cannot as yet say that we are translated into the king∣dome of Christ.

The growth of a Christian is expressed in ho∣ly* 1.21 Scripture by sundry similitudes: first hee is compared to a childe that growes till hee be∣come a man. It is thought strange to see a man of many yeares, who yet in stature, strength, and wit, went neuer beyond the measure of a childe, such a one is counted for a monster, and truly no better is the carelesse Christian, who after so many yeares profession, growes not in grace nor knowledge, but still remaines a childe in vnderstanding.

Secondly, he is compared to a trauailer that* 1.22 bides not alway in one place, but euery day cuts off some peece of his way, which he leaues be∣hinde him, and drawes daily neerer and neerer to the end proposed to him, and at last comes

to it: so the Christian forgetting that which is behinde, endeuors himselfe to that which is before, following hard towards the marke, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Iesus. Phil. 3. 13.

But the wicked, ambulant in circuitu, they still* 1.23 goe on in a compasse, walking round about in the circle of their sinnes, from one to another, and returning backe againe to the same, like the blinded horse, who labours and drawes a∣bout the Mill continually, but at euening is in the same place, wherein he was in the morning. So they being borne in sinne, goe about in sin, like blinded captiues of Sathan, hauing no o∣ther refreshment, but to exchange one sinne with another, and at last they die in their sinnes, for whom it had beene good that they had ne∣uer beene borne.

Thirdly, his growth is compared to the* 1.24 growth of a tree, which being planted by the riuers of waters, hath abundance of moisture and sappe, and bringeth out fruit continually, Psal. 1. specially to the Palme tree, which all seasons of the yeare is both flowrishing and fruitfull, as Naturalists write of it.

Fourthly, it is expressed by the growth of* 1.25 Cornes in the fields, which as saith our Saui∣our: Mark. 4. first, spring vp to the blade: se∣condly, haue eares; and then bring out ripe

cornes, so doth the Christian by degrees grow to his perfection.

And fiftly the Christians grouth is expressed* 1.26 by the rising and ascending of the Sunne, which encreaseth and shineth more and more to the noone-tide of the day. For as for a declining time, or an euening, wherein his light should die out, the Christian by the grace of God shall ne∣uer know it, for he that illuminateth him is that bright and excellent Sunne of righteousnesse, who is euer gloriously rising, and neuer declining nor going downe.

Last of all, hee is compared to a burning* 1.27 Lampe, Luke 12. or to that golden candlestick whereunto through the seauen pipes of gold, Oyle is carried continually from the two Oliues that stand before the ruler of the world, Zach. 4 2. whereof it comes to passe, that his light can* 1.28 neuer faile.

Which yet is not so to be vnderstood as* 1.29 though the Christian were not subiect to his owne fainting, falling, and dwining diseases, for he hath his owne Winter and Summer, falling and rising, decaying and renewing. But it is sure that by these same temporall falles and decayes his grouth is the more aduanced, in as much as they worke in him a greater hatred of his sinnefull corruption, and a more earnest desire of Grace, by which he may stand. Minime vero

bonus est, qui melior non vult fierï, but truely* 1.30 he is not good who hath not a feruent desire to be better.

Yet is it not possible that he can vtterly de∣cay,* 1.31 and finally fall away, and that because hee beares not the root, but the root beares him. Where other Parents beare their Children no longer then during the time of their Infancie, that is the Lords praise that he beares his chil∣dren to their old age, Esay 46. 4. Whereof it comes to passe that they who are planted in the courts of the Lord, flourish euen in their old age. Psal. 92. 13. Wee will therefore reioyce in our God, for it is he who keepes our soules in life.

But cursed are the wicked, who instead of* 1.32 growing proceed from euill to worse: or if at any time they make a shew of godlinesse, it is like the grouth of Corne on the tops of houses; or like the seede springing out of stony ground, which hath an apparant grouth for the time, but eua∣nishes quickly, because it hath no root.

Surely as the fall of the leafe is a token of* 1.33 Winter approaching: so the falling away of the wicked in this life, is a foretoken of that end∣lesse winter of fearefull wrath, which from God is to come vpon them.

A double curse of God is vpon them: for in this life their present barrennesse is plagued with finall sterilitie: and their state full rightly

being shadowed in that Figge tree, which be∣cause* 1.34 it had no fruit to giue our Sauiour when he required it, was cursed with this curse: ne∣uer fruit any more grow vpon thee. Oh that wicked men would consider this, that a bar∣raine heart, which can bring forth no good fruit, is a fearefull curse of God, being like vnto that earth, which after labour beareth* 1.35 nothing but Thornes and Bryars, whose end is burning!

But the other is worse, for in the life to* 1.36 come a remedilesse scarsitie of all good things shall come vpon them: which like vnto those seauen yeares of famine in Egypt, eating vp the seauen yeares of plentie, shall deuour all the apples of their former worme-eaten plea∣sures; all fat and excellent things shall then de∣part* 1.37 from them; the earth shall giue them none of her encrease; the water shall not lend them out of her treasures so much as a drop to coole them: the light of the Sunne shall not com∣fort them; yea, the light of a candle shall not* 1.38 shine vnto them, because they despised the light of the Lord, and rendred no fruit vnto him in all the time of their life.

And now the great number of Professors,* 1.39 who stand like fruitlesse trees in the Lords Vine∣yard, who in stead of growing, decay, hauing lost their first zeale with the Church of Ephesus,* 1.40

looking backe to Sodome with the wife of Lot; * 1.41 longing againe for the Onyons and flesh pots* 1.42 of Egypt with the carnall Israelites; returning* 1.43 like dogges to their vomit, and so ending in the* 1.44 flesh where they made a shew of beginning in the spirit, euidently proues,

The Censure.

That all haue not the Christians disposition, who now vsurpe the Christian name.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Liuely members of Christs mysticall body grow conti∣nually till they come to perfection.
• a 1.2

  Phil. 1. 6.
• b 1.3

  Psal. 62.
• c 1.4

  Luke. 8.
• d 1.5

  Heb. 5. 12.
• e 1.6

  Heb. 5. 13.
• f 1.7

  2. Tim. 3. 13.
• g 1.8

  G•…•…l. 3. 3.
• h 1.9

  Heb. 6. 8.
• i 1.10

  Gal. 5.
• k 1.11

  Eph. 4. 30.
• l 1.12

  Colos. 2. 19.
• * 1.13

  The Christian growes in light and strength.
• * 1.14

  It is a shame for professors to be al∣waies children in vnderstanding.
• * 1.15

  1 The Christians growth why en∣treated of in this place.
• * 1.16

  2 Growth an insepe∣rable consequent of life.
• * 1.17

  3 Gods blessing both in the first and se∣cond creation, is neuer ineffectuall.
• * 1.18

  Esa. 61. 3. 11
• * 1.19

  He is not blessed of God, that growes not in godlinesse.
• * 1.20

  4 For growth is a grace promised vn∣der the kingdome of Christ.
• * 1.21

  5 The growth of a Christian compa∣red to the growth of a childe vnto an olde man.
• * 1.22

  6 Compared second∣ly to the pro•…•…sse made by a trauai∣ler.
• * 1.23

  7 The miserable ser∣uitude of the wic∣ked, in which they labour continually without making ei∣ther progresse or profit.
• * 1.24

  8 The growth of a Christian compa∣red thirdly to the growth of a tree.
• * 1.25

  9 Compared fourth∣ly to the growth of cornes in the fields.
• * 1.26

  10 Compared fiftly to the rising of the Sunne till the noon day.
• * 1.27

  11 And last to the light of the golden candlesticke conti∣nually supplyed by Oyle.
• * 1.28

  Zach. 4. 2.
• * 1.29

  12 This is not so to be vnderstood as if the Christian were not subiect to falles and diseases.
• * 1.30

  Bern. epist. 91.
• * 1.31

  13 Yet is it not possi∣ble that the Chri∣stian can fal finally.
• * 1.32

  14 The grouth in the shew of godlinesse made by the wic∣ked what it is like.
• * 1.33

  15 Falling away of the wicked foreshewes a Winter of Wrath to come vpon them
• * 1.34

  16 The barrain hearts of the wicked are plagued in this life with final sterilitie.
• * 1.35

  Heb. 6.
• * 1.36

  17 And in the life to come with endlesse and remedilesse scarcitie.
• * 1.37

  Reuel. 18. O most vnhappy condition!
• * 1.38

  Reuel. 18. 23.
• * 1.39

  18 A warning to car∣nall Professors.
• * 1.40

  Reuel. 2. 4.
• * 1.41

  Gen. 19.
• * 1.42

  Numb. 15.
• * 1.43

  2 Pet. 2. 22.
• * 1.44

  Galat. 3. 3.