gree of holiness to another, and of them that are truly fanctified and holy, one may be more fanctified and more holy than another. But this likewife is a mere fancy and imagination, without any real ground. For as an unregenerate ftate does plainly admit of degrees, fo likewife doth the regenerate, and for the fame reafon. That an unregenerate state admits of degrees is evident, in that fome unregenerate per fons are more wicked than others, and thereby more the children of wrath, and the devil, than others, which are the fcripture-expreffions concerning the degrees of mens wickedness and impiety. In like manner, they that are more holy, and more like God, are more the children of God; and to be more a child of God, is furely to be more regenerate, that is, more renewed after the image of God, which confifts in righteoufnefs and true holiness. So that it is a mere precarious affertion, and evidently falfe to affirm, that regeneration doth not admit of degrees, and that one is not more regenerate than another. 4. and lafily, They ground this conceit upon the doctrine of the fchools, which teach, that in regeneration and converfion, all the habits of gr. e are infufed fimul et femel, together and at once. I confefs I have no regard, much lefs a veneration, for the doctrine of the schools, where it differs from that of the holy fcriptures, which fay not one word of infufed habits, which yet are much talked of in divinity; and to fpeak the truth, these words ferve only to obfcure the thing. For to fay, that in converfion, the habits of all graces and virtues are infufed together and at once, is to fay, that in an inftant men that were vitious before in feveral kinds, are, by an omnipotent act of God's grace, and by a new principle infufed into them, endued with the habits of the contrary graces and virtues, and are as chafte and temperate, and just and meek, and humble, as if by the frequent practice of thefe virtues they had become fo. That this may be, and fometimes is, I am fo far from denying, that I believe it to be fo. Some men, by an extraordinary power of VOL, V. E e God's God's grace upon their hearts, are fuddenly changed, and ftrangely reclaimed from a very wicked and vitious, to a very religious and virtuous course of life; and that which others attain to by flower degrees, and great conflicts with themfelves, before they can gain the upper hand of their lufts, thefe arfive at all on a fudden, by a mighty refolution wrought in them by the power of God's grace, and as it were a new bias and inclination put upon their fouls, equal to an habit gained by long ufe and cu ftom. This God fometimes does, and when he does this, it may in fome fenfe be called the infufion of the habits of grace and virtue together, and at once; because the man is hereby endued with a principle of equal force and power, with habits that are acquired by long ufe and practice. A ftrong and vi gorous faith is the principle and root of all graces and virtues, and may have fuch a powerful influence upon the refolutions of our minds, and the governinent of our actions, that from this principle all gra. ces and virtues may fpring and grow up by degrees into habits but then this principle is not formally, but virtually, in the power and efficacy of it, the infufion of the habits of every grace and virtue; and even in those perfons in whom this change is fo fudden. ly, and as it were at once, I doubt not but that the habits of feveral graces and virtues are afterwards attained by the frequent practice of them, in the vir tue of this powerful principle of the faith of the gofpel, as I fhall fhew in the progrefs of this difcourfe. And this I doubt not was very frequent and visible in many of the first converts to Chriftianity; especially of thofe who, from the abominable idolatry and impiety of Heathenifm, were gained to the Chriftian religion. The Spirit of God did then work ve ry miraculously, as well in the cures of fpiritual as of bodily difeafes. But then to make this the rule and ftandard of God's ordinary proceedings in the converfion and regeneration of men, is equally unreafonable, as ftill to expect miracles for the cure of difeafes; and it is certain in experience, that this is not not God's ordinary method in the converfion of fin ners, as I fhall fully fhew by and by. [2] I fhall fhew what regeneration is; by which it will plainly appear, that there is no neceffity that it fhould be effected in an instant, and at once, but that it will admit of degrees. I do not deny, that it may be in an inftant, and at once. The power of God is able to do this, and fometimes does it very thoroughly, and very fuddenly. But the question is, whether there be a neceffity it fhould be fo, and always be so. Now regeneration is the change of a man's ftate, from a ftate of fin to a state of holinefs, which because it is an entrance upon a new kind or courfe of life, it is fitly refembled to regeneration, or a new birth; to a new creation, the man being as it were quite changed or made over again, fo as not to be, as to the main purpofe and defign of his life, the fame man he was before. This is a plain fenfible account of the thing, which every one may eafily understand. Now there is nothing in reafon, why a man may not gra dually be changed, and arrive at this ftate by degrees, as well as after this change is made, and he arrived at this ftate of a regenerate man, he may by degrees grow and improve in it. But the latter no man doubts of, but that a man that is in a state of grace may grow and improve in grace; and there is as little reafon to queftion why a man may not come to this ftate by degrees, as well as leap into it at once. All the difficulty I know of in this matter is a mere nicety, That there is an instant in which every thing begins, and therefore regeneration is in an inftant ; fo that the inftant before the man arrived at this.ftate, it could not be faid that he was regene rate; and in the inftant after he is in this state, it cannot be denied that he is fo. But this is idle fubtil ty, juft as if a man fhould prove that an houfe was built in an instant, because it could not be said to be built, till the inftant it was finished; though for all this, nothing is more certain than that it was built by degrees. Or, fuppofe the time of arriving at man's eftate be at one and twenty, does it from E e 2 hence hence follow, that a man does not grow to be á man by degrees, but is made a man in an inftant; because juft before one and twenty he was not at man's eftate, and juft then he was? Not but that God, if he pleafe, can make a man in an inftant, as he did Adam; but it is not neceffary from this example, that all men fhould be made fo, much lefs does it follow from this vain fubtilty. This is juft the cafe. All the while a man is tending towards a regenerate ftate, and is ftruggling with his lufts, till by the power of God's grace, and his own refolution, he get the victory; all the while he is under the fenfe and conviction of his finful and miferable ftate, and forrowing for the folly of his past life, and coming to an effectual purpose and refolution of changing his courfe ; and it may be several times thrown back by the temptations of the devil, and the power of evil habits, and the weakness and inftability of his own purpofe; till at laft, by the grace of God following and affifting him, he comes to a firm refolution of a better life, which refolution governs him for the future; I fay, all this while, which in fome perfons is longer, in o thers fhorter, according to the power of evil habits, and the different degrees of God's grace afforded to men; all this time the work of regeneration is going on and though a man cannot be faid to be in a regenerate ftate till that very inftant that the principle grace and his good refolution have got the upper hand of his lufts; yet it is certain for all this, that the work of regeneration was not effected in an inftant. This is plainly and truly the cafe, as I fhall fhew in the -of [3] Third particulár I propounded, namely, That it is evident from experience of the ordinary methods. of God's grace, both in thofe who are regenerated by a pious and religious education, and those who are reclaimed from a vitious courfe of life. The first fort, namely, thofe who are brought to goodness by a religious and virtuous education; these. (at leaft fo far as my obfervation reacheth) make up a very confiderable part of the number of the regenerate, that is, of good men. And though it be: certain certain, confidering the univerfal corruption and degeneracy of human nature, that there is a real change made in them, by the operation of God's grace upon their minds; yet it is as certain in experience, that this change is made in very many, by very filent and infenfible degrees, till at length the feeds of religion,. which were planted in them by a good education, do vifibly prevail over all the evil inclinations of corrupt nature, fo as to fway and govern the actions of their lives and when the principles of grace and goodness do apparently prevail, we may conclude them to be ina regenerate state, though perhaps very few of these can give any account of the particular time and occa fion of this change; for things may be feen in their effect, which were never very fenfible in their cause ́and it is very reasonable that fuch perfons who never lived in any evil courfe fhould efcape thofe pangs and terrors which unavoidably happen unto others, from a course of actual fin, and the guilt of a wicked life; and if there be any fuch perfons as I have described, who are in this gradual and infenfible manner regenerated, and made good, this is a demonftration, that there is no neceffity that this change fhould be in an inftant, it being fo frequently found to be otherwife in experience. And as for others who are vifibly reclaimed from a notorious wicked courfe, in thefe we likewife fre quently fee this change gradually made, by ftrong impreffions made upon their minds, moft frequently by the word of God; fometimes by his provi dence, whereby they are convinced of the evil and danger of their courfe, and awakened to confideration, and melted into forrow and repentance; and perhaps exercifed with great terrors of confcience, till at length, by the grace of God, they come to a fixed purpofe and refolution of forfaking their fins, and turning to God; and after many ftrugglings and conflicts with their lufts, and the ftrong bias of evil habits, this refolution, affifted by the grace of God, doth effectually prevail, and make a real change both in the temper of their minds, and the courfe of their lives; and. when this is done, and not be |