Col. 3. 23: The great end and center of his acti- Chap. 12. ons is God's Glory, and under that he designs to do good to Men; he would conferre aliquid in publicum, cafts in fomething into the common good of Mankind: An Holy Magiftrate hath the fear of God upon him; he judges not for Man, but for the Lord; he judges righteous Judgment; and that,as the Rabbins fay, is a fure fign that the Shecinah, the Divine Prefence is with him in the judgment: An Holy Minifter carries with him an Urim and Thummim, Light in his Doctrine, and Integrity in his Life. He burns. in zeal for God and Chrift; he melts in labours and compaffions for the Souls of Men. His Motto is the fame with that of Mr. Perkins, Verbi Minifter es,, hoc age. In a word, whatever the Calling be, the Holy Man is active, faithful, bent for the Glory of God; ftill he remembers that he is a Chriftian; Religion hath an influence upon his Calling. His particular Calling, which is Vocatio ad munus, to a courfe of Life, is made fubordinate to his general Calling, which is Vocatio ad Fœdus, to the Faith and Obedience of the Gospel.

Thus wee fee, An Holy Man is like himself at every turn, as occafion is; one odour of Grace or other is still a breaking forth from him.

Seventhly,In an Holy Life there is not only an ex-.. ercife of Graces, but in that Exercise a growth of them; the Holy Man of a Plant comes to be a Tree of Righteousness; of a Babe he comes to be a Manin Chrift; he goes from ftrength to ftrength; his path is as the thining Light, which fhines more and more unto the perfect day, Prov. 4. 18. He travels on from Vertue to Vertue, to meet the everlafting day: He grows in every part of the New Creature, till he

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Chap. 12. come to Heaven, where Grace is perfected in Glory. His Knowledg grows; by following on to know the Lord, he comes to know more of him; by doing of God's Will, he comes to understand it better than ever he did; the Eye is more open, the Heart is more unvailed, the Truth is more fealed to the Mind, the Understanding is more quick in the Fear of the Lord, the Tafte and Savour of Divine things is higher than it was before: he had at his firft Converfion a fpiritual Knowledg and Understanding, but exercifing himfelf to Godliness, he comes by degrees to all Knowledg, 1 Cor.1.5. and to Riches of Understanding, Col. 2.2. Notions are enlarged, and withal Heavenly things are known per guftum fpiritualem, by a Spiritual taste of them: his Faith grows; at first there was but contactus; but upon the Exercise of Graces there comes to be complexus fidei; the touch of Christ by Faith is advanced into an embrace; the recumbency on his Blood and Righteousness is stronger; the fubjection to his Royal Scepter is more full than it was; the reliance on Promifes and compliance with Commands are both raised up to an higher pitch than they were before; at last Adherence comes to be Affurance. His Love grows; there comes to be an higher estimate fet upon God, a closer union with him, a greater complacence in him than there was before. At last Love becomes a vehement flame, Cant. 8.6. Flamma Dei, the Flame of God, which burns up the earthly Affections, and afpires after the full fruition of God in the Holy Heavens. Also, his Obedience and Patience are upon the increase: by much obeying, the Intention becomes more pure, the Will more free, the Obedience more eafy and abundant; he doth not only do the Work of the Lord, but he abounds

abounds in it; he doth not only bring forth Fruit,but Chap. 12. much Fruit, Joh. 15.8. By patient bearing of Afflictions, the Art or Divine Mystery of fuffering comes to be understood; the Heart is yielded and refigned up to the Divine pleasure; he would be what God would have him be; he hath not only patience, but all patience, Col. 1. II. Patience hath not only a Work, but a perfect Work, Jam. 1. 4. Thus in the Holy Man Grace is still a growing.

Further, The Holy Man grows every way; he grows inward; by exercifing himself to Godliness his. Vital Principles become more ftrong, his Supernatural Heat is increased; his inner Man is ftrengthened more than ever it was before: he hath a Divine vigor to overcome corruptions, to repel temptations, to live above earthly things, to perform Heavenly duties, and to endure fufferings. He is ftrengthened in the inner Man, Ephef. 3. 16. and that on v aus, in all Power, Col. I. II. to do what is decorous to his fpiritual Nature: he grows outward; he hath not only the fruits of Righteousness, but he is filled with them, Phil. I. II. The influences of Grace,and fupplies of the Spirit make him to bring forth much fruit, and that with great variety; as occafion serves,. all the fruits of the Spirit, Love, Joy, Peace, LongSuffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, Meeknefs, Temperance, (which the Apostle mentions, Gal. 5. 22,

23.)break forth from him in their spiritual Glory: He is like the Tree planted by the Rivers of Waters,. P.1.3. which hath a fruit for every Seafon; or like JoSeph's Fruitful bough by a Well,whofe Branches run over the Wall, Gen. 49. 22. There is a redundance and exuberancy of Holy Fruits, which fhew that he hath a Divine Spirit, a Well of living Water in him spring

Chap. 12.

ing up into all Obedience and goodWorks. He grows upward; by converfing in holy things, he is unearthed and unfelved; he converfes more than ever in Heaven; the Glory of God is more precious to him; his Intention towards it is more pure than it hath been; he waits and longs to be in that Blessed Region where God is all in all: Every Duty and Good Work looks up more directly than was usual to God the great Center and End of all things: He grows downwards, I mean in Humility; by converfing with God he comes to have a greater Light than ever; which discovers the Majefty and purity of God, the rectitude and Holinefs of the Law, the infirmity and reliques of Corruption in the lapfed Nature of Man; and this Discovery makes him very humble and vile in his own Eyes, even his very lapfes and falls ferve occafionally to this growth: Hence St. AuGrat. c.9. tin, treating on those words, All things work together for good to them that love God, Rom. 8. adds, Etiam fi deviant & exorbitant, hoc ipfum eis faciat proficere in bonum, quia humiliores redeunt & doctiores; Experience tells him, that he is nothing, and Grace is all.

De Corr. &

Morever, the Holy Man never thinks that he hath Grace enough; never faith, I am perfect, or, I have attained; this would fhew him to be no Holy Man, to have no Grace at all. He is still a breathing and preffing after more Grace; the Divine touch,which in Converfion was made upon his Heart, caufes it ever after to point towards God the Fountain of Grace: The fweet tafte of Grace, had, makes him earnestly thirst after

Inceptio bonæ vitæ in quovis gradu fine defiderio afcendendi ad altiorem, non poteft effe fine fundamento præfum ptionis, nec fine inclufione tepiditatis, nec fine periculo vivendi in vitiis fpiritualibus.

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which he hath

more;

more; it's true, he has not a thirit of total indigence; Chap. 12. in this refpect he shall never thirst, John 4. 14. but he hath a thirst of Holy defires after more Grace; his Soul pants after more of the Divine Image: Oh! that he were more like unto God! that his Will were fwallowed up in the Divine Will! Nothing can fatisfie him, unless he be made more Holy. He avoids thofe things which hinder Spiritual growth; he will not lie in a fink of fenfual Pleasures, he will not clog himself with a burden of earthly things, he will not fret away himself in Envy; he will not puff up himself with Pride and Prefumption; he will not wither away in an empty fruitless Profeffion; he will not grieve the Holy Spirit of Grace, or willfully make any wounds in Confcience. All these will be impediments to growth in Grace: therefore he puts them away from him; he bufies himself in those things which may make him grow: he is much in prayer, that God would give the increase; that the fhowres of Holy Ordinances may not drop and come down in vain; that the Gales of the Holy Spirit may fill every Ordinance, that the Sun-fhine of God's Favour may make every thing profper: He knows that none can bless but he who inftitutes; nothing can make rich in Grace but the Bleffing; for that he waits in all his Devotions. He is much in the Holy Word; he hears, reads, meditates, digefts it, lays it up as a Treasure; keeps it as his Life; feeds on it as his Meat; hath his Being in it; and all that he may grow in Grace, that beholding as in a Glaß the Glory of the Lord, he may be changed into the fame Image from Glory to Glory as by the Spirit of the Lord, 2 Cor. 3. 18. That the Face of his Heart and Life may fhine with a Divine Lustre and Beauty: He acts his Faith LII

upon