W ITH this short but comprehenfive exhortation the apostle Peter clofes his fecond and last epistle. An epiftle directed to Christians in general, whom he defcribes as having obtained like precious faith with himself, through the righteoufnefs of God, and our Saviour Jesus Chrift. It was wrote not long before his decease; for he exprefsly fays towards the beginning of it, that he should hortly put off his tabernacle, as the Lord Jefus Chrift bad fhewed him. So that if age, experience, and the folemnity of approaching death, may be fuppofed to add any weight to the advice of an inspired apoftle; the words of the text, which stand thus at the clofe of the epistle, do on these accounts claim our most serious and affectionate attention. With great earnestnefs he had just cautioned us, for to us he addreffes himself as well as the primitive Chriftians, against apoftacy. A caution peculiarly feasonable, as it had been the main business of the epistle to expose the impieties, errors and declenfions of the laft times, and to represent the folemn procefs of the laft judgment. Seeing therefore, beloved, *Chap. i. 14. loved, ye know these things, beware left ye, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own fedfaftness. On the contrary, let me befeech you with my dying breath, and the rather as it will be the most effectual fecurity against apoftacy, to make it your folicitous concern to grow in grace. By Grace is fometimes meant the love and favour of God, fometimes the gospe! in oppofition to the law, and sometimes the inward experience of religion. In this last sense it is to be understood here. So that to grow in grace is to im prove in the divine life, or in those difpofitions, affections and virtues which constitute a real Chriftian. Now that there are degrees of grace, or that the religion of the heart. is capable of improvement, will hardly admit of a question. Grace as to its nature is the fame in every good man, but as to its degree it greatly differs. Otherwife, whence the descriptions which fo frequently occur in Scripture, of sheep and lambs, of new born babes, children, young men and fathers in Chrift? And whence is it the apoftles fpeak in their epiftles of feeding fome with milk and others with meat? Nay this is evidently supposed in all thofe paffages, wherein our Saviour is reprefented as condefcending to the weakneffes of his people, and adapting himself to their various different capacities. The sheep he leads, and the lambs be carries in his bofom. And the figure alluded to in our text fufficiently proves and illustrates what I am here obferving. Grow in grace. he Grace is at firft like a tender plant, which makes an unpromifing appearance, and is in danger of being nipped by every sudden blast: yet in time it grows, gathers strength, fpreads its leaves, and becomes capable of enduring the fharpest weather. It is like a grain of mustard feed, which, as our Saviour fays, speaking of the kingdom of heaven, is indeed the leaft of all feeds, but when it is grown is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, fo that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof *. Steadiness Matth. xiii. 31. 32, and and experience are the perquifites of age; and a confider-able time will pafs, ere the principles of grace take deep root in the heart, and the bloffoms of early religion, ripen into fair and fubftantial fruit. Which being the cafe, there is fufficient ground for the idea fuggefted in our text. And however growth in religion is to be afcribed to a divine influence; yet it is with good reafon made a subject of exhortation, fince that influence is only to be expected in the ufe of means, which are unquestionably within our compass. What I propofe therefore in this discourse is, I. To recite and explain fome of the principal means of religion: II. To lay down fome plain rules to direct us in our use: of them; and, III. To attempt by proper motives to excite our atten-tion to them. I. As to the means of religion. There are fome of a more general kind, and which have immediate refpect to our daily temper and behaviour; and others which come more directly under the notion of religious duties, Of the former kind the firft I fhall mention is, 1. Watchfulness against all occafions of fin. This indeed,. to speak properly, is rather a means to prevent the decay of religion, than to promote its growth and improvement. Grace and fin are in direct oppofition to each other. And could we fuppofe the Chriftian capable of wilfully indulg ing his corruptions, fuch indulgence would quickly fap the foundation of all good difpofitions and affections, and en danger, to say the least of it, a total apoftacy. But though: it is promised fin fhall not have dominion over him, yet he is liable to be surprised into fin. And every act of fin, befides the pain and mifery it occafions, tends to ftrengthen the principle whence it proceeds, and of confequence to weaken the oppofite principle of grace and religion. All occafions therefore or temptations leading to this great evil fhould be carefully guarded against. Now Now to be properly apprized of thefe is one great and eminent part of our duty. There is indeed no object we are converfant with but may become an occafion of fin. Which makes it neceffary that we keep a ftrict watch on all our paffions, appetites, and fenfes. But there are certain connections, amusements and concerns of life, which, though not abfolutely unlawful in themfelves, may prove fnares to us. To recite them particularly would be endless, because they are almost infinitely diverfified. Be they however what they may, we should at leaft give ourselves time to confider of them, and the danger to which they may expofe us, before we have any thing to do with them. And unless we are clearly warranted to engage in them, and have fufficient ground to believe we shall be fuperior to the temptation of them, it is unquestionably our duty to ftand at a distance from them. Good men are ufually in greater danger from the occafions and appearances of fin, than from the open attacks of fin itself. Direct folicitations to criminal actions they will peremptorily withstand, when perhaps, through a prefumption of their own strength, and a vain notion of not expressly violating any known law, they will be easily induced to venture on what hath a remote tendency to fuch actions. Now when this is the cafe, when one who calls himself our friend preffes us on fair pretences to affociate with evil company, to divert ourselves with idle amufements, to which we have no fufficient call either by reason or providence, or for the fake of worldly gain, to enter into this or the other connection that is forced and unnatural; if we were to make a bold stand, and absolutely refuse to comply, what a deal of mischief might we not prevent-prevent all those fad languors of a declining constitution, and those bitter forrows and reflections of heart we fo often feel and lament! Watchfulnefs therefore, conftant watchfulness, is indifpenfably neceffary to this end. My fon, if finners en tice tice thee, confent thou not*. eth, take beed left he fallt. not into temptation. Let him who thinketh be fand- And it 2. Another ftill more direct means of improvement in religion is. Self knowledge. There, can indeed be no real religion without it. The right exercife of every Chriftian temper, whether towards, God, ourselves, or one another, fuppofes it and depends greatly upon it. But alas! this of all fciences is, the most difficult to be attained. baving been in a degree attained, at our first becoming Chriftians, we yet for the most part make but a very progrefs therein. The principal reafons, of which are doubtless thefe a certain consciousness we each of us have that we are not what, we ought to be, which makes us averse to an acquaintance, with ourselves; and, a continual bufy intimacy with fenfible objects, which diverts our attention from reflection and felf-examination.. flow Now there are two rules, which, if duly attended to, would be of excellent ufe to promote felf knowledge. The one is, the inuring ourselves, to watch the motions and ope.. rations of our hearts. And the other is, the making it our business, at certain periods, to look back on our past temper and conduct. It is, I know, extremely difficult, and perhaps abfolutely impoffible, for a man on every occafion to poffefs himself of his own thoughts, that is, to reflect mi-, nately, and immediately, on tranfactions which, have juft paffed in his breaft. So various are the concerns of life, and fo quick are the reafonings of the mind upon them, that were we every minute to make a paufe, and folemnly call up to our view, what had at that inftant efcaped us, the neceffary bufinefs of our stations, would be confiderably impeded, if not wholly obstructed, Yet there is fuch a thing as a man's being accustomed to keep a guard upon himself, and his making a point of it to watch the temper of his heart upon critical occafions, By critical, occafions, I mean *Prov, i. 10. +1 Cor. ix. 12. Matth. xxvi. 41. |