A30243:648
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 24
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, From hence it followeth, That wheresoever the Scripture promiseth 1salvation to any external action that is by way of Patience or Fortitude for Christ; That must be understood with this proviso, that as the action for the matter is good, and the cause is good; so the motives that draw out his heart be also good. Matth. 10. 33. Whosoever shall confess me before men, him will my Father also acknowledge before his holy Angels. In this place a glorious reward is promised to a stout confession of Christ in the midst of an adulterous generation, yet you must explain it thus, supposing he do as for Christ, so out of pure ends and holy affections, without which these external actions are but as so many glorious branches without any root at all; for we may see this fully confirmed in a parallel about giving of alms, and relieving the poor. There is scarce any religious duty hath more promises made to it in the Scripture then this hath, yet a Pharisee who frequently gave aims, could take no comfort at all from those Promises, because his motives were carnal and unworthy. Thus in sufferings for Christ even in imprisonments and death it self, it being possible that corrupt grounds ⟨p. 137⟩may sway us, as well as heavenly, there can be no solid comfort from such external sufferings, though never so sad and miserable. Therefore no promise of heaven is made to the most specious external exercise of any religious action whatsoever; Even now as on the contrary our Saviour saith, He that shall deny him before men, him will God also deny. This is to be understood universally, for Peter and many godly men have denied Christ, yet God did not deny them, because their denial was through infirmity out of fear, not from any malicious or purposed obstinacy against him. So then in all external duties we are not only to look to the matter that it be good, but also to what frame of heart, we do those things with; and in this lieth the marrow of Christianity, to look to internals, as well as externals; the former only commends us to God, though the later make us admirable among men.
Secondly, From hence it followeth, That wheresoever the Scripture promiseth 1