a Chriflians Growth, CHAP. 1 V. Pofitivefagnes of Growth in Mortication, andGods pur- gingof us. AND fo now I come to the fecond fort of fignes; namely, Pofitivefgnes ofgrowth in Mortification, and of Gods purging of us. Firfl, the more infight a man 'bath into fpirituall corruptions, together with a conflic4 again)) them, the more growth he hath attained unto in purging out corruptions : So as that now the chiefcfl of his conflitl is come to be with fpirituall lulls, not worldly lulls and groffeevils; it is an evidenceof his progreffe in this worke. Thefe ordinarily are lure rules, that whin) a mans confliti is with more outward groffe evills, as uncleanneffe, worldly mindreffe, &c. fo long and fo much he is kept from the fight of thofe inward, hidden,clofe corruptions, which fit nighefl to the heart : As alfo on the contrary, the more a man ì freed from, and hath got viaory over fuch more outward evills, the more his thoughts and intentions are bent inward to the difcove- ry of the other more fpirituall wickedneffes. And the reafon is, for thefe fpirituall lulls, as pride, carnali confidence in a mans owne graces, felf. flattery, prefumption, and the like, thefe cor- ruptions lie (as I may fo exprefle it,) more up in the heart of the countrey ; but thofe other of worldly lulls, lye as it were in the Frontiers, and skirts of.it ; and therefore, until) fuch time as a man hath in fome good meafure overcome thofe that encounter him at the Borders, he comes not to have fo through a difcovery, and confiant conflit} with thofe that lie higher up in theheart ; Let us cleanfe our [elves from all pollution both offlefh and ¡Jiirit, Ayes the Apoflle, i Cor. 7. Which implves, that there are two forts ofcorruptions, one ofthefiefh, or body ; the other, of the ßuirit, or foule: for fo the oppofition there is to be taken, for elfe all lulls are lulls ofthefefh,that is, of corrupt nature. Againe, fuckcorruptions caufe a blindne(Te that a man cannotfie afar .off, as 2 Pet. Chap. i. Whilfl a fcholar that 'tames a Tongue, hath igt; learned to efcape all groffer faults in Grammaticali, con- L z ftruetion,
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