A49244:296
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.
Sermon 7: VII. Sermon at Lawrence Jury London. March 30. 1651.
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.
We are to know there are marks in Scripture, both of the truth of grace, as also of the strength of grace, and these must not be confounded but distinctly considered. Our present question is about marks of growth in grace.
1. Such as are grown in grace,1 do ordinarily enjoy a grounded assurance,2 and comfortable manifestation of the love of God in Christ to their souls. So St. John saith, Perfect love casteth out fear; The more perfect love is, the less of tormenting fear is in the soul, and the reason of our fear and doubting is for want of love. We cannot comprehend the great love of God in Christ to our souls, till we are strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; which you will see in the Apostles Prayer for the Ephesians, 3that God would grant unto them according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit: that Christ might dwell in their hearts by faith, and that they might be rooted and grounded in love: and that they might be able to comprehend with all Saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height, and to know the love of Christ, &c. So that the more strength of grace is in the soul, the clearer is our comprehension of Christs love to the soul.