Human nature in its fourfold state ... In several practical discourses

Quest. But do hypocrites grow at all? And if so, how shall we distinguish betwixt their growth, and true Christian growth? Ans. To the first part of the question, hypocrites do grow. The tares have their growth, as well as the wheat: and the seed that fell among thorns did spring up, Luke viii. 7. only it did bring no fruit to perfection, ver. 14 Yea, a true Christian may have a false growth. James and John seemed to grow in the grace of holy zeal, when their spirits grew so hot in the cause of Christ, that they would have fired whole villages, for not receiving their Lord and Master, Luke ix. 54 They said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, to consume them, even as Elijah did? But it was indeed no such thing; and therefore he turned and rebuked them, ver. 55. and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. To the second part of the question, it is answered, that there is a peculiar beauty in true Christian growth, distinguishing it from all false growth: it is universal, regular, proportionable. It is a growing up to him in all things, which is the head, Eph. iv. 15. The growing ⟨p. 199⟩Christian grows proportionably in all the parts of the new man. Under the kindly influences of "the Sun of righteousness, believers "grow up as calves in the stall, Mal. iv. 2. Ye would think it a monstrous growth, in these creatures, if ye saw their heads grow, and not their bodies, or if ye saw one leg grow, and another not: if all the parts do not grow proportionably Ay, but such is the growth of many, in religion. They grow like rickety children, who have a big head, but a slender body: they get more knowledge into their heads, but no more holiness into their hearts and lives: They grow very hot outwardly, but very cold inwardly; like men in a fit of the ague. They are more taken up about the externals of religion, than formerly; yet as great strangers to the power of godliness as ever. If a garden is watered with the hand, some of the plants will readily get much some little, and some no water at all; and therefore some wither, while others are coming forward: but after a shower from the clouds, all come forward together. In like manner all the graces of the Spirit grow proportionably, by the special influences of divine grace. The branches ingrafted in Christ, growing aright, do grow in all the several ways of growth at once.