The word "growth" holds in itself a vast deal of comfort and excuse to the man who wants to do right, yet does not altogether want to do right. He wants nothing better than for a preacher to come along and preach on "Growth" after such a fashion that it leaves the impression: "Just go along, and keep on trying, and by and by you will get better and naturally quit sinning." That sounds extremely plausible, especially to the man who wants to hear it. But it implies that known sin can not be broken off right here and now (pleasing thought that, to the man who would rather not quit it all of a sudden); it effectively puts the conscience to sleep with a false hope; it is a cloak for self-indulgence in wrongdoing and a vicious perversion of one of God's doctrines. Now, God does not countenance sin in any way, nor, though he be ready to forgive, does he indulge us in it. There are known sins, and sins unknown to ourselves (Ps. 19:12). As to the former, they must not be tolerated on any pretext whatever, and least of all should we seek any comfort concerning them, except that which comes of true repentance with all that that implies. "Some sins," said Henry Drummond, "must be dealt with suddenly if they are to be dealt with at all." "Do you believe in sudden conversions?" one asked a preacher. "Why, bless you," he replied, "that's the only kind I do believe in." And what he meant, and how right he was about it, is evident. We must not wait to grow out of sin, but as soon as it becomes known to us turn from it wholly and quickly, uncompromisingly, with all our hearts. As for growing--we can not grow into grace, but we grow in grace; we [155] do not grow from shame to glory, but from glory to glory. Let us deal sincerely and resolutely, and not temporize on pretext of "growing," where actual and known transgression is involved.

[TAG 155-156]