With Christ's Help Pursue Multiplication (2)

(3) That where once God begins, he goes on, and delights to add encouragement to encouragement, and does not only give them a stock of grace at the beginning, but also helps them to trade in grace. He is not only Alpha, but Omega, to them, the beginning, and the ending (Rev. 1:8). He does not only plant graces, but also waters and cherishes them. Where the Spirit of Christ is, it is an encouraging Spirit; for not only does he infuse grace, but also stirs it up, that we may be always prepared for every good work, otherwise we cannot do that which we are able to do. The Spirit must bring all into exercise, else the habits of grace will lie asleep. We need a present Spirit to do every good; not only the power to will, but the will itself; and not only the will, but the deed, is from the Spirit, which should stir us up to go to Christ, that he may stir up his own graces in us, that they may flow out.
Let us labour, then, in ourselves to be full of goodness, that we may be fit to do good to all. As God is good, and does good to all, so must we strive to be as like him as may be. For others' sakes, we must pray that God would make the winds to blow fully upon us, 'that our spices may flow out' (Song of Sol. 4:16) for their good. For a Christian in his right temper thinks that he has nothing good to purpose, but that which does good to others.

Devotional Readings taken from Puritan Richard Sibbes 'Refreshment for the Soul.'
The Love of Christ (Bowels Opened), pp. 15-16
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