A30243:1865
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 72
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.
First, That it may be these purposes they have, are not hearty, real, and fully conquering the heart: They are but a kind of wishes and desires, such as Balaam's, 1Oh, that I might dye the death of the Righteous: They are but faint wishing and woulding, as we say, and this will never do any good: They are such desires as the Sluggard is said to have, which yet doth scarce draw his hand out of his bosom to help himself: Its not as the phrase is, To cleave to the Lord with full purpose of heart; as Paul said in another case, I could wish to be made an Anathema, so thou couldest wish to be separated from thy lusts, thou couldst desire to be a new convert; but these are such languishing motions, that they are like those living ⟨p. 438⟩Creatures, [Greek or Hebrew], that live but for a day; there comes up a worm, that quickly consumes these gourds. The desires of a man in his conversion, are compared to Hunger and Thirst, to Panting and Breathing, all which are the most violent and impatient motions of a man: Can a man be hungry, ready to be starved, and sit still crying, O that I had food? no, it will break through stone walls. You see what the hungry Lepers did, 2 Kings 7. 8. desperately ventured even into their enemies quarters, that they might be satisfied: And thus, if thy purposes and resolutions were full and strong, no lust, no temptation could be so strong as to hold thee any longer; but now they are half desires, and faint wishes, and God hath made no promise to such, that they shall be satisfied. Austin speaks of himself before his conversion, how he had many desires and resolutions to leave his sins, which made him pray to God, that God would give him grace to part with them, yet at that very time he was afraid (he saith) that God should hear his prayers; he was afraid God should do that for him, he desired: And thus it may be with thee, thou hast many affections and desires to forsake thy sins, frequent relentings, yet if it should come to it indeed, that thou must be taken from them, it would be a trouble to thee; all which argueth, thou art not real, fully bent against them.
First, That it may be these purposes they have, are not hearty, real, and fully conquering the heart: They are but a kinde of wishes and desires, such as Balaams,