A30243:900
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 33
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.
Thus the Disciples while they happily attended only to Christ his gracious invitations and manifold promises of his love, they thought it a very easy matter to get to heaven; They found nothing but honey come out of his mouth. Now when they hear our Saviour speak of the exact qualification of him that shall be saved, they are affected with fear as the Israelites were, who thought it impossible to possess Canaan, because of the tall Anakims that must first be conquered.
Thus the Disciples while they happily attended only to Christ his gracious invitations and manifold promises of his love, they thought it a very easie matter to get to heaven; They found nothing but honey come out of his mouth. Now when they hear our Saviour speak of the exact qualification of him that shall be saved, they are affected with fear as the Israelites were, who thought it impossible to possesse Canaan, because of the tall Anakims that must first be conquered.
For the clearing of the Doctrine, let these three things be premised;1
- 1Three things premised for clearing the Doctrine. 1.
First, That when we say it is such a difficult and impossible thing to be saved, we do not relate to that natural impossibility which is in every man; for so not only rich men, but even infants new-born, it's as impossible for them to be saved, as a Camel to go through the eye of a needle; for seeing all are by nature dead in sin; we can no more put spiritual life in our selves, then Adam could at first have made himself of a lump of earth, a living soul. We do not then fetch this impossibility of Salvation so much from the weakness of nature, as from the exactness of the way of grace, for our Saviour in the Text layeth not this impossibility upon the impotency and inability of a man in respect of original defilement, though this stream will by long windings at last empty it self into that fountain, but upon the curious bounds that grace prescribes our affections even to lawful things; so that although we may love and desire, and use these creature-comforts, yet if we go but one step beyond those limits, we have presently transgressed; and so when our Saviour saith upon this to comfort the Disciples with some hopes, with God all things are possible. Though it be universally true, yet it is more peculiarly to be limited to the matter in hand, God can level this Camels bunch, he can command the waters of our affections to stand still, and not to overflow.