A30243:1083
Spiritual refining
Spiritual refining: or A treatise of grace and assurance Wherein are handled, the doctrine of assurance. The use of signs in self-examination. How true graces may be distinguished from counterfeit. Several true signs of grace, and many false ones. The nature of grace under divers Scripture notions or titles, as regeneration, the new-creature, the heart of flesh, vocation, sanctification, &c. Many chief questions (occasionally) controverted between the orthodox and the Arminians. As also many cases of conscience. Tending to comfort and confirm saints. Undeceive and convert sinners. Being CXX sermons preached and now published by Anthony Burgess sometime fellow of Emanuel College in Cambridge, and now pastor of the church of Sutton-Coldfield in Warwickshire.Spiritual refining: or A treatise of grace and assurance Wherein are handled, the doctrine of assurance. The use of signs in self-examination. How true graces may be distinguished from counterfeit. Several true signs of grace, and many false ones. The nature of grace under divers Scripture notions or titles, as regeneration, the new-creature, the heart of flesh, vocation, sanctification, &c. Many chief questions (occasionally) controverted between the orthodox and the Arminians. As also many cases of conscience. Tending to comfort and confirm saints. Undeceive and convert sinners. Being CXX sermons preached and now published by Anthony Burgess sometime fellow of Emanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and now pastor of the church of Sutton-Coldfield in Warwickshire.
London: printed by A. Miller for Thomas Underhill, 1652
Title page typeset from the transcription.
A TREATISE OF GRACE and ASSURANCE; Being CXX. SERMONS. › Section 4 › Sermon 39
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
1. By Duty. And then 2. By privilege.
1. By Duty. And then 2. By priviledge.
By Duty: First, They have the Affections of a son in holy fear and reverence: If 1I be a Father, where is my honour, saith God, Mal. 1. 6. If we are to honour our earthly Parents, who give us only (and that but instrumentally neither) a bodily being, how much rather ought we with an holy fear to deport our selves before him, who is such an Omnipotent Father, and hath other chastisements even upon the soul and heart, which earthly Fathers have not. Now this filial fear is an excellent bridle & check to all that wantonness and insolency we many times run into, through our Fathers goodness and kindness to us: There is a servile mercenary fear, and there is a Filial ingenuous fear: the first is unworthy and unbeseeming the son of God, but the second is a requisite condition. Observe then thy self: If thou art a Son of God, What holy trembling and fear will be upon thee in all thy approaches to him? His Word, his Ordinances will cause much inward reverence and lowliness of heart in thee: Earthly parents are not Omnipresent, and so cannot be every where with their sons, which emboldens them to do many things which they would never do, if their parents did behold them, nay they would not for a world their father ever should come to know them. Jacobs children when they had committed that horrible act on their brother Joseph, all their care was to hide it from their Father: but now God is a Father every where present; he is all Eye, There is nothing done in secret, but thy Father seeth it. There is no heart-pride, no heart-earthliness, but thy Father seeth it. There is never a time thou prayest, hearest the word, but thy Father seeth with what frame of Spirit it is. Oh therefore if thou art a Son of God, thou wilt discover it in thy whole carriage: a Son feareth the frowns of his Father; I dare not do this; my father will be offended; and I, Whither shall I go? Thus the Apostle Peter, If ye call him Father, pass your sojourning here with fear,