id, "Ye shall _go forth and grow up as calves
of the stall_." A healthy calf, that is fed in the stall, cannot but
grow and thrive. And surely the Lord has furnished us, in his holy word,
abundant food for our spiritual growth and nourishment. If the calf is
diseased, or if he refuses to eat, he will pine away and die; and so
with us. The apostle Paul speaks of _growing up_ into Christ, in all
things; and of _increasing_ in the knowledge of God. By this he
evidently means, that experimental knowledge of God in our hearts, by
which we are changed into his image. The apostle Peter exhorts us to
"_grow_ in the grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ." Again, he directs us to feed upon the sincere and simple truths
of the gospel, as the infant is nourished by its mother's milk, and to
_grow_ thereby. As conversion is called being "born again," the young
convert is very properly compared to a "new-born babe." As a babe is
least when first born, so the Christian, when first converted, has the
least grace; unless, indeed, he becomes diseased, and pines away, like a
sickly infant. And such is truly the deplorable case of the backslider.

The motives which urge us to seek and maintain an elevated standard of
piety are the highest that can be presented to our minds. _The glory of
God requires it._ This is the greatest possible good. It is the
manifestation of the divine perfections to his intelligent creatures.
This manifestation is made by discovering to them his works of creation,
providence, and grace, and by impressing his moral image upon their
hearts. In this their happiness consists. In promoting his own glory,
therefore, God exercises the highest degree of disinterested
benevolence. Nothing can add to his happiness; nothing can diminish it.
If the whole creation were blotted out, and God were the only Being in
the universe, he would still be perfectly glorious and happy in himself.
There can be, therefore, no selfishness in his desiring his own glory.
It is the good of the creature alone that is promoted by it. A desire to
glorify God must, then, be the ruling principle of all your conduct, the
moving spring of all your actions. But how is the glory of God promoted
by your growth in grace?

1. It is manifested to yourself, by impressing his image upon your
heart; and by giving you a spiritual discovery of the excellence, purity
and loveliness, of his moral character.

2. It is manifested to othe