. are fo various, that we can give no account of them; by which one would think our Saviour had fufficiently cautioned us, not to reduce the operations of God's grace and Holy Spirit in the regeneration of men, to any certain rule or standard, but chiefly to regard the fenfible effects of this fecret work upon the hearts and lives of men. And after all, it is in vain to contend by any arguments against clear and certain experience. If we plainly fee that many are infenfibly changed, and made good by pious education in the nurture and admonition of the Lord; and that fome who have long lived in a profane neglect and contempt of religion, are by the fecret power of God's word and Holy Spirit, upon calm confideration, without any great terrors and amazement, vifibly changed and brought to a better mind and courfe; it is in vain in these cafes to pretend, that this change is not real, because the manner of it is not anfwerable to fome inftances which are recorded in fcripture, or which we have obferved in our experience; and because these perfons cannot give fuch an account of the time and manner of their converfion as is agreeable to thefe inftances; which is juft as if I fhould meet a man beyond fea, whom I had known in England, and would not believe that he had croffed the feas, because he faid he had a fmooth and eafy paffage, and was wafted over by a gentle wind, and could tell no ftories of ftorms and tempefts. And thus I have fully and faithfully endeavoured to open to you the juft importance of this phrase or expreffion in the text, of the new creature, or the new creation. I proceed to the 2. Second particular I propounded, namely, That the real renovation of our hearts and lives, is accor ding to the terms of the gofpel, and the Chriftian religion, the great condition of our juftification and acceptance with God, and that this is the fame in fenfe and fubftance with thofe phrafes in the parallel texts to this, of faith perfected by charity, and of keeping the commandments of God. That according to the terms of the gofpel, the great great condition of our justification and acceptance with God is the real renovation of our hearts and lives, is plain, not only from this text, which affirms, that in the Chriftian religion nothing will avail us but the new creature, but likewife from many other clear texts of fcripture; and this, whether by juftification be meant our first juftification upon our faith and repentance, or our continuance in this ftate, or our final juftification by our folemn acquittal and abfolution at the great day, which in fcripture is called falvation and eternal life. That this is the condition of our first juftification, that is, of the forgiveness of our fins, and our being received into the grace and favour of God, is plain from all those texts, where this change is expreffed by our repentance and converfion, by our regeneration and renovation, by our purification and fanctification, or by any other terms of the like importance. For under every one of these notions, this change is made the condition of the forgiveness of our fins, and ac ceptance to the favour of God. Under the notion of repentance and converfion, Acts ii. 38. Repent and be baptized every one of you, in the name of Jefus Chrift, for the remiffion of fins. Acts iii. 19. Repent and be converted, that your fins may be blotted out. Upon the fame account, the penitent acknowledgement of our fins, which is an effential part of repentance, is made a condition of the forgiveness of them, 1 John i. 9. If we confess our fins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our fins, and to cleanfe us from all unrighteousness. Under the notion of regeneration and renovation, 2 Cor. v. 17. If any man be in Chrift, that is, become a true Chriftian, which is all one with being in a juftified ftate, he is a new creature; old things are poft away, behold all things are become new. Tit. iii. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. where the Apoftle declares at large, what change is required to put us into a juftified ftate, and to intitle us to the inheritance of eternal life: For we ourJelves were alfo fometimes foolish, difobedient, deceived, ferving divers lufts and pleasures, living in ma lice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour towards man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, that is, not for any precedent righteoufnefs of ours, for we were great finners, but according to his mercy he faved us, by the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghoft, which be fhed on us abundantly through Jefus Chrift our Saviour, that being juftified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. So that the change of our former temper, and converfion and regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghoft, is antecedently neceffary to our juftification, that is, to the pardon of our fins, and our reftitution to the favour of God, and the hope of eternal life. So likewife under the notion of purification and fanctification, I Cor. vi. 9. 10. 11. where the Apostle enumerates feveral fins and vices, which will certainly exclude men from the favour and kingdom of God, from which we must be cleanfed, before we can be juftified or faved: Know ye not that the unrighteous fhall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived : neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, fhall inherit the kingdom of God. And fuch were fome of you: but ye are washed, but ye are fanctified, but ye are juftified, in the name of the Lord Jefus, and by the Spirit of our God. 2 Cor. vi. 17. 18. where the Apoftle likewife makes our purification a condition of our being received into the favour of God, and reckoned into the number of his children : Touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a father unto you, and ye shall be my fons and daughters, faith the Lord Almighty And that by not touching the unclean thing, is here certainly meant our fanctification and purification from fin, is evident from what immediately follows in the beginning of the next chapter: Having therefore thefe promifes, dearly beloved, let us cleanfe ourselves from all filthinefs of the flesh and fpirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God; that is, having this encouragement, that upon this condition we fhall be received to the favour VOL. V. Ff of of God, let us purify ourselves, that we may be capable of this great bleffing. And our continuance in this state of grace and favour with God, depends upon our perfeverance in holinefs; for if any man draw back, my foul shall have no pleafure in him. And lastly, this is alfo the condition of our final juftification, and abfolution by the fentence of the great day: Matth. v. 8. Bleed are the pure in heart : for they hall fee God. John iii. 3. Except a man be born again, he cannot fee the kingdom of God. Heb. xii. 14. Follow holiness, without which no man shall fee the Lord. 1 John iii. 3. the Apoftle there fpeaking of the bleffed fight and enjoyment of God, tells us what we must do, if ever we hope to be partakers of it: Every man that hath this hope in him, purifieth himself, even as he is pure. And this condition here mentioned in the text, of our being new creatures, is the fame in fenfe and fubftance with thofe expreffions which we find in the two parallel texts to this, where faith which is perfected by charity, and keeping the commandments of God, are made the condition of our juftification and acceptance with God: Gal. v. 6. In Jefus Chrift, neither circumcifion availeth any thing, nor uncircumcifion, but faith, which is confummate, or made perfect, by charity; and i Cor. vii. 19. Circumcifion is nothing, and uncircumcifion is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God. It is evident that the defign and meaning of these three texts is the fame, and therefore thefe three expreffions of the new creature, and of faith perfected by charity, and of keeping the commandments of God, do certainly fignify the fame thing. That the new creature fignifies the change of our state, from a ftate of difobedience and fin, to a ftate of obedience and holiness of life, I have fhewn at large; and the Apoftle explaining this new creation, moft exprefsly tells us, Ephef. ii. 10. We are his workmanship, created in Chrift Jefus unto good works, which God hath before ordained, that we should walk in them; and Col. iii. 10. 12. 13. 14. where the Apofile tells them, that they ought to give teftimony of of their renovation, and having put on the new man, by all the fruits of obedience and goodness: Ye have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge, after the image of him that created him. Put on therefore as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longJuffering forbearing one another, and forgiving one an other. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And the Apoftle St Peter tells us, that our regeneration, which he calls fanctification of the Spirit, is unto obedience, 1 Pet. i. 2. So that our renovation confifteth in the principle and practice of obedience, and a good life; and what is this but faith perfected by charity? And charity, the Apoftle tells us, is the fulfilling of the law; and what is the fulfilling of the law, but keeping the commandments of God? And keeping the commandments of God, or at least a fincere refolution of obedience, when there is not time and opportunity for the trial of it, is in fcripture as exprefsly made a condition both of our present and final juftification and acceptance with God, as faith is, and in truth is the fame with a living and operative faith, and a faith that is confummate, and made perfect by charity: Acts x. 34. 35. Of a truth, I perceive, (faith Peter), that God is no reSpecter of perfons, but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteoufnefs, is accepted with him; which fpeech does as plainly as words can do any thing, declare to us upon what terms all mankind, of what condition or nation foever, may find acceptance with God, Rom. ii. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Who will render to every man according to his deeds: to them who by patient continuance in well-doing, feek for glory, and honour, and immortality; eternal life: but unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness; indignation, and wrath; tribulation and anguish upon every foul of man that doth evil, of the few first, and alfo of the Gentile. But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the few first, and also to the Gentile. As to our acceptance with God, and the rewards of ano F f 2 ther |