ating power of God did, in bringing this beautiful and orderly frame of things out of their dark and rude Chaos. Thus the Apoftle represents it, 2 Cor. iv. 6. God who commanded the light to shine out of darknefs, (alluding to the first creation) hath shined into our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jefus Chrift. We are tranflated from one extreme to another. Acts xxvi. 18. when our Lord fends Paul to preach the gofpel to the Gentiles, he tells him what a change it would make in them, by opening their eyes, and turning them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God. And St. Peter expreffes the change which Christianity makes in men, by their being called out of darkness into a marvellous light, 1 Pet. ii. 9. And fo St. Paul, Eph. v. 8. Ye were fometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord.

And indeed wherever the doctrine of Chrift hath its full effect, and perfect work, it makes a mighty change both in their inward principles, and outward practice; it darts a new light into their minds, fo that they fee things otherwife than they did before, and form a different judgment of things from what they did before; it endues them with a new principle, and new refolutions, gives them another fpirit and another temper, a quite different fenfe and guit of things from what they formerly had. And this inward change of their minds neceffarily produceth a proportionable change in their lives and converfations, fo that the man steers quite another course, acts after another rate, and drives on quite other defigns from what he did before.

And this is remarkably feen in those who are re claimed from impiety and profanenefs to religion, and from a vicious to a virtuous courfe of life. The change is great and real in all; but not fo fenfible and visible in fome, as others; in those who are made good by the infenfible fteps of a pious and virtuous education; as in those who are tranflated out of a quite contrary ftate, and turned from the power of Satan unto God, and tranflated out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of Chrift; which was

the

the cafe of the heathen world, in their first converfion to Chriftianity.

Secondly, This change is effected and wrought by a divine power, of the fame kind with that, which created the world, and raised up Chrift Jefus from the dead; two great and glorious inftances of the divine power; and to these the fcripture frequently alludes, when it fpeaks of this new creation. God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath fhined into our hearts. Like as Chrift was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, fo we also are raised to newness of life, faith St. Paul, Rom. vi. 4. And to the fame purpose the fame Apostle fpeaks, Ephef. i. 19, 20. And that ye may know what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the operation of his mighty power; which he wrought in Chrift, when he raised him from the dead. So that our renovation, and being made new creatures, is an inftance of the fame glorious power which exerted itself in the first creation of things, and in the refurrection of our Lord Jefus Chrift from the dead; but not altogether after the fame manner, as I fhall fhew under the next head.

I should now, in the fecond place, proceed to fhow, that this metaphor of a new creation doth not import what fome men would extend it to, fo as to found doctrines of great confequence upon the fingle ftrength of this and other like metaphors of fcripture, without any manner of countenance and confirmation from plain texts. But this I reserve to another difcourfe.

SER

298

SERMON CVII.

Of the nature of regeneration, and its neceffity, in order to juftification and falva

tion.

GALAT. VI. 15.

For in Christ Jefus neither circumcifion availeth ang thing, nor uncircumcifion; but a new creature.

I

The fecond fermon on this text.

N thefe words are contained these two things. Firft, That the gospel hath taken away the obli gation of the law, having taken away the sign of that covenant, which was circumcifion.

Secondly, That according to the terms of the gofpel, and the Chriftian religion, nothing will avail to our juftification and acceptance with God, but the real renovation of our hearts and lives. For the full explication of this, I propounded to do thefe three things:

I. To fhew what is implied in this phrafe of a

new creature.

II. That this is the great condition of our juftifi cation and acceptance with God, and that it is the fame in fenfe and fubftance with thofe other expreffions, in the two parallel texts, of faith perfected by charity, and keeping the commandments of God.

III. That it is very reasonable that this fhould be the condition of our juftification, and acceptance to the favour of God.

I began with the first of thefe, viz. To fhew what is implied in this phrafe of a new creature; as to which I fhewed,

First, What this metaphor doth certainly import, fo as to be undeniably evident from other more clear

and

and full texts of fcripture; namely, the greatnefs of this change; and that it is effected by a divine power. I now proceed,

Secondly, To fhew that it doth not import what fome would extend it to, and that fo as to found doctrines of great confequence upon the mere and fingle ftrength of this and other like metaphors of fcripture, without any manner of countenance and confirmation from plain texts; fuch doctrines as these three:

1. That as the creation was by an irresistible act of the divine power, fo is this new creation, or converfion of a finner.

2. That as creatures were merely paffive in their being made, and contributed nothing at all to it, no more do we to our converfion and regeneration.

3. That as the creation of the feveral ranks and kinds of creatures was in an inftant, and effected by the powerful word of God, only faying, let fuch and fuch things be, and immediately they were; fo this new creation, or the work of regeneration, is in an inftant, and admits of no degrees.

Concerning these three doctrines, of great moment. and confequence in divinity, I fhall fhew, with all the clearness and brevity I can, that they are built folely upon metaphors of fcripture, tortured and ftrained too far, without any real ground and foundation from fcripture or reafon; nay, contrary to the tenor of the one and the dictates of the other; nay, indeed contrary to the general experience of the operation of God's grace upon the minds of men in their converfion.

Firft, It is pretended, that as the creation was by an irrefiftible act of the divine power, fo is the new creation, or the converfion of a finner; and this is folely argued from the metaphorical expreffions of fcripture concerning converfion; fuch as being cal led out of darkness into light, alluding to that powerful word of God, which in the first creation commanded the light to shine out of darkness, being quickened, and raised to a new life; and from this metaphor here in the text, of a new creation.

But

But furely it is a dangerous thing in divinity to build doctrines upon metaphors, efpecially if we ftrain them to all the fimilitudes which a quick and lively imagination can find out; whereas fome one obvious thing is commonly intended in the metaphor, and the meaning is abfolved and acquitted in that, and it is folly to purfue it in all thofe fimilitudes which a good fancy may fuggeft. When our Saviour fays, that he will come as a thief in the night, it is plain what he means; that the day of judgment will furprize the careless world, when they leaft look for it, that be will come at an hour when they are not aware; and though he resemble his coming to that of a thief in the night, yet here is nothing of robbery in the cafe. So here, when the change which Christianity makes in men is called a new creation, this only imports the greatnefs of the change, which by the power of God's grace is made upon the hearts and lives of men; and the metaphor is fufficiently abfolved in this plain fenfe and meaning of it, agreeable to the literal expreffions of fcripture concerning this thing; and there is no need that this change fhould in all other refpects answer the work of creation; and confequently there is no neceffity that it fhould be effected in an irrefiftible manner, or that we should be altogether paffive in this change, and that we fhould noways concur to it by any act of our own, or that this work fhould be done in an inftant, and admit of no fteps and degrees.

It is not neceffary that this change fhould be effected in an irrefiftible manner. God may do so, when he pleafeth, without any injury to his creatures; for it is certainly no wrong to any man to be made good and happy against his will; and I do not deny, but that God fometimes does fo. The call of the difciples to follow Chrift feems to have been a very fudden and forcible impreffion upon their minds, without any appearing reafon for it; for it is not reafonable for any man to leave his calling, and follow every one that bids him do fo. The converfion of Saul from a perfecutor of Chriftianity, to a zealous preacher of it, was certainly effected, if not in

an