A41536:241
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.
As these occasional, 1so also instrumental instituted helps, as his Word: So Eph. 5. 26. Christ is said to cleanse his Church with the washing of water by the Word: by the Word spoken, either in preaching, or in conference. So in the very next words to my text, Now ye are clean through the words I have [spoken unto you:] they had then received the Sacraments, and had heard a good Sermon. The Word at once discovers the sin, and sets the hearts against it; It was ignorant, till I went into the Sanctuary: There goes a light with it to see sin after another manner, although a man did know it afore, and then the Word sets out the vileness of a sin; and to hear a sin declaimed against, and reproved, sets an exasperation upon the mind against it, and so a man goes home, and sets upon it to kill it and destroy it. Or else by the Word meditated upon, as by keeping some truth or other fresh and sweet in the mind, which the mind cheweth on; God fastens the mind upon some new promise, or new discovered sign of a mans estate, and these cleanse him, 2 Cor. 7. 1. or upon some Attribute of his, and that quickens the inward man, and overcomes the outward: some consideration or other every day God doth make familiar to a mans spirit, to talk with him, (as the phrase is Pro. 6.) and to keep him company, and usually some new one; God leading us through varieties of sweet truths to chew upon, one this day, and another to morrow, and these have an exceeding purging virtue in them, they keep the purging ⟨p. 67⟩issue open, even as those that have issues made in their arms or legs, use to have a pease, or some such small thing, to lie in the orifice of the issue to keep it open; and so doth such a new truth with spiritual light discovered, still keep the purging issue of sin open, and draws out the filth, and keeps the heart; so says Solomon Pro. 6. 21, 22, and 24. observe the coherence there, and it is as if he had said, Keep this command fresh in mind, and it shall keep thee.