A30243:1245
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 5 › Sermon 45
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.
And as rotten fruit falls to the ground before it is ripe, so will all these affections decay before they come to any maturity, that flow not from a sanctified understanding. Divines say, God beginneth orderly, he first worketh in the understanding, and by that moveth and exciteth the affections; but the devil he first moveth the affections, and by them he perverteth and corrupteth the understanding. Thus he propounded to Eve what was good to the eye, and pleasant to the taste, thereby to ensnare the affections, and by that means blinded her judgement. Therefore the Apostle commands Timothy, to reprove with all Doctrine, 1 Tim. 4. 2. To make men afraid and tremble about sin, when by good and sound Doctrine they are not informed of the foulness and guilt of it will never hold.
And as rotten fruit falls to the ground before it is ripe, so will all these affections decay before they come to any maturity, that flow not from a sanctified understanding. Divines say, God beginneth orderly, he first worketh in the understanding, and by that moveth and exciteth the affections; but the divell he first moveth the affections, and by them he perverteth and corrupteth the understanding. Thus he propounded to Eve what was good to the eye, and pleasant to the taste, thereby to ensnare the affections, and by that means blinded her judgement. Therefore the Apostle commands Timothy, to reprove with all Doctrine, 1 Tim. 4. 2. To make men afraid and tremble about sin, when by good and sound Doctrine they are not informed of the foulnesse and guilt of it will never hold.
4. This new man comes short it may be of a new Creature, because the work of grace is not deep enough. He is an outward new creature, but not an inward new creature. That foolish builder our Saviour speaketh of, who lost all his pains and cost, miscarried in this, because he did not dig deep enough: Thy heart is throughly wounded ⟨p. 280⟩