A30243:1802
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 9 › Sermon 69
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.
For 1. By External Covenant, thou tookest God to be the Husband of thy soul. The Scripture delights to express it, by betrothing, and marrying the soul to God, Hosea 2. 19. Thou wast to leave Father, and Mother, and all Loves, and to cleave to him only. Now by thy sins thou hast turned from this Husband, and hast set thy heart upon other Lovers. Thus the Scripture doth not only call Idolatry Adultery, and going after other Husbands, but all inordinate love of the World, or any thing therein, James 4. 5. Ye Adulterers, and Adulteresses, know ye not the friendship of the world, is enmity with God? Here all kind of immoderate, and excessive affections to any Creature, is Adultery: so then whensoever thou art turned from God to any sin, thou hast run from thy Lawful Husband; thou hast forsaken the true object of thy Love: is it not then all the reason in the World to take up the Churches resolution, Hosea 2. 7. I will go and return to my first Husband, for then it was better with me then now: say then, my soul hath been playing the harlot all the while it hath forsaken God; it was God, and not these that my soul promised to cleave unto.
For 1. By External Covenant, thou tookest God to be the Husband of thy soul. The Scripture delights to expresse it, by betrothing, and marrying the soul to God, Hosea 2. 19. Thou wast to leave Father, and Mother, and all Loves, and to cleave to him onely. Now by thy sins thou hast turned from this Husband, and hast set thy heart upon other Lovers. Thus the Scripture doth not onely call Idolatry Adoltery, and going after other Husbands, but all inordinate love of the World, or any thing therein, James 4. 5. Ye Adulterers, and Adulteresses, know ye not the friendship of the world, is enmity with God? Here all kinde of immoderate, and excessive affections to any Creature, is Adultery: so then whensoever thou art turned from God to any sin, thou hast run from thy Lawfull Husband; thou hast forsaken the true object of thy Love: is it not then all the reason in the World to take up the Churches resolution,