A30243:2339
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 11 › Sermon 92
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.
Secondly, Even in the godly, the heart many times may be desirous of that good 1which yet through the power of corruption they are not always able to perform. So that although a new heart be within them, yet much corruption, and many frailties may be in their life Rom. 7. Paul exceedingly groaned under this misery, That the good he would do, he could not do; and although out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh, yet the mouth cannot speak all the abundance of the heart: There is more strength of Grace in the heart then possibly can be expressed outwardly. As no child can express how much it loveth its father; so neither can any soul manifest how much it loveth God. Howsoever therefore a new heart is in the godly, yet because it is not perfectly and absolutely new, it faileth in many outward performances; some outward or inward temptations make it come short of the grace it desireth. Thus the Apostle, The Spirit and the flesh lusteth one against another, so that ye cannot do the things ye would, Gal. 5. 17. A godly man then must judge wisely concerning himself; they are ready to think, Oh if Grace were in my heart, if the spirit of God did dwell in me, how could I be overtaken with passions, with dullness and sluggishness; they must remember, that though the spirit be willing the flesh is often weak; yea many times both spirit and flesh also may be weak: But why do we speak of this as a strange thing? That where the Principles of Grace are men may fail in outward duties; for sometimes we see where they have been, yet foul and gross sins have been committed, yea and for some season continued in. David had the Spirit of God within; yet in his Murder and Adultery he did not walk in the Lords Statutes; and so of divers others! So that we must not absolutely condemn those as hypocrites, and without any true principles of grace, who living after a godly manner, yet sometimes fall in the mire, and tumble in blood: for although such a condition is very terrible, and greatly scandalous; yet the seeds and inward principles of grace are not quite extinct; and therefore when we say, A godly heart, and a godly life are necessarily conjoined together, that is to be understood for the most part, and according to the nature of things, though accidentally, through sudden temptations, the clean contrary may appear.