A41536:150
The trial of a Christians growth in mortification, purging out corruption, or vivification, bringing…The tryall of a Christians growth in mortification, purging out corruption, or vivification, bringing…
The trial of a Christians growth in mortification, purging out corruption, or vivification, bringing forth more fruit a treatise handling this case, how to discern our growth in grace : affording some helps rightly to judge thereof by resolving some tentations, clearing some mistakes, answering some questions, about spiritual growth : together with other observations upon the Parable of the vine, John 15. 1, 2 verses / by Tho. Goodwin.The tryall of a Christians growth in mortification, purging out corruption, or vivification, bringing forth more fruit a treatise handling this case, how to discerne our growth in grace : affording some helps rightly to judge thereof by resolving some tentations, clearing some mistakes, answering some questions, about spiritual growth : together with other observations upon the Parable of the vine, John 15. 1, 2 verses / by Tho. Goodwin.
London: printed by J.G. for R. Dawlman, 1650
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Yea thirdly, as his fullness is for our growth, so our growth makes up his fullness, even the fullness of Christ mystical, though Christ personal is full without us: therefore the stature that every Christian grows up to, is called, Ephes. 4. 13. The stature of the fullness of Christ. In like speech to this, Eph. 1. 23. it is said, that his body is his fullness: and Eph. 4. 13. the growth of these members is said to be the fullness of Christ: so that as Christ should be an head without a body, if he had no members, and his body a lame body, if he wanted any of those his members: so it would be found a disproportioned body, as it were, if any of these members should not grow to that stature God hath appointed them: So that as there will be plenitudito partium, a fullness of parts, no member lacking; so also plenitudo graduum; no degree of growth wanting in any part, that so Christ who filleth all in all, may be fully full. And as there would be a deformity if any one should not grow, (as to have a withered member were a dishonour •o the head) so to have any one grow in immensum, to too great a stature, would breed as great a deformity on the ⟨p. 41⟩other side: therefore he adds, that every member hath its measure. The hand grows according to the proportion of a hand, and so the rest; and so in the 13. ver. he hath it, that there is a measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, that every one attains to.
Yea thirdly, as his fulnesse is for our growth, so our growth makes up his fulnesse, even the fulnesse of Christ mysticall, though Christ personall is full without us: therefore the stature that every Christian growes up to, is called, Ephes. 4. 13. The stature of the fulnesse of Christ. In like speech to this, Eph. 1. 23. it is said, that his body is his fulnesse: and Eph. 4. 13. the growth of these members is said to be the fulnesse of Christ: so that as Christ should be an head without a body, if he had no members, and his body a lame body, if he wanted any of those his members: so it would be found a disproportioned body, as it were, if any of these members should not grow to that stature God hath appointed them: So that as there will be plenitudito partium, a fulnesse of parts, no member lacking; so also plenitudo graduum; no degree of growth wanting in any part, that so Christ who filleth all in all, may be fully full. And as there would be a deformity if any one should not grow, (as to have a withered member were a dishonour o the head) so to have any one grow in immensum, to too great a stature, would breed as great a deformity on the