A30243:1824
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 70
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.
Seventhly, Call not that pleasure, which when thy soul is powerfully wrought upon by Gods grace, will be only bitter and miserable to thee: Look upon all the true 1converts unto God, how have they been affected with sin: Did not Mary Magdalene with anguish of heart, cause floodgates of sorrow to be opened? Did not David upon his after-conversion to God, being turned aside by murder and adultery, lie roaring through anguish of spirit? What profit, saith the Apostle, have ye of those things, whereof you are now ashamed, Rom. 6. 21. And so here, What pleasure and sweetness is there in that, which you now find so bitter? And if thou hast not such a merciful time here to find it bitter? thou wilt have a terrible and just time to find it so in hell: What? do the damned souls feel any pleasure? is there so much as one drop of honey, in all the gall they are to drink? If not, where is thy wisdom and judgement, that doest not throw away thy sins as so much hemlock, and embrace godliness in the room thereof, which brings its pleasant well-come with it, even much tranquillity and quietness of conscience.
Seventhly, Call not that pleasure, which when thy soul is powerfully wrought upon by Gods grace, will be onely bitter and miserable to thee: Look upon all the true 1converts unto God, how have they been affected with sin: Did not Mary Magdalene with anguish of heart, cause floodgates of sorrow to be opened? Did not David upon his after-conversion to God, being turned aside by murther and adultry, lie roaring through anguish of spirit? What profit, saith the Apostle, have ye of those things, whereof you are now ashamed, Rom. 6. 21. And so here, What pleasure and sweetness is there in that, which you now finde so bitter? And if thou hast not such a merciful time here to finde it bitter? thou wilt have a terrible and just time to finde it so in hell: What? do the damned souls feel any pleasure? is there so much as one drop of honey, in all the gall they are to drink? If not, where is thy wisdom and judgement, that doest not throw away thy sins as so much hemlock, and imbrace godliness in the room thereof, which brings its pleasant well-come with it, even much tranquillity and quietness of conscience.