to our selves as concurring some way or other to this work Hence we are said to believe and repent to turn from our evil ways and to turn to the Lord to cleanse and purifie our selves Hence likewise are those frequent Commands in Scripture to amend our ways and doings to wash our hearts from wickedness to repent and turn our selves and to make our selves new Hearts and new Spirits So that all these Causes the Spirit of God his Ministers his Word and we our selves do all some way or other concur and contribute to this Effect God indeed is the Principal and hath so great an hand in this Work from beginning to end that all the rest are nothing in Comparison and we do well to ascribe to him the whole glory of it that no Flesh may glory in his sight But nevertheless in strictness of speech sufficiently warranted by Scripture the Ministers of God and the Word of God and we our selves do all co-operate some way or other to our Conversion and Regeneration and by ascribing to any of these such parts as they truly have in this work God is not robbed of any part of the glory of his grace much less of the whole Much less is it the ascribing it all to our selves whom we affirm to have the least part in it not worthy to be mention'd in Comparison of the riches of God's grace towards us And yet unless we do something what can be the meaning of making our selves new hearts and new spirits Is it only that we should be passive to the irresistible operation's of God's grace that is that we should not hinder what we can neither hinder nor promote that we should so demean our selves as of necessity we must whether we will or no. So then to make our selves new hearts and new spirits is to do nothing at all towards the hinderance or furtherance of this work and if this be thâ— meaning of it it is a Precept and Eâ—hortation just as fit for Stones as for Men that is very improper for either 2. Objection But however we do extenuate and lessen the grace of God if there be any active concurrence and endeavours on our part towards this Change For answer to this three things deserve to be consider'd First It is very well worthy our Consideration that they who make this Objection have the confidence to pretend that they do not dâ—minish the grace of God by confining it to a very small part of Mankind in Comparison nay they will needs face us down that by this very thing they do very much exalt and magnifie it and that the grace of God is so much the greater by how much the fewer they are that are partakers of it But I hope they only mean that the grace is greater to themselves in which conceit there is commonly as much of envy as gratitude but surely they cannot mean that the grace which is limited to a few is greater in it self and upon the whole matter than that which is extended to a great many it being a down-right Contradiction to say that the grace of God is magnified by being confined For at this rate of Reasoning the lesser it is the greater it must be and by undeniable consequence would be greatest of all if it were none at all So that it seems the grace of God may be extenuated in favour of our selves but when we do so we must say we magnifie it Secondly But to come close to the Objection tho' it be true that if God's grace in our Conversion do not do all it does not do so much as if it did all yet this is really no injury or dishonour to the grace of God and tho' in some sense it doth extenuate it it doth not in truth and reality take off from the glory of it In my Opinion the grace and favour of a Prince is not the less in offering a Pardon to a Traytor who puts forth his hand and gladly receives it than if he forc'd it upon him whether he would or no. I am sure it is in the first Case much fitter to give it and he on whom it is conferr'd much better qualified to receive it 'T is no disparagement to a Prince's Favour that it is bestow'd on one who is in some measure qualified to receive it But be it more or less in one Case than the other this is certain that in both Cases the Man ows his Life to the great grace and goodness of his Prince and I cannot see how it lessens the grace that the miserable Object of it the guilty and condemned Person was either by his humble submission or thankful acceptance of it in some degree better qualified to receive such a Favour than an obstinate Refuser of it Thirdly Which is the Principal Consideration of all we must take great heed that while we endeavour to make God to do all in the Conversion of Sinners we do not by this means charge upon him the ruine and destruction of impenitent Sinners which I doubt we should do if we make the Reason of their impenitency and ruine their utter impotency and disability to Repent and we certainly make this the Reason of their impenitency and ruine if there be no other difference but this between penitent and impenitent Sinners namely that in the one God works Repentance by an irresistible act of his Power so that he cannot but Repent and denys this grace to the other without which he cannot possibly Repent But the Scripture chargeth the destruction of Men upon themselves and lays their impenitency at their own door Oh Israel thou hast destroyed thy self but in me is thy help Hosea 13. 9. But where is the help when the grace absolutely necessary to Repentance is denied And how is their destruction of themselves if it is unavoidable let them do what they can Isa 5. 3 4. God appeals to his People Israel that nothing was wanting on his part that was fit and necessary to be done that they might bring forth the fruits of Repentance and better Obedience And now O Inhabitants of Jerusalem and Men of Judah judge I pray you between me and my Vineyard what could have been done more to my Vineyard that I have not done in it wherefore when I looked that it should bring forth grapes brought it forth wild grapes Is it true that God hath done all that was necessary to have brought them to Repentance Then if irresistible grace be necessary he afforded them that but that was not afforded them because then they must unavoidably have Repented and there had been no cause for this Complaint If he did not afford it but only the outward means of Repentance without the inward grace as some say then it is easie to judge why they did not Repent Because they could not and there seems to be no Cause either of Wonder or Complaint Besides that it will be hard to justifie that Saying What could I have done more
that of St. James Chap. 2. 22. by Works is Faith made perfect Sometimes and that also very frequently the Condition of the Gospel is exprest by words which import and signifie the change of our State as by Repentance Conversion Regeneration Renovation Sanctification the New Creature and the New Man which expressions are all so well known that I need not referr to particular Texts sometimes the condition of the Gospel is exprest by the visible and sensible effects of this inward change in our outward Liâ—e and Actions as namely by Obedience and keeping the Commandments of God So Heb. 5. 9. Christ is said to be the Author of Eternal Salvation to them that obey him where Obedience is plainly put for the whole condition of the Gospel the performance whereof entitles us to Eternal Life and Happiness Now that by these various expressions one and the same thing is certainly intended and meant viz. The Condition of the Gospel that which is requir'd on our part in order to our full and perfect justification and acceptance with God is evident beyond all denial by comparing the three different ways whereby St. Paul doth express the same proposition for sense and substance in which he tells us what it is that will avail to our Justification under the Gospel that is according to the terms of the Christian Religion that it is neither here nor there that it signifies nothing whether a Man be Circumcised or not but that we be so qualified as the Gospel requires that the Conditions upon which the Blessings of the Gospel are promised be found in us And there are three Texts wherein the same thing is plainly intended in three very different expressions Gal. 5. 6. In Jesus Christ neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but Faith which is consummate or made perfect by Charity Gal. 6. 15. For in Christ Jesus neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but a new Creature 1 Cor. 7. 19. Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing but the keeping of the Commandments of God It is evident that in these three Texts the Apostle designs to say the same thing and consequently that Faith which is made perfect by Charity and the new Creature and keeping of the Commandments of God are the same in sense and substance viz. the Condition of our Justification and acceptance with God under the Covenant of the Gospel or in the Christian Religion I shall at present by God's assistance handle the second of these Texts In Christ Jesus neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but a new Creature And here the Condition of the Gospel is exprest to us by the change of our State which in Scripture is call'd our Regeneration or becoming new Creatures and new Men. Circumcision was but an outward sign and mark upon the Body and the Flesh though it did indeed prefigure and typifie the inward Circumcision of the heart the giving of Men new Hearts and new Spirits under the more perfect dispensation of the Gospel but now in Christ Jesus that is in the Christian Religion the presence or the want of this outward mark will avail nothing to our justification but that which was signified by it the renovation of our Hearts and Spirits our becoming new Creatures is now the Condition of our justification and acceptance with God The false Apostles indeed did lay great stress upon the business of Circumcision not so much out of zeal to the Law of Moses as to avoid Persecution ver 12. They constrain you to be Circumcised only left they should suffer Persecution for the Cross of Christ For at that time though the Christians were Persecuted yet the Jews by the Roman Edicts had the free exercise of their Religion and therefore they gloried in this external mark of Circumcision because it exempted them from suffering but St. Paul gloried in his sufferings for Christ and the marks of that upon his Body ver 14. God forbid that I should glory save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ and v. 17. I bear in my Body the marks of the Lord Jesus He tells them what necessities soever they might pretend of Circumcision either for their Justification or Salvation the true ground of all was to save themselves from Temporal Sufferings and that in the Christian Religion it signified nothing to recommend them to the favour of God whether they were Circumcised or not nothing would be available to this purpose but the renovation and change of their Hearts and Lives For in Christ Jesus neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but a new Creature 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a new Creation to intimate the greatness of the Change which Christianity throughly entertained made in Men. Having thus cleared the occasion and meaâ—ing of these words I come now to consider the Particulars contained in them namely these two things First That the Gospel hath taken away the Obligation of the Law of Moses in Christ Jesus neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision Secondly That according to the terms of the Christian Religion nothing will avail to our justification and acceptance with God but the real renovation of our Hearts and Lives neither Circumcision nor uncircision but a new Creature 1. That the Gospel hath taken away the obligation of the Law of Moses In Christ Jesus that is now under the dispensation of the Gospel neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision There was never any general Obligation upon Mankind to this Rite of Circumcision but only upon the Seed of Abraham but yet upon the preaching of the Gospel many of the Jewish Christians would have brought the Gentiles under this yoak pretending that Christianity was but a superstructure upon the Law of Moses which together with the Gospel was to be the Religion of the whole World and there was some colour for this because our Saviour himself submitted to this Rite and was Circumcised which the Apostle takes notice of in the 4 th Chap. of this Epist ver 4. When the fullness of time was come God sent forth his Son made of a Woman made under the Law that is Circumcised And 't is true indeed that our blessed Saviour was Circumcised but not to signifie to us the perpetuity of Circumcision and the continuance of it under the Christian Religion but for a quite different end as a testimony of his Obedience to that Law which tho' afterwards it was to expire yet was to be obeyed whilst it was in force by all that were born under it he was made under the Law and it became him who came to teach Mankind Obedience to the Laws of God to fulfill all Righteousness himself And therefore the Apostle in this Epistle where he takes notice of this that Christ was made under the Law gives this Reason of it that he might be the â—itter to free those who were under it from the servitude of it he was made under the Law that
inconveniencies in it First That this Supposition is to no purpose as to any real effect for the Salvation of Men because not one person more is saved notwithstanding this Universal sufficient Grace which they say is afforded to all for they take it for granted it is never effectual and then it seems very unreasonable to suppose that a Means sufficient to its End should Universally prove ineffectual nay on the contrary it is next to a Demonstration against the sufficiency of a Means if perpetually and in all instances it fails of its End This would tempt any Man to think that surely there is some defect in it or something that hinders the efficacy of it if being perpetually and generally afforded it doth perpetually and universally miscarry without so much as one instance among so many millions to the contrary So that this Opinion seems rather to be contriv'd for a colour and shelter against some absurdity which Men know not how to avoid otherwise than to sâ—rve any good purpose or to be embraced for the truth and probability of it The other middle Opinion is That some are Converted in an irresistible manner when God pleaseth and whom he designs to be extraordinary Examples and Instruments for the good of others and that sufficient Grace is afforded to others which is effectual to the Salvation of many and rejected by a great many And this avoids all the inconveniency of the other Opinion and is evidently most agreeable both to the tenour of Scripture and to the best notions which Men have concerning the Attributes and Perfections of God and gives greatest encouragement to the endeavours of Men. It agrees very well with the solemn declarations of Scripture that God is not wanting on his part to afford Men sufficient Means to bring them to Repentance that he desires not the death of a Sinner but rather that he should turn from his wickedness and live That he would have all Men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth That he would not that any should perish but that all should come to Repentance That Mens destruction is of themselves And this makes all the Exhortations and Motives of Scripture to Repentance to be of some force and significancy and gives encouragement to the Resolutions and Endeavours of Men to become better This clearly acquits the Justice of God in the Condemnation of impenitent Sinners and sixeth the Reason of their ruine upon their own choice This perfectly reconciles the operation and assistance of God's grace in our Conversion and Regeneration in our Sanctification and Perseverance in a good Course with the concurrence of our own Endeavours and makes those plain Texts of Scripture have some sense and significancy in them Work out your own Salvation Repent and turn your selves from all your evil ways Make ye new Hearts and new Spirits These are more than a thousand Metaphors to convince a Man that we may and ought to do something towards our Repentance and Conversion And if any Man be sure that we neither do nor can do any thing in this Work then I am sure that these Texts signifie nothing Finally these Texts which speak most clearly of the necessity of the Divine Grace and Asâ—â—stance to our doing of any thing that is spiritually good do suppose something to be done on our part That of our Saviour without me you can do nothing implies that with his Grace and Assistance we can That of St. Paul I am able to do all things through Christ strengthning me implies that what we do by the strength of Christ is truly our own act I am able to do all things And this does not in the least prejudice nor obscure the glory of God's grace St. Paul it seems knew very well how to reconcile these two and to give the grace of God its due without rejecting all concurrence of our own industry and endeavour 1 Corin. 15. 10. But by the grace of God I am what I am and his Grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain not because it was irresistible and he meerly passive in the reception of it but because he did concurr and co-operate with it So he tells us his Grace that was bestowed upon me was not in vain but I laboured more abundantly than they all yet not I but the grace of God which was with me So that our Concurrence and Endeavour in the doing of any thing that is good does not derogate from the grace of God provided that we ascribe the good which we do to the assistance of Divine Grace to which it is incomparably more due than to our own activity and endeavour And so St. Paul does I labour'd abundantly yet not I but the grace of God which was with me So that the glory of God's grace may be advanced to its due pitch without asserting that we are meerly passive to the Operations of it God's grace may be abundantly bestowed upon us and yet we may labour abundantly God may work in us to will and to do and yet we may work out our own Salvation I have done with the Second Doctrine grounded upon this Metaphor of a New Creature SERMON VIII Of the Nature of Regeneration and its Necessity in order to Justification and Salvation GALAT. VI. 15. For in Christ Jesus neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor Uncircumcision but a new Creature IN Discoursing on these Words that which I was last upon was to shew that this Metaphor of a New Creature doth not import what some would extend it to and that so as to found Doctrines of great Consequence upon the single strength of this and other like Metaphors viz. such Doctrines as these three First That as the Creation was by an irresistible act of the Divine Power so is this new Creation or the Conversion of a Sinner Secondly That as Creatures were meerly passive in their being made and contributed nothing at all thereto no more do we to our Conversion and Regeneration Thirdly That as the Creation was in an instant only by the powerful Word of God so this new Creation is in an instant and admits of no degrees The two first of these I have spoken to and shewed that as they had no necessary Foundation in this and the like Metaphors of Scripture so they are contrary to Reason and Experience and the plain and constant tenour of Scripture which is the Rule and Measure of Christs Doctrine I proceed now to consider the Third Doctrine which is grounded upon this Metaphor namely That as the Creation of the several Ranks and Orders of Creatures was in an instant and effected by the powerful Word of God saying let such and such things be and immediately they were so this new Creation is in an instant and admits of no steps and degrees And this Doctrine is nothing else but a farther pursuit of the Metaphor and admitting the two former Doctrines to be true and well grounded upon this
Metaphor this third Doctrine follows well enough from them for it is agreeable enough that that which is effected by an irresistible act of Omnipotence without any concurrence or operation on our part should be done in an instant and all at once Not that this is necessary but that it is reasonable for why should Omnipotence use delays and take time and proceed by degrees in the doing of that which with the same ease it can do at once and in an instant especially considering how well this suits with the other Metaphors of Scripture as well as with this of a new Creation viz. the Metaphor of Regeneration and Resurrection A Child is born at once and the Dead shall be raised in a moment in the twinkling of an eye But notwithstanding all this plausible appearance and Conspiracy of Metaphors I shall shew that this Doctrine of the Conversion and Regeneration of a Sinner being effected in an instant and all at once is not well grounded either upon Scripture or Experience Not but that God can do so if he pleaseth and works this Change in some much sooner and quicker than in others but there is nothing either in Scripture or Experience to perswade us that this is the usual much less the constant and unalterable Method of God's grace in the Conversion of a Sinner to bring it about in an instant without any sensible steps and degrees But for the full clearing of this Matter I shall proceed by these steps First I shall shew upon what mistaken Grounds and Principles this Doctrine relies besides the Metaphors already mention'd which I have shewn to be of no force to prove the thing Secondly I shall plainly shew what Regeneration is by which it will appear that it is not necessarily effected in an instant and at once but admits of degrees Thirdly That it is evidently so in experience of the ordinary Methods of God's grace both in those who are Regenerated by a Pious and Religious Education and in those who are reclaimed from a vitious Course of Life Fourthly That all this is very consonant and agreeable to what the Scripture plainly and constantly declares concerning it First I shall discover several Mistakes upon which this Doctrine is grounded besides the Metaphors already mention'd and which I have shewn to be of no force to prove the thing viz. That Regeneration is in an instant and admits of no degrees As 1. That Regeneration and Sanctification are not only different Expressions but do signifie two things really different But this is a gross mistake for Regeneration and Sanctification are but different expressions of the self self same thing for Regeneration is a Metaphor which the Scripâ—ure useth to express our translation and change from one state to another from a state of Sin and Wickedness to a state of Grace and Holiness as if we were born over again and were the Children of another Father and from being the Children of the Devil did become the Children of God and Sanctification is our being made Holy our being purified and cleansed from Sin and impurity And hence it is that Regeneration and Sanctification are attributed to the same Causes Principal and Instrumental to the Spirit of God and to the word of God we are said to be born again of the Spirit and to be sanctified by the Holy Ghost to be begotten of the word of truth and to be sanctified by the truth which is the word of God So that the Scripture speaks of them as the same thing and they must needs be so for if Sanctification be the making of us Holy and Regeneration make us Holy then Regeneration is Sanctification 2. It is said that Regeneration only signifies our first entrance into this state and Sanctification our progress and continuance in it But this likewise is a great Mistake For tho' it be true that Regeneration doth signifie our first entrance into this state yet it is not true that it only signifies that for it is used likewise in Scripture to signifie our continuance in that state for Christians are said to be the Children of God and consequently in a regenerate state not only in the instant of this Change but during their continuance in it Besides that our first Change is as well call'd our Sanctification as our Progress and Continuance in a state of Holiness So that neither in this is there any difference between Regeneration and Sanctification They do both of them signifie both our first entrance into an Holy state and our continuance and progress in it ' tho' Regeneration do more frequently denote the making of this Change and our first entrance into it 3. It is said that one of the main Differences between Regeneration and Sanctification is this that Regeneration is incapable of degrees and all that are Regenerate are equally so and one Regenerate Person is not more or less Regenerate than another whereas Sanctification is a gradual progress from one degree of Holiness to another and of â—hem that are truly Sanctified and Holy one may be more Sanctified and more Holy than another But this likewise is a meer fancy and imagination without any real ground For as an unregenerate state does plainly admit of degrees so likewise doth the regenerate and for the same Reason That an unregenerate state admits of degrees is evident in that some unregenerate Persons are more wicked than others and thereby more the Children of wrath and the Devil than others which are the Scripture expressions concerning the degrees of Mens Wickedness and Impiâ—ty In like manner they that are more Holy and more like God are more the Children of God and to be more a Child of God is surely to be more regenerate that is more renewed after the Image of God which consists in Righteousness and true Holiness So that it is a meer precarious assertion and evidently false to affirm that Regeneration doth not admit of degrees and that one is not more Regenerate than another 4 thly and lastly They ground this Conceit upon the Doctrine of the Schools which teach that in Regeneration and Conversion all the habits of grace are infused simul semel together and at once I confess I have no regard much less a veneration for the Doctrine of the Schools where it differs from that of the Holy Scriptures which says not one word of infused habits which yet are much talk'd of in Divinity and to speak the truth these words serve only to obscure the thing For to say that in Conversion the habits of all graces and virtues are infused together and at once is to say that in an instant Men that were vicious before in several kinds are by an Omnipotent act of God's grace and by a new Principle infused into them endued with the habits of the contraâ—y Graces and Virtues and are as Chast and Temperate and Just and Meek and Humble as if by the frequent practice of these Virtues they had become so That
worship of God signified nothing You see in the Jewish Religion what it was that was acceptable to God for it self and its own sake viz. the practice of moral Duties and that all Instituted Religion that did not promote and further these or was destitute of them was abominable to God And under the Gospel our Saviour prefers a moral Duty before any gift we can offer to God and will have it to take place Mat. 5. 23 24. If thou bring thy gift unto the Altar and there remembrest that thy Brother hath ought against thee leave there thy gift before the Altar and go thy way first be reconciled to thy Brother and then come and offer thy gift But it should seem by this and what haâ—h been said before that God prefers Goodness and Righteousness to Men before his own Worship and obedience to the Precepts of the Second Table before obedience to those of the First But this does but seem so all that can be collected from this passage of our Saviour or any thing that hath been already said are only these two Things 1. That God prefers the practice of the Moral Duties of the second Table before any instituted Worship such as Sacrifâ—ce was and before obedience to the Laws of Religion which are meerly positive tho' they do immediately concern the Worship of God 2. That if we neglect the Duties of the second Table of Goodness and Righteousness towards Men God will not accept of our obedience to the Precepts of the first nor of any act of Religious Worship that we can perform This our Saviour means when he says leave there thy gift before the Altar first be reconciled to thy Brother then come and offer thy gift intimating that so long as we bear a revengeful mind towards our Brethren God will not accept of any Gift or Sacrifice that we can offer to him or indeed of any act of Religious Worship that we can perform Thirdly The great Design of the Christian Religion is to restore and reinforce the practice of the natural Law or which is all one of Moral Duties and therefore our Saviour begins his first Sermon by promising Blessedness to the practice of these Duties of Purity and Meekness and Righteousness and Peaceableness and Mercifulness and Patience and Submission to the will of God under Persecutions and Sufferings for Righteousness sake and tells us as I shew'd before that he came not to release Men from the practice of these Duties but to oblige them thereto more effectually and that as these were the Law and the Prophets that is the main Duties and the Foundation of the Jewish Religion so were they much more to be so of the Christian This the Scriptures of the New Testament do every where declare to be the great design of the Gospel and the Christian Religion to instruct us in these Duties and to engage us effectually to the practice of them In that known and excellent Text Tit. 2. 11 12â— The grace of God which is in and by the Doctrine of the Gospel hath appeared to all men teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldy lusts we should live soberly righteously and godlily in this present world And herein St. James tell us the true nature and the force and vertue of the Christian Religion doth consist Jam. 1. 27. pure Religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this to visit the Fatherless and the Widows in their â—ffliction and to keep our selves unspotted from the World And Chap. 3. 17. The wisdom which is from above that is that Heavenly and Divine Knowledge revealed to us by the Gospel hath these Properties and is apt to produce these effects it is first pure and then peaceable gentle and easie to be intreated full of mercy and of good fruits And the planting of these dispositions in us is that which the Scripture calls the new Creature and the Image of God Eph. 4. 20 c. The Apostle speaking there of the Vices and Lusts wherein the Gentiles lived tells Christians that they were otherwise instructed by the Gospel but ye have not so learned Christ if so be that ye have heard him and have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus that ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man which is corâ—upt according to deceitful Lusts and be renewed in the spirit of your mind and that ye put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness or as the words perhaps may better be rendred in the holiness of truth for it immediately follows wherefore putting away lying speak every man truth with his Neighbour And this is that which the Apostle elsewhere makes to be all in all in the Christian Religion In Christ Jesus neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor Uncircumcision but a new Creature Gal. 6. 15. which the Apostle in the Chapter before expresseth thus in Christ Jesus neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor Uncircumcision but Faith which worketh or is inspired by Charity And yet more expresly 1 Cor. 7. 19. Circumcision is nothing and Uncircumcision is nothing but the keeping of the Commandments of God By the comparing of which Texts it appears that the main thing in Christianity is the practice of Moral Duties and this is the new Creature and this the proper effect of the Christian Faith to produce these Virtues in us And indeed the great Design of the Christian Religion and every thing in it of the love of God in giving his Son to die for us of the pardon of our Sins and justification in his blood of all the Promises and Threatnings of the Gospel and of the assistance therein promised is to engage and encourage and enable to the practice of Moraâ— Duties And thus I have done with the first thing I proposed to speak to namely that Natural Religion is the Foundation of Instituted and Revealed Religion and all Revealed Religion does suppose it and builds upon it I proceed to the Second Namely That no Revealed and Instituted Religion was ever designed to take away the obligation of Natural Duties but was intended to confirm and establish them And this also will be evident if we consider these three Things 1. That all Revealed Religion calls Men to the practice of Natural Duties Thus the Jewish Religion did The first Laws which God gave them and which hâ— distinguish'd from the rest by writing them in Tables of Stone with his own Finger were the Precepts of the Moral Law And the great business of the Prophets whom God raised up among them from time to time was to reprove not so much their defects in their Sacrifices and in the Duties of Instituted Worship as the breach of the natural Law by their Vices and Immoralities and to threaten them with the Judgments of God if they did not reform and amend these faults And now under the Gospel the preceptive part of it is almost wholly made up of Moral
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us that is whereas the Law left Sinners as to those Sins which stood most in need of pardon under a Curse having provided no expiation for them Christ hath redeemed them from that Curse by making a general expiation for Sin and in this sense it is that the Author to the Hebrews says Ch. 9. 15. that Christ died for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first Covenant that is for those Sins for which the Covenant of the Law had provided no way of forgiveness and therefore St. John says emphatically 1 Joh. 1. 7. that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all Sin Thirdly The Law did not afford sufficiently plain and certain Rules and Directions for a good Life As the corruption and degeneracy of Mankind grew worse so the light of Nature waxed dimmer and dimmer and the Rule of Good and Evil was more doubtful and uncertain and that in very considerable instances of our Duty The Law of Moses was peculiar to the Jews and even to them who only had the benefit and advantage of it it did not give clear and perfect light and direction as to Moral Duties and those things which are of an Eternal and Immutable Reason and Goodness And therefore our Saviour in this Sermon explains it to a greater perfection than it was understood to have among the Jews or the letter of it seemed to intend and hath not only forbidden several things permitted by that Law as Divorce and Retaliation of Injuries but hath heightned our Duty in several instances of it requiring us to love our Enemies and to forgive the greatest injuries and provocations tho' never so often repeated and not only not to revenge them but to requite them with good turns which were not understood by Mankind to be Laws before but yet when duly consider'd are very agreeable to right Reason and the sense of the wisest and bâ—st Men. So that the Christian Religion â—ath not only fixt and determined our Duty and brought it to a greater certainty but hath raised it to a greater perfection and rendered it every way fit to bring the Minds of Men to a more Divine temper and a more reasonable and perfect way of serving God than ever the World was instructed in before Fourthly The Promises and Threatnings of the Law were only of temporal good and evil things which are in comparison of the endless Rewards and Punishments of another World but very languid and faint Motives to obedience Not but that the Jews under the Law had such apprehensions of their own Immortality and of a future state of Happiness and Misery after this Life as Natural Light suggested to them which was in most but a wavering and uncertain perswasion and consequently of small efficacy to engage Men to their Duty but the Law of Moses added little or nothing to the clearness of those Natural Notions concerning a future state and the strengthning of this perswasion in the Minds of Men it did rather suppose it than give any new force and life to it And for this Reason more particularly the Apostle tells us that the Law was but weak to make Men good because it did not work strongly enough upon the hopes and fears of Men by the weight of its Promises and the terrour of its Threatnings and that for this weakness and imperfection of it it was removed and a more powerful and awakening dispensation brought in in the place of it Heb. 7. 18 19. For there is verily a disannulling of the Commandment that was before that is of the Jewish Law for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof for the Law made nothing perfect but the bringing in of a better hope did that is the Covenant of the Gospel which promiseth Eternal Life And Ch. 8. 6. for this Reason more especially the Apostle says that Christ had obtained a more excellent Ministry being the Mediator of a better Covenant which was establish'd upon better Promises And Rom. 1. 16 18. St. Paul tell us that for this Reason the Gospel is the power of God unto Salvation because therein the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of Men. The clear Revelation of a Future Judgment was that which made the Gospel so proper and so powerful an Instrument for the Salvation of Men. The great impiety of Mankind and their impenitency in it was not so much to be wondred at before while the World was in a great measure ignorant of the infinite danger of a wicked Life and therefore God is said in some sort to overlook it but now he commands all Men every where to repent because he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the World in righteousness by that Man whom he hath ordained whereof he hath given assurance unto all men in that he hath raised him from the dead Acts 17. 30 31. The clear discovery and perfect assurance of a future Judgment calls loudly upon all Men to leave their Sins and turn to God Fifthly The Covenant of the Law had no spiritual Promises contained in it of the grace and assistance of God's Holy Spirit for the mortifying of Sin and enabling Men to their Duty and supporting them under Sufferings but the Gospel is full of clear and express Promises to this purpose Our Saviour hath assured us that God will give his Holy Spirit to them that ask him Luke 11. 13. and this the Apostle tells us is actually confer'd upon all true Christians those who do sincerely embrace and believe the Gospel Rom. 8. 9. If any Man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his Hence the Gospel is call'd by the same Apostle the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus v. 2d of that Chap. The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the Law of Sin and Death and in the next words he tells us that herein manifestly appeared the weakness of the Law that it left Men destitute of this mighty help and advantage at least as to any special promise of it What the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and by making him a Sacrifice for sin condemned sin in the flesh that the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit that is that that Righteousness which the Law aimed at and signified but was too weak to effect might be really accomplisht in us who walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit that is who are acted and assisted by a higher and better Principle than Men either have in Nature or the carnal dispesnation of the Law did endow Men withall And because of this great defect the Law is said to be a state of Bondage and Servitude and on the contrary
and turn to God and who says we can of our selves do this besides the Pelagians We affirm the necessity of God's grace hereto and withall the necessity of our co-operating with the grace of God We say that without the powerful excitation and aid of God's grace no Man can Repent and turn to God but we say likewise that God cannot be properly said to aid and assist those who do nothing themselves But Men can do more than they do and therefore are justly Condemned Not in the work of Conversion sure if they can do nothing at all But they can do more by way of preparation towards it Suppose they do all they can towards it will this save them or will God upon this irresistibly work their Conversion No they say notwithstanding any preparatory work that we can do Conversion may not follow how then does this mend the matter But still they say the fault is in Men's want of will and not of power You will not come unto me that ye might have life But can they will to come No that they cannot neither Why then it is still want of power that hinders them The offer of Life is a very gracious offer to them that are guilty and liable to death as we all are but not if the Condition be utterly impossible to us tho' the impossibility springs from our own fault as I will plainly shew by a fair instance A Prince offers a Pardon to a Traytor fast lockt in Chains if he will come to him and submit himself but if he be still detained in Chains and the Prince do not some way or other help him to his Liberty 't is so far from being a favour to offer him a Pardon upon these terms that it is a cruel derision of his misery to say to him you will not come to me that you may be pardon'd and this notwithstanding that his being cast into Chains was the effect of his own Crime and Fault the application is obvious I should now proceed to answer an Objection or two and then to give a clear state of this Matter so as is most agreeable to Scripture and the Attributes and Perfections of God but this I shall reserve for another Discourse SERMON VII Of the Nature of Regeneration and its Necessity in order to Justification and Salvation GALAT. VI. 15. For in Christ Jesus neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor Uncircumcision but a new Creature THE Point which I am upon from these words is that according to the terms of the Gospel nothing will avail to our Justification but the real renovation of our Hearts and Lives For the full explication of this I propounded to shew First What is implied in this expression of the new Creature Secondly That this is the great Condition of our justification and acceptance with God Thirdly That it is highly Reasonable that this should be the Condition of our Justification In speaking to the first of these I have shewed 1 st What this Metaphor doth certainly import and 2 dly That it doth not import what some would extend it to whereon to found such Doctrines as these First That as the Creation was an irresistible act of the Divine Power so is this new Creation or the Conversion of a Sinner Secondly As Creatures were meerly passive in their being made and contributed nothing at all to it no more do we in our Conversion and Regeneration Thirdly That as the Creation of the several Kinds and Ranks of Creatures was effected in an instant by the powerful Word of God saying let such and such things be and immediately they were so this new Creation is in an instant and admits of no degrees The first of these I have consider'd and enter'd upon the second namely that as the Creatures were meerly passive in their being made and contributed nothing at all thereto no more do we in our Conversion and Regeneration This I told you does plainly make void all the Precepts and Exhortations and all the Promises and Threatnings of Scripture to argue and perswade Men to Repentance That which remains to be done upon this Argument is First To answer an Objection or two which are commonly urged by the Assertors of this Doctrine that we are meerly passive in the work of Conversion Secondly To give a clear state of this Matter so as is most agreeable to Scripture and the Attributes and Perfections of God For the First The Objections are these three 1. That if we be not meerly passive in the work of Regeneration and Conversion we ascribe the whole glory of this work to our selves and not to God Or 2 dly We do however extenuate or lessen the grace of God if there be any active Concurrence and Endeavours of our own towards this Change 3 dly They ask St. Paul's question Who maketh thee to differ and think it impossible to be answer'd if the efficacy of God's grace to depend upon our concurrence and compliance with it These are all the Material Objections I know to every one of which I hope to give a very clear and sufficient Answer 1. Objection If we be not meerly passive in the Work of Regeneration and Conversion we ascribe the whole glory of this work to our selves and not to God But that I certainly know this Objection is commonly made and have seen it in very Considerable Authors I could not believe that Men of so good sense could make it For this is to say that if we do any thing in this work tho' we acknowledge that what we do in it we do by the assistance of God's grace we ascribe it wholly to our selves and rob God altogether of the glory of his grace or in plainer terms it is to say that tho' we say God does never so much and we but very little in this work yet if we do not say that God does all and we nothing at all we take the whole work to our selves and say God does nothing at all which let any one that considers what we â—ay judge whether we say so or no. The Scripture which never robs God of the glory of his grace does I'm sure ascribe our Conversion and Repentance our Regeneration and Sanctification to several Causes To the Holy Spirit of God to his Ministers to his Word and to our selves To the Holy Spirit of God as the principal Author and Efficient Hence we are said to be born of the Spirit to be sanctified by the renewing of the Holy Ghost To the Ministers of God as the Instruments of our Conversion Hence they are said to turn Men to Righteousness to Convert a Sinner from the evil of his ways to save Souls from death to save themselves and them that hear them to be our Spiritual Fathers and to beget us in Christ To the word of God as the subordinate Means and Instruments of our Conversion Hence we are said to be begotten by the word of truth to be sanctified by the truth And lastly
and virtue is able to withstand But where Men are sincerely good and honestly resolv'd the Providence of God doth ward off these fierce blows and put by these violent thrusts and by a secret disposal of things keep them from being assaulted by these irresistible kinds of temptations The Consideration whereof as it is a great encouragement to Men to be sincerely good so likewise a great Argument for a continual dependance upon the Providence of God and to take us off from confidence in our selves and our own strength And this use the Apostle makes of it 1 Cor. 10. 12. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth that is confident that nothing shall be able to shake him or throw him down take heed lest he fall there hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to Men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but what is humane nothing but what an humane strength assisted by an ordinary grace of God may be able to resist and Conquer But there are greater and more violent temptations than these which you have not yet been tried with and when those happen we must have recourse to God for an extraordinary assistance And this is the Second way I mention'd whereby the Providence of God does secure good Men in case of extraordinary temptations which no humane strength can probably resist And this the same Apostle assures us of in the very next words God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above what you are able but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that you may be able to bear it That is in case of great and violent temptations such as the Christians in the height of their Persecutions were exposed to God will secretly minister strength and support equal to the force and power of the temptation And this God did in an extraordinary manner to the Christian Martyrs and that to such a degree as made them joyfully to embrace their Sufferings and with the greatest chearfulness in the world to endure those torments which no humane patience was able to bear And where God doth thus secure Men against temptations or support them under them it is no reflection at all upon the goodness or justice of his Providence to permit them to be thus tempted Secondly God permits others to be thus tempted by way of Judgment and Punishment for some former great Sins and Provocations which they have been guilty of And thus many times God punisheth great and notorious Offenders by permitting them to fall into great temptations which meeting with a vicious disposition are likely to be too hard for them especially considering how by a long habit of wickedness and wilful commission of great and notorious Sins they have made themselves an easie prey to every temptation and have driven the Spirit of God from them and deprived themselves of thoâ—e aids and restraints of his Grace which he ordinarily affords not only to good Men but likewise to those who are not very bad And thus God is said to have hardened Pharaoh by those Plagues and Judgments which he sent upon him and his Kingdom But if we carefully read the Story it is said that he first harden'd himself and then that God hardened him that is he being hardened under the first Judgments of God God sent more which meeting with his obstinacy had this unnatural effect upon him to harden him yet more not that God did infuse any wickedness or obstinacy into him but by his just Judgments sent more Plagues upon him which hardened him yet more and which were likely to have that effect upon him considering the ill temper of the Man And it was just by way of punishment that they should And so likewise Joshua 11. 19 20. it is said that the Cities of the Canaanites did not make peace with Joshua because it was of the Lord to harden their hearts that they should come against Israel in Battel that he might destroy them utterly that is for their former iniquities the measure whereof was now full the Providence of God did justly bring them into and leave them under those Circumstances which made them obstinate against all terms of Peace and this proved fatal to them And in the like sense we are to understand several other expressions in Scripture which likewise might seem very harsh As Isaiah 6. 10. Make the heart of this People fat and make their ears heavy and shut their eyes lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and convert and be healed all which expressions signifie no more but that God for the former provocations and impenitency of that People did leave them to their own hardness and blindness so that they did not desire to understand and make use of the means of their recovery So likewise Rom. 1. 24. God is said to have given up the idolatrous Heathen to uncleanness to vile and unnatural lusts and Ver. 28. to a reprobate and injudicious Mind that is as a punishment of their Idolatry he left them to the power of those temptations which betrayed them to the vilest lusts And to mention but one Text more 2 Thes 2. 11. the Apostle threatens those that rejected the truth that for this cause God would send them strong delusions the efficacy of error that they should believe a lye that they all might be damned who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness that is as a just punishment for their renouncing the truth God gave them over to the power of delusion their error had its full scope at them to tempt them with all its colours and pretences But it is observable that in all these places which I have mention'd God is said to give Men up to the power of temptation as a punishment of some former great Crimes and Provocations And it is not unjust with God thus to deal with Men to leave them to the power of temptation when they had first wilfully forsaken him and in this case God doth not tempt Men to Sin but leaves them to themselves to be tempted by their own hearts lusts and if they yield and are Conquered it is their own fault because they have neglected God's grace whereby they might have been able to have resisted those temptations and have forced his holy Spirit to withdraw himself from them and to leave them open and naked to those assaults of temptation against which they might otherwise have been sufficiently armed Thirdly The last end of temptation which I mentioned is to try Men with a direct purpose and intention to seduce Men to Sin Thus wicked Men tempt others and thus the Devil tempts Men. Thus he tempted our first Parents and seduced them from their Obedience and Allegiance to God Thus he tempted Job by bringing him into those Circumstances which were very likely to have forc'd him into impatience and discontent And thus he tempted our blessed Saviour but found