-new born; as no Inan comes into this world, but by the firll: birtli; fo impoffible it is that any fhould go to heaven in an other world, but by the fccond birth: And this gives us t:he-neae(!ity oLRef¥.!ncration, - - • /.- •-~ Except a man be'now bom, he ciin never bef aved. . It is our Saviour~ fpeech, and he confiqns it with a double afl'cvcration, Vmly, verzly, I fay lfnto thee. Twice ve-,-dy, which we find not any where but mJohns Gofpel, and no where·m the Gofpcl fo oft as fl.upert. in loc. on this argument: how thenfhould we disbelieve this truth, where we have fuch a wlt~~a~Chrill:, fuch a tdbmony as his Vm!y, vmly, 1(ay Jl!lto thee? _..Ag;im, God the ff!ther thus counfels>not only N ti·odemuc but all the Jews of the '6!d ChurGh, faying, M ak1Y"' a new hc'!rt and am~vJPm~.' f or why lv;l/Y"' dtc, O_ko;{!r,J Ezck. 1 S. 3'-· Ifr~et? Ezek. I 8 1 I . '"Notw1thll:andmg all thetr pnvdedgcs (fonhcy are Jfraclites, 10 Ham. 9· 4· rvhom pertains the adoption, andt~eglory, a·;d the Covenants, tmd the g iving ofthe Law, and theferviceof God, and the promt[es, Rom. 9· 4·) Yet here is one thing necejfary,that Vnum nm§ a· mull: crown all the reil:; they mull: have·a ruw heart, anda new JPirit, that is to fay rium. they mull: be n<IV born, or there is no way but death; from which death fee how the Lord pulls them with his cords of love, alluring, wooing, quell:ioning, JVhy writye die, Dof/:, Rev. 2 17. Hc:v. 3· J::!l J'j. .l't10J ,·1ar iil!ti• lJU J nivcis ii~ J•ift;!.tpi:ltJ, J-itSliMmtlre rtos,i!bs ,:bjol– 'lh'rep,zJ,d. .de– IMwpbo{I. IS• Jiunc 1'1ttcrinr: dic'm r.kmefa mc:Liore lr1pillc. l)erf Sar.j'r:– •:undtt. Arctiusinloc. 1 Cor. 5• 17• Hcb.12.14• J 1Cor. 2• 14. 1\om. 6 :l.O. Gaf.s.J7, Omnfe t.j 1fi'acl? , , And yet again ; not only the Son and the father, but the Holy Ghofl: too will avouch this truth : H e that bath an eare, In htm hear what the Spirtt JitidJ 11nto the Churches; And what's that ? To him that overcumcth, --will I give a white flone, and i.)'} the jloue a new name Jt-•ritten : yea, lrrilt rvritc itpon him Nel~.'Jfuifalem, ani:/ /wilt write ~tpon .Etm my new name, Revel.' 2 . 17. and 3· I2. The meaning is, he that is new born, and fo overcomes fin, Gods Spirit will give him his grac~, the whae ]lone; and his Kingdom, the new Jerufalem; and a new name, the name ot filiation,(faith a Modern) whereby truly he is called the new born fon of God.. See here_h<\W 9/d things being done away, all things arc bccomiJ new ; by a new bzrthman hath got a nc1v name, a nett' inheritance : and therefore as the Spirit, fo the new birth is called a fire, that purgeth away drofl'e, and nia~es fouls bright and new, fu that we mull: pafl'c thorow this.ftre, or no pafl'agc into Par.<dife. NO( is this Do.."trine without reafon or ground. ' For, Except by the fecond birth; man is firll: unholy, and therefore moll: unfi.t to enter into heaven : Without holzmjfe no man ]hall fee Gcd, Heb. I 2. u . And what is man before he is new bor" ? if we loo!> vpon his foul, we may fee it deformed with fin, defiled with lull:, outraged with pal)ions, overcarried with affe-:1(ons, pinmg with envy ,. b>Jrthened with gluttony, bo.yling Wlth revenge, tranfported with rage, and thus is that Image of God transformed to the ugly fhape of th.e Devil : or lhould we take a_ more particular veiw, every faculty of the foul is full of iniquity; the underll;anding_ underfl:ands nothi)lg of the thingsof God, 1 Cor. 2 . 1-1-. the will.wills nothing that u good, Rom. 6. 20. the affections aff~Cl: nothing of the Spirit, Gal. ), 1 I 7. In a word,the underll:anding is darkncd, the will enthralled, the ~ffcdions difordQred, the mem.ory defiled,the co~fciencc benummed, all the inner man is full of fin, ~nd there is no part, that is good, no notone. But what fay we Qf the body? fure that is nothing better, it is a rotten carrion, altogether unprofitable, and good for nothi~g; lhould W<:view ·it in every part and member of it? the head contrives mifchief, the eyes behold vanity, the ears let in fin, the tongu~ fends out oaths. Come we lower, the heart lodgeth lu·ll:s-, the hands commit murther, the feet run to evil; all the fenfcs arc but fo ma.ny nmtches to give fire to lull:s, deceits, envieS, and what not? How needful now is a new birth to a man in this cafe ? Can he enter into heaven, that favours all of earth? \Vill thofe precious gates of gold and pearls opento a finner? No, he mull: firfl:·be n.ew moulded, ~nd fanCl:ified, O): he is exceptcd; Except a man be new born. . Secondly, Except] This, and man is Gods enemy; no greater oppofition than be– . t.wixt God anda finncr; Confider we him in his e!f~nce, or in his attributes; in his l'fal. II• 5 ' efl'ence he is called Jchovah, both in refpeCl: of his being, and of his promifes; i• re– fpeCl: of his being, and fo God is contrary to fin; for fin is ataxy, difordcr, confufion, a not-being; and God is order, perfection, holincfl'e, and abfolutc and fimple being: in refpeCl: likewife of his promifes, wherein there is a main oppofition to fin; for how· foever hepromifeth a reward to the regenerate, and fo the name Jehovah is a golden . pledge unto us, that if we repent, he will forgive us; yet withal he promifeth jlorm> and tempejl, fire and perdition to the unrcgeneraie: and thus his name and nature is altogethcr,oppofite to fin and !inners. But view we thofe attributes of God, I mean hi9
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