1 Peter 2:1-2
Therefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings — Verse 2: As newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby.
The same power, and goodness of God that manifests itself in giving being to his creatures, appears likewise in their sustaining, and preservation; to give being is the first, and to support it, is the continued effect of that power, and goodness: Thus it is both in the first Creation, and in the second. In the first the creatures to which he gave life, he provided with convenient nourishment to uphold that life (Genesis 1). So here in the close of the former chapter we find the doctrine of the new birth, and life of a Christian, and in the beginning of this, the proper food of that life, and it is the same word by which we there find it to be begotten, that is here the nourishment of it, and therefore Christians are here exhorted by the Apostle so to esteem, and so to use it, and that is the main scope of the words.
Observation in general: The word, the principle and the support of our spiritual being, is both the incorruptible seed, and the incorruptible food of that new life of grace, which must therefore be an incorruptible life. And this may convince us, that the ordinary thoughts even of us, that hear this word, are far below the true excellency and worth of it, the stream of custom and our profession brings us here, and we sit out our hour under the sound of this Word, but how few consider and prize it, as the great ordinance of God for the salvation of souls? The beginner and the sustainer of the divine life of grace within us? And certainly until we have these thoughts of it, and seek to feel it thus ourselves, although we hear it most frequently, and slip no occasion, indeed, hear it with attention, and some present delight, yet still we miss the right use of it, and turn it from its true end, while we take it not as that ingrafted word which is able to save our souls.
Thus ought they that preach to speak it, to endeavor their utmost to accommodate it to this end, that sinners may be converted, begotten again, and believers nourished, and strengthened in their spiritual life, to regard no lower end, but aim steadily at that mark. Their hearts and tongues ought to be set on fire with holy zeal for God, and love to souls, kindled by the Holy Ghost that came down on the Apostles in the shape of fiery tongues.
And they that hear, should remember this as the end of their hearing that they may receive spiritual life and strength by the word, for though it seems a poor despicable business, that a frail sinful man like yourselves speak a few words in your hearing; yet look upon it as the way wherein God communicates happiness to them that believe, and works that believing to happiness, alters the whole frame of the soul, and makes a new creation, as it begets it again to the inheritance of glory. Consider it thus, which is its true notion, and then what can be so precious? Let the world disesteem it as they will, know you, that it is the power of God to salvation. The preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness: but to them that are saved, it is the power of God, says the Apostle (1 Corinthians 1:18). And if you would have the experience of this, if you would have life, and growth by it, you must look above the poor worthless messenger, and call in his almighty help who is the Lord of life. As the philosophers affirm, that if the heavens should stand still there would be no generation, nor flourishing of any thing here below, 'tis the moving and influence of the spirit that makes the Church fruitful. Would you do this before you come here, present the blindness of your minds and the deadness of your hearts to God, and say, Lord here's an opportunity for you to show the power of your word. I would find life and strength in it, but neither can I that hear, nor he that speaks, make it thus to me, that's your prerogative, say you the word, and it shall be done. God said let there be light and it was light.
In this exhortation to the due use of the word, the Apostle continues the resemblance of that new birth he mentioned in Chapter 1.
As newborn babes — Be not satisfied with yourselves till you find some evidence of this new, this supernatural life. There be delights and comforts in this life, in its lowest condition that would persuade us to look after it, if we knew them: The most cannot be made sensible of those, consider therefore the end of it. Better never to have been, than not to have been partaker of this new being. Except a man be born again, says our Savior, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. Surely they that are not born again, shall one day wish they had never been born. What a poor wretched thing is the life that we have here, a very heap of follies and miseries, now if we would share in a happier being after it, that life that ends not, it must begin here; grace and glory, is one and the same life; only with this difference, that the one is the beginning, and the other the perfection of it; or if we do call them two several lives, yet the one is the undoubted pledge of the other. 'Twas a strange word for a pagan to say, that that day of death we fear so, [reconstructed: aeternitas natalis est], is the birthday of eternity. Thus it is indeed to those that are here born again, this new birth of grace, is the sure earnest and counterpledge of that birthday of glory. Why do we not then labor to make this certain by the former? Is it not a fearful thing, to spend our days in vanity? And then lie down in darkness and sorrow for ever, to disregard the life of our soul while we may and should be provident for it, and then when it's going out cry, quo nunc abibis, where are you going O my soul?
But this new life puts us out of the danger and fear of that eternal death, we are passed from death to life, says Saint John, speaking of those that are born again, and being passed, there is no going back from this life to death again.
This new birth is the same that Saint John calls the first Resurrection, and pronounces them blessed that partake of it, Blessed are they that have part in the first Resurrection, the second death shall have no power over them.
The weak beginnings of grace in comparison of further strength attainable even in this life, are sometimes expressed as the infancy of it, and so believers ought not to continue infants, and if they do, it is reprovable in them, as we see (Ephesians 4:14; 1 Corinthians 2:2; 1 Corinthians 14:20; Hebrews 5:12). Though the Apostle writes to new converts, and so may possibly imply the tenderness of their beginnings of grace, yet I conceive that infancy is here taken in such a sense as agrees to a Christian in the whole course, and best estate of his spiritual life here below; and so likewise the milk here recommended is answerable to this sense of infancy, and not to the former. As it is in some of those cited places, where it means the easiest and first principles of religion, and so is opposed to the higher mysteries of it, as to strong meat; but here it signifies the whole word of God, and all its wholesome and saving truths, as the proper nourishment of the children of God. And so the Apostle's words are a standing exhortation for all Christians of all degrees.
And the whole estate and course of their spiritual life here, is called there infancy, not only as opposed to corruption and wickedness of the old man but likewise as signifying the weakness, and imperfection of it, at its best in this life, compared with the perfection of the life to come. For the weakest beginnings of grace, are nothing so far below the highest degree of it possible in this life, as that highest degree falls short of the state of glory; so that, if one measure of grace is called infancy in respect of another, much more is all grace infancy in respect of glory. And sure as for time, the time of our present life is far less to eternity than the time of our natural infancy is to the rest of our life, so that we may be still called but new or lately born. Our best pace and strongest walking in obedience here, is but as the stepping of children when they begin to go by hold, in comparison of the perfect obedience in glory, when we shall follow the Lamb wherever he goes. All our knowledge here, is but the ignorance of infants, and all our expressions of God, and of his praises but as the first stammerings of children in comparison of the knowledge we shall have of him hereafter, when we shall know as we are known, and of these praises we shall then offer him, when that new song shall be taught us. A child has in it a reasonable soul, and yet by the indisposedness of the body, and abundance of moisture, it is so bound up, that its difference from the beasts and partaking of a rational life is not so apparent as afterwards. And thus the spiritual life that is from above infused into a Christian, though it does act and work in some degree, yet is so clogged with natural corruption still remaining in them that the excellency of it is that way much clouded and obscured, but in the life to come, it shall have nothing at all encumbering, and indisposing it, and this is the Apostle Paul's doctrine (1 Corinthians 13:9-12).
And this is the wonder of divine grace, that brings so small beginnings to that height of perfection that we are not able to conceive of; that a little sparkle of true grace, that is not only indiscernible to others, but often to a Christian himself, yet should be the beginning of that condition, wherein they shall shine brighter than the sun in the firmament. The difference is great in our natural life, in some persons especially, that they that in infancy were so feeble, and wrapped up as others in swaddling clothes, yet afterwards come to excel in wisdom and in the knowledge of sciences, or to be commanders of great armies, or to be kings. But the distance is far greater and more admirable between the weakness of these new born babes, the small beginnings of grace, and our after perfection, that fullness of knowledge that we look for, and that crown of immortality, that all they are born to, that are born of God.
But as in some children's faces, or actions, have appeared some characters, and presages of their after greatness, as a singular beauty in Moses's face as they write of him, and Cyrus made king among the shepherds' children with whom he was brought up, etc. So also certainly in these children of God there be some characters, and evidences, that they are born for Heaven by their new birth. That holiness, and meekness, that patience, and faith that shine in the actions and sufferings of the saints, are characters of their Father's image, and show their high original, and foretell their glory to come, such a glory as does not only surpass the world's thoughts, but the thoughts of the children of God themselves (1 John 3:2).
Now that the children of God may grow by the word of God, the Apostle requires these two things of them: 1. The innocency of children. 2. The appetite of children. For this, as I conceive, is relative, not only to the desiring the milk of the word; but to the former verse, the putting off malice, as the Apostle Paul, (1 Corinthians 14:20), as concerning malice, be you children.
Therefore laying aside.] This imports, that we are naturally prepossessed with these evils, therefore exhorted to put them off: our hearts are by nature no other but cages of those unclean birds, malice, envy, hypocrisy, etc. The Apostles sometimes name some of these evils and sometimes other of them: but they are inseparable all one garment, and all comprehended under that one word, (Ephesians 4), the old man, which the Apostle there exhorts to put off. And here it is pressed as a necessary evidence of their new birth, and furtherance of their spiritual growth, that these base habits be thrown away, ragged filthy habits, unbecoming the children of God; they are the proper marks of an unrenewed mind, the very characters of the children of Satan, for they are his image. He has his names from enmity, and envy and slandering, and he is that grand hypocrite, and deceiver that can transform himself into an angel of light.
So on the contrary the Spirit of God, that dwells in his children is the spirit of meekness, and love, and truth. That dove-like spirit that descended on our Saviour, is from him communicated to believers. It is the grossest impudence to pretend to be a Christian, and yet to entertain hatred, and envyings upon whatever occasion, for there is nothing more recommended to them by our Saviour's own doctrine, and more impressed upon their hearts by his spirit than love. [illegible] may be taken generally, but I conceive it is that which we particularly call malice.
Malice and envy are but two branches growing out of the same bitter root; self-love and evil speakings are the fruit they bear. Malice is properly the procuring or wishing another's evil; envy the repining at their good, and these vent themselves by evil speaking. This infernal fire within smokes and flashes out by the tongue, which Saint James says is set on fire of hell, and fires all about it — miscensuring the actions of those they hate or envy, aggravating their failings, and detracting from their virtues, taking all things by the left ear, for (as Epictetus says) every thing has two handles. The art of taking things by the better side, which charity always does, would save much of those janglings and heartburnings that so abound in the world. But folly and perverseness possess the hearts of the most, and therefore their discourses are usually the vent of those: for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth must speak. The unsavory breaths of men argue their inward corruption: where shall a man come almost in societies, but his ears shall be beaten with the unpleasant noise (sure 'tis so to a Christian mind) of one detracting and disparaging another? And yet this is extreme baseness, and the practice only of false counterfeit goodness, to make up his own esteem out of the ruins of the good name of others; real virtue cannot endure, nor needs not that dishonest shift: it can subsist of itself, and therefore ingenuously commends and acknowledges what good is in others, and loves to hear it acknowledged, and neither readily speaks nor hears evil of any, but rather, where duty and conscience require not discovery, casts a veil upon men's failings to hide them — this is the true temper of the Children of God.
These evils of malice and envy and evil-speakings and such like are not to be dissembled by us in ourselves and conveyed under better appearances: but to be cast away, not to be covered, but put off, and therefore that which is the upper garment and cloak of all other evils the Apostle here commands to cast that off too, namely, hypocrisy.
What avails it to wear this mask? A man may indeed in the sight of men act his part handsomely under it, and pass so for a time; but do we not know? There is an eye that sees through it, and a hand, that if we will not put off this mask, will pull it off to our shame either here in the sight of men, or if we should escape all our life and go fair off the stage under it; yet there is a day appointed wherein all hypocrites shall be unveiled, and appear what they are indeed before men and angels. 'Tis a poor thing to be approved and applauded by men while God condemns, to whose sentence all men must stand or fall. Oh, seek to be approved and justified by him, and then who shall condemn? 'Tis no matter who does. How easily may we bear the mistakes and dislikes of all the world, if he declare himself well-pleased with us. It is a small thing for me to be judged of man or man's day — he that judges me is the Lord, says the Apostle.
But these evils are here particularly to be put off, as contrary to the right and profitable receiving of the word of God, for this part of the exhortation [Laying aside, Desire] looks to that which follows, and is specially so to be considered.
There is this double task in religion. When a man enters to it, he is not only to be taught true wisdom, but he is also, yea, first of all, to be untaught the errors and wickedness that are deep rooted in his mind, which he has not only learned by the corrupt conversation of the world, but brought the seeds of them into the world with him, and they improve and grow indeed by the favor of that example that is round about a man: but they are originally in our nature as it is now, they are connatural to us, besides continual custom which is another nature. There is none comes to the school of Christ fitting the philosopher's word ut tabula rasa, as blank paper to receive his doctrine, but on the contrary all scribbled and blurred with such base habits as these — malice, hypocrisy, envy, etc.
Therefore the first work is to raze out these, to cleanse and purify the heart from these blots, those foul characters, that it may receive the impression of the image of God. And because it is the word of God, that both begins and follows forth this work, draws the lineaments of that divine image on the soul, therefore to the receiving this word aright, and this proper effect by it, the conforming of the soul to Jesus Christ, which is the true growth of the spiritual life, this is required — that the hearts of them that hear it be purged of these such and like impurities, malice, hypocrisy, etc.
These are so opposite to the profitable receiving of the word of God, that while they possess and rule the soul, it cannot at all embrace those divine truths; while it is filled with such guests, there is no room to entertain the word.
They cannot dwell together by reason of their contrary nature; the word will not mix with these. The saving mixture of the word of God in the soul is that the Apostle speaks of, and gives the want of it as the cause of unprofitable hearing the word (Hebrews 4:2) — the mixing of it with [reconstructed: faith]. For by that the word is concocted into the nourishment of the life of grace, united to the soul and mixed with it by being mixed with faith, as the Apostle's expression imports: that's the proper mixture it requires, but with these qualities here mentioned it will not mix. There is a natural antipathy between them, as strong as in those things in nature that cannot be brought by any means to agree and mingle together.
Can there be anything more contrary than the good word of God, as the Apostle calls it, and those evil speakings? Than the word that is of such excellent sweetness, and the bitter words of a malignant tongue? Than the word of life, and words full of deadly poison? For so slanders and defamations of our brethren are. And is not all malice and envy most opposite to the word, that is the message of peace and love — how can the gall of malice and this milk of the word agree? [reconstructed: Hypocrisy] and guile stand in direct opposition to the name of this word, that is called the word of truth, and here the very words show this contrariety — sincere milk and a double insincere mind.
These two are necessary conditions of good nourishment: 1. That the food be good and wholesome. 2. That the inward constitution of them that use it be so too: and if this fail the other profits not. This sincere milk is the only proper nourishment of spiritual life, and there is no defect nor undue quality in it, but the greatest part of hearers are inwardly unwholesome, diseased with the evils here mentioned and others of the like nature, and therefore either have no kind of appetite to the word at all; but rather feed upon such trash as suits with their distemper, as some kind of diseases incline those that have them to eat coals, or lime, etc. Or if they be any ways desirous to hear the word, and seem to feed on it, yet the noxious humors that abound in them make it altogether unprofitable, and they are not nourished by it; as this evil of malice and envying so ordinary among men, and (which is most strange among Christians) as an overflowing of the gall possesses their whole minds, and not only they are not nourished by the word they hear, but are the worse by it, their disease is fed by it, as an unwholesome stomach turns the best meat it receives into that bad humor that abounds in it. Do not they thus, that observe what the word says, that they may be the better enabled to discover the failings of others, and speak maliciously and uncharitably of them, and vent themselves, as is too common? This word met well with such a one's fault, and this with another's: is not this to feed these diseases of malice, envy, and evil-speaking with this pure milk, and make them grow, instead of growing by it ourselves in grace and holiness.
Thus likewise the hypocrite turns all that he hears of this word, not to the inward renovation of his mind, and redressing what's amiss there: but only to the composing of his outward carriage, and to enable himself to act his part better, to be more cunning in his own faculty, a more refined and expert hypocrite, not to grow more a Christian in deed, but more in appearance only and in the opinion of others.
Therefore it is a very needful advertisement, seeing these evils are so natural to men, and so contrary to the nature of the word of God, that they be purged out, to the end it may be profitably received. A very like exhortation to this has the Apostle Saint James, and some of the same words, but in another metaphor (James 1:21): "Therefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the ingrafted word." He compares the word to a plant of excellent virtue, the very tree of life, the word that is able to save your souls, but the only soil in which it will grow is a heart full of meekness, a heart that is purged of those luxuriant weeds that grow so rank in it by nature; they pluck up and throw them out to make place for this word.
And there is such a necessity of this, that the most approved teachers of wisdom, in a human way, have required this of their scholars, that to the end their minds might be capable of it, they should be purified from vice and wickedness. For this reason the philosopher judges young men unfit hearers of moral philosophy because of the abounding and untamedness of their passions, granting that if those were composed and ordered, that they might be admitted. And it was Socrates's custom, when any asked him a question to be informed by him, before he would answer them, he asked them concerning their own qualities and course of life.
Now if men require a calm and purified disposition of mind to make it capable of their doctrine, how much more is it suitable and necessary for learning the doctrine of God, and those deep mysteries that his word opens up. It is well expressed in that Apocryphal Book of Wisdom, that forward thoughts separate from God, and wisdom enters not into a malicious soul — no indeed, that is a very unfit dwelling for it, and even the heathen could say the mind that is impure is not capable of God and divine things. Seneca. Therefore we see the strain of that book of Proverbs, that speaks so much of this wisdom, it requires in the first chapter that they that would hear it do retire themselves from all ungodly customs and practices. And indeed how can the soul apprehend spiritual things, that is not in some measure refined from the love of sin, that abuses and bemires the minds of men, and makes them unable to arise to heavenly thoughts? "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God," says our Savior — not only shall they see him perfectly hereafter, but, as they can receive him, he will impart and make known himself to them here, so (John 14:23). This is it that makes the word obscure, namely the filthy mists within, whereas on the contrary he will in just judgment hide himself, and the saving truth of his word, from those that entertain and delight in sin. The very sins in which they delight shall obscure and darken the light of the gospel to them, that though it shine clear as the sun at noonday, they shall be as those that live in a dungeon — they shall not discern it.
And as they receive no benefit by the word that have these evils here mentioned reigning and in full strength in them, so they that are indeed born again — the more they retain of these, the less shall they find the influence and profit of the word; for this exhortation concerns them. They may possibly some of them have much remainder of these corruptions unmortified, therefore exhorted to lay aside entirely those evils, all malice, all hypocrisy, etc. And so though they hear the word often, yet be in a spiritual atrophy, eat much, and grow nothing by it, find no increase of grace and spiritual strength.
Would we know the main cause of our fruitless hearing of the word, here it is: men bring not meek and guileless spirits to it, not minds emptied and purified to receive it, but stuffed with malice, and hypocrisy, and pride, and other such evils, and where should the word enter, when all is so taken up? And if it did enter how should it prosper among so many enemies? Or at all abide among them, either they will turn it out again, or choke and kill the power of it. We think religion and our own lusts, and secret heart-idols should agree together, because we would have it so, but this is not possible; either therefore labor to entertain the word of truth in the [reconstructed: love] of it, and lodge the mystery of faith in a pure conscience, as the Apostle Saint Paul speaks, joining those together with David (Psalm 119:113): I hate vain thoughts; but your law do I love. And as here our Apostle, Lay aside all malice, and hypocrisy, and envy, and evil speakings, and so receive the word, or else look for no benefit by it here, nor for [reconstructed: salvation] by it hereafter but cast out all impurity, and give your whole heart to it, so desire it, that you may grow, and then as you desire, you shall [reconstructed: grow] by it.
Every real believer has received a life from heaven, far more excelling our natural life, than that excels the life of the beasts. And this life has its own peculiar desires, and delights, that are the proper actings and the certain characters and evidence of it; among others, this is one and a main one, answerable to the like desire in natural life, namely, a desire of food, and because it is here still imperfect, therefore the natural end of this, is not only nourishment, but growth, as it is here expressed.
The sincere milk of the word] The life of grace is the proper life of a reasonable soul, and without it, the soul is dead, as the body is without the soul: so that without untruth, this may be rendered, reasonable milk, as some read it, but certainly that reasonable milk is the word of God, the milk of the word.
It was before called the immortal seed, and here it is the milk of those that are born again, and thus it is very agreeable nourishment to that spiritual life according to their saying, iisdemalimur ex quibus constamus, as the milk that infants draw from the breast, is most connatural food to them, being of that same substance that nourished them in the womb. But when they are brought forth, that food follows them as it were for their supply, in that way that is provided in nature for it, by certain veins it ascends into the breasts, and is there fitted for them, and they by nature directed to find it there. Thus as a Christian begins to live by the power of the word, he is by the nature of that spiritual life directed to that same word as its nourishment. To follow the resemblance further in the qualities of milk, after the monkish way, that runs itself out of breath in an allegory, I conceive, is neither solid nor profitable, and to speak freely, the curious searching of the similitude in other qualities of milk, seems to wrong the quality here given it by the Apostle, in which it is so well resembled by milk, namely, the simple pureness and sincerity of the word; besides that the pressing of comparisons of this kind too far, proves often so constrained before they have done with it, that by too much drawing they bring forth blood instead of milk.
Pure and unmixed, as milk drawn immediately from the breast; the pure word of God without the mixture not only of error, but of all other composition of vain unprofitable subtleties, or affected human eloquence, such as becomes not the majesty and gravity of God's word. If any man speak, says our Apostle, let him speak as the oracles of God; light conceits and flowers of rhetoric wrong the word more than they can please the hearers, the weeds among the corn make it look gay, but it were all the better they were not among it. Nor can those mixtures be pleasing to any but carnal minds, they that are indeed the children of God (as infants who like their breast milk best pure) do love the word best so, and wherever they find it so, they relish it well, whereas natural men cannot love spiritual things for themselves, desire not the word for its own sweetness, but would have it [reconstructed: sauced] with such conceits as possibly spoil the simplicity of it, or at the best love to hear it for the wit, and learning, which without any wrongful [reconstructed: mixture] of it, they find in one delivering it more than another, but the natural and genuine appetite of the children of God, is to the word, for itself; and only as milk, sincere milk. And where they find it so, from whoever, or in whatever way delivered to them, they feed upon it with delight: before conversion wit or eloquence may draw a man to the word, and possibly prove a happy bait to catch him, as Saint Augustine reports of his hearing Saint Ambrose, but once born again, then it is the milk itself they desire for itself.
Desire the sincere milk] Not only hear it because it is your custom, but desire it because it is your food, and it is 1. A natural desire, as the infants of milk, not upon any external respect or inducement, but from an inward principle and bent of nature, and because natural, therefore, 2. Earnest not a cold indifferent willing, that cares not whether it obtain or no, but a vehement desire, as the word signifies, and the resemblance clearly bears, as a child that will not be stilled till it has the breast; offer it what you will, silver, gold, or jewels it regards them not, these answer not its desire, and that must be answered. Thus David: My soul breaks for the longing it has for your judgments; As a child like to break its heart with crying for want of the breast: And again because natural it is 3. Constant, the infant is not cloyed, nor wearied with daily feeding on the breast, but desires it every day, as if it had never had it before; thus the child of God, has an unchangeable appetite for the word, it is daily new to him, he finds still fresh delight in it, thus David as before cited, My soul breaks for the longing it has for your judgments at all times, And then (Psalm 1) this law was his meditation day and night. Whereas a natural man is easily surfeited of it, and the very commonness and cheapness of it makes it contemptible to him. And this is our case, that wherein we should wonder at God's singular goodness to us, and therefore prize his word the more, that very thing makes us despise it: Whereas others our brothers have bought this milk with their own blood, we have it upon the easiest terms that can be wished, only for the desiring, without hazard of bleeding for it, and scarce at the pains of sweating for it.
That you may grow thereby] This is not only the end for which God has provided his children with the word, and moves them to desire it, but which they are to intend in their desire and use of it, and answerable to God's purpose, they are therefore to desire it, because it is proper for this end, and that by it they may attain this end, to grow thereby. And herein indeed these children differ from infants in the natural life, that are directed to their food beside their knowledge, and without intention of its end; but this rational milk, is to be desired by the children of God in a rational way, knowing and intending its end, having the use of natural reason renewed, and sanctified by supernatural grace.
Now the end of this desire is growth. Desire the word not that you may only hear it, that is to fall very far short of its true end, indeed, it is to take the beginning of the work for the end of it; the ear is indeed the mouth of the mind, by which it receives the word, as Elihu compares it (Job 34:2), but meat that goes no further than the mouth (you know) cannot nourish. Neither ought this desire of the word to be only to satisfy a custom, it were an exceeding folly to make so superficial a thing the end of so serious a work. Again, to hear it only to stop the mouth of conscience, that it may not clamor more for gross impiety in contempt of it, this is not to hear it out of desire, but out of fear; to desire it only for some present pleasure, and delight that a man may find in it, is not the due use and end of it; that there is delight in it, may help to commend it to those that find it so, and so be a means to advance the end, but the end it is not. To seek no more but a present delight that vanishes with the sound of the words, that die in the air, is not to desire the word as meat, but as music, as God tells the Prophet Ezekiel of his people (Ezekiel 33:32): And lo, you are to them as a very lovely song of one that has a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument, for they hear your words, and they do them not. To desire the word for the increase of knowledge (although this is necessary and commendable, and being rightly qualified is a part of spiritual accretion, yet take it as going no further) it is not the true end of the word, nor the venting of that knowledge in speech and frequent discourse of the word, and the divine truths that are in it; which, where it is governed with Christian prudence, is not to be despised, but commended; yet certainly the highest knowledge, and the frequentest, and most skillful speaking of the word severed from the growth here mentioned misses the true end of the word. If any one's head or tongue should grow apace, and all the rest stand at a stay, it would certainly make him a monster; and they are no other, that are knowing and discoursing Christians, and grow daily in that, but not at all in holiness of heart, and life, which is the proper growth of the children of God. Epictetus his comparison of the sheep, they return not what they eat, in grass; but in wool. David in that 119th Psalm that is wholly spent upon this subject, the excellency and use of the word of God, expresses Verse 11, 6 his delight in it, his earnest desire to be further taught, and to know more of it, his readiness to speak of it, Verse 13, 27, but as well you know he joins his desire and care to keep it, to hide it in his heart, etc. (Psalm 119:11, 5, 24). To make it the man of his counsel, to be as the whole assembly of his privy counselors, and to be ruled and guided by it, and with him, to use it so, is indeed to grow by it.
If we know what this spiritual life is, and wherein the nature of it consists we may easily know what is the growth of it, when holiness increases, the sanctifying graces of the Spirit grow stronger in the soul, and consequently act more strongly in the life of a Christian, then he grows spiritually.
And as the word is the means of begetting this spiritual life, so likewise of its increase.
If we consider the nature of the Word in general, that it is spiritual and divine, treats of the highest things, and therefore has in it a fitness to elevate men's minds from the Earth, being often conversant with it to assimilate them to itself, as all kind of doctrine readily does to these that are much in it, and apply their minds to study it. Doubtless such kind of things as are frequent with men, have an influence into the disposition of their souls. The Gospel is called Light, and the children of God are likewise called Light, as being transformed into its nature, and thus they are still the more, by more hearing of it, and so they grow.
If we look more particularly to the strain and tenor of the Word, it is most fit for increasing the graces of the Spirit in a Christian; for there be in it particular truths relative to them, that are apt to excite them, and set them on work, and so to make them grow, as all habits do, by acting, it does (as the Apostle's word may be translated) stir up the sparks, and blow them into a greater flame, makes them burn clearer and hotter. That it does both by particular exhortation to the study and exercise of those graces, sometimes pressing one, and sometimes another; and by right representing to them their objects. The Word feeds faith by setting before it the free grace of God, his rich promises, and his power, and truth to perform them all, shows it the strength of the New Covenant, not depending upon it, but holding in Christ, in whom all the promises of God, are Yes, and Amen, and drawing faith still to rest more entirely upon his righteousness. It feeds repentance by making the vileness and deformity of sin daily more clear, and visible; still as more of the Word has admission into the soul, the more it hates sin, being the more discovered, and the better known in its own native color. As the more light is in a house, the more anything in it that is uncleanly or deformed is seen, and disliked.
Likewise it increases love to God by opening up still more and more of his infinite excellency and loveliness, and as it borrows the resemblance of the vilest things in nature to express the foulness and hatefulness of sin, so all the beauties and dignities that are in all the creatures are called together in the Word, to give us some small measure of that uncreated beauty, that alone deserves to be loved. Thus might it be instanced in all other graces.
But above all other considerations, this is in the Word observable, as the increaser of grace, in that it holds forth Jesus Christ to our view to look upon, not only as the perfect pattern, but as the full fountain of all grace, from whose fullness we all receive the contemplating of him, as the perfect Image of God, and then drawing from him as having in himself a treasure for us, these give the soul more of that image, which is truly spiritual growth. This the Apostle expresses excellently, 2 Corinthians 3, last verse, speaking of the ministry of the Gospel, revealing Christ that beholding in him, as it is Chapter 4, Verse 6, in his face the glory of the Lord, we are changed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord. Not only that we may take the copy of his graces, but have a share of them.
There be many things might be said of this spiritual growth, but I will add only a few. 1. In the judging of this growth, some [reconstructed: concluding] too rigidly against themselves, that they grow not by the Word, because it is not sensible to them as they desire.
But 1. this is known in all things that grow, that it is not discerned in motu sed in termino, not in the growing, but when they are grown. 2. Besides other things are to be considered in this, although other graces seem not to advance, yet if you grow more self-denying, and humble in the sense of your slowness, all is not lost, although the branches shut not up so fast as you wish, yet if the root grow deeper, and fasten more, it is a useful growth, he that is still learning to be more in Jesus Christ, and less in himself, to have all his dependance, and comfort in him, is doubtless a growing believer.
On the other side a far greater number conclude wrong in their own favor, imagining that they do grow, if they gain in some of those things we mentioned above, namely, if more knowledge, and more faculty of discoursing, if they find often some present stirrings of joy, or sorrow in hearing of the Word, if they reform their life, grow more civil, and blameless, etc. Yet all these and many such things may be in a natural man, who notwithstanding grows not, for that's impossible, he is not in that estate a subject capable of this growth, for he is dead, he has none of this new life to which this growth relates. Herod heard gladly and obeyed many things.
Consider then what true delight we might have in this. You find a pleasure, when you see your children grow, when they begin to stand and walk, etc. You love well to perceive your estate, or your honor grow, but the soul to be growing more like God and nearer heaven, if we know it, is a pleasure far beyond them all, to find pride and earthliness and vanity abating, and faith, and love, and spiritual mindedness increasing, especially if we think whether this growth be not as our natural life that is often cut off before it attain full age as we call it, and if it attain that, falls again to move downwards and decays, as the Sun, being at its meridian begins to decline again. But this life shall grow on — in whomever it is, and come certainly to its fullness, after which there is no more need of this Word either for growth or nourishment, no death, no decay, no old age, but perpetual youth and a perpetual spring, ver aeternum, fullness of joy in the presence of God and everlasting pleasures at his right hand.
