A30243:1547
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 58
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.
Fourthly, This Moral Virtue is not Grace, because suppose the utmost and highest which they attained in this way, viz. To love a virtuous action, for virtues 1sake, not for vain glory, or self-ends, but merely because virtue is lovely, and comely, and consonant to right reason: Yet because they staid in this, and did not refer all to God, placed their trust and happiness in this, and not in God; therefore these Virtues were indeed Vices. Hence the Apostle, 1 Corinth. 6. 1. calls all their Magistrates and Governors in their Public Courts, unjust: Do any of you go to Law before the unjust, and not before the Saints: Though they had a Civil Justice, and were a terror to the wicked; yet because this was not referred to Gods glory, the Scripture calls them unjust. But you see, the godly who have true Grace in them, and the fruits of Gods Spirit, yet rest not in this, look not to be justified or made happy hereby, but go out of them all to the favour of God through Christ: Thus Paul accounteth his Righteousness dung and dross, in comparison of the Righteousness by Faith, Philip. 3. 8. Paul, furnished with so many gracious ⟨p. 361⟩abilities, yet as a mere Beggar, runs to Gods Grace for covering, lest his nakedness appear: So that if our Graces, which yet are wrought in us by Gods Spirit, may have no confidence put in them; much less may those Civil Virtues: And for this reason, Austin puts those glorious Virtues in the Catalogue of Vices. Those virtues, saith he, which a man seemeth to himself to have, by which he hath power and dominion over vices, unless they be referred to God, they are vices rather then virtues; for although of some they are then thought to be true and honest virtues, when they are referred to themselves, and not desired for any thing else, yet even then they are swelling and proud, and therefore are not virtues but vices: For as that is not flesh, but above flesh, which makes flesh live, so that is not of a man, but above man, which makes man to live happily: thus Austin. So then this Civil virtue can make none godly, because it makes a man stay in himself, and rest in those apprehended perfections, not at all going out to God; whereas Grace in its proper effects, still makes us to eye God, and look out to him.