He canmt fee thr kingdom ofGod. THe Privilcdges of the new birth are thefe two, tofee] and tofee the kingdom of God. Fir/1:, tofe<] Which is all one (faith a Modern) as to enjoy : yet a man may fee that wh1ch he cloth 110t enjoy:but Without regeneration there is no fight,much leffe poffeffion II.Jctiu5in lo(. of the k,:"ngdom ofCod, . To fee then is the Ielfer happinelfe, of which the unregenerate are debarred ; butt<> fee, in it felf is a great and gracious priviledge, to which the regenerate are admitted : for whether by 6ods kingdom be meant the kingdom of grace, or the kingdom ofolory Happy are the eyes thatfee tlufe things. . " ' B~t whofe eyes are they i' if we examine the..ungenerate,he fees no whit into the awful MaJelly of God the Father: he fees no whit of the beauty, mercy,and pity of his Savi– our, he fees no whit into that glorious highnelfe of Gods Spirit inHeaven,nor yet of his mgbnelfe to h1s brethren on earth:Hence it is,that when he comes among the Congrega– tiOn of Gods Saints,hi> fo;,ul is not delighted with their prayers,praifes,Pfalmes, & fer– V!Ce;hc fees no COmfort,llO pleafore,no COntent in their aCtions.But the iUW IM >J is of bet– ter fight, the graces of the Spirit, and the war-drape of Gods glory, are all produced to ~~;:i.te, & .,;. his eye, as if the Lord lhould fay, Come, a:-:dfee: fo .Mofes, Stand./fill, and fee rh~ l'fal. 45 . 8 falvation ofGod : fo Chrill to his Apoll:les, It isgiven to your eyes to fee thefe things, ~~ Exod 14 . n orhers, but by parable. He thot is born a!!.ain hatli a fpiritual eye, and a celefrial obje<l; Epl:ef. •· 18 Thceye ofhis underftanding is enlighrned (faith Paul) anointed ( faith John) to what end? lk•el > •8 But that he may /z.now what isrhe hope of his c·a/ling, and what the riches of theglory if his inheritance is in tbe Saints, Ephcf. l. I 8. See a priviledge, of which the unregenerate Evhd. S· 8 is ever barred, his mind is dark, even dar/z.nejfe it felf, Ephe( 5. 8. And therefore it is no wonder, what is faid by our Saviour,that he cannot fee,cannot fee]the kjngdom of G9d. C.1l1Jin in Toe. Art•lilff in loc. p,;,um r f~rr, The fccond priviledge is the ObjeCt of this fight, here called the kjn_gdom of God.] By wliich fame underlhnd Heaven, fome the way to Heaven; mofl: of the Ancients fay, that by this Kingdom is meant Heaven: Calvin is of the mind, that not Heaven, bm.. fpiritud life is thereby r<nderftood. A<etitts faith, (and I am of his mind) that whether we underfrand the one or the other, It matters not much: Sure we are, that both thefe (Grace and Glory) are annexed to the new birth, and both very well may be implyed . in this word, the k,jngdome of God.] · Firfl: then,if by the k,jngdom ofGod is meant the kingdom of Grace, (whereofour Sa– Luke •7• 21. viour fpcaketh, the kingdom ofGod u withinyou, Luke 17· 2 1.) See to what a priviledge the newman bath attained; all the graces of God, all the fruits of the Spiritare now poured into him: Ifyou ask what graces? what fruits? p,,l tells you, Gal. 5· GII. 5 . 22 22. Love, joy, peace, long-fitjfering, gemlenejfe, goodne(Je, faith, mee/z.nejfe, tempe– rance: or would you have us to contraCt them? Paul <loth it elfe where, The l(ing– domeofGod is,--righmufnej{c, peace, and joyinrheholyGho(f, Rom. 14. 17. FirH:, RighteoH[nejfe, and that is eit!Jet·athve or paf!ive; holinelfe of life, or (the Rom. 14. 17. caufe ofthisholinelfe) our righteoufnejfe mChrijf: Jf the firll be mcant,no fooner is mAn born ..gain, but he enters into the holy path, he declines all evil,and lhnds at the fwords point with his beloved finne ; or ifever any finne (through the violence of temptation) feize on him again, he is prefently put again into the pangs of the new birth, and fore– newing his forrow, and repairing repentance, he becomes more refolute and watehR<>m· ' 2 · 9· ful over all his wayes: And as he abhors evil, fo he cleaves to thanvhich is g()(Jd; his f aith like the Sun, fets all thofe graeiou~ heavenly /lars on lhining, as h•pe, "nd /we, and z.cal, and humility, andpatience; in a word, univerfai obedience, and fmitfulneffe in allgood work.!: not one, but all good duties of the firll: and fecond Table, begin ro be na:tural and familiar to him, and though he finde fome duties more difficult, yet he refolvcth, and ll:riveth to do what he can, and is much difpleafed and gri~ved, if he , Cor. •· 30· do notas helhould. Or if by righteoufnejfe is meant paJ!ive righreoufnejfe, to wit, <Hr righreoufnejfe in Chrift, no fooner is a nll!n born again, but he is clothed with this righ– tfoufnejfe ; the other (God knows) is but weak and full of imperfetl:ion ; and there– fore to fpeak properly, It is the righreottfnejfe in God, that mn~sm app<ttr righteous be– fore God: would you have a plain cafe ? as Jacob, to procure the blcffing of his father, hid himfelf into the apparel of his brother, and fo received it to his own commo:lity, under the perfon ofa.nother ; thu~ the1mv man puts on the righteoufnc!fe of Ch;~ £:drAMs eft j11~kia, ncn In 11obiJ. Luther. de ini1ic. Chdlliiln~
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