Boston - BT700 B7 1769

158 The .LVat{!re of Regeneration. State I! r. is in aH goodnefs; goodnefs of ihe mind, goodnefs of the ' will, goodnefs of the affecti{)ns, goodnefs of the whole man. One g~ts not only a new head to know religi·on, or a new tongue to talk of it; hut a new heart to love and embrace it, in the whole of his converfation. \\'hen the Lord opens the fluice of g'race on the foul's new birth– day, the wate1~ run through the whole man, to purify and make him fruitfuL In thefe natural change~ fp oken eH before, there are, -as it1were, pieces of new cloth Fut into an oldgarment ; a .new life fewed to an old heart : but \he gracinus change is a thorough change, a cha:uge both of' heart and life. · · _ $. Yet it is but an imperfeCt change. Tho' every part 'of the man is renewed, there is no part of him perfectly ' renewed. As an ' infant ha s all ,the parts of a man, but r;one of them are come to their perfecl gro wth ; fo r~generation bring;, a perfeCt ion -of pu ts , ·to be b10ught fo r– ward in the gradual advances off'1nct fi o tio n, r Pc'l.ii. 2 • .AJ nerw-bor1; bab.eJ difrre theJincere mill\ if the •word, that )'e may grow tJ;ercby . Although in r egenerati·on there is a -heavenly light l.et .into th e .mi nd ; yet there is ftill fome darknefs there : thpugh th_e will is renewed, it , is not perfeetly renewed ; there is .Hill .f<-m•e of the old in~cli.nation to fin remaining: and thus i.t wdJ ,be till that which is in part be done away . aoJ the light of glory come. Adam was creattd at his full ltature ; b~lt tht·y that are born, mull have their time to grow' up : .fo t-hefe that are born .again, do come forth into the ne,wworld .of grace, but imperfetlly holy; thou ~; b Ada71) beingcr,e;ued upright, was at the fame time pe1 ft:Cl:'!y ri gh teous, w;h1b0;\it the leafi mixture of fln(ul .imperfeCtion . Lafily, Ne\·er.thelefs it is a l~fliog .cha nge, which ne ~ ver 'goes off. The feed is iticorrupt-iblt', fa ith the text ; :and fo is the cr:eature that is formed of it. The life given in, regeneration, whateve r d~cays it may fall ur,der, can r.eve1 be utterly lofi. HiJ feed rt maineth in hm, rwho is l'arn of God, 1 John 1ii 9 Though the branches fhould be cut down, the root. {h all dbide in the eanh ; ;1,r:d being \\'atered with the dew of heaven ~ !hall fprout ag ain: for t<'Jc/~ ot .of th.e righ't r: ~!tl fha !ln?t t·e 7~Ui v e d,, \P;o v. xi~. 3· >' ·But

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