A30243:437
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 17
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.
First, That to have the Spirit of God in the Scripture sense, is more then to be a moral, honest, civil man. This is no more a testimony that we are of God, then any ⟨p. 93⟩baser metal can plead it self to be gold, because of some common accidents therewith, and therefore their morality, intellectual perfections are altogether fleshly; for so it's good to know that as Spirit differs from Spirit, one spiritual man from another, as one Star differs from another in glory, insomuch that one would wonder how the same heaven should at last receive men so different: so one carnal man differeth from another carnal man, as much as a garden from a dunghill, and one would wonder that the same hell should be at last the same receptacle of so different conversations. Corruption is not only in gross actions, but in the mind and understanding of a man, yea the more glorious it appeareth to be many times, it is the more carnal; As you see the Devils are called unclean spirits, who yet are not guilty of gross bodily sins. Oh therefore that you would consider, there is an higher and more glorious way of living then that which most attain unto: Christianity stamped upon a mere civil man, destitute of Gods Spirit, is but like the Kings Picture upon a brass shilling, as long as the materials are counterfeit, the superscription will not advantage. Baptism, Christianity, and all other glorious superscriptions put upon thee abiding in a moral estate, is no advantage for heaven; there must be power from Gods Spirit in thee.
First, That to have the Spirit of God in the Scripture sense, is more then to be a moral, honest, civil man. This is no more a testimony that we are of God, then any ⟨p. 93⟩baser mettal can plead it self to be gold, because of some common accidents therewith, and therefore their morality, intellectual perfections are altogether fleshly; for so it's good to know that as Spirit differs from Spirit, one spiritual man from another, as one Starre differs from another in glory, insomuch that one would wonder how the same heaven should at last receive men so different: so one carnal man differeth from another carnal man, as much as a garden from a dunghill, and one would wonder that the same hell should be at last the same receptacle of so different conversations. Corruption is not only in grosse actions, but in the minde and understanding of a man, yea the more glorious it appeareth to be many times, it is the more carnal; As you see the Devils are called unclean spirits, who yet are not guilty of grosse bodily sinnes. Oh therefore that you would consider, there is an higher and more glorious way of living then that which most attain unto: Christianity stampt upon a meer civil man, destitute of Gods Spirit, is but like the Kings Picture upon a brasse shilling, as long as the materials are counterfeit, the superscription will not advantage. Baptism, Christianity, and all other glorious superscriptions put upon thee abiding in a morall estate, is no advantage for heaven; there must be power from Gods Spirit in thee.