SERM. XXV. The Heathen philofophers could neither understand, nor acknowledge the creation of the world, because that notion was repugnant to this maxim of reafon, ex nihilo nihil fit, out of nothing, nothing can be made. Thus did they infanire cum ratione, befool themselves with their own reafonings; and after the fame manner fome great pretenders to reafon among us, voting it an abfurdity to affirm, that the work of grace is not virtually, and potentially contained in nature, the new creation in the old.

Fourthly, It was the virtue and efficacy of the Spirit of God, which gave the natural world its being by creation; Gen. i. 2. the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters; it hovered over the chaos, as the wings of a bird do over her eggs, as the fame word is rendered, Deut. xxxii. 11. cherishing, as it were by incubation, that rude mafs by a fecret quickening influence by which it drew all the creatures into their several forms, and particular natures. So it is in the new creation; a quickening influence must come from the Spirit of God, or else the new creation can never be formed in us; John iii. &. "So "is every one that is born of the Spirit." And ver. 6. “ That "which is born of the Spirit, is fpirit."

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Fifthly, The word of God was the inftrument of the first creation Pfal. xxxiii. 6, 9. “By the word of the Lord were "the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of "his mouth: For he fpake, and it was done; he commanded, " and it flood faft." The word of God is alfo the inftrument of the new creation, or work of grace in man; 1 Pet. i. 23. Being born again, not of corruptible feed, but of incorrup"tible; by the word of God, which liveth, and abideth for "ever." So James i. 18. "Of his own will begat he us, with "the word of truth:" Of his own will, that was the impulfive cause; with the word of truth, that is the inftrumental cause. Great refpect, and honour, love and delight, is due to the word upon this account, that it is the inftrument of our regeneration, or new creation.

Sixthly, The fame power which created the world, ftill under-props and fupports it in its being: the world owes its converfation, as well as its existence, to the power of God, without which it could not subsist one moment. Just so it is with the new creation, which entirely depends upon the preferving power which first formed it; Jude ver. 1. " Preferved in Chrift "Jefus;" and 1 Pet. i. 5. "Who were kept by the power of God, through faith, unto falvation." As in a natural way we live, move, and have our being in God," Acts xvii. 28, fo in a fpiritual way, we continue believing, repenting, loving,

and delighting in God; without whose continued influence upon our fouls, we could do neither.

Seventhly, In a word, God furveyed the first creation with complacence and great delight; he beheld the works of his hands, and approved them as very good, Gen. i. 31. So this alfo in the fecond creation; nothing pleaseth and delights God more than the works of grace in the fouls of his people. It is not an outward privilege of nature, or gift of providence, which commends any man to God; “Circumcifion is nothing, and “ uncircumcifion is nothing, but a new creature,” Gal. vi. 15. And thus you fee upon what grounds the work of regeneration in man, is stiled a new creature; which was the first thing to be opened.

Secondly, Next we must enquire, in what refpects every foul that is in Christ, is renewed, or made a new creature: and here we shall find a threefold renovation of every man that is in Christ, viz.

1. In his state and condition.

2. In his frame and constitution.

3. In his practice and conversation.

First, He is renewed in his ftate and condition; for he paffeth from death to life, in his justification, 1 John iii. 14. He was condemned by the law, he is now juftified freely by grace, through the redemption which is in Chrift: he was under the curfe of the first covenant; he is under the bleffing of the new covenant: he was afar off, but is now made nigh unto God: an alien, a stranger once, now of the houfhold of God, Eph. ii. 12, 13. O bleffed change, from a fad to a fweet and comfor table condition! "There is therefore no condemnation to them "which are in Christ Jefus," Rom. viii. 1.

Secondly, Every man in Chrift is renewed in his frame and constitution; all the faculties and affections of his foul are renewed by regeneration: his understanding was dark, but now is light in the Lord, Eph. v. 8. his confcience was dead and fecure, or full of guilt and horror, but is now become tender, watchful, and full of peace, Heb. ix. 14. his will was rebellious, stubborn and inflexible; but is now made obedient, and complying with the will of God, Pfal. cx. 2. his defires did once pant, and spend themselves in the purfuit of vanities, now they are fet upon God, Ifa. xxvi. 8. his love did fondly dote upon enfnaring earthly objects, now it is fwallowed up in the infinite excellencies of God and Chrift, Pfal. cxix. 97. his joy was once in trifles, and things of nought, now his rejoicing is in Christ Jefus, Phil. iii. 3. his fears once were about noxious

SERM. XXV. creatures, now God is the object of the fear of reverence, Acts ix. 31. and fin the object of the fear of caution, 2 Cor. vii. 11. his hopes and expectations were only from the world prefent, but now from that to come, Heb. vi. 19. Thus the foul in its faculties and affections is renewed; which being done, the mem bers and leafes of the body muft needs be destinated, and em ployed by it in new fervices; no more to be the weapons of un rightcoufnefs, but inftruments of fervice to Jefus Chrift, Rom. vi. 19. And thus all that are in Christ are renewed in their frame and conftitution.

Thirdly, The man in Chrift is renewed in his practice and converfation: the manner of operation always follows the nature of beings. Now the regenerate not being what they were, cannot walk and act as once they did; Eph. ii. 1, 2, 3.. "And you

hath he quickened, who were once dead in trefpaffes and fins; wherein ye walked according to the courfe of this world." They were carried away, like water by the ftrength of the tide, by the influence of their own corrupt natures, and the customs and examples of the world; but the cafe is now altered. So in 1 Cor. vi. 11. the apoftle fhews believers their old companions in fin, and tells them, "Such were fome of you, but ye are

wafhed, but ye are fanctified," &c. q. d. the world is now well altered with you, thanks be to the grace of God for it. This wonderful change of practice, which is fo univerfal, and remarkable in all the regenerate, and immediately confequent upon their converfion, fets the world a wondering at them; 1 Pet. iv. 4. Wherein they think it ftrange, that you run not "with them into the fame excefs of riot, fpeaking evil of you.

They think it strange:"The word fignifies to ftand and gaze, as the hen doth which hath brooded, and hatched partridge eggs, when the feeth the chickens which the hath brought forth, take the wing and fly away from her. Thus do the men of the world ftand amazed to fee their old companions in fin, whofe language once was vain and earthly, it may be, profané and filthy, now to be praying, speaking of God, heaven, and things fpiritual, having no more to do with them, as to fin, except by way of reprehenfion and admonition: this amazes the world, and makes them look with a strange admiring eye upod the people of God.

e. Then ftand amazed, as at the fight of an un Ils fe trouvent tous noveaux, et comme en un They find themfelvés all new, and as in another

Thirdly, In the next place let us enquire into the properties and qualities of this new creature, and fhew you, as we are able, what they are: yet, reader, expect not here an exact and accurate account of that which is so great a mystery; for if questions may be moved about a filly flie, which may puzzle the greatest philofopher to refolve them; how much more may we conceive this great and marvellous work of God, the most mysterious and admirable of all his works, to furmount the understandings of the most illuminated Chriftians? O how little do we know of the nature, properties and operations of this new creature! So far as God hath revealed it to our weak understandings, we may fpeak of it. And,

Ask a

First, The fcripture speaks of it as a thing of great difficulty to be conceived by man, John iii. E. The wind bloweth where "it lifteth, and thou heareft the found thereof, but canft not "tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: So is every one "that is born of the Spirit." The original of winds is a queftion of great difficulty in philofophy: We hear the voice of the wind, feels its mighty force, and behold its strange effects; but neither know whence it comes, or whither it goes. man, Do you hear the wind blow? Yes. Do you feel it blow? Yes, very fenfibly. Do you fee the effects of it, rending and overturning the trees? Yes, very plainly. But can you defcribe its nature, or declare its original? No, that is a mystery which I do not understand. Why juft fo it is with him that is. born of the Spirit. The holy Spirit of God, whose nature, and operations we understand but little of, comes from heaven, quickens, and influences our fouls, beats down, and mortifies our lufts by his almighty Power: These effects of the Spirit in us we experimentally feel, and fenfibly difcern: But how the Spirit of God, firft entred into, and quickened our fouls, and produced this new creature in them, we understand little more of it, than how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child, Ecclef. xi. 5. Therefore is the life of the new creature called a hidden life, Col. iii. 3. The nature of that life is not only hidden totally from all carnal men, but in a very great measure it is an hidden, and unknown life unto fpiritual men, though themselves be the fubjects of it.

Secondly, But though this life of the new creature be a great myftery, and fecret in fome refpects; yet fo far as it is known, and appears unto us, the new creature is the most beautiful, and lovely creature that ever God made; for the beauty of the Lord himself is upon it: "The new man is created after God," VOL. II.

SERM. XXV. Eph. iv. 24. As the picture is drawn after the man, it is a draught of God himself delineated by the Spirit, that admirable Artist, upon the foul of man. Holiness is the beauty, and glory of God; and in holiness the new creature is created after God's own image, Col. iii. 10. The regenerate foul hereby becomes holy, 1 John iii. 3. not effentially holy, as God is, nor yet efficiently holy; for the regenerate foul can neither make itself, nor others holy: But the life of the new creature may be said to refemble the life of God in this, that as God lives to himself, fo the new creature wholly lives to God; as God loves holiness, and hates the contrary, fo doth the new creature; it is in these things formed after the image of God that created it. When God creates this creature in the foul of man, we are faid then to be

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partakers of the divine nature," 2 Pet. i. 4. So that there can be nothing communicated unto men, which beautifies, and adorns their fouls as this new creation doth: Men do not resemble God as they are noble, and as they are rich, but as they are holy no gift, no endowment of nature imbellishes the foul as this new creature doth: An awful Majefty fits upon the brow of the newcreature, commanding the greateft, and worst of men to do homage to it, Mark vi. 20. Yea, fuch is the beauty of the new creature, that Chrift, its author, is alfo its admirer, Cant. iv. "Thou haft ravished mine heart with one of thine eyes."

9. Thirdly, This new creature is created in man, upon the highest design that ever any work of God was wrought: the end of its creation and infufion is high and noble: falvation to the foul in which it is wrought; this is both the finis operis, and the finis operantis: It is the defign, both of the work, and of the workman that wrought it. When we receive the end of our faith, we receive the falvation of our fouls; falvation is the end of faith as death is the end of fin, fo life eternal is the end of grace. The new creature doth, by the instinct and steady direction of its own nature, take its courfe as directly to God, and to heaven, the place of his full enjoyment, as the rivers do to the ocean; it declares itfelf to be made for God, by its restlefs workings after him; and as falvation is the end of the new creature, fo it is the exprefs defign, and end of him that created it. 2 Cor. v. 5. "Now he that hath wrought us for the self

fame thing, is God;" by this workmanship of his upon our fouls, he is now polishing, preparing, and "making them meet "to be partakers of the inheritance of the faints in light," Col. i. 12.

Fourthly, This new creation is the most neceffary work that ever God wrought upon the foul of man: the eternal well-be