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the feed, whereof the new creature is formed, is not corruptible feed. Of fuch indeed, our bodies are generated: but the fpiritual feed, of which the new creature is generated, is incorruptible; namely, the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. The found of the word of God, paffeth even as other founds de: but the word lasteth, liveth and abideth, in respect of its everlasting effects on all upon whom it operates. This word, which by the gospel is preached unto you, (ver. 25.) impregnated by the Spirit of God, is the means of regeneration; and by it are dead finners raifed to life.

DOCTRINE. All men in the state of grace are born again. All gracious perfons, namely, fuch as are in a state of favour with God, and endued with gracious qualities and difpofitions, are regene-" rate perfons. In difcourfing this fubject, I fhall fhew what regeneration is: Next, Why it is fo called, and then apply the doctrine.

Of the Nature of Regeneration.

I. For the better understanding of the nature of regeneration, take this along with you in the first place. That as there are falfe conceptions in nature, fo there are alfo in grace: and by these many are deluded, mistaking fome partial changes made upon them, for this great and thorough change. To remove fuch mistakes, let these few things be confidered. (1.) Many call the church their mother, whom God will not own to be his children, Cant. i. 6. My mother's children (i. e. falfe brethren) were angry with me. All that are baptized are not born again. Simon was baptized, yet still in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity, Acts viii. 13, 23. Where Christianity is the religion of the country, many will be called by the name of Chrift, who have no more of him, but the name: and no wonder, seeing the devil had his goats among Chrift's fheep, in these places, where but few profeffed the Chriftian religion, 1 John ii. 19. They went out from us, but they were not of us. (2.) Good education is not regeneration. Education may chain up men's lufts, but cannot change their hearts. A wolf is ftill a ravenous beaft, though it be in chains. Joash was very devout during the life of his good tutor Fehoiada; but afterwards he quickly fhewed what fpirit he was of, by his fudden apoftafy, 2Chron. xxiv. 2, 17, 18. Good example is of mighty influence to change the outward man; but that change often goes off, when one changes his company; of which the world affords many fad inftances. (3.) A turning from open profanity, to civility and fobriety, falls fhort of this faving change. Some are, for a while, very loose, especially in their younger years: but at length they reform, and leave their profane courfes. Here is a change, yet but fuch an one, as may be found in men, utterly void of the grace of God, and whofe righteousness is fo far from exceeding, that it doth not come up to the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharifees. (4.) One may engage in all the outward duties of religion, and yet not be born again. Tho' lead be caft into

various fhapes, it remains ftill but a bafe metal. Men may efcaape the pollutions of the world, and yet be but dogs and fwine, 2 Pet. ii. 20, 22. All the external acts of religion are within the compafs of natural abilities. Yea. hypocrites may have the counterfeit of all the graces of the Spirit: for we read of true holiness, Eph, iv. 23. and faith unfeigned, 1 Tim i 5. which fhews us, that there is a counterfeit holiness, and a feigned faith. (5.). Men may-advance to a great deal of strictness in their own way of religion; and yet be firangers to the new birth, Acts xxxvi. 5. After the most flricteft fect of our religion, I lived a Pharifee. Nature has its own unfanctified ftrictnefs in religion. The Pharifees had so much of it, that they looked on Chrift as little better than a mere libertine A man whofe confcience hath been awakened, and who lives under the felt influence of the covenant of works, what will he not do, that is within the compass of natural abilities? It was a truth, tho' it came out of a hellish mouth, that fkin for fkin, all that a man hath will be give for his life, Job ii. 4. (6.) One may have fharp foul-exercifes and pangs, and yet die in the birth. Many have been in pain, that have but as it were brought forth wind. There may be fore pangs and throws of confcience, which turn to nothing at laft. Pharaoh and Simon Magus had fuch convictions, as made them defire the prayers of others for them. Judas repented himself; and under terrors of confcience, gave back his ill-gotten pieces of filver. All is not gold that glifters. Trees! may bloffom fairly in the fpring, on which no fruit is to be found in the harveft: and fome have fharp foul-exercifes, which are nothing. but foretaftes of hell.

The new birth, however in appearance hopefully begun, may be marred two ways. First, Some, like Zarah, Gen. xxxviii. 28, 29. are brought to the birth, but go back again. They have fharp convictions for a while: but these go off, and they turn as careless about their falvation, as profane as ever: and ufually worfe than ever, their laft State is worse than their firft, Mat. xii. 45. They get awakening grace, but not converting grace; and that goes off by degrees, as the light of the declining day, till it iffue in midnight darkness. Secondly, Some like Ishmael, come forth too foon; they are born before the time of the promise, Gen. xvi. 1, 2. compare Gal. iv. 22 and downward. They take up with a mere law-work, and, ftay not till the. time of the promife of the gofpel. They fnatch at confolation, not waiting till it be given them; and foolishly draw their comfort from the law that wounded them. They apply the healing plaifter to themselves, before their wound be fufficiently fearched. The law, that rigorous husband, feverely beats them, and throws in curfes and vengeance upon their fouls: then they fall a reforming, praying, mourning, promifing and vowing, till this ghost be laid; which done, they fall afleep again in the arms of the law; but they are never fhaken out of themfelves and their own righteoufnefs, nor brought forward to Jefus Chrift. Lastly, There may be a wonderful movin

here

of the affections, in fouls that are not at all touched with regenerating grace Where there is no grace there may, notwithstanding, be a Hood of tears, as in Efau, who found no place of repentance, tho' h fouseht it carefully with tears, Heb xii. 17 There may be gret flashes of joy; as in the hearers of the word, represented in the parable by the ftony ground. who anon with joy receive it, Matth xiii. 20 may also be great desire after good things, and great delight in them too; as in thefe hypocrites defcribed, Ifa lviii. 2. Yet, they feek me daily, and deli. ht to know my ways. They take delight in app cach ng unto God. See how high they may fometimes ftand, who yet fall away, Heb vi. 4, 5, 6 They may be nlightned, takie of the heavenly gift, be partakers of the holy Ghoft, tafte the good wond of God, and the powers of the work to come Common operations of the divine Spirit, like a land flood, make a strange turning of things up fide down. And when they are over, all runs again in the ordinary channel Allthese things may be, where the fanctifying Spirit of Chrift never refts. upon the foul. but the ftony heart ítill remains: and in that cafe, thefe affections cannot but wither brosuse they have no rooi.

But regeneration is a real thorough change, whereby the man is made a new creature, 2 Cor. v. 17 The Lord God makes the creature a new creature, as the goldfmith melts down the veffel of dilhonour and makes it a veffel of honour Man is, in refpect of his natural flate, altogether disjointed by the fall; every faculty of the foul is, as it were, diflocate: in regeneration the Lord loofeth every joint, and fets it right again Now this change made in regeneration is,

1. A change of qualities or difpofitions: it is not a change of the fubftance, but of the qualities of the foul Vicious qualities are removed, and the contrary difpofitions are brought in, in their room. The old man is put off, Eph iv 22 the n w man put on, ver 24. Man loft none of the rational faculties of his foul by fin; he had an underftanding ill, but it was darkened; he had ftill a will, but it was contrary to the will of God So in regeneration there is not a new fubftance created, but new qualities are infufed, light instead of darknefs, righteoufnefs instead of unrighteoufnefs.

2. It is a fupernatural change; he that is born again, is born of the Spirit, Jolm i 5. Great changes may be made by the power of nature, efpecially when affifted by external revelation. And nature may be fo elevated, by the common influences of the Spirit. that one may thereby be turned into another man, (as Saul was, 1 Sam. x 6.) who yet never becomes a new man. But in regeneration nature itself is changed, and we become partakers of the divine nature; and this mult needs be a fupernatural change. How can we that are dead in trefpaffes and fins, renew ourselves, more than a dead man can raise himfelf out of his grave? Who, but the fanctifying Spirit of Chrift, can form Chrift in a foul, changing it into the fame image? Who, but the Spirit of fanctification can give the new heart? Well may we fay, when we see a man thus changed, This is the finger of God.

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3. It is a change into the likeness of God, 2 Cor i. 18. Webeholding as in a lafs the glory of th Lord, are changed into the fame image. Every thing that generates, generates its like: the child bears the image of the parent; and they that are born of God, bear God's image. Man afpiring to be as God, made himfelf like the devil. In his natural ftate he refembles the devil, as a child doth the father, John viii 44 Ye are of your father the devil. But when this happy change comes, the image of Satan is defaced, and the image of God restored. Chrift himfelf, who is the brightness of his Father's glory, is the pattern, after which the new creature is made, Rom. viii. 29. For whom he did for know, he alfo did predeftinate to be conformed to the imao of his Son Hence he is faid to be conformed in the

regenerate, Gal-1v. 19.

4 It is an univerfal change; all things become new, 2 Cor. vi. 17. It is a bleft leaven that leavens the whole lump, the whole fpirit, and foul and body. Original fin infects the whole man; and regenerating grace, which is the falve, goes as far as the fore. This fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness; goodness of the mind, goodness of the will, goodness of the affections, goodness of the whole man One gets not only a new head to know religion, or a new tongue to talk of it; but a new heart to love and embrace it, in the whole of his converfation. When the Lord opens the fluice of grace on the foul's new-birthday, the waters run through the whole man, to purify and make him fruitful. In the fe natural changes fpoken of before, there are, as it were, pieces of new cloth put into an old garment; a new life fewed to an old heart: but the gracious change is a thorough change, a change both of heart and life.

5. Yet it is but an imperfect change. Tho' every part of the man is renewed, there is no part of him perfectly renewed. As an infant has all the parts of a man, but none of them are come to their perfect growth; fo regeneration brings a perfection of parts, to be brought forward in the gradual advances of fanctification, 1 Pet ii. 2. As new born babes de fire the fincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby. Although in regeneration there is a heavenly light let into the mind; yet there is ftill fome darkness there: tho' the will is renewed, it is not perfectly renewed; there is ftill fome of the old inclination to fin remaining and thus it will be till that which is in part be done away, and the light of glory come Adam was created at his full ftature; but they that are born, must have their time to grow up: fo thefe that are born again, do come forth into the new world of grace, but imperfectly holy; though Alam, being created upright, was at the fame time perfectly righteous, without the leaft mixture of finful imperfection

Laly, Nevertheless is a lafting change, which never goes off. The feed is incorruptible. faith the text; and fo is the creature that is formed of it. The life given ineneration, whatever decays it may fall under, can never be utterly foft. His fed remaineth in him,

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who is born of God, John iii. 9. Though the branches should be cut down, the root fhall abide in the earth; and being watered with the dew of heaven, thall sprout again: for the root of the righteous shall not be moved, Prov, xii. 3.

But to come to particulars.

Firft, In regeneration the mind is favingly enlightned. There is a new light let into the understanding, fo that they who were fometimes darkness, are now light in th Lord, Eph v. 8 The beams of the light of life make their way into the dark dungeon of the heart: then night is over, and the morning-light is come, which will fhine more and more unto the perfect day. Now the man is illuminated, i. In the knowledge of God He has far other thoughts of God, than ever he had before, Hof. ii. 20. I will even betrothe thee unto me in faithfuln fs, and thou shalt know the Lord. The Spirit of the Lord brings him back to that question, What is God? And catechifeth him anew upon that grand point, fo as he is made to fay, I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eyes feeth thee, Job xlii. g. The fpotlefs purity of God, his exact juftice, his all-fufficiency, and other glorious perfections revealed in his word, are, by this new light, difcovered to the foul, with a plainnefs and certainty that doth as far exceed the knowledge it had of these things before, as ocular demonftration exceeds common fame. For now he fees what he only heard of before.

2. He is enlightned in the knowledge of fin. He hath other thoughts of it, than he was wont to have. Formerly his fight could not pierce thro' the cover Satan laid over it: but now the Spirit of God ftrips it before him, wipes off the paint and fairding; and he fees it in its native colours, as the worst of evils exceeding finful, Rom. vii. 12. O what deformed monfters do formerly beloved lufts appear! were they right eyes, he would pluck them out: were they right hands, he would confent to their cutting off He fees how offenfive fin is to God, how deftructive it is to the foul; and calls himself fool, for fighting fo long against the Lord, and harbouring that destroyer as a bofom friend.

3. He is inftructed in the knowledge of himself. Regenerating grace caufeth the prodigal to come to himfelf, Luke xv 17. and makes men full of eyes within, knowing every one the plague of his own heart. The mind being favingly enlightned, the man fees how defperately corrupt his nature is; what enmity against God and his holy law has long lodged there: fo that his foul lothes itself. No open fepulchre, no puddle, fo vile and loathsome in his eyes as himfelf, Ezek. xxxvi. 31. Then fhall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and fhall lothe yourselves in your own fight He is no worse than he was before: but the fun is fhining: and fo thefe pollutions are feen, which he could not difcern, when there was no dawning in him: as the word is, Ifa. viii. 20. while as yet the day of grace was not broken with him.

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