The new birthThe nevv birth

Those duties likewise which he performeth, he performeth more advisedly, more resolutely, more humbly, more soundly, and with a more entire bending of his soul to the glory of God in them, then before: This is his growing in goodness and in ripeness. And always in this latter kind of growth a Christian man stands so affected, that he doth most of all quarrel with himself for not growing, when he grows most of all. Yea his slips into some gross faults (and it may be also sometimes too too thick) do further this his growth ordinarily; so that he never grows faster and better, then after the time that some falls have discovered unto him his badness: for then he grows in humility; in hatred of himself, in suspicion of his own frailty, whereby he is made capable of a profitable growing in all virtues, till at length this become his excellency, that the better ⟨p. 65⟩he is, the meaner he is in his own eyes; and the further he proceedeth, the more he is acquainted with his own defects, and becomes more sorrowful and ashamed for the slowness of his proceedings. But now it must be further conceived, that this growth hath his stops, stays, hindrances, intermissions; and those also sometimes even some long space of time together, even for months and years, as is to be seen in David, Solomon, Asa, Uzziah, and others. For as in natural life, the child may grow till it be twenty, or more years old, and then fall into a dangerous fit of sickness, as an ague, or the like; which shall cast him upon his bed, and make his cheeks pale and wan, his legs quaking and feeble, his stomach naught, and quite turned away from, almost all food, his whole body faint and powerless; so that he can neither stand nor go, nor scarce speak or move himself, but even lie at point of death: Even so also in the life of grace there be Agues, there be diseases, there be sicknesses, into which a Christian man (even now (it may be) come to so much ripeness, as this life will bear) doth suddenly sometimes, but most times by degrees fall headlong, and almost dies, though quite to die it be impossible. Now if you speak of his growing, he doth but grow backward; even as a sick man grows weaker and weaker, after sickness hath seized upon him.

Those duties likewise which he performeth, he performeth more aduisedly, more resolutely, more humbly, more soundly, and with a more entire bending of his soule to the glory of God in them, then before: This is his growing in goodnesse and in ripenesse. And alwaies in this latter kinde of growth a Christian man stands so affected, that hee doth most of all quarrell with himselfe for not growing, when he growes most of all. Yea his slippes into some grosse faults (and it may bee also sometimes too too thicke) doe further this his growth ordinarily; so that he neuer growes faster and better, then after the time that some falles have discouered vnto him his badnesse: for then he growes in humility; in hatred of himselfe, in suspicion of his owne frailty, whereby he is made capable of a profitable growing in all vertues, till at length this become his excellency, that the better