Or, The New. 'Birth. 497 Sccondly1 Jr U an imffielual idle light . The Illumination that is faving is alfo .z,. Tr.1nsforming, in 2 Cor. 3· I 8. We all with opm face beholdi11g M in a glaf.s the glory of~u~~rif.,· it rhe Lord, ~tre chan~ed into the .(ame image ftom gkry to glory. If that a_ Beam of the Sun {t;:Q;;;& fall upon a Lookmg-gtaji, It not o~ly maKes the Gl~f~ have a g1e~ter and a moreligh:. glorious light, but it reprefents the ~mage of t~e Sun 1 ~11t; b1~t let 1t beat never fo dearly againft a Mnd-wa)l, ~hough lt.doth _enhghten It, yet 1 ~ leaves no lma,g_e upon it: So rrnly the I\lmmnatlon that IS favmg, not only Irradiates hut transforms. If you look upon the Sun when it is in its fu ll ftrength1 the lig~t th~reof will imprint the thape and im::~ge on t he Eye, fo that look where you wtll lb ll t he appear~ ~nee of the Sun is vifihly before you; fo every fight that a true Chrifri<;tn hath of the Sun o( Righreoufnefs mak:s a para llel, anot her Sun in his Soul. Bu~ the lllum im~ion of wicked Men only enlightens, but doth not change them; then· under frandmgs may be irradiated with glorious difcoveries of God, and Chrifr, and the Things of another World, but this doth not transform them into the lmllgt and Likenefsof thefc Things. The Illumination of a Regenerate Perfon is like light that breab thorough the Air in an inftant, and t urns all the vafr Body thoroughout into light: But in a carnal Heart it is but like light fallin~ upon 'Jet or Ebony, that makes it fhining, hut ch:wgeth not its hne and blacknefs; yea, it is with them as it is with Men that lie long tanning in the SUJt, who though they are cnlightned by the Sun, yet they are alfo made black and fw~rthy_by it; why fo, though Men may have the light of the k1~ow~cdge of Jefus Chnfl: lhmmg frrongly upon them, yet that very light mnns their Souls, makes them more black and deformed, and aggravates their fins: So then thou maycft have as much notional knowledge of God, and of the Myfrericc.of theGofpcl, as any Regenerate Pcrfon whatever, yea, and much more; and yet for :1H th is .have no go~ ~vidence of thy Rcg~n~r~tion; ~or this knowledge is not therefore ~tv mg bctaufe It ts clear, ,but beC:Iufe It IS mflucnt1al and transform~ ing, and that is the firft thing which many mifrakc for Regeneration, becaufe they arc enlightncd. Secondly, .As ro the Confciencc, ncirhw the Peace, nor yet the trouble oJOmfciencc, are 2 ; good evidmccs.af a Man's RegeneratiOn. . Firft, Not the Pence of Om(i;ience : For t hough•where this peace is true, it is al~ r: ways an effeCt of Grace, and therefore we have them fo often coupled together; as Pe11u ,f Rom. I. 3· and I Cor . 1. 3· Grace be to you, and peace ftom God the Father. Yet there is C!mfiimu that which looks very like Peace ofConfcience, though it is not fo in reality, and that" n~ gnd r is a fupine prefnmptioJ~, a _carnal Il:upidity and offitancy of Confcience iQMen that!'":;:;;;:: never had been tronblci:l. wtth the fight of fin, or the fence of wrath, nor ever had ri;,. any ferious thonghts of their vilenefs by it, but it is with them as it was with thofe prefi.lmptuons fin ners in Dwt. 29· 19. Blefs themfelves in their hearts, faying, they foa/1 h:tve pract, though tllfy walk on in the imaginations of their hearts, adding drunkenneji tmto ihirft. Now this Peace is founded only upon a bold and confident perfwafion without any E-xamination of their intcreft in Gcx:l, and of his love and fdvour to them: God is infinitely Merciful and Gracious, and he will exalt his Mercy above all his Name; and therefore ash~ hath e~alted his.pow~r increatin~ and fufraining of us, will he not alfo muoh more exalt Ins Mercy m favmg of us? Thus as Madmen often t:1ncy the!11fci\'Cs to be Kings, or fome great ~~rfons, when indeed they are wretch~ ed and mlfhable SpcCl:ades; fo d~ thefe fp1n tnally Mad-men, t hey not only with the De11il ·look upon the ~l<,>ry 'of t ins World , and fay, All is rl)im_, ~ut tl~c.y look up~ on the glory ·of F!cavcn ·It tfelf, and fay prefumptuoufiy, a ll t h1s IS thct[s; ch is is a fpi!'ittdl 'Fren'l.y that rriakcs 1 them fpeak grea.t m<ttters, of which they haveno intereft in :h -au; yea, th'is prefumption is often acCompanied with a fiducia l, or rather a Con'ficlcnni.:~l AppliCatiion to themfelves in particular of the Love•of God and of the 1\ieri t: o'f JcfLiS Chrift, fo as to appropriate them unto t hemfelVcs a's'their own: Why •now this is the higheft act of Faith when it flowers up into AJfurance t? fay with s~. ThomM, -~ Lor&l and mJ.lfod? yet through a rneer wretchlefs recurit.Y Smncrs tlkc It for gritnted that God IS theirs, though they never examined their Ev·i~ences, and fcarcc know upon what terms GOO hat'h promifed to be·colnc ours· to ~1eh l ·may fay as our Saviour do.th,. God is nut the f!od ~~ the dead, ~ut Df~he Jiving~ he IS not the Father of.fueh \'\'bo hve m and love their W1ckcdnefs; tt Were a dillionour to him t? be a_ ~athcr to fuch Chil~i'en . As we _muft n?t. difcou_rage the brok.cn and contntc Spmt, ~ut embolden him t_o appropnate Chmft to h1mfelf in parncnlar_;, fo we mull let WICked Men know Withal, that thev call God their God and ' ' Father
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