diff --git a/spring-boot-project/spring-boot/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/SpringApplication.java b/spring-boot-project/spring-boot/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/SpringApplication.java
index 5ca1aa695e..b440012fc5 100644
--- a/spring-boot-project/spring-boot/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/SpringApplication.java
+++ b/spring-boot-project/spring-boot/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/SpringApplication.java
@@ -394,7 +394,7 @@ public class SpringApplication {
 	}
 
 	private void refreshContext(ConfigurableApplicationContext context) {
-		refresh(context);
+		refresh((ApplicationContext) context);
 		if (this.registerShutdownHook) {
 			try {
 				context.registerShutdownHook();
@@ -741,10 +741,21 @@ public class SpringApplication {
 	/**
 	 * Refresh the underlying {@link ApplicationContext}.
 	 * @param applicationContext the application context to refresh
+	 * @deprecated since 2.3.0 in favor of
+	 * {@link #refresh(ConfigurableApplicationContext)}
 	 */
+	@Deprecated
 	protected void refresh(ApplicationContext applicationContext) {
-		Assert.isInstanceOf(AbstractApplicationContext.class, applicationContext);
-		((AbstractApplicationContext) applicationContext).refresh();
+		Assert.isInstanceOf(ConfigurableApplicationContext.class, applicationContext);
+		refresh((ConfigurableApplicationContext) applicationContext);
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Refresh the underlying {@link ApplicationContext}.
+	 * @param applicationContext the application context to refresh
+	 */
+	protected void refresh(ConfigurableApplicationContext applicationContext) {
+		applicationContext.refresh();
 	}
 
 	/**