A30243:308
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 2 › Sermon 12
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.
2. As our obedience must be thus internal, as well as external; so it must be external 1as well as internal; We must not please our selves with contemplative Meditations or pretended Revelations, neglecting an active industrious life for God in our places and relations. In Popery there is the contemplative life, and the active life; the one they compare to Mary, the other to Martha; and they say, that contemplative life, like Mary hath chosen the better part, but this is to hide our talents in a napkin; and as Tacitus speaks of some men, That they were Solâ socordiâ innocents, because of their slothfulness, they did not come in harm's way, as others did. It was not wisdom or justice, but mere sluggishness kept them from meddling in dangerous matters; so we may say these are Solâ socordiâ pii, godly only by slothfulness; To these we may add some that pretend now adays to live upon immediate Revelation, crying down all the Ordinances, Ministry, Sacraments and Sabbath, as empty forms: But how doth this stand with that universal Obedience unto all the injunctions of God made to his Church?
2. As our obedience must be thus internal, as well as external; so it must be external 1as well as internal; We must not please our selves with contemplative Meditations or pretended Revelations, neglecting an active industrious life for God in our places and relations. In Popery there is the contemplative life, and the active life; the one they compare to Mary, the other to Martha; and they say, that contemplative life, like Mary hath chosen the better part, but this is to hide our talents in a napkin; and as Tacitus speaks of some men, That they were Solâ socordiâ innocentes, because of their sloathfulnesse, they did not come in harmsway, as others did. It was not wisdom or justice, but meer sluggishnesse kept them from medling in dangerous matters; so we may say these are Solâ socordiâ pii, godly only by sloathfulnesse; To these we may adde some that pretend now adaies to live upon immediate Revelation, crying down all the Ordinances, Ministry, Sacraments and Sabbath, as empty forms: But how doth this stand with that universall Obedience unto all the injunctions of God made to his Church?
- 12.