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SERMON

CVIII.

Of the nature of regeneration, and its neceffity, in order to juftification and falva

tion.

GAL. vi. 15.

For in Chrift Jefus, neither circumcifion availeth any thing, nor uncircumcifion, but a new creature.

TH

The third fermon on this text.

HE point which I am upon from thefe words is, That according to the terms of the gospel, nothing will avail to our juftification, but the real renovation of our hearts and lives.

For the full explication of this, I propounded to fhew,

1. What is implied in this expreffion of the new

creature.

2. That this is the great condition of our juftifica tion and acceptance with God.

3. That it is highly reasonable that this fhould be the condition of our juftification.

In fpeaking to the firft of thefe, I have fhewed, 1. What this metaphor doth certainly import; and, 2. That it doth not import what fome would extend. it to, whereon to found fuch doctrines as thefe.

(1) That as the creation was an irrefiftible act of the divine power, fo is this new creation, or the con verfion of a finner.

(2) As creatures were merely paffive in their being made, and contributed nothing at all to it, no more do we in our converfion and regeneration.

(3) That as the creation of the feveral kinds and

ranks

ranks of creatures was effected in an inftant, by the powerful word of God, faying, Let fuch and fuch things be, and immediately they were; fo this new creation is in an inftant, and admits of no degrees.

The firft of these I have confidered, and entered upon the fecond; namely, that as the creatures were merely paffive in their being made, and contributed nothing at all thereto, no more do we in our converfion and regeneration.

This I told you does plainly make void all the precepts and exhortations, and all the promises and threatenings of fcripture, to argue and perfuade men to repentance.

That which remains to be done upon this argument is,

Firft, To answer an objection or two, which are commonly urged by the affertors of this doctrine, that we are merely paffive in the work of converfion.

Secondly, To give a clear state of this matter, fo as is molt agreeable to fcripture, and the attributes and perfections of God. For the

First, The objections are thefe three.

Obj. 1. That if we be not merely paffive in the work of regeneration and converfion, we afcribe the whole glory of this work to ourselves, and not to God. Or, 2. We do however extenuate or lessen the grace of God, if there be any active concurrence and endeavours of our own towards this change.

3. They afk St Paul's queftion, Who maketh thee to differ? and think it impoffible to be answered, if the efficacy of God's grace do depend upon our concur. rence and compliance with it. Thefe are all the material objections I know; to every one of which I hope to give a very clear and fufficient anfwer.

Obj. 1. If we be not merely paffive in the work of regeneration and converfion, we afcribe the whole. glory of this work to ourselves, and not to God. But that I certainly know this objection is commonly made, and have feen it in very confiderable authors, I could not believe that men of fo good fenfe could make it. For this is to fay, that if we do any thing

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in this work, though we acknowledge that what we do in it, we do by the affiftance of God's grace, we afcribe it wholly to ourselves, and rob God altogether of the glory of his grace; or, in plainer terms, it is to fay, that though we fay God does never fo much, and we but very little in this work, yet if we do not fay that God does all, and we nothing at all, we take the whole work to ourselves, and fay God does nothing at all; which let any one that confiders what we fay, judge whether we fay fo or no.

The fcripture, which never robs God of the glory of his grace, does I am fure afcribe our converfion and repentance, our regeneration and fanétification, to feveral caufes; to the Holy Spirit of God, to his minifters, to his word, and to ourselves. To the Holy Spirit of God, as the principal author, and efficient: Hence we are faid to be born of the Spirit, to be fanctified by the renewing of the Holy Ghof To the ministers of God, as the inftruments of our converfion: Hence they are faid to turn men to righteoufnefs; to convert a finner from the evil of his ways; to fave fouls from death; to fave themfelves, and them that hear them; to be our spiritual fathers, and to beget us in Chrift. To the word of God, as the fubordinate means and inftruments of our converfion: Hence we are faid to be begotten by the word of truth, to be fanctified by the truth. And, lastly, to ourselves, as concurring fome way or other to this work: Hence we are faid to believe and repent, to turn from our evil ways, and to turn to the Lord, to cleanfe and purify ourfelves. Hence likewife are thofe frequent commands in fcripture, to amend our ways and doings, to wash our hearts from wickedness, to repent and turn ourselves, and to make ourselves new hearts and new fpirits. So that all these causes, the Spirit of God, his ministers, his word, and we ourselves, do all fome way or other concur and contribute to this effect. God indeed is the principal, and hath fo great an hand in this work, from beginning to end, that all the rest are nothing in comparifon, and we do well to afcribe to him the whole glory of it, that

no flesh may glory in his fight: But nevertheless in ftrictness of speech, fufficiently warranted by fcripture, the ministers of God, and the word of God, and we ourselves, do all co-operate fome way or o ther to our converfion and regeneration; and by afcribing to any of thefe fuch parts as they truly have in this work, God is not robbed of any part of the glory of his grace, much lefs of the whole; much less is it the afcribing it all to ourselves, whom we affirm to have the least part in it, not worthy to be mentioned in comparifon of the riches of God's grace towards us. And yet unless we do fomething, what can be the meaning of making ourselves new hearts and new Spirits? Is it only that we fhould be paffive to the irrefiftible operations of God's grace? that is, that we fhould not hinder, what we can neither hinder nor promote; that we fhould fo demean ourfelves, as of neceffity we muft whether we will or no. So then to make ourselves new hearts and new fpirits, is to do nothing at all towards the hinderance or furtherance of this work; and if this be the meaning of it, it is a precept and exhortation just as fit for stones, as for men; that is, very improper for either.

Obj. 2. But, however, we do extenuate and leffen the grace of God, if there be any active concurrence and endeavours on our part towards this change. For answer to this, three things deferve to be confidered.

[] It is very well worthy our confideration, that they who make this objection, have the confidence to pretend, that they do not diminish the grace of God, by confining it to a very fmall part of mankind in comparison; nay, they will needs face us down, that by this very thing they do very much exalt and magnify it, and that the grace of God is fo much the greater, by how much the fewer they are that are partakers of it. But I hope they only mean that the grace is greater to themfelves, (in which conceit there is commonly as much of envy as gratitude); but furely they cannot mean, that the grace which is limited to a few, is greater in itfelf, and upon the VOL. V.

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whole

whole matter, than that which is extended to a great many; it being a downright contradiction to fay, that the grace of God is magnified by being confined. For at this rate of reafoning, the leffer it is, the greater it must be, and by undeniable confequence would be greatest of all, if it were none at all. So that it feems the grace of God may be extenuated in favour of ourselves, but when we do fo, we muft fay we magnify it,

[2] But to come clofe to the objection: Though it be true, that if God's grace in our converfion do not do all, it does not do fo much as if it did all; yet this is really no injury or difhonour to the grace of God; and though in fome fenfe it doth extenuate it, it doth not in truth and reality take off from the glory of it. In my opinion, the grace and favour of a prince is not the lefs in offering à pardon to a traitor, who puts forth his hand and gladly receives it, than if he forced it upon him whether he would or no. I am fure, it is in the firft cafe much fitter to give it, and he on whom it is conferrred much better qualified to receive it. It is no difparagement to a prince's favour, that it is beftowed on one who is in fome meafure qualified to receive it. But be it more or lefs in one cafe than the other, this is certain, that in both cafes the man owes his life to the great grace. and goodness of his prince; and I cannot fee how it leffens the grace, that the miserable object of it, the guilty and condemned perfon, was either by his humble fubmiffion, or thankful acceptance of it, in fome degree better qualified to receive fuch a favour, than an obftinate refufer of it.

[3] Which is the principal confideration of all, we muft take great heed, that while we endeavour to make God to do all in the converfion of finners, we do not by this means charge upon him the ruin and deftruction of impenitent finners, which I doubt we fhould do, if we make the reafon of their impenitency and ruin, their utter impotency and difability to repent; and we certainly make this the reafon of their impenitency and ruin, if there be no other difference but this between penitent and impenitent fin

ners,

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