A30243:369
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 15
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.
I shall consider that sign of his sincerity, wherein he desireth God would Try him, and search him: So that if there were any Hypocrisy, any false way, any unsound or imperfect principles he walked in, it was his hearty desire to have all discovered. And certainly there cannot be a greater argument of the truth of Grace, then a willingness to come to the light, and a readiness to be weighed in the balance; as on the other side you have not a surer character of an hypocrite, and an unsound Christian, then fear of the light, and unwillingness to be ransacked and searched into the very bowls by the word of God: But Davids hearty willingness in this particular appeareth, 1. In the several words he heaps up together in his Petition, Examine me; as Artificers do, whether their gold be weight or no: try me by discovering whether I am inwardly sound or no: Prove me, (as the word signifieth) as when the Artificer melteth his silver in the fire, that separateth the dross. 2. This doth appear in the object matter which he would have thus proved, and that is, His heart, his reins, which are the most inward and secret motions of his soul, he would have a deeper searching into, and winnowing of him then the world can do. Certainly David in this Petition doth discover great honesty, and faithfulness of Spirit. Now, here may be two doubts. 1. How God can be said to tempt, or try any man, seeing James 1. 13. God is said to tempt no man; and the devil is called [Greek or Hebrew], as if it were his work only. 1The Answer is obvious, That there is a double Temptation: one evil, which is defective either in the principle, or means, or end of the Temptation. And thus the Devil and our own flesh Tempt. The other is a good Temptation, arising from a good principle, in a lawful way, to a good end; and thus God doth Tempt, that is, doth make a discovery what is in man; not as if he were ignorant ⟨p. 79⟩of it, but that hereby the person trusted may be better known to himself, and to others.
I shall consider that sign of his sincerity, wherein he desireth God would Try him, and search him: So that if there were any Hypocrisie, any false way, any unsound or imperfect principles he walked in, it was his hearty desire to have all discovered. And certainly there cannot be a greater argument of the truth of Grace, then a willingness to come to the light, and a readiness to be weighed in the balance; as on the other side you have not a surer character of an hypocrite, and an unsound Christian, then fear of the light, and unwillingness to be ransaked and searched into the very bowles by the word of God: But Davids hearty willingness in this particular appeareth, 1. In the several words he heaps up together in his Petition, Examine me; as Artificers doe, whether their gold be weight or no: try me by discovering whether I am inwardly sound or no: Prove me, (as the word signifieth) as when the Artificer melteth his silver in the fire, that separateth the dross. 2. This doth appear in the object matter which he would have thus proved, and that is, His heart, his reins, which are the most inward and secret motions of his soul, he would have a deeper searching into, and winnowing of him then the world can do. Certainly David in this Petition doth discover great honesty, and faithfulness of Spirit. Now, here may be two doubts. 1. How God can be said to tempt, or try any man, seeing