502 The Nature and NecejjityofRegeneration: are idle and empty willies and veilcities, and are no good evidences of a Man's Re-' generation. 2. Secondly, .An Vnregentratt Man may not reft in thefe flight wiflm,_ but he may rifo 11p t.Tnrtgnu- to refolutions. He may be refolved Luft !Jlall n_o longer enilav~ h1m,. that the plea~ r11te Mm t fures of the \:Vo:ld fha_ll no longer bew1 ~ch him, that the d1fficu lues of Rel igion ~:1/ hflv flnll llO longer fnght h1m, but that he Wi \1 break thorough all, and that he will a(t ,J ~.,~;:~ like a Man, and like a Chrifi:.ian: Such generous Rcfolntions as thefc, Men that are mme, and in a linful citatc may fortifie themfelvcs with; Grace they know they mull have Y.'t remain or they rnuft Eternally perifh; and they know withJl, that God doth not ufe to b~ m a fi'zf; wanting to Mens endeavours, and they arc peremptorily rcfolved therefore that ft":,';e;:d they will not be Y-:'anting to themfelves. Se~ the fame ftrong Refoluti0ns in thofe '~"di:,,u, that came to enqmre of the Prophet ']m:my, m 1er. 5· 6. The Lord, fay they; be 11 true and faithful witnefs betwixt m, that we will do according to all things, for which the Lord thy God fl~a/1 fend thee to m, whether it be good or evil, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God. And yet in the next Chapter you find none fo rebellious againft God as thefe Men that had formerly made this Rcmonftrancc. 1 . But yet notwithfl:anding thefe wifhes and refolut ions, the Will of an unrcgeratc ;, ;:c:~;'~, Man falls fi10rt of a faving change ufually in fame of thefc Particulars. tmngine· Firft, In that it is ficl:Le and unconftant. Their defires may fometimes be violent rate Mtm's and eager as if they would rake Heaven by force, and wreft Mercy ant of the Hands Wtlt ~rp of God; their Prayers may be fo importunate and earneft as if they would take no p,;m. denial from God: But yet this Volitable Spirit is foon fpent, and this full bent of 11 ;, 1 ~ their Souls f09n Ougs, and they retu:n to the road of as dull and formal a Profellion f t k!c Will. as ever, and It may be to the commiflion of the fame foul grofs fins as before. Such · a Will as th is, though at firfl: it feems to hurry Men on apace, yet it foon tires and leave Men far thort of Grace. A Chrifiian's Race is not nm at fa many heats, but by a conftant courfe and progrefs, frill gcttin& ground upon Luft, and approaching daily nearer to the Kingdom of God. It is wlth filch Men as I have fometimes told you it is with the Sea, which when it is Spring-tide covers all its Shores, but when it Ebbs it difcovers there is nothing but Sand, where it feemed to be a deep Sea before: So thefe ebbing and flowing Chriftians difcover plainly that there is nothing bm a barren Sand at the bottom, they are unftable M water, and cannot excel, as '}acob (peaks of Rcuben, Gen. 49· 4- A Chriltian is not made in a fit, nor is Regenention wrought in a Paffion, but it is a fetled, folid and confi:ant frame of Heart that brings a Man unto Chrift, and makes him perfcvere to be a New Creature. · 2. Secondly, The Will of an Vnregenerate Man is never univer{;tlly chang~d, but he referves It is wevtr ftill to himfolf fome Lujf or other that he will not part with. H ls refolutlons are fuch as univerf11llj were the refolutions of Naaman the Syrian, 2 Kings 5· 8. Thy foroant, fays he, wiU chll1lt,td. hmafcrrh ojfir mither burnt ojfirings nor Jacrifices to mry other Gotl but to tiJt Lord, but in this thing the Lord pardon thy {ervant, that when my majler goeth to worj11ip in the houfe of RimmoJ~, and I bow my feLl ~n the houfe of Rimmon, ~he Lord pardon thy fervan~ in this thing. So many peremptonly refolve to forfake the1r fins, but yet fl:1 ll there IS fome one dear Luft or other that they cry out with J.Vaaman, the Lord pardon thy fcrv~tnt m this thing; all their other fins they will willingly facrifice to Chrilt may they but be allowed to t·etain this one fin. Why now that thin partition that any one fin makes betwixt the Son! and Chrift will keep it from e11er clofing with Chrjft; as if there be but a thin 6lm betwixt the Cymc and the Stock, they can never ~ engrafted and grow together. 3 . Thirdly, The Will of an Vnregmerate Mati ufually it i; very irratiu11al. He would ob.. u is verJ tain the end, but yet he will not ufe the- means; Grace he would willingly have, rrlf.lim"'· but you cannot bring his averfe \V ill to clofe with the performance of thofe unplcafing and irkfom Duties wherein God uliJal!y befrows Gra,cc. Could they be holy with a wil'h, and filddenly metamorphofcd to other Men, none fhou ld be better Chri!hans than themfelVes; could they enter into Heaven by being willing to have· it, none fhould lhinc higher in Glory than they; but when fo much hard and un# plcafing work muft be done firft that they may be Regenerate, and then ~fter that they are Regenerate to perfeCt t hem for Glory, they look upon thcf-e- thmgs at a great diftance and afar off, and fa they fit down with idle wifhes, far fhort of Grace and Glory. Fourthly,
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