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

A man grows these four ways spiritually.

Sometimes his affection grows more intense hot then it was before: sometimes a mans growth is in regard of extension, his affections of love or joy extending to other objects then before. So in Hosea our growth is described to be a spreading of the branches. And sometimes a man grows when he is more firm and rooted in the way of God; and so our spiritual growth in that place of Hosea is described by our taking root downward. And sometimes a man is said to grow when he is more spiritual. Beloved, weak Christians look altogether at the intenseness of their affections; and if they do not find their affections so intense as they were before, then they break forth and say, Oh now I am declined, and now I am decayed, and I have lost my first love; whereas there is a growth in regard of extension; as a man or beast he may attain to his full tallness, and after that he may batten and spread more: so in grace, a mans grace may spread more afterwards, and yet possibly not so intense in regard of some affections, as it was at the first. Now a Fountain or Spring that hath but one stream, and afterwards that one stream be divided in many streams; if an unskilful man look upon it, he saith, How comes this to pass, that this Fountain is dried up? here was a full stream before, and now there is not. But now saith a skilful man that stands by him, Now there are many streams, and so there is rather the more water, now it is divided into more streams. And so it is in regard of grace; at the first a mans grace doth run out much in one channel, afterwards it is divided ⟨p. 14⟩into more streams, and it spread• more; yet notwithstanding, those that are w••k, because they do not find so full a stream in the same channel as before, though there be many streams now that there were not before, they question all, and they say they are abated, and they are declined, and they have lost their first love.

Sometimes his affection grows more intense hot then it was before: sometimes a mans growth is in regard of extention, his affections of love or joy extending to other objects then before. So in Hosea our growth is described to be a spreading of the branches. And sometimes a man grows when he is more firm and rooted in the way of God; and so our spiritual growth in that place of Hosea is described by our taking root downward. And sometimes a man is said to grow when he is more spiritual. Beloved, weak Christians look altogether at the intensness of their affectictions; and if they do not finde their affections so intense as they were before, then they break forth and say, Oh now I am declined, and now I am decayed, and I have lost my first love; whereas there is a growth in regard of extension; as a man or beast he may attain to his full talness, and after that he may batten and spread more: so in grace, a mans gracc may spread more afterwards, and yet possibly not so intense in regard of some affections, as it was at the first. Now a Fountain or Spring that hath but one stream, and afterwards that one stream be divided in many streams; if an unskilful man look upon it, he saith, How comes this to pass, that this Fountain is dryed up? here was a full stream before, and now there is not. But now saith a skilful man that stands by him, Now there are many streams, and so there is rather the more water, now it is divided into more streams. And so it is in regard of grace; at the first a mans grace doth run out much in one chanel, afterwards it is divided