5o6 The Nature and Necejjity ofRegeneration: Thefc things I thougbt fit to prcmifc before I give you any figns and marks of Rtgentration, that-_fa you may .be exhorted and moved when ymt hear thofe figns that the Scripture g1vcs to exammc your Hearts whether they are trahfcribed with.:. in you, and alfo to lift up y_our Hearts unto God, that his $pirit may dart into you fuch a fpiritual Ligh~ and cl7ar lllum~nati?n, as may i~fallibly demonftrate to you that thcfe markS arc mdecd m you; It bemg the proper work of one and the fame Spirit to work Grace in us, and to manifeft it to us' it is he alont that can draw that Curtain that hangs before it, and 'gi,vcs us a view of it. As it is .the light of the Sun only by which wecan fee the Sun, fo is it the light of the Spirit only by which we can know the Spirit to be only in us. Let us therefore in the trial of our fclves look to markS and figns for a Teftimony in our own Confcienccs, without which all our Alfurance may be well fi1fpeaedfor Entlmfiafm; and let us alfo beg the Tcfrimony of the Spirit, without which air marks and figns will be but vain and un~ fa tisfattory. :; Now to give you fome figns of the' Truth of Grace, I fuall not in fill: upon all that might be mentioned, for they are very numerous, fince there is no one Grace but is the fign of another Grace, yea, the fign of all other, for aB Graces arc Concomitant; l fuall only therefore felea out a few. t. And the firft is this, It is a good jign- of G-rate when a Mttn Uwilling to {tttrch tmd n.:- wiJl;,,gllt}iamine himfolf whethtr he•be grttciollf or fzot . There is a certain kind of lnftin& in a robe rrie.iChildofGod, whereby he naturally defires to have the Title of his Legitimatiott ~ flgn ~f tri~ whereas a Hyyocrite dreads nothing · more than to have his rottennefs fcarcht ""~· into. David therefore prays, P[ttlm 26. 2. Examine me, f.1ys he, 0 lArd, and prove me, try m.'l reins and my heart. God indeed bath many ways of trying of us, but efpccially by the Word and Miniftry. The Scripture is the great Trcafi.try of all fJ.Jiritual Light. God bath amaJfed and ftored it up all there, and whatever comes with fpirittlal Illumination upon the Confcience rnuft borrow it from thence; the preaching of the Word that is the darting abroad of thofe beams that makes them pierce into the v-ery In trails of Sinners, and difcovers the·fecrct Thoughts and Intents of ,<heir Hearts. Now try your felves by this, do you love the Word of God becauf< it is a fearching Word, bccaufc it brings home ConviCtions to you, and lhakcs your carnal Confidences and Prefumptions? Do you love a Soul-fcan:;:hing Miniftry that fpeaks as clofely and particularly to you as if it were another Confciencc without you, a Miniftry that ranfacks your very Souls, and tells you all that ever you did? Do you delight in a Miniftry that forceth you to turn inward upon your fclves, that makes you tremble and look pale at every word for fear it lhould be the fentcnce of your Damnation? This is a fign that your condition is good, bccaufe rou arc fo john 3· willing to be fcarchcd. He that doth t11il, faith our Saviour, John 3· 20. Juuuh rhe 20 • /itrht, nrither come rh he to it left his deedsJ!iou!d be reprfJVrd. , But if you are plea fed only ~ith a formal, general Minifrry, and fitch Prophets as fing only pleafant Songs to you, fitch as never toucht the Confciencc to the quick, that keep aloof off, and inftead of hrandifhing the Word that is jltttrper thttn a two-edged Sword, reaving the Heart with it, they on!}' make a ftourifh of it; if you can brook no other but fi.tch a quiet unconceming J'vtiniftry as this is, this is a ba'd fign that yet you arc unfound. A thit{ hateth rhe li~r, C1ys our Saviour, left he (houldrhe dereffed and difcovered; fo a Hypocri· tical Profeuor hatcth that a beam of (piritnal light by the Minifrry of the Word tl10nld break in upon his Confcience to {hew how rotten and unfound he is; and that's the firft tt·ial: It is a fign of a good eftate when a Man is willing to put him. fclf on the trial. t,. 2 ' Secondly, Love to rhoft who are trulygodlyi!a certain ttnd infallible fign of Regenertttion h v~t~ty r John 3· 18. We know that we arc ·paj]Cd ftom dettth to life becaufe we love the brethrtn· ~ 'fi,; of This is a certain fign a mighty change is wrought on the ,Heart; for naturally we Rt:mtra- are inclined to hate the Children of God upon that very account becaufc they arc lion in {;odly. It is a true rule of the Schoolmen borrowed out of .Ari.ftot!e, &hat the AffeCt.. 'Z~u 1ons of the Soul are the fame towards the Image of a thing as they arc towards the 1 tRgt. thing it felf. If we love or hate any Perfon we 1hJJI accordingly love or hate _his Picture and Rcfemblance. Now all wicked Men natnrally hate God becanfc he IS a holy God, and thereby is contrary to their very natures that are corrupt .u1d Iinfi11, and fo they alfo hate the Children of God becaufe they arc living pj(lnres of God, and bear his Image upon them, being made conformable to him by a work of Rcg.cncration. Ht thar is bilrn of the flefh, fays the Apoftle, wilt perforute and hate ~h~~ ...
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