XXVIII sermons preached at Golden Grove being for the summer half-year, beginning on Whit-Sunday, and ending on the xxv Sunday after Trinity, together with A discourse of the divine institution, necessity, sacredness, and separation of the office ministeriall / by Jer. Taylor.

Sermon. XIV.* 1.1 [ A] Of Growth in Grace. [ B] (Book 14)

2 Pet. 3. 18. [ C]

But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of the Lord Je∣sus Christ, to whom be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

WHen Christianity like the day spring from the East, with a new light did not onely inlighten the world, but amazed the mindes of men, [ D] and entertained their curiosities, and seized upon their warmer and more pregnant affe∣ctions, it was no wonder that whole Nati∣ons were converted at a Sermon, and mul∣titudes were instantly professed, and their understandings followed their affections, and their wills followed their understandings, and they were con∣vinced by miracle, and overcome by grace, and passionate with zeal, and wisely governed by their Guides, and ravished with the sanctity of the Doctrine, and the holinesse of their examples: And [ E] this was not onely their duty, but a great instance of providence, that by the great religion and piety of the first Professors, Christianity might be firmly planted, and unshaken by scandall, and hardened by persecution; and that these first lights might be actuall Precedents for ever, and Copies for us to transcribe in all descending ages of Christianity, that thither we might run to fetch

[ A] oil, to enkindle our extinguished lamps. But then piety was so universall, that it might well be enjoyned by Saint Paul, that if a brother walked disorderly, the Christians should avoid his company: He forbad them not, to accompany with the Heathens that walked disorderly; for then a man must have gone out of the world. But they were not to endure so much as to eat with, or to salute a dis∣orderly brother, an ill living Christian: But now if we should ob∣serve this canon of Saint Paul, and refuse to eat, or to converse with a fornicatour, or a drunkard, or a perjured person, or cove∣tous, we must also go out of the world; for a pious or a holy person [ B] is now as rare, as a disorderly Christian was at first: and as Christi∣anity is multiplied every where in name and title, so it is destroyed in life, essence, and proper operation; and we have very great reason to fear, that Christs name will serve us to no end but to up∣braid our basenesse; and his person onely to be our Judge, and his lawes as so many bills of accusation, and his graces and helps offered us, but as aggravations of our unworthinesse; and our ba∣ptisme, but an occasion of vow-breach; and the holy Communion, but an act of hypocrisie, formality, or sacrilege; and all the pro∣mises of the Gospel but as pleasant dreams; and the threatnings [ C] but as arts of affrightment; for Christianity lasted pure and zea∣lous, it kept its rules, and observed its own lawes for three hun∣dred yeers, or thereabouts; so long the Church remained a Vir∣gin: For so long they were warmed with their first fires, and kept under discipline by the rod of persecution; but it hath declined almost fourteen hundred yeers together; prosperity and pride, wantonnesse and great fortunes, ambition and interest, false do∣ctrine upon mistake, and upon designe, the malice of the Devil, and the arts of all his instruments, the want of zeal, and a weari∣nesse of spirit, filthy examples, and a disreputation of piety and a [ D] strict life; seldome precedents, and infinite discouragements have caused so infinite a declension of piety and holy living, that what Papirius Massonius one of their own, said of the Popes of Rome; In pontificibus nemo hodiè sanctitatem requirit, optimi putantur si vel levitèr mali sint, vel minus boni quam caeteri mortales esse solent. No man looks for holines in the Bishops of Rome; those are the best Popes who are not extremly wicked: the same is too true of the greatest part of Christians: Men are excellent persons if they be not traytors, or adulterous, oppressors, or injurious, drun••∣ards, or scandalous, if they be not as this publican, as the vilest per∣son [ E] with whom they converse:

Nunc si depositum non inficiatur amicus Si reddat veterem cum totâ aerugine fllem Prodigiosa fides & Thuscis digna libellis Quaeque coronatâ lustrari debeat agnâ.* 1.2

He that is better then the dregs of his own age, whose religion is [ A] something above prophanesse, and whose sobriety is a step or two from down right intemperance whose discourse is not swearing, nor yet apt to edifie, whose charity is set out in pity, and a gentle yerning and saying, [God help] whose alms are contemptible, and his de∣votion infrequent, yet as things are now, he is unus è milibus, one of a thousand, and he stands eminent and conspicuous in the valleys and lower grounds of the present piety; for a bank is a mountain upon a levell: but what is rare and eminent in the manners of men this day would have been scandalous, and have deserved the rod of an Apostle, if it had been confronted with the fervours and [ B] rare devotion and religion of our fathers in the Gospel.

Men of old looked upon themselves as they stood by the ex∣amples and precedents of Martyrs, and compared their piety to the life of Saint Paul, and estimated their zeal by the flames of the Boanerges, Saint James and his brother: and the Bishops were thought reproveable as they fell short of the ordinary government of Saint Peter, and Saint John; and the assemblies of Christians were so holy, that every meeting had religion enough to hallow a house and convert it to a Church; and every day of feasting was a Communion, and every fasting day was a day of repentance and [ C] alms; and every day of thanksgiving was a day of joy, and alms: and religion begun all their actions, and prayer consecrated them, and they ended in charity, and were not polluted with designe: they despised the world heartily, and pursued after heaven greedi∣ly; they knew no ends but to serve God, and to be saved; and had no designes upon their neighbours, but to lead them to God, and to felicity; till Satan full of envy to see such excellent dayes, mingled covetousnesse, and ambition within the throngs and con∣ventions of the Church, and a vice crept into an office, and then the mutuall confidence grew lesse, and so charity was lessened; [ D] and heresies crept in, and then faith began to be sullied, and pride crept in; and then men snatched at offices, not for the work, but for the dignity; and then they served themselves more then God and the Church; till at last it came to the passe where now it is, that the Clergy live lives no better then the Laity, and the Laity are stooped to imitate the evil customes of strangers and enemies of Christianity; so that we should think Religion in a good con∣dition, so that men did offer up to God but the actions of an ordi∣nary, even, and just life, without the scandall and allayes of a great impiety: But because such is the nature of things, that either [ E] they grow towards perfection, or decline towards dissolution; There is no proper way to secure it but by setting its growth for∣ward: for religion hath no station, or naturall periods; if it does not grow better, it grows much worse, not that it alwayes returns the man into scandalous sins, but that it establishes and fixes him

[ A] in a state of indifferency and lukewarmnesse: and he is more averse to a state of improvement, and dies in an incurious, ignorant and un∣relenting condition.

But grow in grace] Thats the remedy, and that would make us all wise and happy, blessed in this world, and sure of heaven: Concerning which, we are to consider first; what the estate of grace is, into which every one of us must be entred, that we may grow in it; secondly the proper parts, acts and offices of growing in grace, 3. The signes, consequences, and proper significations, by which if we can∣not perceive the growing, yet afterwards we may perceive that we [ B] are grown, and so judge of the state of our duty, and concerning our finall condition of being saved.

1. Concerning the state of grace, I consider that no man can be said to be in the state of grace, who retaines an affection to any one sin. The state of pardon and the divine favour, begins at the first instance of anger against our crimes, when we leave our fondnesses and kinde opinions, when we excuse them not, and will not endure their shame; when we feele the smarts of a∣ny of their evil consequents; for he that is a perfect lover of sin, and is sealed up to a reprobate sense, endures all that sin brings along [ C] with it, and is reconciled to all its mischiefes, can suffer the sick∣nesse of his own drunkennesse, and yet call it pleasure, he can wait like a slave to serve his lust, and yet count it no disparage∣ment; he can suffer the dishonour of being accounted a base and dishonest person, and yet look confidently, and think himself no worse. But when the grace of God begins to work upon a mans spirit, it makes the conscience nice and tender and although the sin as yet does not displease the man, but he can endure the flat∣tering and alluring part, yet he will not endure to be used so ill by his sin; he will not be abused and dishonoured by it; But because [ D] God hath so allayed the pleasures of his sin, that he that drinks the sweet should also strain the dregs through his throat, by de∣grees Gods grace doth irreconcile the convert, and discovers, first its base attendance, then its worse consequents, then the displea∣sure of God, that here commences the first resolutions of leaving the sin, and trying if in the service of God, his spirit and the whole appetite of man may be better entertained. He that is thus far entred shall quickly perceive the difference, and meet argu∣ments enough to invite him further; For then God treats the [ E] man as he treated the spies, that went to discover the land of pro∣mise; he ordered the year in plenty and directed them to a pleasant and a fruitful place, and prepared bunches of grapes of a miracu∣lous and prodigious greatnesse that they might report good things of Canaan, and invite the whole nation to attempt its conquest: so Gods grace represents to the new converts and the weak ones in faith the pleasures and first deliciousnesses of religion: and when

they come to spie the good things of that way that leads to heaven, [ A] they presently perceive themselves eased of the load of an evil conscience, of their fears of death, of the confusion of their shame, and Gods spirit gives them a cup of sensible comfort, and makes them to rejoyce in their prayers, and weep with pleasures ming∣led with innocent passions, and religious changes; and although God does not deal with all men in the same method, or in manners that can regularly be described, and all men do not feele, or do not observe, or cannot for want of skill discern such accidental sweetnesses, and pleasant grapes at his first entrance into religion: yet God to every man does minister excellent arguments of invi∣tation, [ B] and such that if a man will attend to them, they will cer∣tainly move either his affections or his will, his fancy or his rea∣son, and most commonly both: But while the spirit of God is doing this work of man, man must also be 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 a fellow worker with God, he must entertain the spirit, attend his inspirati∣ons, receive his whispers, obey all his motions, invite him fur∣ther, and utterly renounce all confederacy with his enemy, sin; at no hand suffering any root of bitternesse to spring up, not allow∣ing to himself any reserve of carnal pleasure, no clancular lust, no private oppressions, no secret covetousnesse, no love to this [ C] world that may discompose his duty; for if a man prayes all day and at night is intemperate if he spends his time in reading, and his recreation be sinful; if he studies religion, and practises self interest; if he leaves his swearing and yet retaines his pride; if he becomes chast and yet remains peevish and imperious; this man is not changed from the state of sin, into the first stage of the state of grace: he does at no hand belong to God, he hath suffered him∣self to be scared from one sin, and tempted from another by in∣terest, and hath left a third, by reason of his inclination, and a fourth for shame, or want of opportunity: But the spirit of God hath not [ D] yet planted one perfect plant there; God may make use of the acci∣dentally prepared advantages▪ But as yet the spirit of God hath not begun the proper and direct work of grace in his heart, But when we leave every sin, when we resolve never to return to the chaines, when we have no love for the world, but such as may be a servant of God; then I account that we are entred into a state of grace, from whence I am now to begin to reckon the commencement of this precept, grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2. And now the first part of this duty is to make religion to be [ E] the businesse of our lives; for this is the great instrument, which will naturally produce our growth in grace, and the perfection of a Christian. For a man cannot after a state of sin be instantly a Saint: the work of heaven is not done by a flash of lightning, or a dash of affectionate raine, or a few tears of a relenting pity; God

[ A] and his Church have appointed holy intervals, and have taken por∣tions of our time for religion, that we may be called off from the world, and remember the end of our creation, and do honour to God, and think of heaven with hearty purposes and peremptory designes to get thither. But as we must not neglect those times which God hath reserved for his service, or the Church hath pru∣dently decreed, nor yet act religion upon such dayes with forms and outsides, or to comply with customs; or to seem religious; so we must take care that all the other portions of our time be hallowed with little retirements of all thoughts, and short conver∣sations [ B] with God; and all along be guided with a holy intention, that even our works of nature may passe into the relations of grace, and the actions of our calling may help towards the obtaining the price of our high calling; while our eatings are actions of tempe∣rance, our labours are profitable our humiliations are acts of o∣bedience, and our almes are charity: our marriages are cha••••, and whether we eat or drink, sleep or wake we may do all to the glory of God, by a direct intuition or by a reflex act, by designe or by sup∣plment, by fore sight or by an after election: and to this purpose [ C] we must not look upon religion as our trouble, and our hind••∣rance; nor think almes chargeable or expensive; nor our fastings vexatious and burdensom; nor our prayers a wearinesse of spirit; But we must make these and all other the dutis of religion, our imployments, our care the work and end for which we came into the world; and remember that we never do the work of men, nor serve the ends of God, nor are in the proper imployment and businesse of our life, but when we worship God or live like wise or sober persons, or do benefit to our brother.

I will not turne this discourse into a reproofe, but leave it re∣presented [ D] as a duty: Remember that God se•••• you into the world for religion; we are but to passe through our pleasant fields, or our hard labours; but to lodge a little while in our faire palaces or our meaner cottages; but to bait in the way at our full tables or with our spare diet; but then onely, man does his proper imployment, when he prayes and does charity, and mortifies his unruly appetites, and restrains his violent passions, and be∣comes like to God, and imitates his holy Son, and writes after the coppies of Apostles, and Saints. Then he is dressing himself for eternity, where he must dwell or abide, either in an excellent be∣atifical [ E] country, or in a prison of amazment and eternal horrour: And after all this, you may if you please call to minde, how much time you allovv to God and to your souls every day, or every moneth, or in a year if you please; for I fear the account of the time is soon made; but the account for the neglect, vvill be har∣der. And it vvill not easily be ansvvered, that all our dayes and years are little enough to attend perishing things, and to be svval∣lowed

up in avaritious and vain attendances, and we shall not at∣tend [ A] to religion with a zeal so great as is our revenge, or as is the hunger of one meale. Without much time, and a wary life, and a diligent circumspection, we cannot mortify our sins, or do the first works of grace. I pray God we be not found to have grown like the sinnews of old age, from strength to remisnesse, from thence to dissolution, and infirmity and death; Menedemus was wont to say that the young boyes that went to Athens the first year were wise men, the second year, Philosophers, the third, Orators, and the fourth were but Plebeians and understood nothing but their own ignorance. [ B]

And just so it happens to some in the progresses of religion: at first they are violent and active; and then they satiate all the appe∣tites of religion; and that which is left, is, that they were soon weary, and sat down in displeasure, and return to the world and dwell in the businesse of pride, or mony; and by this time they understand that their religion is declined, and passed from the heats and follies of youth, to the coldnesse and infirmities of old age; The remedies of which is onely a diligent spirit and a busie religion▪ a great industry & a full portion of time in holy offices; that as the Oracle said to the Cirrheans, noctes diesque belligeran∣dum, [ C] they could not be happy unlesse they waged war night and day: that is, unlesse we perpetually fight against our own vices; and repell our Ghostly enemies, and stand upon our guard, we must stand for ever in the state of babes, in Christ, or else return to the first imperfections of an unchristened soul, and an unsanctified spi∣rit. Thats the first particular.

2. The second step of our growth in grace is, when vertues grow habitual, apt and easie in our manners, and dispositions. For although many new converts have a great zeal, and a busie spirit, apt enough as they think to contest against all the difficulties of a [ D] spiritual life, yet they meet with such powerful oppositions from without, and a false heart within, that their first heats are soon broken, and either they are for ever discouraged, or are for∣ced to march more slowly and proceed more temperately for ever after.

〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.

It is an easie thing to commit a wickednesse, for temptation and infirmity are alwayes too neer us: But God hath made care and sweat, prudence and diligence, experience and watchfulnesse, wis∣dom [ E] and labour at home, and good guides abroad to be instruments and means to purchase vertue.

The way is long and difficult at first; but in the progresse and pursuit we finde all the knots made plain, and the rough wayes made smooth.

[ A] —jam monte potius

Now, the spirit of grace is like a new soul within him, and he hath new appetites and new pleasures, when the things of the world grow unsavory and the things of religion are delicious; when his temptations to his old crimes return but seldom, and they prevail not at all, or in very inconsiderable instances, and stay not at all, but are reproached with a penitentiall sorrow, and speedy amendment; when we do actions of vertue quickly, frequently, [ B] and with delight: then we have grown in grace in the same de∣gree in which they can perceive these excellent dispositions. Some persons there are who dare not sin: they dare not omit their hours of prayer; and they are restlesse in their spirits till they have done; but they go to it as to execution; they stay from it as long as they can, and they drive like Pharoahs charets with the wheels off, sad∣ly and heavily: and besides that such persons have reserved to themselves, the best part of their sacrifice, and do not give their will to God, they do not love him with all their heart; they are [ C] also soonest tempted to retire and fall off. Sextius Romanus re∣signed the honours and offices of the city, and betook himself to the severity of a Philosophical life. But when his unusual diet and hard labour began to pinch his flesh, and he felt his propositions smart, and that which was fine in discourse at a Symposiack, or an Academical dinner, began to sit uneasily upon him in the practise; he so despaired that he had like to have cast himself into the sea, to appease the labours of his religion; Because he never had gone fur∣ther then to think it a fine thing to be a wise man: he would com∣mend it, but he was loth to pay for it at the price that God and [ D] the Philosopher set upon it. But he that his grown 〈◊〉〈◊〉 grace and hath made religion habitual to his spirit, is not at ease but when he is doing the works of the new man, he rests in religion and comforts his sorrows with thinking of his prayers, and in all crosses of the world he is patient, because his joy is at hand to refresh him when he list, for he cares not so he may serve God: and if you make him poor here, he is rich there, and he counts that to be his proper service, his worke, his recreation, and reward.

3. But ••••cause in the course of holy living, although the duty [ E] be regular and constant, yet the sensible relishes and the flowrings of affections, the zeal and the visible expressions do not alwayes make the same emission; but sometimes by designe, and some∣times by order, somtimes by affection we are more busie, more intire, and more intent upon the actions of religion; in such ca∣ses we are to judge of our growth in grace, if after every interval of extraordinary piety, the next return be more devout and more

affectionate, the labour be more cheerfull and more active; and if [ A] religion returnes oftner and stayes longer in the same expressi∣ons, and leaves more satisfaction upon the spirit. Are your com∣munions more frequent? and when they are, do ye approach neerer to God? have you made firmer resolutions and entertained more hearty purposes of amendment? Do you love God more dutifully and your neighbour with a greater charity? do you not so easily return to the world as formerly? are not you glad when the thing is done? do you go to your secular accounts with a more weaned affection then before? if you communicate well, it is certain, that you will still do it better: if you do not communicate well, [ B] every opportunity of doing it is but a new trouble, easily excused, readily omitted, done because it is necessary, but not because we love it: and we shall finde that such persons in their old age do it worst of all; And it was observed by a Spanish Confessor, who was also a famous preacher, that in persons not very religious, the confessions which they made upon their deathbed were the coldest, the most imperfect, and with lesse contrition then all that he had observed them to make in many years before. For so the Canes of Egypt when they newly arise from their bed of mud and slime of Nilus, start up into an equal and continual length, and are inter∣rupted [ C] but with few knots, and are strong and beauteous with great distances, and intervals: but when they are grown to their full length they lessen into the point of a pyramis, and multiply their knots and joynts, interrupting the finenesse and smoothnesse of its body: so are the steps & declensions of him that does not grow in grace: at first when he springs up from his impurity, by the wa∣ters of baptisme and repentance, he grows straight and strong, and suffers but few interruptions of piety, and his constant cour∣ses of religion are but rarely intermitted; till they ascend up to a full age or towards the ends of their life, then they are weak and [ D] their devotions often intermitted, and their breaches are frequent, and they seek excuses, and labour for dispensations, and love God and religion lesse and lesse, till their old age instead of a crown of their vertue and perseverance ends in levity and unprofita∣ble courses; light and uselesse as the tufted feathers upon the cane, every winde can play with it and abuse it, but no man can make it useful. When therefore our piety interrupts its greater and more solemn expressions, and upon the return of the great •• offices, and bigger solemnities we finde them to come upon ou•• spirits like the wave of a tide, which retired onely because it was natural so [ E] to do and yet came further upon the strand at the next rolling; When every new confession, every succeeding communion, eve∣ry time of separation for more solemn and intense prayer is bet∣ter spent and more affectionate, leaving a greater relish upon the spirit, and possessing greater portions of our affections, our rea∣son,

[ A] and our choice, then we may give God thanks, who hath gi∣ven us more grace to use that grace, and a blessing to endeavour our duty, and a blessing upon our endeavour.

4. To discern our growth in grace, we must inquire concer∣ning our passions, whether they be mortified and quiet, comply∣ing with our ends of vertue and under command. For since the passions are the matter of vertue and vice respectively, he that hath brought into his power all the strengths of the enemy, and the forts from whence he did infest him, he onely hath secured his holy walking with God. But because this thing is never perfectly [ B] done, and yet must alwayes be doing, grace grows according as we have finished our portions of this work. And in this we must not onely inquire concerning our passions, whether they be sinfull and habitually prevalent; for if they be, we are not in the state of grace; But whether they return upon us in violences and un∣decencies, in transportation and unreasonable, and imprudent ex∣pressions; for although a good man may be incident to a violent passion, and that without sin, yet a perfect man is not; a well-grown Christian hath seldom such sufferings; to suffer such things sometimes may stand with the being of vertue, but not with its [ C] security: For if passions range up and down and transport us fre∣quently and violently, we may keep in our forts, and in our dwel∣lings, but our enemy is master of the field, and our vertues are re∣strained, and apt to be starved, and will not hold out long; a good man may be spotted with a violence, but a wise man will not: and he that does not adde wisedom to his vertue, the knowledge of Jesus Christ to his vertuous habits, will be a good man but till a storm comes. But beyond this, inquire after the state of your passions, in actions of religion: Some men fast to mortifie their iust, and their fasting makes them peevish: some reprove a vice [ D] but they do it with much inpatience; some charitably give excel∣lent counsell, but they do that also with a pompous and proud spirit; and passion being driven from open hostilities, is forced to march along in the retinue and troops of vertue: And although this be rather a deception and a cosenage then an imperfection; and supposes a state of sin rather then an imperfect grace; yet be∣cause it tacitly and secretly creeps along among the circumstances of pious actions, as it spoils a vertue in some, so it lessens it in others, and therefore is considerable also in this question.

And although no man must take accounts of his being in, or [ E] out of the state of grace, by his being dispassionate, and free from all the assaults of passion, yet as to the securing his being in the state of grace, he must provide that he be not a slave of passion, so to declare his growth in grace, he must be sure to take the measures of his affections, and see that they be lessened; more apt to be suppressed; not breaking out to inconvenience and imprudencies,

not rifling our spirit and drawing us from our usuall and more [ A] sober tempers. Try therefore if your fear be turned into caution, your lust into chast friendships, your imperious spirit into prudent government, your revenge into justice, your anger into charity, and your peevishnesse and rage, into silence and suppression of language. Is our ambition changed into vertuous and noble thoughts? can we emulate without envy? is our covetousnesse les∣sen'd into good husbandry, and mingled with alms, that we may certainly discern the love of money to be gone? do we leave to despise our inferiours, and can we willingly endure to admit him that excels us in any gift or grace whatsoever, and to commend [ B] it without abatement, and mingling allayes with the commenda∣tion, and disparagements to the man? If we be arrived but thus farre, it is well, and we must go further. But we use to think that all disaffections of the body are removed, if they be changed into the more tolerable, although we have not an athletick health, or the strength of porters or wrastlers: For although it be felicity to be quit of all passion, that may be sinfull or violent; and part of the happinesse of heaven shall consist in that freedom; yet our growth in grace consists in the remission and lessening of our passi∣ons: onely he that is incontinent in his lust, or in his anger, in his [ C] desires of money, or of honour, in his revenge, or in his fear, in his joyes, or in his sorrows, that man is not grown at all in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ: This onely; in the seruting and consequent judgement concerning our passions, it will concern the curiosity of our care, to watch against passions in the reflex act; against pride, or lust, complacency, and peevishnesse attending upon vertue. For he was noted for a vain person, who being over∣joyed for the cure of his pride (as he thought) cried out to his wife, Cerne Dionysia deposui fastum, behold I have laid aside all my pride: and of that very dream the silly man thought he had reason to boast; [ D] but considered not that it was an act of pride, and levity besides. If thou hast given a noble present to thy friend, if thou hast rejected the unjust desire of thy Prince; if thou hast endured thirst and hunger for religion or continence; if thou hast refused an offer like that which was made to Joseph, sit down and rest in thy good conscience, and do not please thy self in opinions, and phantastick noises abroad, and do not despise him that did not do so as thou hast done; and reprove no man with an upbraiding circumstance: for it will give thee but an ill return, and a contemptible reward, if thou shalt over-lay thy infant-vertue, or drown it with a flood of [ E] breast-milk.

Notes

• * 1.1

  SER. XIV.
• * 1.2

  Juven. Sat. 13.