Bates - HP BX5200 B3 1700

_C_ha~p._V_I_II_;~~~~Of~H~E_A~V_E~N_· ·~~~~--~499 forms his Duties with lively AReCtions. Natural Confcience under the compulr.on of ~~~.:arc~·~t ;h~rt'~~poR~~~~~~;a~r.i~~~l~;:i~ ~~~~,~~~~t~fn,i~~~r~.c2~;~~~,'i~ pure. It reconciles the ~lli:Ctions to the moll Holy Commands. ! love thJ Lmv becaufe 'tiJ pure, fatth the Pfalmtll. . . . . . . . A Moral Principl e may induce 6ne to ablhin from many Sms, and to perform many praife-worthy things in conformity to Reafon. But this is neither fanf!:ifying nor fa ving; for it only prunes Sin a5 if it were a ~ood Plant, an.~ do~s. rot root it up; it compounds with it, and does notdellroy_ it. T l1erc may be lldl an tmpure Indulgence to the fecret lullings of the Heart, notwithltandmg the Rdlratnt upon thetr ~xerctfc. Ant\ many Duties may be done on lower Mouves, Without a d1vme refpeB: to the Commands ~~~~ · . . . . . But renewing Grace fubjells the Soul to the w(10le R,oyal ty of the Law, umformly in, dines it to e<preli; Obedtence to all m Precepts, becaufe they arc pure, and denved from the etema l Spring of Purity. It mortifies Concupifcence, and guickens to every good Work, from a Principle of Love to God, and in th is is dillinguifht from the moll refined unregenerate Morality. In fhort, there may be a fuperficial tinllure of Religion from common Grace, a tranficnt Efteem, vanilbing Afl"CB:ions, and earneft Endeavours for a time aft~r spiritual Things, and yet a Perfon remain in a fla re of :Unregeneracy. · .~ut renewing Grace ls a permanent fohd Principle, that makes a Man partaker of the Dwme Nature, and elevates him above himfelf. 4 z~~sb~~~n~~a~=~~~ ;~~ut~l:t ~;i;:r:v~~c ~~~0~r.ent~u~;1~v~~~r:o~;::::o:;mq:J. Exf(t~ Analogy of a new Btrth .figmfi es, that 'trs tnttrcly the Work of the fanchfymg Spmt, that conveys aPrinciple of, l life .in order to the FunEl:ions of ir. 'Tis the hvmg I'?preffion of God, the foi e Efficient and Exemplar of it, the Frui t and Image of the Divrne Virt ues. 'Tis exprcll by .the new Creaturt. The produElwn of Jt JS attnbuted to God'~ fowe.r difplaying it felf in a yeculiar . ,e~cclle~t way, ~vcn in that precife. f!lanner, as in mal<ing the World. For as 111 the firft Creatton all tlungs were made ongmally of no, thing, fo in the fecond, the Habrt of Grace tsmfufed mto the. Soul that was utterly voni of it, and mwhtch there was as ltttle preparatton for true Hohnefs, as of notlung to pro, puce this great and regular World. And altho there rs not only an abfolute pnvatron o\ ~;~~~r~~~tY ~~~~~~~~:sn~ffe~i~~ f~~ri{~~ ~~~~;~ ~;:~t~~~~ ~o~e~~~~sgatsh:n:~ir~l. From hence it apPears that preventing renewing Grace is fo entirely the \Vork of God, :~;~/~r~~~~ti~~ ~~~,d~~~~~i~~~ t~~~fc~f~~n~h~1 ~~~j~~: ~f'rl~:t~J~~:~~~~~~f~~e; Divine Power in producing it ; but in the new Creation, Man fee ls thC"vital Influence of the Spifit, applyin(l it felf to all his Faculties, reforming and enabling them to all according to the quahty of their Nature. . . , And by the way, we may obferve the admtrable Grace fl1ewed to Man in the renovation of his corrupted Nature. In the compolition of his Being are unitc4 a ~·pir.it like the Angels, and a Body like terrellrial Animals, by which he. partakes of the fpiritual and natural Life : but he has peculiar Favours conferred upon him. For,. whereas his Soul finn'd with the Angels, and his Body dies with the Bealls, yet God is pleafed to reftore them by his glorious Power. An Angel after Sin nevet· repents, and is therefore in~ capable of Pardon, and irrecoverably difinherited of Heaven: a. Beall after death never r~vives ; but rho Man fins and dies, y~t.(Jis Soul may be renewed by Divine Grace, and hrs Body fhall be ratfed man mcorrupttble Glory. Now the indifpenfabkneceffity of this holy Change is evident from the words of our Sav10ur, for he fpeaks umverfally, Except a Man be born again, he cannot fee the I{Jngdom of God. He does not Gmply declare that an unregenerate Man fhallnot, .but with the r,reatell Emphafis, cann~t, to figmfy an abfolute impoffibility of tt. The J'"'' ~~b~/Bl~~~u~e~b~!h~~ p~~d\~g;ri~~J~e::;.c;rb:d~~~~C:I1 ~{t[,~r~~:r~~v~~:n~~~:~~~ m thetr Flefh : and hence tt was proverbial amongll them, that every Ifeaelite fhould have apartintheWorldtocome. But our Saviour overthrows this vain conceit . and t~IIs them, that the fupernatural Birth intitles to the fupernatural Inheritance, Ci;cum~ ctfion _then, and Baptifm now, without real Grace, is an inellellual fi gn, of no avail to Salvation. In the quality of Sons, we are Heirs of God's Kingdom, Rom. 8. i7. And that honourable Relation we have upon a double account, by Adoption and Regenera: tion, Gal. 4· 7· Divine Adoption is not a mere change of our State, a naked Declarat lOo

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