Should come to repentance; that mens deftruction is of themfelves. And this makes all the exhortations and motives of fcripture to repentance to be of fome force and fignificancy, and gives encouragement to the refolutions and endeavours of men to become better. This clearly acquits the juftice of God in the condemnation of impenitent finners, and fixeth' the reafon of their ruin upon their own choice. This perfectly reconciles the operation and affiftance of God's grace in our converfion and regeneration, in our fanctification and perfeverance in a good courfe, with the concurrence of our own endeavours, and makes those plain texts of fcripture have fome fenfe and fignificancy in them: Work out your own falvation; repent and turn yourselves from all your evil ways; make ye new hearts and new spirits. These are more than a thousand metaphors to convince a man, that we may and ought to do fomething towards our repentance and converfion. And if any man be fure that we neither do, nor can do, any thing in this work, then I am fure that these texts fignify nothing. Fi nally, Thofe texts which speak moft clearly of the neceffity of the divine grace and affiftance, to our doing of any thing that is fpiritually good, do fuppofe fomething to be done on our part. That of our Saviour, Without me ye can do nothing, implies, that with his grace and affiftance we can. St Paul, I am able to do all things through Chrift Strengthening me, implies, that what we do by the ftrength of Chrift is truly our own act: I am able to do all things. And this does not in the leaft prejudice nor obfcure the glory of God's grace. St Paul, it feems, knew very well how to reconcile thefe two, and to give the grace of God its due, without rejecting all concurrence of our own industry and endeavour: 1 Cor. xv. 10. But by the grace of God I what I am; and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; not because it was irrefiftible, and he merely paffive in the reception of it; but becaufe he did concur and co-operate with it. So he tells us, His grace that was bestowed upon me was not in vain, but I laboured more abundantly than That of am they they all; yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. So that our concurrence and endeavour in the doing of any thing that is good, does not derogate from the grace of God, provided that we afcribe the good which we do to the affiftance of divine grace, to which it is incomparably more due, than to our own activity and endeavour. And fo St Paul does, I laboured abundantly; yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. So that the glory of God's grace may be advanced to its due pitch, without afferting that we are merely paffive to the operations of it. God's grace may be abundantly bestowed upon us, and yet we may labour abundantly; God may work in us to will and to do, and yet we may work out our own falvation. I have done with the fecond doctrine, grounded upon this metaphor of a new creature. SERMON CIX. Of the nature of regeneration, and its neceffity in order to juftification and falvation. GALAT. VI. 15. For in Chrift Jefus, neither circumcifion availeth any thing, nor uncircumcifion, but a new creature. IN The fourth fermon on this text. N difcourfing on thefe words, that which I was laft upon was, to fhew that this metaphor of a new creature doth not import what fome would extend it to, and that fo as to found doctrines of great confequence upon the fingle ftrength of this and other like metaphors, viz. fuch doctrines as thefe three. (1) That (1) That as the creation was by an irresistible act of the divine power, fo is this new creation, or the converfion of a finner. (2) That as creatures were merely paffive in their being made, and contributed nothing at all thereto, no more do we to our converfion and regeneration. (3) That as the creation was in an inftant, only by the powerful word of God, fo this new creation is in an inftant, and admits of no degrees. The two firft of thefe I have spoken to, and fhewed, that as they had no neceffary foundation in this and the like metaphors of fcripture, fo they are contrary to reason and experience, and the plain and conftant tenor of fcripture, which is the rule and measure of Chrift's doctrine. I proceed now to confider the Third doctrine which is grounded upon this metaphor, namely, that as the creation of the feveral ranks and orders of creatures was in an instant, and effected 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 fteps and degrees. And this doctrine is nothing else but a farther purfuit of the metaphor; and admitting the two former doctrines to be true, and well grounded upon this metaphor, this third doctrine follows well enough from them; for it is agreeable enough, that that which is effected by an irresistible: act of omnipotence, without any concurrence or operation on our part, fhould be done in an instant, and all at once. Not that this is neceffary, but that it is reafonable; for why fhould Omnipotence use delays, and take time, and proceed by degrees in the doing of that, which with the fame eafe can do at once, and in an inftant; efpecially confidering how well this fuits with the other metaphors of fcripture, as well as with this of a new creation, viz. the metaphor of regeneration and refurrection. A child is born at once, and the dead fhall be raised in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.. But But notwithstanding all this plaufible appearance and confpiracy of metaphors, I fhall fhew, that this doctrine of the converfion and regeneration of a finner being effected in an instant, and all at once, is not well grounded either upon fcripture or experience. Not but that God can do so if he pleaseth, and work this change in fome much fooner and quicker than in others; but there is nothing either in fcripture or experience to perfuade us that this is the ufual, much lefs the conftant and unalterable method of God's grace in the converfion of a finner, to bring it about in an inftant, without any fenfible steps and degrees. But for the full clearing of this matter, I fhall proceed by these fteps. [1] I fhall fhew upon what mistaken grounds and principles this doctrine relies, befides the metaphors already mentioned, which I have fhewn to be of no force to prove the thing. [2] I fhall plainly fhew what regeneration is; by which it will appear, that it is not neceffarily effected in an instant, and at once, but admits of degrees. [3] That it is evidently fo in experience of the ordinary methods of God's grace, both in thofe who are regenerated by a pious and religious education, and in those who are reclaimed from a vitious courfe of life. [4] That all this is very confonant and agreeable to what the fcripture plainly and confonantly declares concerning it. [1] I fhall discover several mistakes upon which this doctrine is grounded, befides the metaphors already mentioned, and which I have fhewn to be of no force to prove the thing, viz. That regeneration is in an instant, and admits of no degrees. As, 1. That regeneration and fanctification are not only different expreffions, but do fignify two things really different. But this is a grofs miftake; for regeneration and fanctification are but different expreffions of the felf-fame thing; for regeneration is a metaphor which the fcripture ufeth to exprefs our tranflation and change from one state to another, from a ftate state of fin and wickedness, to a ftate of grace and holinefs, as if we were born over again, and were the children of another father, and from being the children of the devil, did become the children of God; and fanctification is our being made holy, our being purified and cleanfed from fin and impurity. And hence it is that regeneration and fanctification are attributed to the fame caufes, principal and inftrumental, to the Spirit of God, and to the word of God; we are faid to be born of the Spirit, and to be fanctified by the Holy Ghoft; to be begotten of the word of truth, and to be fanctified by the truth, which is the word of God. So that the scripture speaks of them. as the fame thing; and they must needs be fo; for if fanctification be the making of us holy, and regeneration make us holy, then regeneration is fanctification. : 2. It is faid, That regeneration only fignifies our first entrance into this ftate, and fanctification our progress and continuance in it. But this likewife is a great mistake For though it be true, that regeneration doth fignify our firft entrance into this ftate, yet it is not true, that it only fignifies that; for it is ufed likewife in fcripture to fignify our continuance in that ftate; for Chriftians are faid to be the children of God, and confequently in a regenerate ftate, not only in the inftant of this change, but during their continuance in it. Befides that our first change is as well called our fanctification, as our progrefs and continuance in a ftate of holiness. So that neither in this is there any difference between regeneration and fanctification. They do both of them fignify both our first entrance into an holy state, and our continuance and progress in it; though regeneration do more frequently denote the making of this change, and our first entrance into it. 3. It is faid, That one of the main differences between regeneration and fanctification is this, that regeneration is incapable of degrees, and all that are regenerate are equally fo, and one regenerate perfon is not more or lefs regenerate than another; whereas fanctification is a gradual progrefs from one de gree |