A49244:185
Grace: the truth and growth and different degrees thereof. The sum and substance of…Grace: the truth and growth and different degrees thereof. The summe and substance of…
Grace: the truth and growth and different degrees thereof. The sum 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 funeral sermon, being the very last sermon he ever preached.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.
London: printed by E.G. for J. Rothwell, 1652
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
2. Consider, if thou contentest thy self with a small measure of grace, though thou shalt have the fruit of thy grace when thou diest, yet thou wilt want the comfort of thy grace whilst thou livest. It is strength of grace that gives assurance. Weak grace will bring thy soul to heaven, but it is the strength of grace will bring heaven into thy soul.1 The work of Righteousness shall be Peace, and the effect of Righteousness shall be quietness and assurance for ever. A child of God hath seldom peace and comfort from the habit of Righteousness, but from the exercise of Righteousness. He that lacketh these things (saith Peter) is blind, and cannot see afar off, &c. 2This is not spoken of wicked men who have no grace, but of such who have grace: and because they exercise it not, do not discern the comfortable fruits of grace in their souls. A little faith unexercised, is as to comfort (as we have showed) as good as no faith.3—They that add not to the stock of grace, will want the comfort of grace. So that a weak Christian, who is compared by ⟨p. 48⟩Peter to a purblind man: He cannot see (because the eye-sight of his faith is weak) afar off; 4he cannot see his name writ in heaven; —He will want the comfortable evidence of grace in his heart, who contents himself with measures of grace.
2. Consider, if thou contentest thy self with a small measure of grace, though thou shalt have the fruit of thy grace when thou diest, yet thou wilt want the comfort of thy grace whilest thou livest. It is strength of grace that gives assurance. Weak grace will bring thy soule to heaven, but it is the strength of grace will bring heaven into thy soul.1 The work of Righteousness shall be Peace, and the effect of Righteousness shall be quietness and assurance for ever. A childe of God hath seldom peace and comfort from the habit of Righteousness, but from the exercise of Righteousness. He that lacketh these things (saith Peter) is blinde, and cannot see afar off, &c.