A30243:1605
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 8 › Sermon 61
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, This apprehension that sin makes men unclean and defiled, hath been 1so engraven in the hearts of all men by nature, that therefore they have used superstitiously many external bodily washings: as if that would take away their pollution, and make them more acceptable to God. Thus the Heathens used to wash themselves, before they entered into their Temples, to sacrifice to their Gods, and they had water pots, or stones of water stood at the entrance into the Temple, wherein thy purified themselves; confessing hereby, that sin made them so beastly and unclean, that they were no ways fit or decent to perform any Religious action: and thus the Jews they brought in many superstitious Washings: When they came from Market, when they had been about any employment, they would come home and wash themselves, yea they washed their Beds, their Pots, their Dishes, Mark 7. 4 l•st they should get any defilement. Thus Pilate did wash his hands, to denote thereby his Innocency; and Tertullian speaks of the superstition of some Christians in his days, That they would never go to prayer, till they had washed themselves. Now our Saviours Doctrine is a good Antidote to all such superstitious thoughts: Not that which goeth into a man doth defile him, but that which comes out. Its not a bodily filthiness, or uncleanness, but a soul-filthiness, which is so displeasing to God. The Papists they attribute much to 2their Holy-water, as if the sprinkling of that would cleanse away the stone of the soul, but this is the peculiar effect of Christs blood only.
Secondly, This apprehension that sinne makes men unclean and defiled, hath been 1so ingraven in the hearts of all men by nature, that therefore they have used superstitiously many externall bodily washings: as if that would take away their pollution, and make them more acceptable to God. Thus the Heathens used to wash themselves, before they entred into their Temples, to sacrifice to their Gods, and they had water pots, or stones of water stood at the entrance into the Temple, wherein thy purified themselves; confessing hereby, that sin made them so beastly and unclean, that they were no wayes fit or decent to perform any Religious action: and thus the Iewes they brought in many superstitious Washings: When they came from Market, when they had been about any imployment, they would come home and wash themselves, yea they wash'd their Beds, their Pots, their Dishes,