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birth, all confpire to teach us, that it confifts in a great change. It is reprefented as a refurrection, or a change from death to life: You hath he quickened, faith St. Paul, who were dead in trefpaffes and fins. Eph. ii. 1. It is reprefented as a new creation: If any man be in Chrift, fays the fame infpired author, he is a new creature: old things are past away; and behold, all things are become new. 2 Cor. v. 17. Put on, fays he, the new man, which, after God, is created in righteousness and true holiness. Eph. iv. 24. Thefe and like expreflions fignify a very great change: and fuch forms of fpeech are very commonly ufed in the fame fenfe; which fhews they are fo far from being ridiculous, that they are agreeable to the common fenfe of mankind. When we fee a man that we once knew, look, and fpeak, and act as he used to do, it is cuftomary to fay," He is the old man ftill." But if we fee a great alteration in his appearance, his temper, or behaviour, we are apt to fay," He is a new man ;" or, " He is quite another creature.' When we see a rugged, boisterous man become meek and inoffenfive, we are apt to fay, "He is become a mere child." Thefe forms of speech are fo fignificant and popular, that they have even paffed into proverbs, and that in various countries and languages; and hence they are used in the fcriptures as plain and familiar reprefentations of this great truth. And hence we are bold to use them, in fpite of that fenfeless ridicule and contempt, which fome would caft upon them; but which rebounds upon themselves, for cenfuring modes of expreffion that are not only facred, but agreeable to common fenfe.

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Now, fince it is evident the new birth fignifies a great change, you are impatient, by this time, I hope, to know more particularly what it is. It is the change of a thoughtless, ignorant, hard-hearted, rebellious finner, into a thoughtful, well-informed, tender-hearted, dutiful fervant of God. It is the implantation of the feeds or principles of every grace and virtue in a heart that was entirely deftitute of them, and full of fin. VOL. III.

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The finner that was wont to have no practical affectionate regard for the great God, is now made to revere, admire, and love him, as the greatest and best of Beings; to rejoice in him as his fupreme happiness, and cheerfully to fubmit to him as his Ruler. Formerly his temper and conduct would better agree to the infidelity of an atheift than to the faith of a christian : but now, he thinks, and speaks, and acts, as one that really believes there is a God; a God who infpects all his ways, and will call him to an account. The heart that was wont to difguft the holiness of the divine law, and murmur at the ftrictnefs of its precepts, now loves it; loves it for that very reafon for which it was wont to hate it; namely, because it is fo holy. This was the temper of the Pfalmift: Thy word is very pure; there fore (that is, on that very account) thy fervant loveth it, Pfal. cxix. 140. and of St. Paul, The law is holy, and the commandment is holy-and what follows? I delight, fays he, in the law of God after the inner man. And I confent unto the law, that it is good. Rom. vii. 12, 16, 22. The haughty, ftubborn, deceitful heart, is now made humble, pliable, fimple, and honeft, like that of a little child. Hence Chrift fays, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven. But whosoever shall humble himself as a little child, the fame is greatest in the kingdom of Heaven. Matt. xviii. 3, 4. This was alfo the temper of David: Lord, my heart is not haughty-furely I have behaved myfelf as a child that is weaned of his mother: my foul is even as a weaned child. Pfal. cxxxi. 1, 2. The heart that used to have no delight in communion with God, but lived as without God in the world, now feels a filial defire to draw near to him, and address him with the humble boldness and freedom of a child. Because ye are fons, fays St. Paul, God hath fent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying Abba, Father. Gal. iv. 6. that is, Father, Father: the repetition of fo tender a name intimates the greatest endearment and affectionate freedom. The heart that had no realizing af

fecting

fecting views of a future ftate, now feels the energy of that doctrine, and looks upon heaven and hell as indeed the most important realities. The heart that was once earthly and fenfual, eagerly fet upon things below, as its main purfuit, is now taught to afpire to heaven; in heaven is its treafure, and there it will be. The thoughts that were once scattered among a thoufand trifles, are now frequently collected, and fixed upon the great concerns of religion. Now alfo the heart is remarkably altered towards the Lord Jefus : formerly it feemed fufficient to wear his name, to profefs his religion, to believe him to be the Saviour of the world, to infert his name in a prayer now and then, and to give a formal attendance upon the inftitutions of his worship; but O! now he appears in a more important and interefting light. Now the finner is deeply fenfible that he is indeed the only Saviour, and he moft eagerly embraces him under that endearing character, and intrufts his eternal all in his hands. Now he appears to him all lovely and glorious, and his heart is for ever captivated with his beauty. Now he prays, and longs, and languishes for him, and feels him to be all in all. O! now the very thought of being without Christ, kills him. Thus, God, who first commanded light to fhine out of darkness, hath fhined into his heart, to give him the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jefus Chrift, 2 Cor. iv. 6. in that face where it fhines with the fairest beams. Now alfo the man has very different views of himfelf: he fees himself to be a guilty, depraved, vile creature, all over-run with fin, and deftitute of all goodness, but, as it is wrought in him by divine grace, how different is this from the proud felf-righteous estimate he was wont to form of himself! His views of fin are alfo quite different from what they used to be: he used to look upon it as a flight excufable evil, except when it broke out into fome grofs acts. But now he fees it to be unfpeakably vile and bafe, in every inftance and degree. An evil thought, a corrupt motion of defire, an indifpofed

heart

heart towards God, appears to him a fhocking evil, fuch as nothing but the infinite mercy of God can forgive, and even that mercy, upon no other account but that of the righteoufnefs of Jefus Chrift. He fees it does most justly deferve everlasting punishment; and he is often loft in wonder that the gofpel fhould open a door of hope even for him, who has been fo deeply guilty. It breaks his heart to think that he indulged fo bafe a thing fo long; and he can never be fully reconciled to himself, while he feels the remains of it within him. His repentance now takes a new turn. Formerly he was entirely under the influence of felflove, and therefore, when he had any concern for his fin, it entirely proceeded from the fervile principle of fear; fear of the punishment, and not hatred of the crime. But now his foul is ennobled with more génerous principles: now he can mourn over fin, as a bafe ungrateful evil, even when he has no thoughts of the punishment: now he can mourn over fin as against God, and not only as against a fin-punishing, but as against a fin-pardoning God. Now he mourns with generous forrow over pardoned fin; and God's being fo good as to forgive him, is fo far from leffening the evil of fin in his view, that this very confideration peculiarly affects him. O! that he fhould be fo base as to fin against a God who is fo gracious as to forgive him after all! This thought breaks his heart; and God's forgiving him, is a reafon why he can never forgive himself. The heart has alfo a new temper in the duties of religion: it can no more indulge an habitual coldness or luke-warmness in them, but exerts its powers to the utmoft; and, when it has a languishing interval, it cannot be eafy in that condition, but tries to rouse itself again. Experience teaches that it is good to draw near to God; and the ordinances of the gospel are not tiresome formalities, as they were wont to be, but the means of life and refreshment; and they are its happieft hours which are spent in attending upon them. Now the gofpel is not that dull,

ftale,

ftale, neglected tale it once was, but the most joyful tidings that ever came from heaven. As a new-born babe, the regenerate foul defires the fincere milk of the word, that it may grow thereby, 1 Pet. ii. 2. and it is esteemed more than neceffary food. Now the carelefs, fecure foul, that was always cautious of overdoing in religion, and flattered itself there was no need of being fo much in earnest, is effectually roufed, and ftrives in earnest to enter in at the strait gate, convinced both of the difficulty and neceffity of entering. Now religion is no longer a matter by the by, but a serious business; and every thing that comes in competition with it must give way to it. The man is refolved to fave his foul at all adventures; and this, he is now convinced, is no eafy work. To fum up the whole, for I can only give a few fpecimens of particulars, the regenerate foul is changed univerfally in every part. I do not mean the change is perfect in any part: alas! no; fin ftill lives, and fometimes makes violent strug gles, though crucified. The old man dies hard. But I mean, the change does really extend to every part. The foul is in no refpect the fame it was wont to be, as to the concerns of religion. It has new views, new fenfations, new joys, new forrows, new inclinations, and averfions, new hopes and fears: in fhort, as the apoftle tells us, all things are become new, 2 Cor. v. 17. and according to his infpired prayer, the whole man, foul, body and fpirit, is fanctified. Thef. v. 23.

By way of confirmation, let me add a few characters of a regenerate man, which are expressly fcriptural. Every one that loveth, is born of God, faith St. John, 1 John iv. 7. That is, every new-born foul is poffeffed with a generous love to all mankind, which prompts it to obferve the whole law in its conduct towards them (for love is the fulfilling of the whole law) and reftrains it from doing them any injury; (for love worketh no evil to his neighbour) Rom. xii. 10. This love extends not only to friends, but alfo to ftrangers, and even to enemies. It is a friendship to human nature

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