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

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⟩be much affected with new things, and therefore the aff•ctions must needs be very much up and raised at the first, and when a man doth first convert and turn to God, and leave the world: God the Father doth as it were take the poor soul into his arms when 'tis a babe, and he doth bestow many desires upon it; and he gives out many encouragements, to weigh down those discouragements that the soul shall meet withal in parting with the world. But now afterwards, when a man is more able to go alone, possibly he doth not meet with these; now shall a man think therefore that all is naught, and that he hath no grace at all, because he doth not feel what he had then? Yet how often is this!

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 specifical, & afterwards the change is gradual. When a man is first converte 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 specifical thing, his affections were high then. At our first conversion and turning to God, all things are span-new; and we are apt to