Seasonable truths in evil-times in several sermons / lately preached in and about London

2. They must look upon that condition as a valley of Baca, a mourning valley, vers. 6.

3. Thirdly, they must be abundant in private duty and exercise, digging up of pits; and then the rain falls, and fills those pits; and thus they shall go from strength to strength. But the great increase is promised to those whose feet do stand in the court of the house of the Lord.

Again, would you know how you may grow in grace? Beloved, let your eye be steadfast upon ⟨p. 21⟩the greater and higher matters and objects of the Gospel. The Apostle for this end doth lay the great things of the Gospel before the people, and prays for them, that they may be filled with all the fullness of God. But I pray see what an expression he hath in 2 Cor. 9. 8. And God (saith he) is able to make all grace abound towards you, that ye always having all sufficiency in all things. All-sufficiency is a great attribute of God: they have it in a kind; That ye always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work. Mark what great things he lays here before them. And if you look into chap. 6. of the Epistle to the Hebrews, vers. 6. you sh•ll find that the Apostle gives this plain direction that now I am upon for our growing in grace, and perfecting holiness in the fear of God: Therefore (saith he) leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go, on unto perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, &c. Good people, mark: Let us go on to perfection: how? not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works. Some there are that are always laying the foundation, and all their life they are questioning whether their work were right at the first or no: Oh I am afraid I was never truly humbled at the first: their whole life is nothing but a laying of the foundation-work: why saith the Apostle, Let us go on to perfection, &c. Be not always in this work of laying the foundation, if you would go on to perfection. And as for my self, saith he, I go this way to work, as you may read in chap. 3. of this Epistle to the Philippians: Brethren, I count not my self to have apprehended, but this one thing: forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching