A41536:351
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.
I answer,1 that by adding a new degree of grace, as in making candles, which is done by addition, when a candle is put anew into the fat of boiled tallow, every time it is put in, it comes out bigger, with a new addition; or as a cloth dipped in the die, comes out upon every new dipping in with a deeper die. And this is done by a new act of creation, put forth by God. Therefore when David being fallen, prayed for increase of grace, he says, Create in me a new heart. And therefore Ephes. 4. 24. ⟨p. 110⟩when the Apostle exhorts to further putting on the new man, and speaketh of growth, he adds, which is created; for every new degree is created as well as the first infusion, which shows the difference between natural growth and this: In natural growth there needs not a new creation, but an ordinary concurrence; but it is not so in this, that God that begun the work, by the same power perfects it: And therefore Ephes. 1. 19. he prays that the believing Ephesians might see that power that continued to work in them, to be no less then that which raised up Christ; for though natural life may with a natural concurrence increase it self, because the terminus à quo, the terme from whence it springs, is but from a less degree of life to a greater: yet it is otherwise in this life, and our growth in this is from a greater degree of death, to a further degree of life: And therefore Phil. 9. the Apostle calls growing in grace, a going on to attain the resurrection from the dead: And therefore the same power that raised up Christ, must go along to work it. Hence also every new degree of grace is called a new conversion; except ye be converted, says Christ to his Disciples converted already; because the same power that wrought to conversion, goes still to this. And therefore it is said that God gives the increase,