A30243:223
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 1 › Sermon 9
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, The case is not, Whether inherent Qualifications of grace, be evidences of themselves without the lustre of Gods Spirit? For all say, this certainty ariseth efficiently from the Spirit of God; Therefore Ephes. 1. sealing is attributed to the Spirit of God; so that we must not oppose a godly life, or graces to the Spirit of God, but conjoin them together; even as in the certainty we have about the Scripture, we do not oppose those Argumenta insita, inbred arguments that prove the Divinity of the Scripture, such as the style, majesty, purity, &c. to the Spirit of God: but we say, Gods Spirit doth persuade in, and by those Arguments; so it is here, Gods Spirit doth seal unto us our interest in Christ by those graces which are wrought in us.
Fourthly, The case is not, Whether inherent Qualifications of grace, be evidences of themselves without the lustre of Gods Spirit? For all say, this certainty ariseth efficiently from the Spirit of God; Therefore Ephes. 1. sealing is attributed to the Spirit of God; so that we must not oppose a godly life, or graces to the Spirit of God, but conjoyn them together; even as in the certainty we have about the Scripture, we do not oppose those Argumenta insita, imbred arguments that prove the Divinity of the Scripture, such as the style, majesty, purity, &c. to the Spirit of God: but we say, Gods Spirit doth perswade in, and by those Arguments; so it is here, Gods Spirit doth seal unto us our interest in Christ by those graces which are wrought in us.
Fifthly, The scruple is not, Whether these works of Gods Spirit in us, be to be rested on as causes or merits of our Justification? This is such Pharisaical Popery as is justly to be detested, we say not that a Christian finding such graces in him, should build the comfort of his Justification upon them, or rest on them in stead of Christ, but he is to make use of these, as Signs of Christs dwelling in him, whereby as from an effect of Gods love he may rejoice in, and be thankful unto God.