A30243:1639
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 62
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.
Fifthly, To sanctify, is to acknowledge and use all things that belong to God, after an holy, reverent and heavenly manner: Thus the people of God are often exhorted 1To sanctify God in their hearts, Isa. 8. 13. and so they are commanded To sanctify or keep holy his Sabbaths, Isa. 29. 23. so that herein is a true sanctified person discovered, when he doth with all holy fear and reverence approach near unto God in his Ordinances: Thus a godly man is described by this property, He feareth an oath, Eccles 92. because an oath is a sacred appeal unto God, as the witness of our actions, and because his majesty is so great and glorious, that we are unworthy to take his name into our mouths; therefore he is said To fear an oath, he trembleth to swear. O how far are those then from Sanctification, who profanely and passionately belch out their oaths, and without any reverence, yea in madness and fury, make mention of God in their Oaths. If thou wert sanctified, thou wouldest acknowledge the Name, Person, Nature, Attributes and Ordinances of God Sacred and Holy, and so wouldst after a serious, ⟨p. 383⟩humble and holy manner use them, and make mention of them: So that the swearer and the curser, howsoever he may mitigate his sin, that he did it in his passion, and he doth not think of it, yet he can never pretend to Sanctification; for where that is, it doth rule the heart with such an holy and reverential awe of Gods Majesty, that he never makes mention of him, but with Religious and trembling affections. Its admirable what the Heathens have been in this very point of swearing, how unwilling to do it, though in a lawful thing, and all because of a devout apprehension they had of that Sacred Majesty to whom they did appeal in their oaths. O then, what shame and confusion should this be to Christians; there is scarce any old man, or young man, any rich man, or poor man, but given to this detestable sin of swearing, for which a man may properly be called profane, be cause he hath low, despicable and irreverent thoughts of God. Another duty of a godly man sanctified, is to keep holy his Sabbaths, as you read in many places; so that the loose, careless and contemptuous despising of it, is an argument of an unsanctified heart: The godly make it their delight, and they keep a spiritual Sabbath from their sins, and by this means, their souls enter into an holy rest that day: