A41536:257
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.
How comes it then we should esteem them, and be taken with them, that we should have such high conceits of them? It is by reason of our lusts unpurged out, which represent them falsely: and therefore it is observable, that John, 1 Epist. 2. 16. speaking of the things of the world, he puts the lust which is in us to express the things ⟨p. 73⟩themselves: He says not, riches, and preferment, &c. (though he speaks of them) but the lusts of the eye, and pride of life, (so he expresseth them) because they are these lusts, makes the things so glorious to us, and sets a price upon them. And therefore so much magnifying and high esteem of outward things as there is in us, so much inordinate lust there is in the heart after them, and so much want of mortification; and when these lusts boiling in us fume up so high as to intoxicate and corrupt our esteem and judgments (which though grace should keep us from pursuing these vanities) that yet we look upon them with a wanton eye, and think great matters in them, and think our selves as it were debarred and restrained of so much of our happiness, whilst we want, and cannot enjoy them, this argues an unmortifyednesse: for herein lies the power of mortification, even to count all things dross and dung, to look upon them as crucified things, to have them seem all as withered flowers, as small things, as he speaks of mans esteem, 1 Cor. 4. 3.
How comes it then we should esteeme them, and be taken with them, that we should have such high conceits of them? It is by reason of our lusts unpurged out, which represent them falsely: and therefore it is observable, that John, 1 Epist. 2. 16. speaking of the things of the world, he puts the lust which is in us to expresse the things ⟨p. 73⟩themselves: He sayes not, riches, and preferment, &c. (though he speaks of them) but the lusts of the eye, and pride of life, (so he expresseth them) because they are these lusts, makes the things so glorious to us, and sets a price upon them. And therefore so much magnifying and high esteeme of outward things as there is in us, so much inordinate lust there is in the heart after them, and so much want of mortification; and when these lusts boiling in us fume up so high as to intoxicate and corrupt our esteeme and judgments (which though grace should keep us from pursuing these vanities) that yet we look upon them with a wanton eye, and thinke great matters in them, and think our selves as it were debarred and restrained of so much of our happinesse, whilst we want, and cannot enjoy them, this argues an unmortifyednesse: for herein lies the power of mortification, even to count all things drosse and dung, to looke upon them as crucified things, to have them seeme all as withered flowers, as small things, as he speaks of mans esteeme,