For puritans, the godly life was not static but in process: a journey in which the believer progressed in spiritual attainment, represented by the wellknown example of Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress (1678). However, in contrast with goals proposed by Beeke and Packer, for Venning growth was not a ‘Quest’ for ‘Assurance’ nor ‘Godliness’ as ends in themselves. Instead, these were means to the goal, which was happiness. Having evaluated the importance of the pursuit of happiness in his thought on godliness and sin, we shall now consider the role it played in his theology of spiritual growth.

Puritanism and Spiritual Growth

Categorising believers according to spiritual maturity was commonplace amongst puritans, reflecting the influences of Augustine and Calvin. For Calvin, there were four ‘classes’ of saints, although only the fourth were ‘Spiritu Dei regenerati’ and ‘vera sanctimoniam medita[n]tur’. Similarly, Perkins identified four degrees of grace and ‘declaration of Gods loue’ in his Golden Chaine, while in his Arte, primarily a training manual for preachers, he distinguishes between the weak and the strong. Adopting language derived from the New Testament, it is a distinction between levels of doctrinal understanding.

Sibbes categorised believers in Bruised Reed (1630), a work explicitly targeted at ‘weaker Christians’. He writes, ‘There are several ages in Christians, some babes, some young men: grace is as a grain of mustard seed, Mat. Xvii.20’ (i.e. it grows exponentially). James Durham (1622–58) also identified degrees of spiritual attainment in Clavis Cantici (1668), as did Ames in his influential Marrow of Sacred Divinity (1642). Both follow Perkins' view, concerned that appropriate doctrines be taught to weak and strong believers. Likewise, Thomas Wilson (1562–1622), interpreting 1 Corinthians 3:1–2, is primarily concerned with spiritual understanding and the interpretation of Scripture. He writes that there are texts which are clear to ‘children and weake ones’ while there are others which may only be understood correctly by those who are ‘strong in faith, and of a ripe age in knowledge of Christ’.