his ju!licc, truth, patience, holincffe, anger, power; his juflice in punifhing the impe– nitent according to his defcrts, his truth effecbn~ thofe plagues wh1ch hehath fpoken in his time, his patience forbearmg fins dcllruchon, t1ll they are grown ~ull npe, h1s holineffe abhorring all impurttyes, _He cannot behold ""q"")'' h1s anger fl:trnng up re– venge againll: all offered inj~rics, h1s power mulhmg uR h1s forces, yea all h1s crearues againfl his enemies; 1nd what can we fay, but 1f all thctc attnbutes arc at cnm1ty w1th finful man wo w 0 rth to man bccaufc of offences ! better he had never been born,than not to be ,;eJV born; alas ! what £hall become of him? Can he that is Gods enemy fee God in his glory? no, there is no way but one, E.vccpt he repent, Exupt] he be born again. thirdly, Except J by a new birth, man is ':'ithottt C/nift; for If any mtln be i~ Chrift, he;; anew creature: And 1f he be not 1n Chrtfr, wh~t hopes of that man? It IS onely Chrifr that opens Heaven, it is only Chrtft that~~ the Way to Heaven; befides him. there is no Way, no Trmh, no Life; and 1fwe be tn hun, M the branch m the vme, 1t js of ncceffity that we bring forth good fruit : Upon thefe terms his death is effeCl:ual, if we become 11ew creatures; or otherw1fe, all h1s Mcrtts (h1s blood that was fhed, his body that was crucified, his foul that was agonized) they arc nothing unto us, we no– thing bettered by them : he dyed for all, but h1s death IS not apphed, h1s Kmgdom is not opened, fave only unto them that have learned and pracbfed th1s rule of Exaption] Except fl man be born again. Fourthly, Except before Excepted, a man is a very ltmb of Satan, a chtld of dark– nelfc, and one of the Family. of Hell. Confider th1s, ye that are out of the fl:ate of grace, in what mifcrable thraldome is your fouls ? S~ould any call you fervants, or flaves of Satan, you would take it highly in difdain; but take it as you pleafe, if you · are not regenerate, you are in no better cafe. l'md appeales to your own knowledge, ](nowyou not, that to whomfoever )'Ott giveyou-r felves aJ fervants to obey, his forvants ye are to whomye obey? Rom. 6. 16, 2J. If then ye obey the Devils fuggefl:ions (which you do being unborn) what are you but the Devtls fcrvants? And 1fhe be your Matter, what is your wages? You may fee it in the lafr vcrfe, The wages cffn is death; death of the body, and death of the foul: death here, and death hereafter in Hell-fire. Alas, that Satan fhould have this power on man! that he who is the enemy, and means no– thing to a finner but death and damnation, fhould be his Lord, and tyrannize it over him at his own will and pleafure! \Vould any man be hired to ferve Lions and Tygers? And is nvt the Devil a roaring Lion, walk!ng abom, andfeekjng whom he may devour ? To ferve him that would devoure his fervant, is a mofr miferable bondage; and what pay can one expeCt from Devils, but roaring and devouring, and tearing fouls? In this plight are thefervams ofCorruption, flavcs of Satan, fo I rightly call them; for, Of whomfoever a man ts overcome, even unto thefame ts he m bondage~ 2 Pet. 2. 19. To winde up this point; Lard,who jha/1 dwell in thy Tabernacle? who jha/1 rcft in thy Holy Mountain? Ifwe belteve Davtd, Not he that jlandereth Wtth hu tongue, or doth cvd to his Neighbour, ~orgiveth his money ~tpon V fury, or taf(sth areward againft the innocent: No, fuch are fervants of Satan; and here is matter of Exception againfl: them ; Except a man be born again, he cannot fee the Kingdom ofGod, The fummc of all: Without Regeneration no Kingdom; for whether we confider man in regardofhimfelf, orcf God, or ofChrift, or ofSatan, he is (E:rcept he be newborn) unholy, God.< enemy, out of Chrift, in Satan, · And if the New Birth be thus neccffary, how fhould we (a) labour to be born again? Imean not, as Nrcodem~ts, to enter mto our mothers womb again and be born· It is not the feed of man in the womb of our Mother, but the feed of Grace in the ~vomb of the Church,that makes us bleffe~: and if we are thus born by Grace,then arc we fan:tified, made fons of God, He1rs With Chrift, over whom Satan can have nv power at all. Now then, ~s you tender your fouls, and defire Heaven at your ends, (b) endeavour to attam thts one thing neccffary: (c) Lift up your hearts unto God, that you moy be wajhed, Jl<{hfied,fanchjiedm the Name of the Lord Jefus; and that by the Spirit of God Ephef. 2 12. I Cor, S· 17,• l\om.6.t6,23. I Pet. S. 8. 2 Pet. 2. 19. Vfe. (•) Thus is the liloguage ofGod, I[aid Bthi'Jld me to a nation tb.tr Wtl$ nor ctJlledby m1 Nt~mt,lfa 65.1 b)Thus whilfi the Miniflel' Ch 'fl · h . fpcaks, ir is rJ.. comc~wl,t power 111 the ~ord, Ezek. t8.~r. (c) Pfar, becaufe Godbidsyoupr.ty; ic riuy be he wiiJ cotne m when }OU pray. Wile:~ Sumn M(jg1u w.ts to the gal~ ofbltterndfe, Pr:ter bid him pray,A!Ir s 2.2; . B 2 you
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