Burgess - Houston-Packer Collection BT715 .B85 1652

Sa c r. V. of theNew Creature. 249 ingof a Jew did not conbet in being outwardly Circumcifed, but it was in that of the heart, andbe was a 7ew Which Was fo inwardly, Romans a. Thus he is a Chriftian , not who is outwardly baptized , but who is inwardly anoin- ted with the graces ofChrif; fortobe a Chriftian is tobe an anointed one; and thenof this inward Jew fee what the Apoftle faith, whofepraife is of God, not of men. ItsGod that is a Father offpirits , that looks to the hearts ofmen, that praifeth this jew, this Chriftian. The denomination of every thing it from itschiefantibetter part. We callaman reafonable, becaufe of his foul the chief part of him ; fo a man is called aCbríffian, not fo much becaufe he prayeth, hea- reth, cometh to Church, which is but likethe body ; butbecaufe theft are doneby a renewed nature within, which is likethe foul, O thenknow , as every Profe Pion bath itsArt, its Skill, its Myllery, which a fttangerhathnot ; fo bathChril}ianiry; there is a Mylleryof praying, a Myftery of hearing, whichthenaturali man under. ftandeth not. Seventhly, If external duties were enoughwithout this newCreature, Chen the Way Otherwile toheaven would be abroadeafeWay. Whereas the Scripture lets downa peremp- Heaven way tory pofition clean contrary ; Streight is the Way, and firive toenter into it , and. wouldbe brow- Few enter in it. But if no more were required to pray and hear then molt der the. Scrip- men doe, it wouldbe a broad way, every manwould enter ihto it. There needs no cure slime:. thriving, no agonies to (uch duties : A man in prayer mull have a broken contrite heart ; it is a Metaphor fromabroken bone, which cannot be without much pain and torment ; fo a broken heart in a dutycannotbe without much fenfeof grief; fhame and(pirituall confàfron ; and as when anything is broken,we fee what is in themint of it, which did not appear before ; fo in a broken heart we difcover all that foulneffe, all thofe.loathtomeMonfters, all that horrid impiety, which we had no acquaintance with before. And oh that this truth hadgot full po((èifion in your hearts ! Every religious duty, if rightly performed, puts theheart into a great agony: They arebut few that can enterinto this tireight way : Therefore fay, I fear my.praymg, any hearing, my walking is toobroad a way, too large a way,it Bothnotwound deep enough, or afleet ehroughly. 8, There external! duties arenothing without anew Creature, Becaufe while 8. No faith this is abfent there cannot be fait%to apply Chrifl, andbring hiinto dwell in the foul interrefting us Whoonely u the meritorious cattle' of ail acceptance with Clod: without faith its im- in Chriit o rbleto lee e God, By faith we are unified, we haveboldneffe : without she p Jf p f 1 ) J Now this faith n,w crcanre. cannot be but in anew nature; yea its made equivalent ro thisnewCreature; for that which the Aponte calls herea newCreature, in the Citaprer mentioned before he expreffeeh it,Byfaith working With Love, A; in the Hely of Holieseverytbing:Wat Cjold,or covered with Gold; foall that is accepted With Clod, toeither Cbrifi, or G1tit rs coveredWithChrift.Til therefore thouart a newCreature, thou,canil not put forth an aft of faith, there wants that Hyffop which fhould fpriatkle Woad upon thee; andho.wfoevet people may chink and fay theybelieve inChril},yet its impof- fble for them to doe it, tillthey be born again; for to believe inChriit is the great, eft grace, and fo needeth the greater power of God. Ninthly, thereupon it is, that we mull benew Creatures in all our duties, becaufe 9 The pro- Gods Premife úonly to Poch dutieszhat flow fromfuels Fountain. There is no anifes to duties promife made., tingly to bare heating, and bare praying, btu co thofe that are are only as done with a godly heart, with the whole heart : To thole toar are poor in fpirit ; they come to thofe that turn from. their evil wayes, -and all theft properties are the fruit of loom new the new Creature. If therefore there can be no promife, then there can be no ac- Creatures. ceptance: Now.what a terrible confideration is this ! Thou that liven in thy fins, thou that rep/eft to be reformed, yet thou prayetl,thou hearth, think with thy (elf what promife is there in all GodsWord, that I may challenge. What Word of t od is there to encourageme to pray inhope, to hear inhope; fo that by this you fee the abfolute necellity of this point : Well might the Apostle fay , Pacebe on ail

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