ll r Cor 8. 6. )oha I. 10. )obo6,IJ John 3· 6, 8. yet three manners of being of the fame one Eifence; fo in Gods outward op~rations all the perfons work rem cand~<m, one thing~ but all work not eadem modo, after on~ manner. For inlbnce, the works ofCrcatwn, Redemptwn, and SanC1ification, are the common works of God the Father, God the Son, and Godthe Holy Ghott, yet every one of thefc works common to all three,. are termmated m fome one of them: So th"c Father is faid to create, the Sonne IS fa1d to create, the Holy Ghofl: is faid to create; fo the Father is faid to redeem; the Sonne is faid to re.dcem, the Holy Gholt is faid to redeem i fo the Father IS fa1d to fantbfie, the Sonne IS fa~d to fanC1ific, the Holy Ghoft is faid to fanC11fie :. Thus all threecon~ur to every one of thefe works, and yet every one of thcfe works, IS tcrmmated, !pec1fied, and formed (as 1t were) in the very !all: a{l by one of thefc three: The work of the Creation IStcrmmated immedi– ately inGod the Father, the work of RedemptiOn IS tcrmmated Immediately in God the Sonne, the work of Regeneration is termiuated immediate\y in God the Holy Ghofi. And it is memorable, that as the community of thefe works (ad extra) de– 'penCls on the unity of Gods Eifencc, fo the diverfity of their determinations depends on the diverfe manners of Gods cxiftence, or fubfi fling: the Father is ofhimfc!f, nei– ther made n.1t begotten, and therefore it beft agrees with him to make all things of nvthing, which is the work of Creation; the Sonnc is of the Father alone by rcfleC1ion of his intelle{l, and fo called the reprcfentation of his Fathers Image, and therefore it bell: agrees with him to reprefent ~js Fathers mercies to mankindc,by faving them from death and hell, which is the work of Redemption; the Holy Ghoit is of the Father and the Sonne proceeding (and as it were breathed) from them both by the a{l of the will, and therefore it belt agrees with him (that b~o1v8th where he liftcth) to blow on our wills, and by his breath to purge and purifie us, which is the work of Regeneration. To fumme up all in a word, this work,of Regeneration (or San[fijicatim, or whatever elfeyou will call it) in refpe{l of the. work, it is of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghott, but in refpe{l of the l~ft aC1, it is of the Holy Ghofl:, and not of the Father, nor the' Son ; and thus our Saviour concludes, 'John 3. 6. 8. 7hat which is barn efthe Spirit, is Spirit, and fo is every man that is b'Orn ofthe Spirit. Secondly, as Gads Spirit is the principal, fo Gods Word is the inflrumental caufe of our Regeneration. Ye arc born again (faith Peter) not ofcorrttptiblc feed, bm •f incor– ruptible by the ward of God, wh.ch lzvcth and abtdcth for ever, 1 Pet. 1. 23 . This word 'John calls the ward oflife, Paul the producer offaith, and tbc power ofGod tmto 1 Per 1 '3· falvation; yea thiS word " qmck_ and powerful, ana Jbarppcr tban any tJVo-cdncd 1 John 1. r. [word, piercing even to the dividing afimdcr of foul and Spirit, and of the joynts ~nd Rom. 12.I7, marrow, t~ndisadtfi:ernerofthe thoughts and intents (If the heart, Hcb. 4·· r2. They llom. 10 ' 1 "' thatarebornagain, cannot but remember how quick, and powerful, and ]harp, Gods word was at their Regcnmuion: firft,like an hammer it beat on their he~rts till it hrokc them all to pieces, and then like a fword, by a terrible, cutting, peircing power, it il:ruck a lhaking and trembling into the very centre of their fouls; !all: of all, like oile (when as the.man in the Gofpd, they were wounded indeed ) it began to fupple f{cb.4J u. Dofl. Gal. 4· 26. l'fal. 122. s. 1\cv. 3· 7Pfa!. I'll· t4· Hof 2. !9· Cant. 6, 3· thofe wounds, and to heal the bruifes, and to refrefh the weak and tender heart with all the promifes of God revealed in Chrifl:. And thus a man being begotten of the Spirit with the JVord oftruth, he comes at !aft to the birth: So we read, Except a man be born.] And this I fuppofe to be fuller than the other, becaufe a begetting may be, and no birth follow, as many that arc fhfled in the womb, arebegotten, not born; but if the birthbe, it cloth prefuppofe a beJetting, and fo it implies it : Except a man be born, that IS, except a man be begotten al'Jd bo~·n, he cannotfee Gods kjngdom, If you ask of whom born ? I anfwer, as God is the Father, fo the Church is the M other of every childe of God; to this purpofe faith the Apoftle, ']emfalem which is above, is free, whic·h is the mother of "' all, Gal. +· 26. what is ']crufalem but the Church? for as that City was the feat ofDa,id, Pfal. 122. 5· fo is this Church the throne of Chrift,figured by the kingdom of D.<vid,Revcl. l· 7and therefore of both thefc God thus proclaims, Here fl>a/1 be my rrft for ever, here will l dwell,for I ha1•e a delight herein,Pfal. 1 J2. 14. And rightly is the Church called our mc– ther, fidl: becaufe fhe is thefpoufc of our Father,berroathed, Hofea 2. 19. coupled and made one, Cant. 6·.3.1 a""''Y we/ beloveds,and my beloved is mine; and fecondly, becaufe we arc children born of her : this teacheth us to honour our mother, and like. little children to hang at her breafls for our fuflenancc, SJ!ck_and be fatis{ied with the bm,jls •f her mrfol~tions, milk., om, and be delighted -v;irh the ~bmrdr.nee cf !Hr glory. ]I;
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=