Chap. 2, Sett. 9 · BookiV. I6t of his light; and Cluifr bath none that dive inio thefe depths of his glorious and bleffed Incarnation, but they carry along with them fweer imp.reffions of an abtdll~g and trans– forming nature. Come then, let us once more look._to lef"' tn hts Incarnation, that we mayconform, and be like ro Jef~s jn th~t refprll. . But wherein lies this conformtty or ltkenefs to Jefus? I anf1ver, tn thefe and the like particulars.--- . . . 1 • Chri!l was conceived tn Mary by the holy Gho!l; fo mu!l Chnll: be concetved inosbythefam~ holy Gho!l. To this purpofe is the feed of the Word ea!\ in, and. principles of Grace are by rhe holy Gholl: tnfufed; he hath begotten'" by the Wo•·1,{otth the Apo!lle, {am. 1 • 18. how mean, contemptible, or tmpotem rpen may efteem lt, yet J•mes 1. tS. God bath appointed no orher.means to convey fupernaturalltfe, but after tlJJS .manner : Where no Vijion u the people perifh: where no preaclung ts, there ts a worfe JUdgment than- that of Et)pt, when there was one dead in every Family. By the \Vor~ and Spirit the feeds of all Grace are fown tn the heart at once, and the heart clolmg wtth it, immediatly Chri!l.is con.ceive~ in the heart. . . . . Concerning tlus fpmrual Conception or ReceptiOn of Chrt!ltn us, there ts a great que!lion, Whether it be pofilble for any man to difcern how it is wrought? BUt for the Negative arerbefeTexts, Our Life u hid with Chrift in God, Col. 3. 3. and the Wind bfo•vethwhereit lijfeth, and thou heareft the found thereof, but canft not tell whence it c•m– e:h, or whitheritgoeth, John 3· 8. It is a wonderful, hidden and fecrer Conception. The holy Gholl: fets Ollt that ftare of unregeneracy, in which ChriP.: finds us 1 by the name of Death, Epb. 2. L § 6that it mull needs be as impofilble f?r us to difcover how it is wrought, asitisimpofilblefor one to know how be receives Ius own life. Some fay, the fir!t al't ofinfufing or receiving Chri!l or Grace (they are all one) is wrought i.n an infranr, and nor by degrees ; and therefore it is impoffible to d1fcern the manner : And ye; we grant that we may difcern both the preparations to Grace, aod the fir!l operati– ons of Grace. I. The preparations to Grace are difcernable; fuch are thofe rerrours and fpiritual agonies which are often before the work of Regeneption; they may be rcfembledto the beating of Metals before they melt, and are caff into rheMoldto be falhioned; now by the help of Natural Reafon one may difcern rhefe. 2. Much more may the firft Motions and Operations 9f Grace be difcerned by one truly regene– nre, becaufe that in them his Spirit worJ<s together with the Spirit of Chrift ; fuch are forrow for fin as lin, andfceking rightly forcomfort, an hungring defire after Chrill: and his Merits; neither do I think it impoilibk for a regenerate man to feel the very fir!l illapfe of the S.pirir into the Soul ; for ir may bring that fenfe with it felf as ro be eafily difcerned, although it doth not alwai·es fee, nor perhaps ufually fee; it is true rhatrhe giving of Spiritual Life, and the giving of the fenfe of it, are two di– llinl'tal'ts of the Spirit; y<t who e>n deny but that both rhefe al'ts may go together· though ahvaies they do not go rogerher? Howfoever it is, yet even in fucb perfon~ as in the inftanr of regeneration may feel rhemfelves in a regenerate e!late: this Conclu– fion fiands firm, viz.. They may k!tow what u wrought in t~em, but how it invrought, they CAnnotkpow, nor underjfand; we feel rhe Wind, and perceive it in the motions and o– perations.thereof; bur the Originals of it we are nor able exaClly to defcribe: fame think the beginnings of Winds are from the flux of the Air, others from the exhala~ tions of the earth; bur there is no certainty: fo it is in the manner of this Conception, or paffive Reception of Cl1rift and Grace into our beans; we know not qow it is wrought, bur it nearly concerns us ro know that it is wrought; look we to this con– fo~mtt~, that as ChrHl was conceived in Maryby the holy Ghoft, fo, that Chrill be con– ceived 111 u~, in afpiritual fenfe by the fame holy Ghofi. 2. Chn!l was fant'tified in the Virgirts womb . fo mufl we be fantl.ified in our felves, follo~ing the Commandment of God; be ye ho~ M 1 am holy: Souls regenerate mull: be ' fancbfied; Everyman(fairh the Apofile) that hath thi& hope in him, purijieth him{clfeven h ,., "'he u pure. I know our hearts are (as it were) feas of corruptions, yet we muft daily t Jo n l• " deanfe our felves of ·rnem by little and little: Cbri!l could not have been a fir Saviour for us, unlefs fir!l he had been fanl'tified · neith.r can we be fit Members unto h.im, unlefs. we be in fame meafure purged fr~m our lins, and fanl'tifi~d by his Spine. To thts purpofe ts that of the Apo!lle, 1 befcech you Brethren by the Mercies . of God, that you prefent ~our Bodies a living Sacrifice, holy, ac~eptable unto God. In 1\om.u. 1 • the Old Te!la~ent they did after a corporal manner. flay .•.nd ktll Beafts, prefenring them,and offermg them unto the Lord;bur now we are m a fptntual manner to crucifie and Y monific
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