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not fenfuality and riot, impurity and luft, flain their victims, and raifed up monuments fraught with moral inftruction in every age? How long is it ago, fince Hosea faid, "Whoredom and wine, and new wine take away "the heart ?"* And fince Solomon faid of a harlot, "She hath caft down many wounded, and many frong "men have been flain by her. Her houfe is the way to "hell, going down to the chambers of death?" But though uninfpired writers have faid this as well as he, nay, though it is vifible to all, have men become wife? Have they fhunned the paths of the deftroyer? No: we may justly fay of the prefent times, as the Pfalmift David said many ages ago, "This their way is their folly; yet their posterity approve their fayings." Nothing, nothing will change them, till the Spirit of God roufe and awaken the confcience, powerfully conftrain the will, and effectually renew the heart.

Hence then it appears, that the new birth is a "fupernatural change;" it is the effect of the power of God; it is the work of the Holy Ghost. I have been at the more pains to establish this truth, because I am perfuaded, that until it be truly received, there may be a form, but there can be nothing of the power of godlinefs. But we must now vindicate it from the objections and abufe, to which it may be thought liable. There are many who ftill harbor in their minds, and fometimes produce in conversation, the objection mentioned by the apoftle Paul; " Thou wilt

fay then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault, for who "hath refifted his will?" This, indeed, is the fum of all the objections that ever were, or ever can be offered against it and I make the fhort anfwer of the fame apollle;

Nay, but O man! who art thou that replieft againft "God?" This is but making or imagining an inconfiftency between two things, both of which God hath clearly established and infeparably joined in his word. These are, his own power neceflary to the change, and our duty in the use of the means; or rather, our fin while continuing at enmity with him and refusing his mercy.

* Hof. iv. 11.

† Prov. vii. 26, 27.
Rom. ix. 19.

Pfal xlix. 13.

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I make no fcruple to acknowledge, that it is impoffible for me; nay, I find no difficulty in fuppofing, that it is impoffible for any finite mind, to point out the bounds between the "dependence" and " activity" of the creature. But though we muft ever remember, that it is he alone who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean," yet we know alfo, that "all have finned and come fhort of the "glory of God." We know that "God will be juft when "he fpeaketh, and clear when he judgeth:" that he rejects with difdain, the imputation of being the author of fin. "Let no man fay, when he is tempted, I am tempt"ed of God: for God cannot be tempted of evil, neither "tempteth he any man."* For our greater afsurance of this, he hath condefcended to confirm it by his oath."As I live, faith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the "death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his

way and live: turn ye, turn ye, from you evil ways; "for why will ye die, O house of Ifrael?" The connexion between this and the former truth appears plainly in the following paffage: "Ye will not come unto me, that "ye might have life."

Perhaps alfo, there are fome who abuse this doctrine to floth and negligence. At least they may pretend this, as an excufe or palliation of their contempt of religion. But is it not an inference directly contrary to what the fcrip. ture teaches us much more justly to draw from the fame truth, viz. "Work out your own falvation with fear and

trembling; for it is God that worketh in you to will and "to do of his good pleafure?" The former inference would be juft in the cafe of devils, who, having received their fentence, can only now "believe and tremble:" but it would be altogether unjuft, and a dreadful contempt of mercy in those, to whom the offer of falvation by grace is addressed. What is now transacting in the ministry of the gospel, fhall contribute at laft to ftop every mouth, and put this criminal excufe to eternal filence. Suppose the inner at the judgment-feat to offer this defence for him.

* James i. 13.

VOL. I.

† Ezek. xxxiii. 11.
Phil. ii. 13, 14.
S

John v. 49.

felf: "I was altogether under the power of corruption; "it was impoffible for me to do any thing of myself." Is it not natural to reply, "Where learned you this?" From the holy fcriptures. "And did not the fame fcriptures "alfo tell you, Him that cometh to me, I will in no wife "caft out. Wherefore he is able to fave to the uttermost "all that come to God through him.-Believe in the Lord Jefus Chrift, and thou fhalt be faved?" But I could not reconcile one fcripture to another. "And was that any

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way wonderful? Or can it poffibly justify your rebel"lion against the plaineft commands, that you were not "able fully to comprehend what is faid of the abfolute do"minion and fovereignty of God?"

Let us, therefore, fettle it in our minds, that, though we are of ourselves utterly unable to produce a change in our hearts, "nothing is impoffible with GOD." He first made them, and he is able to reform them. On a conviction of our own inability, one would think we should but the more humbly and the more earnestly apply to him who is all-fufficient in power and grace. The deplorable and naturally helpless state of finners, doth not hinder exhortations to them in fcripture; and therefore takes not away their obligation to duty. See an addrefs, where the strongest metaphors are retained, the exhortation given in thefe very terms, and the foundation of the duty plainly pointed out-"Wherefore he faith, awake thou that fleep"eft, and arife from the dead, and Chrift fhall give thee "light."* From which it is very plain, that the moral inability, under which finners now lie, as a confequence of the fall, is not of fuch a nature as to take away the guilt of fin, the propriety of exhortations to duty, or the neceffity of endeavors after recovery.

But what fhall we fay? Alas! the very fubject we are now speaking of, affords a new proof of the blindness, prejudice, and obftinacy of finners. They are felf-condemned; for they do not act the fame part in fimilar cafes. The affairs of the prefent life are not managed in fo prepofterous a manner. He that ploughs his ground, and

* Eph. v. 14.

throws in his feed, cannot fo much as unite one grain to the clod; nay, he is not able to conceive how it is done. He cannot carry on, nay, he cannot fo much as begin one fingle step of this wonderful procefs toward the fubfequent crop; the mortification of the feed, the resurrection of the blade, and gradual increase, till it come to perfect maturity. Is it, therefore, reasonable that he fhould fay, "I for my part can do nothing: it is, first and last, an effect of divine power and energy: and God can as eafily raise a crop without fowing as with it, in a fingle instant and in any place, as in a long time by the mutual influence of foil and feafon; I will therefore fpare myself the hardship of toil and labor, and wait with patience, till I fee what he will be pleafed to fend?" Would this be madness? Would it be univerfally reputed fo? And would it not be equal madness to turn the grace of God into licentiousness? Believe it, the warning is equally reafonable and equally neceffary, in fpiritual as in temporal things: "Be not deceived, God is not mocked, for what"foever a man foweth, that fhall he alfo reap: for he "that foweth to the flesh, fhall of the flesh reap corruptibut he that foweth to the Spirit, fhall of the Spirit reap life everlasting."*

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on;

* Gal. vi. 7, 8,

CHA P. II.

In which is shewn wherein this change doth properly and directly consist, and what are its principal evidences and fruits.

SECT. I.

Wherein the change in regeneration doth properly and directly consist.

I

HAVE hitherto, by general remarks, endeavored to caution the reader against taking up with erroneous and defective views of the nature of religion. We now proceed a flep farther: and I would willingly point out, in as diftinct a manner as I am able, what is the change which is wrought in all, without exception, who are the real children of God, by whatever means it is brought about; what it is in the temper and difpofition, in the life and practice, which conftitutes the difference between one who "is," and one who is "not born again." The different steps by which this change may be effected in the fovereign providence of God, and the different degrees of perfection at which it may arrive, I purposely omit here, and referve as the fubject of a diftinct head of dif courfe.

That we may enter on the fubject with the greater perfpicuity and fimplicity, it will be proper to begin with obferving, that the defign and purpose of this change is to repair the lofs which man fuftained by the fall. Man, at his first creation, was made after the image of God, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, and enjoyed uninterrupted fellow fhip and communion with him. He was not only fubfervient to the divine glory, by a natural and neceffary fubjection to the divine dominion, which all creatures are, have been, and ever will be, but by choice and inclination, his duty and delight being invariably the fame. By the fall he became not only obnoxious to the divine difpleafure, by a fingle act of tranfgreffion,

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