of Ghr ait all &lavers. I will take but the Three ordinary lives that are in the world. The Vegetative life, the life ofPlants and Herbs. The Senfitive life, the lifeof?Beafts And the Rational life, the life of Man. And I wil thew ye, That the Efientialpro- perties ofall thefe lives, are in a Spiritual way in the godly ; and then the Argument will lie thus : If theEffential pro- perties ofall there lives be in a fpiritual way in every godly man : then certainly, every godly,gracious man, is a living man, and in the ftate oflife; living another life from the life oftheworld. Firft. Take the life ofplants andherbs, or offlowers, and what is the Effentialproperty of theVegetative life ? It is to grow; no fooner hath a thing theVegetative life, but it does grow. All plants, and herbs, and flowers,theygrow, and trees they grow,becaufe they have this Vegetative life. And fo the Saints do, they grow in grace. It's faid of them in the 84. Pfalm , They go fromfirength tofirength. It is an He- braifme, and it notes Augmentation ; From, To, notes Aug- mentation. And the like Hebraifmes ye have in the New- Tettament. In Rom. I. 27. For therein is the righteottfneg of Godrevealed, fromfaith to faith. It notes the augmentation offaith. And fo in 2 Cor. 3. ult But we all with open face, beholding ar in a glag theglory ofthe Lord, are changed into the fame image, from glory to glory. It notes an augmentation of glory. And fo, They go from firength to firength. That is, theygrow in arength ; it notes, an augmentation oftheir ftrength. But fuppofe they do want the Means and want the Ordinances, do they grow then ? Yes. It is ;hat which is faid in the famePfalm ; Though they walkjhorow the valley of Baca, and be in adry place,where no water is ; yet they go on from ftrength to ftrength. And, we ALLwith open face beholding as in aglafs; the mirror of the Lord, are changed fromglory toglory. Not fome,but all ; all believers, and all the godly, they dogrow in grace. And this ye know is the differencebetween a Paintedchild,and a Living childe, Take a living child, and though he be but little, and very weak, yet he grows bigger. But now, achild that is pain- ted Anfw.
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