A30243:2448
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 97
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.
That God in Converting and changing our hearts works after an omnipotent, efficacious, 1and irresistible manner. When God speaks to the soul to believe, to repent, to reform, it cannot, it will not but repent, he makes of unwilling willing: Even as at the first Creation God said, Let there be light, and there was light: There was no power in the Creature to reject Gods Omnipotency: so it is, when God seeth a man wallowing in his blood, or dead in his sin: if he say, Arise and walk, Come forth out of the grave of sin, as he did to Lazarus, presently the soul obeyeth. This point both Doctrinally, and Practically, is very necessary. The Orthodox handling of it, makes much for the excellent praise of grace, and the utter overthrow of those dangerous and proud errors that advance Free-will, giving it either all, or part, in the work of conversion. Contrary to the whole scope of the Scripture, which continually debaseth man, discovering his impotency and unworthiness, but giving all to the power of God. Let us first explain this Doctrine, and then prove it.2
That God in Converting and changing our hearts works after an omnipotent, efficacious, 1and irresistible manner. When God speaks to the soul to believe, to repent, to reform, it cannot, it will not but repent, he makes of unwilling willing: Even as at the first Creation God said, Let there be light, and there was light: There was no power in the Creature to reject Gods Omnipotency: so it is, when God seeth a man wallowing in his bloud, or dead in his sin: if he say, Arise and walk, Come forth out of the grave of sinne, as he did to Lazarus, presently the soul obeyeth. This point both Doctrinally, and Practically, is very necessary. The Orthodox handling of it, makes much for the excellent praise of grace, and the utter overthrow of those dangerous and proud errors that advance Free-will, giving it either all, or part, in the work of conversion. Contrarie to the whole scope of the Scripture, which continually debaseth man, discovering his impotencie and unworthines, but giving all to the power of God. Let us first explain this Doctrine, and then prove it.2
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