Gods husbandry

The Lord doth at once, in one act within himself, justify perfectly each believer, fully acquitting him of all sin whatsoever, through the imputation of Christs perfect righteousness unto him, though this be manifested unto his ⟨p. 117⟩soul by degrees, as he doth particularly seek the sight of it, upon occasion of his particular sins: but sanctification is not wrought in an instant; yea, it is effected by little and little, some now, some then, as a sore is healed by laying on of one plaster to day, which draweth out some corruption, and makes the wound or ulcer less filthy, and another to morrow, another next day, whereby it groweth less and less filthy, and less deep, and less wide. For indeed, such an extreme change from the utter foulness of corrupted nature, to perfect holiness, cannot possibly be wrought in an instant, unless the Lord himself should please even immediately, and more then miraculously to work it, which it seemeth not good unto him to do. Hence it is, that having ordained to purge us by means, (and namely those that you heard of before) he performeth it in such manner as sorteth to the nature of the means; alone this is to be noted, that still the change of Gods servants from sin to holiness, is made more apparent, by making the corruptions more felt, as they be more healed, contrary to that which falleth out in bodily sores. For if a mans hand be wounded, the nearer it is to healing, the less pain he feels with it, and the less troublesome it is to him: but if the soul be wounded with any corruption; for example, with pride, or worldliness, or the like, the more it is cleansed from him, and the lesser degrees of it remain in him, the more troublesome and offensive will those remnants prove unto his soul, so ⟨p. 118⟩that the little pride and worldliness that remaineth behind unhealed, will vex him more then the greater quantity of those vices did when they were less healed. Evermore sins prove most tedious and cumbersome, when a man hath attained a greater perfection of strength against them. For the soul, the more holy it is, the more it hateth unholiness, and the more sensible it must needs be of the thing that it more hateth. A man in his utter unregeneracy is dead in sin, so that he doth not feel it at all to be burdensome unto him;

The Lord doth at once, in one act within himselfe, iustifie perfectly each beleeuer, fully acquitting him of all sinne whatsoeuer, through the imputation of Christs perfect righteousnes vnto him, though this bee manifested vnto his