Having given you this explication of the words, for the more full and clear prosecution of this Doctrine of Regeneration, it will be expedient to shew you,

I. WHAT THIS NEW-BIRTH OR REGENERATION IS, And that I shall do, both Negatively and Positively,

i. NEGATIVELY.

And, here, to be Born Again or New-Born,

1. Is not to have any essential change pass upon the essential parts of human nature.

The essential parts of human nature I call the soul and body; which remain the same, for substance, after Regeneration, as they were before. Indeed Flagicius Illyricus, that held original sin to be of the substance of the soul, was driven by force of consequence also to affirm, that Regeneration made a change in the substance and essence of the soul: and the Familists, of late, have entertained strange and blasphemous conceits concerning Regeneration, as if it were a metamorphosis of the creature into the very being and nature of God; making that change, that is wrought thereby, to be not so much a new creature, as a new deity. But these are wild and uncouth fancies: for, if Rege neration wrought any such change upon man, as that he is not now the same person regenerated, as he was unregenerated; how doth the Apostle say, 1 Tim. i. 13. I was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious? then also grace, instead of converting, destroyed the sinner; and, consequently, no sinner yet was or shall be saved. But enough of this. Grace, therefore, makes no such physical change upon the natural being or essence of man: but the understanding, will, and affections are the same for nature and essence, in the regenerate as in the unregenerate; but only they are rectified and endowed with infused habits.

2. Regeneration is not a conversion from an idolatrous and an erroneous way of worship, to the profession and acknowledgment of the true faith.

Much less, then, is it not a conversion from one sect and party of Christians to another: as many ignorant persons suppose, that, when they are won over from one truth it may be to an error, presently they think they are converted by it, because they join in with another party of Christians. But there may be Proselytes gained over to the Church, either from Heathenism or from Popish Idolatry, whose souls notwithstanding may never be gained over unto Christ. As travellers, that come into a

foreign land, still remain subjects to their natural lord: so these may come into the Church, which is the Kingdom of Christ upon Earth; and yet still remain slaves to their natural lord, the Devil. Indeed, I find in Scripture, that, when Christ and his Apostles laboured to convert the Jews or others unto the profession and acknowledgment of Christ, and to bring them to a thorough work of Regeneration, the chief thing that they insisted on was, to persuade them to believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, the Saviour of the World. Now, though this Dogmatical Faith is not Regeneration, yet it was then almost an infallible test of it; and, to persuade them to believe that Jesus was the Christ, was to prevail upon them to be truly and really converted. It was seldom seen among those Primitive Christians, where there were no carnal respects nor outward advantages that could commend the Gospel to the secular interests of men; when the only reward of professing Christ, was reproaches, persecution, and martyrdom: seldom was it seen, that any were won over from Heathenism or Judaism, to make profession of the despised name of Christ, but such, as were inwardly renewed by that almighty grace, that can conquer all the despites and affronts of the world: few were so foolish as to profess Christ in hypocrisy, when that hypocrisy would endanger their own lives; and yet, because it was but in hypocrisy, it could gain them no benefit by his death. Therefore it is, that the Scripture speaks of those, that made a profession of the name of Christ, as if they were regenerated, because it was then almost an infallible mark of it: thus you have it in 1 John iv. 15. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God: so, again, in chap. v. 1. He, that believeth that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God. But now, when the very name of a Christian is become a title of honour, and the same punishments do now attend the denying of Christ that then attended the acknowledgment of him, men may indeed be called by his name that never were effectually called by his grace, and may make a profession of the true faith and yet remain Christian Infidels.

3. The reformation of a dissolute and debauched life, falls short of this spiritual New-Birth.

This is that, with which many do soothe up themselves, when they reflect back upon the wild extravagances of their former times: how outrageously wicked they were; drunkards, unclean, riot ous, blasphemers, swearers, and the very worst of sinners: and,

now that they find themselves deadened to these things, and that they are grown men of stayed and sober lives and conversations, straight they conclude, that, certainly, such a great change as this is could never be made on them otherwise than by a renewing work of the Spirit: and, yet, this amendment there may be, where there is no Regeneration. Men may gather up their loose and dissolute lives within the compass of civility and moral honesty, and yet they may be utter strangers to a work of true and saving grace: and this may be ascribed to two grounds; partly, to the convictions of God's Spirit awakening natural con. science to see the horror, and to foresee the danger, that is in such infamous sins; and, partly, to prudence, gained from the frequent experiences that they have had of the manifold inconveniences brought upon themselves by such sins formerly. These two may make a great amendment in men's lives and conversations; and, yet, both these convictions and prudence fall far short of true regenerating grace.

All the seeming amendment of such men's lives may be ef fected two ways: either by changing their sins, or by tiring out the sinner.

(1) The life may seem to be reformed, when men only change their rude and boisterous sins, for such as are more de. mure and sober.

When men, from riotous, grow worldly; when from profane and irreligious, they grow superstitious and hypocritical; from atheists, to be heretics; when men make this change of boisterous and roaring sins, for those that are more demure and sober, they are apt to think that this change must be a change of their natures: whereas, indeed, it is but only a changing and bartering of their sins; and usually it is such a change too, that, though it render the life more inoffensive, yet it makes the soul more incurable. St. Austin, long since, hath told us, That vices may give place, when yet no virtue takes it; but one vice gives place to another.

(2) The life may seem to be reformed, when men are only tired out with their sins, or have outgrown their sins.

There are sins, that are proper and peculiar to such a state and season of a man's life, upon the altering of which they vanish and disappear. The sins of youth drop off in declining age, being then incongruous. This is that, which deceives many : when they look back upon those numberless vanities that they have forsaken and shaken off, and find how deadened their hearts

are to those sinful ways which before they delighted in, they conclude, that, certainly, this great change must needs proceed from true grace; whereas, indeed, they do not leave their sins: but their sins leave them, and drop off from them as rotten fruit from a tree: the faculties of their souls and the members of their bodies, that before were instruments of sin unto unrighteousness, are it may be blunted and become unserviceable. ! This maim of nature is far from regenerating grace: that doth not disable a man from the service of sin; but only sets him free from it.

4. To be endowed with eminent gifts and with the common graces of the Spirit, is not to be Regenerated.

These may be bestowed upon the worst of men. There is grace, that renders a man lovely inGod's eyes; and there is grace, that renders a man lovely only in men's eyes. Of both these, one and the same Spirit is the author. In some, the Spirit sanctifies the heart; and, in others, it only illuminates the head. Balaam was irradiated with the supernatural light of prophecy. Judas was dignified with the extraordinary office of the apostleship; and sent out to work miracles, together with the rest of the Apostles.

Yea, so much are the gifts of the Spirit, the operations of the Spirit, that they are, in a peculiar manner, called the Holy Ghost himself. See this in Acts i. 4. Christ commands his Disciples there, to wait at Jerusalem for the promise of the Father: that is, for the gifts of the Spirit; for that was the promise of the Fa.. ther and he tells them, in the eighth verse, that they should receive power after that the Holy Ghost was come upon them: certain it is, that they had already received the Holy Ghost, in the sanctifying graces of it: we cannot think that they were in an unre generate, unconverted estate, after Christ's death; but they had not as yet received the plentiful effusion of the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost, of speaking with tongues, of a bold and ready utterance, of working of miracles, and the like, which were then necessary to qualify them for the successful spreading of a new doctrine. And this is more clear in Acts viii, when Philip had preached at Samaria, it is said he converted many, in verse 12. so that, doubtless, many of them had received the Spirit already, in its saving graces; and yet it is said, in verse 16. that the Holy Ghost was not yet fallen upon any of them: that is, though they were converted, yet they were not endowed with those wonderful gifts of the Spirit before mentioned, which

afterwards they received. Had we been among them, and heard them speak of Christ and Gospel Mysteries with affections and convictions beyond natural capacities; had we heard them speak unstudied languages, and seen them working miracles, healing the sick, raising the dead; could we have thought, that it was possible for any of those, who were so favoured and filled by the Holy Ghost, to be yet in an unregenerate state, in a state of wrath and damnation? Yet, that there might some of them be so is clear: for the Apostle speaks of the like; such, who had tasted of the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and yet might fall away, Heb. vi. 4, 6: that is, there were those, in those Primitive Times, that had an effusion of the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost poured out upon them; of speaking with tongues, of a bold and ready utterance, of working of miracles, and the like; and yet such as these, that had tasted of these heavenly gifts, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, fell away, that is, they were never truly regenerate.

And, certainly, if these extraordinary gifts might be found separate from true grace, much more may those inferior gifts, that the Spirit now dispenseth among Christians be without true regenerating grace. A man may discourse of spiritual mysteries copiously and clearly: he may have gifts of knowledge and utterance: he may preach with evidence and demonstration, and pray with enlargement and affection; and yet, notwithstanding all this, be an utter stranger to a saving work of grace. Gifts prove nothing: these gifts may be but the gilding of a rotten post, the varnish of a corrupt heart. As it was a custom of old to crown those beasts' heads with garlands of flowers, that were ordained to be a sacrifice: so God may sometimes crown the heads of wicked men with flowery parts and gifts, whom yet he intends to make a sacrifice of to his wrath and justice.

5. A civil and harmless demeanor, is not this state of Regeneration.

There are many, that are of a good nature, that live blamelessly as to the world, and that nearly resemble grace: such as St. Paul was; who, speaking of himself saith, touching the Law, he was blameless: and such was the young man in the Gospel, that came to Christ and demanded what further lesson he should take out; having obeyed all the commands, as he thought: and, yet, this also is short of the regenerating grace of the Spirit, and argues only a sweet disposition, not a gracious heart.