Justification or that of Adoption do properly import in the Object a Real Change but only a Relative For the Traitor thus Pardoned and thus Advanced may yet remain a Wicked Person and as very an Enemy to his Soveraign as he was before if there be not a change wrought in his Mind as well as in his Relative state Nor is this the Sonship which the Text speaks of But beside this Sonship by Adoption there is also a Sonship by Regeneration which the Text mentions as Necessary to those who shall See the Kingdome of God And this implies as was said before not so much a Relative change of the State as a Real change of the Person Except a man be born again and thereby have a New Nature as well as a New Relation he cannot See the Kingdome of God 'T is vain to think of being the Sons of God by Adoption unless we be his Sons by Regeneration also The one never goes without the other For like as 't is a Vain thing to talk of Saving Faith which is not as occasion serves attended with Good Works And a Vain thing to talk of being Justified without being Sanctified also So 't is a Vain thing to talk of Adoption without Regeneration For though the Notions be Different the Things alwaies go together And are commonly so mentioned in Scripture Thus 1 Joh. 12 13. To as many as Received him that is to as many as believed on his name as it is there explained he gave Power 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Right or Privilege as the Margin renders it to be the Sons of God to wit by Adoption But it then follows which were Born to wit by Regeneration not of the will of Man but of God Those that are the Sons of God by Adoption must be Born again by Regeneration So Gal. 4 5 6. When he had said God sent his Son c. that we might receive the Adoption of Sons he adds And because ye are Sons God hath sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts crying Abba Father That is the Spirit of Regeneration the same Spirit by which the Text says we must be Born again Except a man be born of Water and of the Spirit ver 5. he cannot enter into the Kingdome of God And again Rom. 8.15 16. We have not received the spirit of Bondage again to Fear but we have received the spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba Father The Spirit it self bearing witness with our Spirits that we are the Sons of God But how doth he thus bear witness to our Adoption He tells us ver 14. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the Sons of God By being a Spirit of Regeneration it bears witness of our Adoption For like as no man can know that he is Elected till he know that he is Justified and Sanctified So neither can we know that we are Adopted till we first know that we are Regenerate Whom he did Fore-know saith St. Paul Rom. 8.28 he did also Predestinate to be conformed to the Image of his Son that is whom he designed to be Happy he designed to be Holy And whom he did thus Predestinate them he Called them he Justified and them he Glorified But till we find by the Effect we were designed to be Holy we can never know that we are designed to be Happy And in like manner Till we find that we are led by the Spirit of Regeneration we can never know that we are the Sons of God by Adoption And our Text says the same though in other words Except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdome of God that is Except he be born again by Regeneration he cannot pretend a title to the Kingdome of God by Adoption Till they be born again they cannot be Children of the Kingdome as the Phrase is Mat. 13.38 Adoption and Regeneration alwaies go together Now as being the Sons of God by Adoption is the Completing of our Justification So To become the Sons of God by Regeneration is the Beginning of our Sanctification For what in the Origine or Beginning we call Regeneration or a New Birth that in the Progress we call Sanctification or a New Life And 't is called in Scripture by many other Names to the same purpose 'T is called A dying to Sin and being alive to God Rom. 6.4 11. that we may thenceforth Walk in newness of Life 'T is called Conversion or a turning from darkness to light from the power of Sathan unto God Act. 26.18 That they may receive forgiveness of Sins and Inheritance among those that are Sanctified Where you see Conversion attended with Justification or the Forgiveness of Sins and Adoption to the Inheritanc◠but 't is amongst those that are sanctified And again Mat. 18.3 Except ye be Converted and become as little children ye shall not enter into the Kingdome of Heaven Where being Converted is the same with what the Text calls being Born again 'T is becoming a new Creature Gal. 5.17 If any man be in Christ he is a new Creature Old things are passed away and all things are become new 2 Cor. 5.17 A new Heart a new Spirit Ezek. 36.26 that is A new Frame and Temper of Mind new Principles new Propensions and Inclinations To be renewed in the spirit of our Minds Eph. 4.23 To be created in Christ Jesus unto good works Eph. 2.10 which God hath before ordained that we should walk therein that is according to our present Idiom wherein God hath before appointed that we should walk 'T is a repairing of God's Image in us which by the Fall was Obliterated and Defaced A putting off the Old man with his deeds and putting on the New man which is renewed after the Image of him that created him Col. 3.9 10. A putting off the Old man which is corrupt according to the deceitfull Lusts and putting on the New man which after God is created in Righteousness and true Holiness Eph. 4.22 24. With many other Expressions of like import For in expressing Spiritual things by Metaphors taken from things Sensible 't is frequent in Scripture because no one can adequately reach it to make use of many some-way to Resemble the thing intended The Result of all tends to this That there must be a Change of Nature wrought in those who are to Inherit the Kingdome of God Not as to the Essentials of humane Nature but as to the perverse inclinations of corrupt Nature Whence those who by Nature as now Corrupted are prone to Evil may from a new Principle become in Love with God And that in order thereunto we must have not only a Principle of Reason from our First Birth to act as Men but a Principle of Grace also from our new Birth to act as Good Men. For an Evil Tree Heb. 12.15 or a Root of Bitterness will never Mat. 7.17 bring forth good Fruit But the Tree must be made good Mat. 12.33 that the
in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing Ver. 19. The Good that I would do I do not but the Evil which I would not do that I do Ver. 22. I delight in the Law of God after the Inward man Ver. 23. But I see another Law in my Members warring against the Law of my Mind and bringing me into captivity to the Law of Sin Nor need we here dispute the point whether St. Paul speak this of himself as in his Regenerate condition or in his Unregenerate For either way it serves our purpose well enough That there is in man at least before his Regeneration such Habitual Corruption as makes him thus Prone to Sin and Averse to Good How much of it remains afterward because that we are Sanctified but in part is to our present purpose not necessary But that there is too much of it even those that are the most Sanctified find cause to bewail This Depravation of Nature or as our Church calls it Infection of Nature she hath so well described in her 9 th Article that I will not take upon me to mend it She calls it there Original Sin and declares it to be The Fault and Corruption of the Nature of every man that naturally is engendred of the Off-spring of Adam Whereby man is far gone from Original Righteousness and is of his own Nature Inclined to Evil So that the Flesh lusteth alwaies against the Spirit And therefore in every person born into this world it deserveth God's Wrath and Damnation With more to the same purpose I do not intend here to enter into a nice discourse of Original Sin What it is or By what means it comes to be derived upon us It is enough for our present purpose which our Church saith explicitely That such a thing there is That by this we are Inclined to Evil That it is Universal to all naturally descended from Adam That it sticks so close to us as to be called Our own Nature and That it deserves God's Wrath and Damnation Now this being our Nature as we proceed from Adam there will be need of another Nature before we can be accepted of God Which I do not mean of a Physical change as to the Essentials of Humane Nature But of a Moral change as to the Propensions and Inclinations of it And this Change of Nature is that which the Text means by being Born again For though our English-Tongue do not so much favour it Nova Natura and de novo Nasci are all one A new Nativity is a new Nature And it is the Hebrews common form of Speech which the Greek in the New Testament doth use to follow to call men the Sons of such whose Natures they imitate Upon a common presumption that Animals are of the same nature with those from which they descend Thus A Generation of Vipers A seed of Evil doers Children of Belial Ye are of your Father the Devil and the like imply as much as a Viperous Wicked and Devilish Nature And contrariwise to be Born of God on the Child of God is to be like God to be made partaker of a Divine Nature And Christ to the Pharisees Joh. 8.39 If ye were the Children of Abraham ye would do the works of Abraham v. 44. But ye are of your Father the Devil and the Lusts of your Father ye will do That is If you had Abraham's Nature you would Act like Abraham But being of a Devilish Nature you Act accordingly And thus much for the Ground or Reason of this Necessity It is the Corruption of our own Nature that makes it necessary to have a new Nature before we can see the Kingdome of God where no unclean thing may enter Eph. 4.22 We must put off the Old man which is Corrupt according to the deceitfull lusts v. 23. And be Renewed in the spirit of our Minds v. 24. And put on the New man which after God is created in Righteousness and true Holyness We are next to consider By what Power it is that this Change of Nature must be wrought And this Christ tells Joh. 3.5 must be by the Spirit Except a man be born of Water and of the Spirit 'T is not enough that a man be washed with Water such as were many of the Jewish Cleansings and Initiations but insufficient to wash away Sin He must be born of the Spirit also and by that be cleansed from the pollutions of Nature if ever he see the Kingdome of God Ver. 6. For that which is born of the Flesh is but Flesh 't is that which is born of the Spirit that is Spirit To be born of the Flesh is enough to give us a Fleshly Nature that of a Reasonable creature or a Sinfull creature And to be washed with Water may take away the Filth of the Body But it must be a Spiritual birth that gives us a Spiritual nature and it must be the Laver of Regeneration and the Renewing of the holy Ghost Tit. 3.5 that washeth away the Filth of Sin No man comes to me saith Christ Joh. 6.44 except the Father who sent me draw him 'T is according to his Divine Power saith Peter 2 Pet. 1.3 that we are made partakers of the Divine Nature v. 4. 'T is by the spirit of his Son saith St. Paul Gal. 4.6 which God sends into our hearts whereby we are inabled to cry Abba Father Those to whom there is no condemnation Rom. 8.1 are they who walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit Those who have another principle of Life and Action by Spiritual Regeneration than that of the Flesh by Carnal Generation Ver. 5. For they that are after the Flesh do mind the thiâ—gs of the Flesh but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit Ver. 6. For to be carnally minded 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is Death but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be Spiritually minded is Life and Peace v. 7. Because the carnal mind 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is Enmity against God for it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be Ver. 8. So then they that are in the Flesh cannot Please God V. 9. But ye are not in the Flesh but in the Spirit if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you Now if any have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his Ver. 13. For if ye live after the Flesh ye shall dye but if ye through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the Body ye shall Live Ver. 14. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the Sons of God With much more there to the same purpose I know very well that the name of the Spirit in this loose age is made matter of Burlesk and Drollery But so are all the sacred things of God His Being and Providence Heaven and Hell and the day of Judgment Yet we must not therefore be Drolled out of our Religion The Truths of God will still
be the Truths of God notwithstanding the Follies of men Those Admonitions of Quench not the Spirit 1 Thes. 4.19 Grieve not the Spirit Eph. 4.30 Walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the Flesh Gal. 5.16 were intended for serious Advice And why should we Grieve that Spirit which is to be our Comforter Joh. 14.26 and 15.26 by whom we are sealed to the day of Redemption Eph. 1.13 and 4.30 And David prays in good earnest Psal. 51.10 Create in me a clean Heart O God and renew a right Spirit within me v. 11. Take not thy holy Spirit from me v. 12. Vphold me with thy free Spirit Nor did God mock us when he promised to pour his Spirit upon all flesh Joel 2.28 Nor Christ when he says His Father will give his holy Spirit to them that ask Luke 11.13 And the Threatnings of God are very severe against those that do despite to the Spirit of Grace Heb. 10.29 and who Blaspheme or speak against the holy Spirit Mat. 12.31 32. Nor will the Follies of some who may pretend to what they have not Excuse the Malice of others who make a Mock of Holy things But to return This Change of Nature must I say be wrought by the Spirit of God Not but that we must be Active also in a diligent use of the Means of Grace whereby God's Spirit doth ordinarily work Grace in us as Praying Hearing and Reading the Word of God keeping his Sabbaths and other of his Ordinances For God hath appointed them for that very end that the Spirit of God may by them work Grace in us But we are so to use them as yet to look beyond them and wait for a work of God by his Spirit upon our hearts in concurrence with them to make them effectual to us I have Planted saith Paul 1 Cor. 3.6 and Apollo Watered but God gave the Increase Ver. 7. So then neither is he that Planteth any thing neither he that Watereth that is nothing in comparison But God that giveth the Increase Hence it is that under the same Means of Grace and the same Arguments used to perswade us one is taken and another left Mat. 24.40 41. as Christ speaks in a like case one converted and another remains obdurate And to the same person there be some Mollia tempora fandi those Arguments at one time prevail which at another time do not And when they do it is not without a special concurrence of God with them and not meerly from other Circumstantials or a power of our own without it And our Church saith the same in her Tenth Article in the words The Condition of Man after the Fall of Adam is such that he cannot turn or prepare himself by his own natural strength and good works to Faith and Calling upon God Wherefore we have no power to do good works pleasant and acceptable to God without the Grace of God by Christ Preventing us that we may have a good will and Working with us when we have that good will If any shall yet inquire as Nicodemus here How can these things be Joh. 3.10 How is it that God or his Spirit can thus work upon our hearts Man being a free Agent or How this is consistent with the Freedome of Man's will or the like I do not know that we are obliged to trouble our selves with those nice Inquiries Sure it is that when we act we act Freely not against our wills Certum est nos velle cum volumus sed Deus facit ut velimus is a known saying in the case When we will 't is voluntary but 't is God makes us thus to will And St. Paul long before It is God which worketh in us both to Will and to Do of his good pleasure Phil. 2.13 As to the Manner of it If we say God works we know not how it doth not therefore follow that he doth not work If we do not know How the bones grow in the womb of her that is with child Eccles. 11.5 which yet we know do grow we may as likely be ignorant How God works in the New-birth We have in Job 38. a great many hard Questions concerning Natural things which God himself puts to Job to check his curiosity in higher matters which would trouble any of us to answer as to the particular manner and yet in general that the things be so we cannot deny St. Paul Rom. 9.19 to such captious Questions Why doth he yet complain for who hath resisted his will makes this grave Reply v. 20. Nay but O Man who art thou that disputest against God 'T is hard for us to set bounds to the Almighty to say what he doth or what he may doe Modesty becomes us herein Vain man saith Zophar in Job Job 11.12 would needs be wise though man be born like a wild Asses Colt Nor is it for us to give Law to the Almighty or say unto him What doest thou And here if ever that counsel of Solomon is seasonble Eccl. 5.2 Be not rash with thy mouth and let not thy heart be hasty to utter any thing before God for God is in heaven and thou upon earth therefore let thy words be few And our Saviour here to Nicodemus from our Ignorance in Earthly things pleads for a modest Submission in things of a higher nature Joh. 3.8 The Wind bloweth where it listeth thou hearest the sound thereof but canst not tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth So is every one that is born of the Spirit Ver. 12. And if in Earthly things we are at a loss how much more in Heavenly And Solomon to the same purpose in the place before cited Eccl. 11.5 As thou knowest not what is the way of the Spirit nor how the bones grow in the womb of her that is with child Even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all 'T is commonly either from a vain Curiosity or proud Arrogance that makes men over Confident in such things I find the Church of God in the first Ages of the World did for a long time for ought we see rest satisfied with that first general promise That the Seed of the Woman should break the Serpents head Gen. 3.25 That God would by some born of a Woman find a way they knew not how to deliver us from that wretched condition which by the Serpents malice and subtilty was brought upon us Without being over inquisitive When or How or By whom it should be brought about Till God saw fit in his own time upon the coming of our Saviour to declare it more plainly and fully And in like manner when God promises to circumcise our heart Deut. 6.30 to give us a new heart and put a new spirit within us Ezek. 36.26 to take away the heart of stone and give us a heart of flesh Ezek. 11.19 to put his Law in our inward parts and write it in our hearts Jer. 31.33 to put his fear
from Above And it is not much material which way we read it For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is properly enough rendered Born again And answers to that of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 T it 3.5 which is there rendered Regeneration The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in composition importing the same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and answering to the Latine Re. As in that place just now cited Tit. 3.5 where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is Renovatio 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 By the washing of Regeneration and Renewing of the Holy Ghost Or if we please to put a greater Emphasis on the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as signifying from above like as also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in composition oft times signifies Vp as when 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifie Ascension and Descension 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in composition answering to the Adverbs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The meaning will be still the same Save that here will be further imported the Principle whence this New Birth proceeds The former of these seems to be favoured in the 4 th verse where it is explained by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and so it seems Nicodemus understood it can a man enter a second time into his Mothers Womb and be Born The Latter in 5 th verse where what was before said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is now expressed by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Except a man be born of Water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdome of God But either way the thing will be the same For there must be a Second Birth and it must be by a Power from Above For the better understanding of which we are to consider that what was before said of the word Kingdome is here applicable to this of being Born again That is that Spiritual things are Figuratively expressed by words importing things Natural Now for as much as our first Birth or Generation is the Rise or Origine of our Natural Being as Reasonable Creatures and the Children of Men That therefore which gives us our Spiritual Being as New Creatures and the Children of God is by Analogy thereunto stiled Regeneration our second Birth or being Born again If any would be so nice as to object That a Child before it be Born is indued with a Reasonable Soul and therefore his Birth not the first Origine of his Rational Nature This alters not the case at all For we are not here to take the word Birth so strictly as respecting that Moment only of coming into the world as we use to speak But with a Retrospection as far backward as to the first Conception as being of the same import with Generation and might have been so rendered answering to the Greek words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 As in Matth. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Book of the Generation of Jesus Christ. And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we render Abraham begat Isaac And in Tit. 3.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is as well rendered by Regeneration as if it had been rendered a New Birth or being Born again And 1 Pet. 1.3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is rendered Who hath begotten us again unto a lively hope Yet of the same import with that of the Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we here render Born again but may as fitly be rendered by Regenitus as by Renatus And both words are indifferently used as relating to the whole time from the Conception to the Birth To be Regenerated therefore or Born again take which word you please is to have a New Nature wrought in us whereby we become New Creatures and have a Spiritual Being as by our Generation or first Birth we become Reasonable Creatures and have our Natural Being This being called Flesh and that Spirit in the following Explication ver 6. That which is born of the Flesh is Flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit That is Like as by our Fleshly Carnal or Natural Generation or first Birth from our Natural Parents we are made Flesh and Bloud indued with a Reasonable Soul and Natural Life as Humane Creatures and the Children of Men So by our Regeneration or being Born again by the Spirit we become Spiritual or New Creatures endued with a Spiritual Life and Vigour are made Partakers of the Divine Nature and become the Sons of God 2 Pet. 1.4 But as to this Antithesis of Flesh and Spirit we are to consider further That the term Flesh as it is here called or Flesh and Bloud as elsewhere are words of a middle Signification but Sonantia in malum Words not evil in themselves but most frequently used in the worst sense And therefore though Flesh and Bloud as it importeth only Humane Nature and what appertains to Man as Man imply nothing Evil in it self Yet since the Pollution of our Nature by the Fall of Adam there is not only a Guilt derived to us from him But a Depravation of Nature which I will not take upon me to describe otherwise than in the words of our Church in her ninth Art This our Church there calls Original Sin and declares it to be the Fault and Corruption of the Nature of every man that naturally is engendred of the Off-spring of Adam Whereby man is far gone from Original Righteousness and is of his own nature inclined to evil So that the Flesh lusteth always contrary to the Spirit And therefore in every person born into this world it deserveth God's Wrath and Damnation And though this Infection of Nature as our Church calls it be indeed Proeternatural as to the Essentials of Humane Nature Yet being so far spread over all as to become Universal we now by Nature do commonly mean Corrupt Nature not as God made it but as we have made it And by Flesh or Flesh and Bloud especially when contradistinguished to the Spirit is commonly meant not humane Nature simply considered but Humane Nature thus Corrupted or sinfull Flesh. And in this sense it is that flesh and bloud cannot inherit the Kingdome of God 1 Cor. 15.50 That is not while it remains Sinfull Flesh and Bloud But when it shall be purged from Sin Flesh and Bloud thus purged from Corruption the Essentials of Humane Nature remaining shall after the Resurrection of the Body inherit this Kingdome of God The meaning therefore of the Text and Doctrine is this The nature of Man though at first made Pure and Righteous and thereby fitted for communion with God is by the Fall so depraved as that he is now become naturally prone to Sin and averse to Righteousness and this natural Propension is further improved by Sinfull Practices and so more and more daily while this Propension lasts which doth unfit us for such Communion So that before we can be in a capacity