A30243:402
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 16
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.
3. As growth is always upon a supposed principle within, so it is uniform and aptly proportionable: as the Apostle implieth in that comparison, every part hath its proportionable nourishment, so that in true growth of grace, every particular grace hath its suitable increase, and herein the people of God are very negligent; if they grow in believing, they do not the same time grow in repentance and humiliation, if they grow in joy, they do not increase in fear and trembling. This is their weakness and corruption, for all true increase of grace is uniform. As in natural bodies, every part groweth, one as well as the other, the little finger as well as the great, whereas now if one part prove bigger then in proportion it should to the other parts, we call it not growth but a disease: a tympany, a wen, are not growth in the body, but tumours, neither do they come from a natural life, but from some accidental defect: so then, if thou growest in knowledge, in abilities, and not in a practical conformity to them, this is not properly growth, but swellings. And is not this the sad calamity of this age, men growing out into suckers not into fruit, into opinions, parts, not holiness, how many monsters […] ⟨p. 87⟩there to be seen, whose heads are bigger then all their bodies? and so the hypocrite with his partial obedience, Jehu with his several acts of reformation, Herod with his many things he did, yet increased not in grace, because here was not an uniform proportion in all.
3. As growth is alwayes upon a supposed principle within, so it is uniform and aptly proportionable: as the Apostle implyeth in that comparison, every part hath its proportionable nourishment, so that in true growth of grace, every particular grace hath its sutable encrease, and herein the people of God are very negligent; if they grow in beleeving, they do not the same time grow in repentance and humiliation, if they grow in joy, they do not encrease in fear and trembling. This is their weaknesse and corruption, for all true encrease of grace is uniform. As in naturall bodies, every part groweth, one as well as the other, the little finger as well as the great, whereas now if one part prove bigger then in proportion it should to the other parts, we call it not growth but a disease: a tympany, a wen, are not growth in the body, but tumours, neither doe they come from a naturall life, but from some accidentall defect: so then, if thou growest in knowledge, in abilities, and not in a practicall conformity to them, this is not properly growth, but swellings. And is not this the sad calamity of this age, men growing out into suckers not into fruit, into opinions, parts, not holinesse, how many monsters