A41536:291
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.
To this I answer,1 that ordinarily men may conclude from the more or less busy they find corruption to be in them, that the more or less there is of corruption in them; and so thereby measure their growth: for grace and corruption are as two roots, (and therefore the actions of them both are called their fruits, Gal. 5. 17, 22.) Now Christ elsewhere gives us this rule of nature, to judge of the tree by the fruits, to proceed by, in matters ⟨p. 89⟩of grace also; And as by the fruit we may know of what species and kind the tree is of, so likewise what plenty of sap there is at the root, by the plenty, or bigness, or fairness of the fruit it doth bring forth: the more inward corruption at the root, ordinarily the more fruit thereof appears in the life: and proportionably also of the tender fruits of the the spirit. And therefore Christ here says, that the Vine is to be purged, that it may bring forth more fruit; because the more corruption is emptied, the more holiness will appear in your inward and outward fruitfulness. And the reason hereof is, because ordinarily as a thing is in being, so it is in working. Laesa principia habent laesas operations. Children, the weaker, the more falls they have in their ordinary walkings; bodies, the more sickly, or the weaker and more unhealthy the [Greek or Hebrew] and constitution is, the more qualms; and as they recover strength more and more, they find they outgrow such weaknesses: and therefore ordinarily according to what activeness a man finds of grace or sin in him, according to what activeness a man finds of grace or sin in him, according are the inward principles of either of them more or less in him: for the soul of man, as it is an active thing, so being left to its ordinary course, it acts according to the sway, and bias, and inclination of the habits that are in it, which are also active, as both grace and sin are. As a bowl, when the force of the hand that threw it begins to decay, it is swayed by the bias, and lead that is in it; and so the less grace, the less ordinarily it acts graciously, and the weaklier; and then also the opposite corruption must needs be so much the more active: for the soul being active, abates not of its mettle, but it will still show it self one way or other.
To this I answer,