A30243:589
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 3 › Sermon 22
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.
Secondly, There is a lawful disputation in matters of Religion, yea it is a duty 1sometimes, when the Church is unsatisfied to have points of Religion throughly discussed. Thus our Saviour did use many arguments to prove he was the Messiah, yea tentativè did once argue against the truth, that the Messiah was not the Son of ⟨p. 125⟩David, because he called him Lord, which was only to draw out his adversaries the more. In like manner Act. 15. there was a famous Council gathered together, when Doubts in Religion troubled the Church, and in this Council there was [Greek or Hebrew] much disputing; so at another time we read of Paul, that he was [Greek or Hebrew], proving out of the Scripture some truth; the word signifieth by a strict comparing and knitting of one place to another. And for this reason it is that God doth suffer heresies and false doctrines to be vented, that the truth may be more resplendent, by having all rust filed off; As in times of persecutions God doth exercise patientiam Ecclesiae, the patience of the Church; so in time of heresies he doth exercise sapientiam, the wisdom and skill of the Church.
Secondly, There is a lawfull disputation in matters of Religion, yea it is a duty 1sometimes, when the Church is unsatisfied to have points of Religion throughly discussed. Thus our Saviour did use many arguments to prove he was the Messias, yea tentativè did once argue against the truth, that the Messias was not the Sonne of ⟨p. 125⟩David, because he called him Lord, which was only to draw out his adversaries the more. In like manner Act. 15. there was a famous Councel gathered together, when Doubts in Religion troubled the Church, and in this Councel there was 〈non-Latin alphabet〉 much disputing; so at another time we reade of Paul, that he was 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, proving out of the Scripture some truth; the word signifieth by a strict comparing and knitting of one place to another. And for this reason it is that God doth suffer heresies and false doctrines to be vented, that the truth may be more resplendent, by having all rust filed off; As in times of persecutions God doth exercise patientiam Ecclesiae, the patience of the Church; so in time of heresies he doth exercise sapientiam, the wisdom and skill of the Church.