A30243:370
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.
In the second place, we may doubt how David could lawfully pray to be Tempted, seeing our Saviours rule is to pray, That God would not lead us (or cast us, for ne infer as, doth better Answer [Greek or Hebrew] then ne inducas) into temptation; But that is to be understood of the evil of temptation: so as God should withdraw his grace either, internal, subduing our corruptions, or external, repressing Satan and all outward power against us.
In the second place, we may doubt how David could lawfully pray to be Tempted, seeing our Saviours rule is to pray, That God would not lead us (or cast us, for ne infer as, doth better Answer 〈non-Latin alphabet〉 then ne inducas) into temptation; But that is to be understood of the evil of temptation: so as God should withdraw his grace either, internal, subduing our corruptions, or external, repressing Satan and all outward power against us.
These things thus explained, observe, That it is a sure and comfortable sign of grace, when a man is willing to have his soul and all within searched by God. That which here David prayeth for, Psal. 17. 3. he there acknowledgeth what God had done, Thou hast proved my heart, thou hast tried me, and hast found nothing; which is not to be understood as if David had no Dross in him, (for those words are taken from the Artificers that melt their gold and silver) seeing Psal. 19. He crieth out, Who can understand his errors: cleanse me from secret sins. But of total and universal hypocrisy; neither doth David speak this arrogantly, as presuming of himself, but takes comfort from this in his grievous troubles, as a testimony that he belongs to God.
These things thus explained, observe, That it is a sure and comfortable sign of grace, when a man is willing to have his soul and all within searched by God. That which here David prayeth for,