A30243:1441
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 7 › Sermon 53
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.
Secondly, Grace only hath the promises of this life, and the life to come made to it. So saith the the Apostle, 1 Tim. 4. 8. Heaven and Salvation is promised not to 1men of parts, morality; but to men of grace. Look over any promise in the Scripture for pardon of sin, for joy and happiness, this is given only to those that have grace in them. Now to be a man without a promise, is to be like one in the old world, without an Ark, when the Deluge did over-flow: Let thy sins lye like so many mountains upon thee, thou hast no encouragement to call God Father, till this grace hath made thee a child to him. Why is it, that men do not consider this now? Who can tell thee all the woe and misery that belongs to thee, while God sets a fiery sword to keep thee from every promise, as once he did Adam from the Tree of life? and for the things of this life, they are promised only to grace by way of mercy. Wicked men they have temporal, worldly mercies, but it is by Gods Providence, not by his promise; and therefore they are not mercies to them, but instruments to draw out and exercise their impieties the more: wicked men, if they have health and strength, they are more emboldened in their wickedness; if they have riches and large revenues, their lusts are thereby more active; so that to the gracious man only they become a mercy; so what can more induce thee to get grace than this, To consider that hereby every thing will be a mercy to thee, all comforts, all afflictions, all relations; this grace turneth all waters into wine, this is the true Philosophers stone, that makes every thing gold; so that we are to call things good or bad according to their operations in a way of grace, or sin. If the great things of this world make thee more vain, sinful, dissolute, then they are bad things; if the sad and miserable things of this world make thee full of faith, heavenly-mindedness and zeal, then they are good things; if thou art gracious, God will with-hold no good thing from thee; All things ⟨p. 333⟩are thine, whether life, or death, things present, or things to come.
Secondly, Grace onely hath the promises of this life, and the life to come made to it. So saith the the Apostle, 1 Tim. 4. 8