Or,· '{b~t lViPJ · <_8irFb. _-,_ Thus now you fee what this work of Regeneration is, wichput which, our Saviour tells us, that no Man Ihall enter into tht J{ingdom of Heaven ; and to · lhew both the certainty and weight of this truth he doth twice alfert it; once in the third, Verfe and then again in the Te~·t, this is that' very firft Doc.1r.ine •in which our Sa._ viour inftrull:s his Novice..difciple; NicodtmUJ being convinced of Chrift's extraordinary Miffion by the Miracles that he wr<1ught, courts him with ter.ms full of humble. rcfpW, Rabbi, fays he, thou art a Te~tcher come ftom God, for- no MarJ. can do thefo Mi-. raclts that thou deft, except God be with him;, "to this .our Saviour anfwers, Ip.Orc pertinent to his Salvation than t~ his Char~(is, Except a man be born again he cannot e_ntcr. into the kingdom o[God: As_1fhe f)louklfay, The Miracles thatl ·doprove my Miffion that I am ient of God, but 1 do greater Miracles .than any thou haft feFn or heard of;· thou halt heard perhaps that I reltore fight to thofe that are Blind; and life t.o thofe that are Dead; but I am come to giye Eyfs to thofe that do already fee, and to give Life to thofe that do already live; I am come tQ caufe thofe that are already Born to be Born again, and this is 3. Mirade that muft he wrought upon thee, and upon all. that !hall be faved, to turn Elelh into Spirit, to falhion lumps of Clay into the glorious fimilitude of the Image ofGod; this ·Is the greateft of all Miracles, and this great Miracle mull: be wrought upon all; for .except this be done, fays our Saviour, no Man can enter iQto Heaven. , The Words contain in them, firft, A general Propofitioa, · .A man ca11uot enter i'n· to the kingdom of heavm. · Secondly, An exceptive limitation add.ed to this g~neral Propofition, Exceft a man be bomagtrin. And both thefe do deliver to us this Propoiitton, or Dod:nnal Ohfervation. That Regmmuion, or the New Birth, is of abfolute Neceffity unto Ettrnal Life. I>Oar~· There ·fs no other chahge fimply necelfary but only tJl\,, jf thou art Poor, thou mailt fo con<in,ue, and yet be faved; if thou art Defpifed, thou mailt fo continue, and yet be faved ; if thou art Unlearned, thou inaift continue fo, and yet be faved; only one change is nece!l'ary, if thbu art Wicked and Ungodly,' and continuelt fo, Chrifl: who hath the Keys of Heaven, who Jhutteth and .no Man openeth, hath himfelf doomed thee, that thou fhalt in no wife enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. This is a~fo definitively_pronounced by the .Apoftle, Heb. 12. 14. Without holiuefs no man jh111l foe the Lord. . In the profecuting of this Do(lrine, I !hall firlt give you fome Demonfl:rations of it, and then apply it. ' Very difficu lt it is to perfivadeMen againft the prejudices of their corrupt Hearts; this great change, . fay they, is more th~n needs: Regeneration begins now to be decried by as grea t Mafters in Ifrael as ever Nicodemm was; many underfund not to what end the Fabrick of corrupt nature fhoulcLbe demolifhed, and Men as it were turned out of themfelves; the.y think, if they are but Baptiz.ed, whereby, as they fhp.pofe, the gu ilt of Original Sin is walhed. away, and that a fober Religious Life, keeping from grofs Atl:ual Sins~ is fufficient for tbe obtaining of Heaven, without r 1 thofe hard and . inexp1icable Notions of Regeneration, and the New Birth. I fhall · 1 • therefore endeavom· to convince you of th·e indifpen,iible neceillty that there is of being born aiTain) that fo when you are perfWaded.of it, you !may give no reft to your felves, nof unto God, ·till he caufe his..Spirit, ~which is.that Wi[}d that bloweth where it liftcft, to breathe fpiritual Life mto .y"Qn, .without which it is imporrible that you fhould ~nHerit Eteri1al Life. ,. ' 1 · Firft, The~efore confider, '. There U an Mentitj or famenefs"betwixtGrace andG/ory,R;4{mr and therefore it U that Rtgener:a.tion~. fo necejfa.r:y.ufltoJSalvation. JJlhat is that illuftrious "IPhJ Rtgi· thing that;We call the GlOry of _H.eav~n· ? :~s.it ....that we ihall oudhine the bright-n"•tim it nefsof~he·Sun· ? 9r that w.ei fhaU tr~~ on ~ ~l!~Vement . ofStars? Is it a freedom":n~'f::J.w~ fr~m Dtfcafes, 1 Pams, and ~a'th .( Is lt that..we fhall hear the Melody and.Songs of rim, Samts and mgels! Thefe thmgs mdeed, and (whatever the Heart of Men can defire r. o< imagine to be excellent, d<> fill up this ble!l'ed-Eltate; .but yet that which chiefly 8""ji conftitutes Heaven is holinefs, that very-holinefs that wicked Men, who yet pre- ~/..u' ~d fumptuouOy hope to inheri1; Heaven, do yetidef'pife and hate on Earth. We JhaU,,;'}.:;;. there be umted to God by Love, depend on•hinr by Faith, ' obey him with Delight, ami that w•th-the very fame l.,ove( Faitb,-andJDe!ight, as we do here on Earth, on- -. ' ~ ly
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