500 the 'Natrire an'd N-ecefjity of Regeneration: that is moved with true .(pit;itual Afretftions, may .Q.Ot be fo adorned with fuch an admirable Gift of E;<prcfljon. ' As tbe ground that is fulleft of precious Mines hath leaft Grafs growing 9.]).011 it, fo is it many times with the Children of God in hol Duties; where the H_e;trt is moft full of Grace, ·and where there are many preciou~ ~ffe~jons jtirring in it rtowards God, yet there are the leaft flourilhingsof expreffioni m thctr words; fo th~t you fee yolLc~~ot gathe~ the truth of Regenerating Grace frQ!p the fi:r,ong wo_rkmgs of your Aftethons, whtch are very deceitful, even about fpititual t~ings. . • 4· Foqrlt~l.Y:' Evet'y c/Mn.(,e wrought upon the Will, i&. no: an in fa/lib!~ evidence of Regenera~ ~:~'e 0 tion,. Jt ts . ~ndeed the t~o:ough cbange. of.nhe Will. I~ whtc~ thts great work princithe 'fvifu pally dot)t ,confift. •Thts IS the fir.JbRnnpp~e ofSpmtual Ltfe, without which what. natthUR~foeyer ot)ler chang~ is wrought upon us,. ts.nomore than to fet.th~ Hand of the ~mmt:im. \V arch ngl,1t to the Hour when th,e .Spnng IS broken. The Wzll IS by the Philofo. phercalled the commanding and fwaymg Faculty of the Soul, which controuis the J:,.fiCCt:ions and inferiour Faculties, and makes them obey its Inclination· fo that fuch as the Will is i}!ch is the Man. And therefore the Scripture in fetting' forth the tw~fold ~frate of Man,. of ~ature, and of Grace, doth it by fhewi_ng the temper of their Wtlls, what their \¥Ills are. Unregenerate Men are defcnbcd by their wil. fulnef,S, 'Jofm 5· 40 . re wiU not come -u~to me, fays <;>nr ~a~iour, that you might h~We life. And the Regenemte Men are defcnbed by their w!lhngnefs, Pfalm. I to. 3· Thy ptofle jha// be a willing people i11 the day of thy power. Now here 1 lhall endeavour two thmgs. Firft, To fl1ew you after what manner the Spirit of God works this rfneroing change upon the WiU. · Secondly, To Jhe·w y<JU what other changes may be Wrought upon it that are not good evidences of a Man's Renovati01J• .Afm·whRt For the firft, ..Afrer what manner the Spirit of God IUorks thU renewing change on the 1411nnu the fVi/l. you rnuft know there arc two ways whereby God doth efft:aually change the Spirit of Heart of .. Sinner, and they arc Moral Perfwafions, and Phyfical Dctcrminations or God 1 w.g,.k· real Effic1e~Cy, which is nothing1 c~fe ~ut ~ad's All-pow_erful Grace, wherebY he ~th ku doth immediately turn the bent and mclmat10n of the Wlll towards himfelf. And ,.h:::~n~"' both thefe always concur in this great change of the Will. the WJU. Firfi, God doth convincingly perfwade m of our o~n vi/enefi, ttnd of the emptinefs of 11 {/ thofe vain things that our Dejires are fo eagerly putu~g· And on t~e other hand, he clearly rcprefents to us the great excellency o himfclf and of his ways; that he is the greateft good we ca_n enjoy, and ~hat there is no other way of enjoying, but by loving and ferving of hun; to do this~~ makes ufc of Moral Perfwafions working upon our Reafon by cogent and prevallmg Arg_um~nts! and then diffi1feth fuch a heavenly fwcetncfs through the Heart as mak~ It dtfreh~ all th_ofe fulfome delights of Sin, that would feparat~ us from that Infi~Ite 9ood with which they can hold no Comparifon: So that findmg more true D~h&ht m God and his ways, more charm. ing and alluring Joy than e~er b~fore we did m fenfual Ple:tfilres, we are thereby c:1rried forth to them by an tp.falhble, yet alt~gether. a free, voluntary, and amorous Motion, and this is done by the real and zmmedJa.te Efficiency of the Spirit of God upon the Will it felf; and ~his. operation of th~ Spirit of God upon the Will is fo fwcetly attempted to the nattve ltberty of the Will, that tt would be a pain and torment to the Soul to be feparated from that God whom now its undcrfianding ap~ prebends, and its will clafps about a_s it~ chief and o~l~ good. Here you fee is both a Moral. fwafion, and a Real detenmnatxon of the will m the work of Regeneration; God really terminates it by the efficacious touch of his own Grace, whereby he pow· crfully turns the bent and !nclination of it. to himfelf, which before ftood to Si~ a~d Vanity:, and that tl).IS tmght be no mfrmgement upon the W1l1's Prerogative m aCting freely, at. th~ fame time he mo:any pe_rfiv~des it, reprefe~ting himlelf as the heft.and moft fausfymg ObjeEf for all Jts rnclmatlons to center m. And thus tl1e efficacy of Divine Grace, and the liberty of Man's Will, do fully accord in this work Of Regeneration, which fome have thought to ftand at an irreconcileable diftance one from another; for the freedOm of the Will doth not confift in its indifferency to act or not to act, either to love and fear God, or not to love and fear him ; for otherwife the Saints and .Ange!J in Heaven that are under th3t blelfed neceffity that they cannot but love God, fhould not then love him freely: But the liberty of the Will conlifts in the Will'~ ailing upon rational grounds, wbich by how much the ., more
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