A30243:1970
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 76
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.
Fourthly, That is thy darling sin, which thou wouldst have spared above all. Thou wouldst never stand delaying, but turn immediately to God, but for that. 1That which thou hidest in time of danger, as Jehojadah did young Joas, hoping in time to make him King. This is the Goliath of all the Philistines: Commonly when the Grace of God comes close to a mans heart, begins to wrestle and combat with sin; then there is no such sturdy and potent enemy as that beloved sin. All the difficulty is in throwing down that mountain. When there was a man very forward, and not very far from the Kingdom of Christ, our Saviour to try his sincerity, presently puts him upon the leaving his endeared sin, and then saith the Text, He went away exceeding sorrowful. This was the cup of Jealousy-water that did presently make his thigh to rot. What then is the sin that hinders thee alway? That is the [Greek or Hebrew], the millstone about thy neck […] If it were not for that, thou couldst gladly run in the way of Gods commandments: This is the great enemy to thy souls peace, spare it not but destroy it.
Fourthly, That is thy darling sinne, which thou wouldst have spared above all. Thou wouldst never stand delaying, but turn immediately to God, but for that. 1That which thou hidest in time of danger, as Iehojadah did young Ioas, hoping in time to make him King. This is the Goliah of all the Philistims: Commonly when the Grace of God comes close to a mans heart, begins to wrestle and combate with sinne; then there is no such sturdy and potent enemy as that beloved sin. All the difficulty is in throwing down that mountain. When there was a man very forward, and not very far from the Kingdom of Christ, our Saviour to trie his sincerity, presently puts him upon the leaving his indeared sin, and then saith the Text, He went away exceeding sorrowful. This was the cup of Jelousie-water that did presently make his thigh to rot. What then is the sinne that hinders thee alway? That is the 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, the milstone about thy neck 〈…〉 If it were not for that, thou couldst gladly run in the way of Gods commandments: This is the great enemy to thy souls peace, spare it not but destroy it.