4 24 The0IdMan and the eì -Man. fAeLs15.9. becaufe itis an inflrumcnt oftlicnew-bitth,it is laid to parficthbriÇ fu is chisalfo briefly cleered. New-birthis the worke ofGoal Spirit, and Goes Spirit workesbymeanes; outwardlyby theWord and Saeraments,inwardly byfaith. TheWord offreth grace; the Sacrament is a pledge ofgrace : Faith entertaineth,and layeth holdvpon grace: the Word perfwadesthe new.birth, the Sacrament fhadoweth out the new-birth, and Faithbrings the feeling and vndcrftandingout in ones (elfe, TheWordaffeEs the eare,the Sacramentre. prefenteth to the eye, andFaith maketh that which is heard in the one, andbe. held in the other,tobecome effeetuallto the heart. Thepfr. TheV lie is manifeft to cuery mans vnderftanding tobee thus : Thenew. birth,isthe onely way toeternalllife tExcepta manbeborne agave, hoecannotfee 1I4.3.3. thekingdomeafGodg.Thisnew.birthisnotinthepowerofman,eitherthe.Spi. rit of God mull worke it,or it cannot be.Defire we then to be failed? Is eternal' life,and the kingdome ofGod the fcopeofour delires, and the markewhich wechiefly (hoot at?Thereis no hopeofeuer combingto it,butby beingborne againr tifwe would beborne againeitis not inout(tines to doe ir. Whocan bring fuchacleave thing as Regeneration,fromout ourßlthinoffe? It istheSpi. rit ofGod which is onely able toelldll it. Whitherthen,ortowhom thanour eyes bediredled, and our delirescarried,butto theFs:berefltb:i, fromwhom (hall weexpe& thisblaring, butfrom him? Ifwe faywe looke forit onelyat his hands,andprofelfe todifclaimeall otherhope,let it appcare by our reverent refpeft to themeanes ordained & fan lified by him,for the working in vsinch a good. Shall Noahbe thought to looke for deliverance bythe mighty handof God,from thecommondeluge, vnleffe being warnedofGod,he bebeardwide i Heb.tay, naerence to the prepariagof the eirkeu? I remembera fpeech ofGods to cí7eofet, when the peopleof Ifracl were ina great lirait before Piphahirotb, the leawas before them, the enemybehind them; on the one fide mountaines vnpaffable, ontheother fide agarrifonoftheEgyptians impregnable. Mo¡thewas earnell with God forhelpe (therein limply not amilfe) but yet, faithGod tohim ; WbJ iExod.144. griefd;howWoo me? fpeakevarothecbildre rsof lintel,that 1,9 gooforward'. There was a fault:Motes cranedhelpe,but wasnot forward in the courfe,whereby to make way forthat helpe which Godwaspleafed to affoord. Somali itbe Paid tomany vainepretenders ofa kinde ofdcpendance uponGod, forglace and goodneffe, and fornew- birth,whereby to fit them foreternal! life: It is not e. nill that you do,to exile& there things fromGod: but ifwedoe indeed,& from our hearts cryto him,to renew vs in the inner man,and to make vstobecome new -creatures; Why doe roenet geeferwcrd?Wbydoe we not reuerentlyandobe- diently imbrace the meaies deputed byGod forour renuing ? TheSpirit of Godbegets noneanewwithout Faith,neithercloth he(ordinarily)beget faith, but by the minifleryoftheWord. If wedefpifethe minifleryoftheWord,and thinke it tobee nothing but a meere ordinance of man, and fo either partake not of it, or elfe liftento it without this fetled opinion engranen inour hearts, thatthusand thus,and by it wemull be begottenvntoGod,or elfe we Ihali pe. rifh incurfinnes; I fayplaihely, there is nohope left vs tobe failed : yea, I will adde thismore,that hewho is notable togiucthisteflimony to the preaching ofthe Word, out ofhis owneperfouall feeling, and experience, that it is the thing wherebynatural( man is changed intotheImage ofGod, and tenure( in the fpiritofhis minde, certainly he bathyet in him no morethennature, nei- ther ishe yet entred intothat beatenpathof life, which is laidout tovs in the Scripture. There thingsGod bath ioyned together,and man may notfeperate. III heute a man ipeake ofhis hope ofbeing faued, I mat vrgehim toginee- uidence ofhis new-birth :If he tellme that he isconfident touching himfelfe, that heels borneagaine, dmiff} pray him to glueme fatisfa&ion touching his faith r Ifhe beagaine refoluteconcerninghis faith, (oh,lied, be it.knowne t9 you
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