44 _..,... 1. More parti- cuiar coníide- a suons. I. G'onfd. a. Confid. The Tryall Thus hathour wife God, as in the work ofhis providence, fo of his grace, fit the one againfl the other, as Solomon fpeaks, that unto both thefe there might be occafion of excercife left, that neither might confide in any worker wrought upon them, but Hie alone to Chrift ; and that neither fhould rejoyceagain(t the other, or be difcontented with that way, wherein God hath dealt with them. In the fecond place, there are force confiderations to be added concerning a Chriflians difcerning his fpirituall growth, which will be profitable to the thing in hand. As firft, that ourgrowing ingrace is a myflerie to be apprehen- ded by faith, rather then byfenf ; our fpirituall life it felfe is carryed along by faith, much more the difcerning the increafe ofit. Yea and it being carryed on by contraries, as by falls and defections, and even by our own opinionsofour decreafe;there_ fore it is rather difcerned by faith, then fenfe, for faith rs the evi- dente ofthings notfenne. Secondly, the eager delire that many Chritlians have tohave more grace , together with them, their going on to difcerne more and more their wants, (which in force refpe& is a growth) thefe doe keepe them from thinking that indeed they doe grow. There is (as Solomon (ayes) that maketh himfelfe poor, and hath great riches , Prov. 13. 7. becaufe he enlargeth his delires (till, therefore Rill he thinks himfelf poor. So hungry and greedy Chriflians , looking (till, to what they want , and not towhat they have, are Rill complaining and unthankfull., If thou wouldit difcern thy growth, doe not compare the copie with thy writing, but rather thy writing now with thy writing at the firít : For this is a fure rule, that the better thou learnett towrite, the better copie Both God daily fet thee ; that is, gives thee to fee more firicìnefl'e in the rule, and fohill mayit think that thou wanteft as much, and art as far fhort as at fiat, if thus thou compare(t thy felf with nothing but thy fight of the rule it felfe. The third Confideration, that ifgrowth at any time be made fenfible, and be difcerned by fen fe, yet fo as after a while it is not fo difcernable as that great change was which was made upona mans firft converfion t the reafons whereof are, L For
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=