A30243:2643
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 12 › Sermon 106
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.
Well, as these may be reasons on Gods part, so if you consider the earthly wise 1man, There is more hope of a fool then of him; His wisdom is like a Sword in a mad mans hand, his wisdom is the continual offensive weapon that he lifts up against God. For
- 1Reasons on mans part.
First, A man of carnal wisdom is depraved and defiled there where the first motions 1of conversion should show themselves, and that is in the understanding. Light is first made by God in the new Creature, as it was in the old creature of the world: ⟨p. 618⟩Now, saith our Saviour, If a mans eye be dark, the whole body is darkness, Mat. 6. 23. Were it not then that thou art so wounded in thy mind, that it is so fleshly and so corrupt, there were greater hopes of thy Salvation. So then, how necessarily must this wise man perish, whose whole wisdom and understanding is only to damn himself! His wisdom is against God, all his arguments, all his reasonings they are against his own soul, against that way of godliness, in which only he can be happy. Aquinas observeth, That faith is more difficult in a learned man then in another that is more ignorant, because the learned man knoweth more objections against the truth, is able to raise such arguments, he doth not well know to solve again; and this is much more true in a carnal wise man: Oh the many cavils, froward objections, subtle reasonings that he hath to put off the commands of God! This right eye then must be pulled out ere thou wilt walk in Gods way.
First, A man of carnal wisdom is depraved and defiled there where the first motions