Ministers on Earth cannot pull down this strong hold and it is as great an Adversary as any Christ hath in the world to obstruct his Grace it is the Great Goliah that stands in open defiance against Christ and makes the stoutest resistance against our Regeneration Again our Self-righteousness is an other great obstacle and Bull-work against our Regeneration Men have long been building up that which God will and must pull down in regenerating us God will not suffer our own Babels to stand when he comes to set up Zion in our hearts neither will he let Dagon alone when he comes to set up his Ark in us All our works conceits and imaginations are but Rubbish and Dirt that must be thrown away and cast out to make way for his building and therefore God begins here namely to overturn demolish and remove out his way the strong Towers and Fortresses of our own high thoughts conceits works and vain imaginations that so we being left destitute of succour and grounds of hope in our selves we may freely comply and joyn Issues with God in his works of Grace in us But now when God comes to do this O what strong resistance and violent opposition doth our Self-righteousness and good conceits of our selves make against God and the works of his Grace God would undo us that he may make us he would pull us down and quite deface our own Structures that he may build and set up his own in us Buch such are our conceits and apprehensions of our sufficiency goodness righteousness acceptable and worthy performances as that we harden our hearts against all Convictions of the invalidity and nothingness yea vanity and sinfulness of them and are exceedingly averse to and unwilling of any alteration cannot endure to think of losing all that we have wrought for so many years and after so much labour and confidence peace and satisfaction in our states and what we have done to lose all at once and be beholding at last only to the free gift of another flesh and blood will never endure it and therefore makes all possible opposition against it Men have been long rich and happy in their own eyes and therefore cannot bear to be undone and impoverished to be poor and miserable wretched and naked And hence it is that they shut their eyes and stop their ears against Light and Gods gracious Invitations They will have none of him because they fancy they have enough and do and may do enough of their own to make them happy This was the case of some of the Laodiceans Rev. 3.17 they thought themselves rich and had need of nothing and that when they were wretched naked and miserable Thus it was with Paul before he was Regenerated Phil. 3.4 5 6 7. And this was one of the great obstructions that hindred the Jews from receiving the Grace of Christ tendred them by Christ and his Apostles John 8 and 9 Chapters And in Luke 18.9 10 11 12. their self-conceited righteousness and light their priviledges and good works made them such desperate resolute violent and stout opposers of the Grace of God and thus is still the nature and effect of it in all the Sons and Daughters of men as sad experience shews And as Self-righteousness and a good Opinion of our selves is a strong Bar to fence us against Gods Regenerating work so are vain and groundless hopes likewise These oppositions and contradictions do all hang together in a string as so many Links in a Chain where one is all are but one may be stronger in one man and another in another man Men are by Nature exceeding full of presumptious hopes and confidences they seign that God will save them because he is good and merciful to sinners although they continue in their filthiness and practical abominations in their blindness and unregenerate states The Conceptions of Gods Mercies proves snares and dangerous Rocks to unregenerate men while they confidently conclude that God will have mercy on and save them because he is merciful though they live and die in their unregenerate states and condition although the Word of God tell them the contrary Isa 27.11 This is the vain hope of hypocrites mentioned in Job 8.13 14. which shall perish with them Presumptious confidences and vain hopes are natural to us and we will take hold of any broken Reed to keep us from despondency or making a right judgment of our selves states and ways rather than yield to the counsels of God and suffer him to save us in his own way and by his own means This vain presumptious hope is that which arms and strengthens the Soul against Christ and lies in a direct opposition to our Regeneration Again Hardness of heart is a great Bar to Regeneration We are by Nature hardened in sin and in fond conceits of our good conditions and therefore the work of Regeneration in us must needs be very hard and difficult work We are so hardened by sin and we harden our selves more and more when God hands out Light to us to see our states and lead us to himself When God comes to Regenerate then we are most insensible of our conditions and harden our hearts most against him even then when he would soften and melt us break and humble us we were hard and knotty pieces before but then we make our selves much harder for then we do purposely and designedly set our selves against God and his workings and as water strives with greater vehemency against opposition so do our hard hearts against the Spirits operations in us to renew and change us Ezek. 3.7 Pharoah was a hard-hearted man before God sent Moses and Aaron to him but then he set himself to harden his heart against God and his Word more than ever So when God sent the means of Grace to the Jews and strove with them to bring them to himself the more he wrestled with them exhorted and perswaded them to receive his Grace and become New Creatures the more they strove and fought against him Acts 19. Acts 28. until God judicially hardened them also and then they were sealed up as it were to the day of wrath Joh. 12.40 Then 't is ever after a hard and impenitent heart Rom. 2.5 Lastly Enmity There is in every natural man most stout and strong Enmity against God which is implacable and irreconcileable There can no peace or friendship be had with an implacable Enemy and a man that is at real Enmity with us until he be changed The Carnal mind is not only an Enemy to God but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Emnity against God Rom. 8.7 And in Rom. 1.31 they are said to be implacable Enmity will never be won and made to yield either by fair or foul means but such is the nature of it as that it will rather die on the place than conform to any tolerable terms of friendship with an Adversary But the Enmity of our Natures is most stout stubborn and desperate
resolve they will not do so whatever is said to confute and convince them of their errour but in that state they will abide in spite of God Angels and Men and that when God comes and proffers to Regenerate and make them New Creatures And hence it is that they stoutly and stubbornly resist and rise up in violent opposition against God and the word of his Grace disputing against and contending with him and the means he gives them for their change and in effect say we are well enough why should we trouble our selves yea why should God concern or trouble himself any further with us seeing we are in a state of Salvation already and may without any more ado be saved if God will Men are naturally such strangers to their own states as that they do not will not believe that Regeneration is needful and absolutely necessary for their Salvation or that it amounts to any more than a bare Reformation and change of practise Regeneration is such a Mystery and they are so captivated to their Ignorance Atheism and Unbelief as that they think it is but an idle story and a needlest thing especially if they are Moral honest men and great Professors of the Gospel Hence it was when Christ had to do with and intended to convert Nicodemus who was a Moral and Religious honest man that he presses the necessity of Regeneration on him with four Asseverations together Except a man namely thou and others be born again ye cannot enter into the Kingdom of God And marvel not at this ye must be born again Joh. 3.3.5.7 So in Matth. 18.3 Verily I say to you except ye be converted and become as little children ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven And as they neither see nor believe in good earnest their need of Regeneration so they believe not that God hath a mind that he doth indeed propose intend or is really willing to Regenerate them but they dream as being under the power of their Infidelity and delusions and perswade themselves that whatever they read or hear Ministers report of these things that they are but Fictions and fancies of men and that there is no truth nor reality in it or if there be yet they are not concerned in what they say unto them for their effectual Conviction and Regeneration And therefore when Christ strives and his Ministers strive with them to get into their hearts and Regenerate them they defend themselves stand upon their ground and do all they can to prevent and hinder them Rom. 10. ult Heb. 3.1.15 Thus you see that Atheism and Unbelief is a Potent Enemy to Regeneration Secondly Hatred of God and Holiness and their great love strong and much endeared affection to their sins lusts and the world greatly opposes Regenerating Grace or the work of Regeneration in us That by Nature we are haters of God the Yoke of Christ and Power of Godliness you have heard before as also that we have great affection for and are much in love with our Lusts and the World Now that these are exceeding great Enemies to and obstructions of our Regeneration is evident in Luk. 14.16 17 18 19 20. God makes a Supper of Grace and favour for sinners makes it ready sets it on the Table and sends his Servants to invite them to come and eat but would they come no in no wise But why not why because they had other things to mind and as they thought of greater concernment One had a Wife another a Farm and another Oxen. These were the things they loved minded and so greatly delighted in these things lay so near their hearts as that they would not could not come nor could the most loving Invitation perswade them their worldly lusts were so strong This made them reject that Grace that was so freely and earnestly proffered them So Covetousness caused the young mâ—â— to reject Christ Grace and Heaven Luke 18.22 23 and made him resolve to lose all rather than forgo that bosom lust He stood it out stoutly and would not bow or yield an inch to Christ although his Life and Soul lay at stake for it And to the same purpose we read in Luk. 19.27 of some who were so wedded to their lusts and interests as that they peremptorily rejected Christs Yoke They preferred the service of Sin before the service of Christ and chose rather to have their Lusts to Reign over them than the Lord Jesus By Nature men are such Enemies to God and Godliness I mean the power of it as that they hate the Light that would shew them their errour acquaint them with God and bring to the saving knowledge of true happiness Joh. 3.19 20. And they are said to abhor God Zach. 11.8 and likewise the Word and Laws of God Levit. 26.15 The Scribes and Pharisees were Religious men and knew more than others did of the Will of God and yet they stifly opposed the Grace and Gospel of Christ that was brought to them for their Regeneration if they would accept it yea they hated the Lord Jesus Christ for proffering his Grace and Assistance to them and publishing the glad tydings of Salvation Joh. 15.24 25. And how desperately did the Jews set themselves against the Apostles Preaching Christ and Grace unto them what exceeding great enmity malignity malice and hatred did they express all along to and against their Preaching and tendering Christ and his Grace unto them for their Regeneration and Salvation you may see at large in the Acts. The Language of us all by Nature is we have loved strangers and after them we will go Jer. 2.25 and therefore as for the Word of the Lord which he hath spoken we will not do it Jer. 44.16 17. Moreover Pride is a strong and hostile Enemy to Regeneration Man is a very proud Creature and as full of Diabolical and Carnal Pride as a Toad is of Poyson This is the Lust that makes men scorn to come up to Christs terms or bow to his Proposals They disdain to be beholding to Free Grace for any thing and therefore will not hearken to any of Christs Offers Pride sets men in Battle-array against Christ to dispute and sight it out with him It is so strong a Fort such an impregnable Castle as that no strength can take and subdue it but Omnipotency that can do it but none else can Eph. 1.19 20. Psal 110.3 2 Cor. 10.4 5. This is the Lust that makes men so boldly and audaciously set their mouths against the Heavens Psal 73.9 and so pertinaciously contend with God it causes men to think highly of themselves and vilely of Christ Grace and a New State it makes them desperate and resolute in the way of their own hearts and turn a deaf Ear to the Lords Calls and Admonitions it causes them to trample on the Gospel Christ and his Blood and Righteousness and to harden their hearts against all reproofs and instructions All the Angels in Heaven or
against God for 't is possible for a man to perswade him that is at Enmity with him to some reasonable terms of accommodation by his great condescention and bowing to him by sweet and affable carriages by the entreaty and perswasion of Friends and by proffering to serve him and give him all he hath But it is not so between men and God for although God condescends and as it were bows down to us and that infinitely more than men can do though he carry himself most sweetly and affably to us proffers friendship and reconciliation to us entreats and perswades us by his Ministers promises and proffers to wait on us protect and guard us yea give all he hath to inrich us honour and exalt us with all his Sons Fulness and possess us of all his Heavenly Treasures if we will yield and be reconciled to him But all these endeavours are in vain none of them will work on Enmity to perswade and bow it to the Will and Designs of God yea these means are all contemned and are improved to heighten and strengthen the Enmity by us Enmity causes men to bid defiance to such Acts and Overtures of God for the winning and bringing us over to himself they make us more obstinate implacable and irreconcileable The Jews give us a sufficient proof of this Truth as well as what is daily found amongst us For who shews greater Enmity against Christ his Grace and Gospel than such to whom he daily holds forth the Golden Scepter of his Mercy and beseeches to be reconciled to him These are some of the stout Enemies of our Regeneration which are bred in our own Bosoms and strongly arm and fortifie our Souls against Christ These are some of the Goliah's that rebel against the Authority and Commands of God and that hold fast the Castles of our hearts and keep them shut against him when he comes to assault and subdue them and so makes our Regeneration very hard and difficult I could have instanced in several other internal oppositions but time would fail me Secondly Without and within us too The Devil is an external and internal Adversary to the work of Regeneration he is an implacable and active Enemy to and against our New State for he hates Christ and his Grace in men and cannot endure to see a holy Job or gracious Paul in the world and therefore endeavours to make and keep all men like himself and leaves no means unattempted to effect it but goes about night and day seeking whom he may devour 1 Pet. 5.8 There is an Everlasting Enmity put between the Seed of the Woman and the Seed of the Serpent Gen. 3. and much more between the Devil and Grace And as the Devil hates Christ and his Grace in men so likewise the happy and blessed state that the Grace of Regeneration puts them into He knows that he is a most miserable Creature himself being condemned and put into Chains of darkness to everlasting fire Jude 6. Matth. 25.41 And therefore he greatly envies and malignes the happiness of good men It cuts him to the heart to see any of the Sons of Adam restored to a state of Blessedness to see the Grace of God in them and they in Friendship with God For no sooner had God made man in his own Image Gen. 1.26 27. set them in Paradise and given them a positive Law to obey but by and by he sets on them to debauch and spoil them and uses all possible subtilty and diligence to effect it Gen. 3. which succeeded according to his mind for a time So when he saw Job walk uprightly and in high favour with God how does he labour to corrupt him and turn him from his integrity in the first and second Chapter of Job And as the Devil envies the happiness of good men and therefore labours to hinder their Regeneration so likewise his loathness to loose his Subjects The Devil is the God and Lord of the World 2 Cor. 4.4 Eph. 2.2 and hath many willing and obedient Subjects Rom. 6. We are all by Nature the Devils Subjects and Servants he hath the first possession of and service from us and when God Regenerates a man he takes him out of the Devils Kingdom and calls him out of his subjection and service and puts him into his Kingdom and service Col. 1.13 Rom. 6. Now this is so grievous to him as that he cannot quietly bear it but doth all he can to hinder and obstruct it and that by all possible ways and means He is in possession and rules in the hearts Luk. 11.20 21 22. and will not 〈◊〉 his Subjects go until a stronger than he foâ—ces him to yield but as Pharaoh a shadâ—â— of the Devil would not let Israel go out 〈◊〉 his Kingdom to serve God so will not thâ— Devil let mens Souls go to serve Christ unâ—â— he brings them out with a strong hand 〈◊〉 so Christ gets all his Subjects out of Satâ—â— hand and puts them into his own Kingdoâ— In Regeneration Christ leads Captivity captiâ—â— Eph. 4.8 takes the Spoil out of his hanâ— and breaks his Jaws Job 29.17 Christ binds 〈◊〉 strong man or Devil and takes away his goodâ— he turns the Devil out of office and out 〈◊〉 the possession of their hearts and enters 〈◊〉 himself takes on him the Rule and Government of them and makes them his willâ— and obedient Subjects translates them iâ— his Kingdom and that by their own voluâ—tary Resignation of themselves to him Noâ— this the Devil cannot but greatly oppose aâ— fight against and will never yield nor submit but when the Lord Jesus comes to 〈◊〉 his own which he hath bought with his blâ—â— 1 Cor. 6.19 and begins to awaken and euven them O how does the Devil rage 〈◊〉 storm fight and oppose to keep his Subject in subjection to him O how does he drâ— up all his Forces and make Head again Christ to keep men out of his hand sometimes by flatteries and sometimes by threâ— nings Now he labours to hold them faâ— by perswading them that they are in peaâ—â— and in a good condition that they are under delusions and sinister mistakes that if they continue as they are they shall have peace and need not doubt of their Salvation and that those troubles they are under are of the Devil and their own miss-judging of their states He flatters and perswades them to mind their pleasures and profits and not trouble or concern themselves about Religion for that will but distract and perplex them and no way advantage them He tells them that in their present state they may have their hearts desire but so they shall not have in the singular and melancholly ways of Religion which now they begin to concern themselves withal and that if they once ingage themselves in those matters they shall never find any good or satisfaction in them comparable to that which they must forgo and part withal and which hitherto they have
conditions states and ways and imagin that all others should have the same opinion of them that we our selves have And therefore conclude that such as think and speak otherwise of them are too uncharitable and censorious This is one of the greatest stumbling blocks in the way of Regeneration and causes many to tune a deaf ear to all convincing and regenerating Truths that are handed out unto them Besides the vain groundless hopes they have formed to themselves and are greatly in love withal that they are in a good and safe condition although they are not so good as they should be whatever men and the word of God shall say to the contrary of or against them The Jews gives us many proofs and evidences of it for when the Lord Jesus Preached to and discoursed with them about their states to convince and regenerate them Oh! how did they labour to fence off all the words of Truth spoken to them how did they strive dispute and set themselves against the Gospel of their Salvation and that upon the grounds before mentioned yea those very persons which sometimes were convinced in their Consciences that they were sinners Joh. 8.9 I say even these men did ordinarily harden themselves against the Word of Christ upon their vain hopes high priviledges proud and high conceits they had of themselves Joh. 8.33.39 48. ult Joh. 9. Joh. 10. Math. 9. Read these Chapters throughout and you will find what I have said abundantly confirmed and as it was with them so I am afraid it is with many of you do not you conceit and stoutly perswade your selves that you are in a safe and happy state and condition before God that you shall undoubtedly be saved notwithstanding the Truth of God Ministers of Christ yea and sometimes your own Consciences testify the contrary also and tell you plainly That you are yet in the gall of bitterness and bond of Iniquity do not you encourage and support your selves fortify and arm your selves under and against all convictions with many vain and groundless hopes and delusive conceits of your blessed states or that you are in a happy case and condition although you never experienced any real change in your hearts nor any special grace of Christ in your poor deluded perishing Souls But yet I say unregenerate persons may know and have a shrewd guess that they themselves are not unregenerated but in a state of sin and under the wrath of God Simon Magat was so Acts 8.24 Pharoah Exod. 9.27 unregenerate men have three means if I may so call them to help them to the knowledge and conviction of their bad conditions First the word of God written but especially Preached and so it is the word of conviction in the hand of an Ordinance appointed and designed thereunto by the great God Act. 26.18 2 Their own natural Consciences and principles of Nature that are in all men not feared which are subjects capable of impressions from the Word of God namely of its light and convincing power and also natural Reason helped by the Word so that when they hear the certain Characters of unregenerate persons laid down from Gods Word they may reflect on themselves and apply them to themselves if they will They may reason thus why if these are certain Characters or Signs of an evil or unregenerate man or state as I cannot but conclude they are then am I in such a state for I find them in and upon me I cannot deny it As thus Is gross ignorance of Jesus Christ the grace of God Sin and Duty a certain sign of an unregenerate person surely then I am an unregenerate person for I am grosly ignorant of these things So when they hear Characters or Signs laid down of a regenerate man then to examin themselves and reason thus Why I find not any of these in my self which I should if I was regenerate and therefore I am in an unregenerate state and condition much might be done this way by unregenerate men towards their conviction and knowledge I mean not saving knowledge of their States would such men practise it but that they will not no because they love their carnal ease and peace and therefore they are willingly ignorant of their unregenerate state And as they have these means or helps to know their evil States so 3 the holy Spirit of God to stir up Conscience in and by the Word The Spirit speaks sometimes to them not as the Spirit of Adoption but of Bondage whose voice is louder quicker and pierceth further unto and into their Consciences than the word of its self can do and tells them plainly that they are in a damnable state and condition and shall assuredly perish for ever except they be regenerate here Gen. 6.3 This awakens and affrights them this humbles and abases them and makes them cry out undone undone we are lost Oh! what shall we do to be saved Acts 2.37 And here I might add that not only these said means may help them to the knowledge of their states but also the discourses carriages and conversations of some Regenerate persons that they are concerned withal and may make observations of and compare themselves with them and them with themselves and conclude clearly that there is a vast difference between such and themselves the states of the one and of the other And if these be Regenerate persons and Regenerate persons be indeed such and so and so qualified graced and spirited as they seem to be then that they themselves are undoubtedly in an Unregenerate condition for that they are not such persons neither have any of their qualifications or any like them Matth. 5.16 Now if Unregenerate men would improve and rationally use these means or helps towards the knowledge and conviction of their states they might undoubtedly know them better than they do But there needs no further proof of this truth namely that unregenerate persons may know they are in a bad condition then the Gripes and trouble of Conscience their fears trembling and consternations in and under the apprehensions of Death and Judgment together with their wishes protestations resolutions and promises on their Death-beds These do all proclaim this Truth Q. May not Gods people such as are Regenerate know that they are so and be sufficiently assured of their Regeneration A. They may for first God hath promised the knowledge of it unto them in their obedient and holy walkings with God in that state Hosea 6.3 Then shall we know if we follow on to know the Lord. Isa 32.17 Prov. 2.1 â—7 So the Spirit witnesseth with our Spirit that we are the Children of God Rom. 8.16 2. The people of God have had certain and clear assurance or a sufficient knowledge of their Regenerate states and the Spirit of God hath recorded it for our learning and encouragement Enoch had it Heb. 11.5 and the Apostle John speaking in the name of Believers or regenerate persons saith We know that we are of