A30243:3035
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.
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.
Fifthly, God is not unjust, no not to those that are afar off, because none 1among them have done what they might do, in a natural and moral way: for although no man hath power in a gracious manner, to any spiritual good thing, ⟨p. 696⟩yet they may restrain from the outward actings of many gross sins: The very light of nature would teach a man to abhor many things, which yet the Heathens committed; so that God hath a just controversy with them, and will be cleared when he judgeth the world.
Fifthly, God is not unjust, no not to those that are afar off, because none 1among them have done what they might do, in a natural and moral way: for although no man hath power in a gracious manner, to any spiritual good thing, ⟨p. 696⟩yet they may restrain from the outward actings of many gross sins: The very light of nature would teach a man to abhor many things, which yet the Heathens committed; so that God hath a just controversie with them, and will be cleared when he judgeth the world.
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Sixthly, Though God do not call all men, and thereby they are wholly impotent, 1and unable to any good; yet they do not sin so much, because they want power, as because they have a willing delight in it; and this indeed doth mainly remove all objections; for its not a mans impotency, so much as his wilful consent to sin, that damneth him: his non posse, is in some sense, his non velle. Bernard saith well of mans necessity that is now brought upon him to sin; the necessity doth not take away the voluntariness of it, nor the voluntariness the necessity: There is no man can say, O Lord, I had a will, I was very ready to come to thee, but thou didst not give me power: No, the will in every man is the grand enemy and adversary unto Christ in all his ways: Damnation is to man, because unwilling, not because unable.