A30243:790
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 29
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.
Orthodoxy is not enough for Heaven. To be a good sound Protestant and no more, will not carry us out of the wilderness into Canaan. To have a sound judgement, but an ungodly life, is to be like the Toad, which they say hath a Pearl in her head, but her body is full of poison. It is not enough to say, You thank God you are none of the Heretics or Sectaries, unless also you can say, You are none of the swearers, proud, profane men. We may by experience observe what a strong support this is to many men, when they die, that they die in the true faith, they die no Papists, no Arminians, &c. Now although when errors creep in, as the Frogs once did into Egypt, getting into every house and chamber almost, it be a great mercy to be preserved in the truth, and that also by truth we come to grace; yet because there are too many Solifidians, as the Papists calumniate the Protestants Doctrine, men who rely only upon this, that they are of the Reformed Religion, but yet are not of a Reformed Conversation, it is necessary to drive this Point home to the very heart.
Orthodoxy is not enough for Heaven. To be a good sound Protestant and no more, will not carry us out of the wildernesse into Canaan. To have a sound judgement, but an ungodly life, is to be like the Toad, which they say hath a Pearl in her head, but her body is full of poyson. It is not enough to say, You thank God you are none of the Hereticks or Sectaries, unlesse also you can say, You are none of the swearers, proud, prophane men. We may by experience observe what a strong support this is to many men, when they die, that they die in the true faith, they die no Papists, no Arminians, &c. Now although when errors creep in, as the Frogs once did into Aegypt, getting into every house and chamber almost, it be a great mercy to be preserved in the truth, and that also by truth we come to grace; yet because there are too many Solifidians, as the Papists calumniate the Protestants Doctrine, men who relie onely upon this, that they are of the Reformed Religion, but yet are not of a Reformed Conversation, it is necessary to drive this Point home to the very heart.
For the opening of it, consider these particulars: