A41536:316
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.
Sixthly, another false rule is, when men judge of their mortification, and the measure of it, by their present listlessness of the heart to sin; which though it be true, that where true mortification is, there is a listlessness, and a deadness; and so much mortification, so much deadness, Rom. 6. 2. How shall we that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? And indeed, to live in it, is to take pleasure in it: But yet this you must know, there are many things which in a godly man may add to his deadness to sin, besides true mortification, and so make it seem greater then it is in truth: And therefore it may be a false rule to judge by, if it be not warily considered and distinguished. Sickness breeds a listlessness; when we are sick, our lusts are sick together with us; and as we gather strength, they gather up their crumbs again, Job 33. 19. 20. then his soul abhors dainty food. Suppose he be a glutton: Old age brings a listlessness. Eccles. 12. 1. ⟨p. 100⟩When the evil days come, wherein a man says, he hath no pleasure in them: as Barzillai had no taste in his meat, by reason of old age. So when our expectations or desires are crossed, or are like to be, and we begin to fail of those main props of the comfort of our lives, we are apt to have a listlessness to all other pleasures: when some one thing that was a sauce to all the rest, is gone or like to go, we then have no stomach to all the rest, and we are weary of living, as David was when Absalom was gone, would I had dyed for thee. Some great cross coming, may like thunder sour all our joys and delights, and make them stale to us, and as dead drink to the stomach. Terror of conscience may like an eclipse overspread our spirits, and then all things lose their beauty and lustre, as things in the dark use to do: as Job says of himself in his desertion, that his soul had no more sweetness in all comforts, then in white of an egg: For such occasions as these do draw the intention another way, and do take the mind up about Gods wrath, or the afflictions we are in, so as it cannot run out to sin; and intention, you know, is the cause of all pleasure. As therefore when by study the spirits are drawn up to the head, a mans stomach decays to that meat he most loved; so when terrors drink up the spirits, as Job speaks: