Seasonable truths in evil-times in several sermons / lately preached in and about London

Object. Oh but yet some will say, I am afraid that I do not grow in grace, and so indeed that I never had any truth of grace; for now I am much declined: at the first my heart it was mightily enlarged for God, and now it's straitened. O what freedom once I had! I remember a time when I went to prayer, and wept, and mourned, and my heart broke and melted; but now my heart is exceeding cold, and very dead, and therefore I am even afraid that I am declined, and that I do not grow in grace, and so that I never had grace at all.

Object. Oh but yet some will say, I am afraid that I do not grow in grace, and so indeed that I never had any truth of grace; for now I am much declin'd: at the first my heart it was mightily enlarged for God, and now it's straitned. O what freedom once I had! I remember a time when I went to prayer, and wept, and mourned, and my heart broke and melted; but now my heart is exceeding cold, and very dead, and therefore I am even afraid that I am declined, and that I do not grow in grace, and so that I never had grace at all.

Answ. Give me leave to fix here a little, and to answer this Objection, that I may speak a word of stay to those that are weary and troubled. And now as your Objection arises, so shall my Answer rise. Before, I said a man may grow in grace and not perceive it; now I speak further, a man may grow and increase in •••ce, and yet think he is much declined; a m•n may increase, and yet think that he is much decreased. For, my Beloved, sometimes, yea often, good people do measure themselves by that first affection which they had at their first turning to God; and then the change was specific, & afterwards the change is gradual. When a man is first convert and turned to God, then he is turned from in to God, from sin to grace, from the world to Christ: afterwards he doth not change from the world to Christ, but he changes from grace to grace, from glory to glory: 'tis but a gradual change afterwards; and therefore the change at the first being a specific thing, his affections were high then. At our first conversion and turning to God, all things are span-new; and we are apt to ⟨p. 12⟩