Or, The. New ~irtb. that is born after the Spirirl . ~ec!lufe he_is the'_C.p.PY of that Original betwixt whom and them there 1s :m .Antipathy fouf!.ded m the1r very Natures. Now when a Man who before did thus hate, fcdrn, and difJ?ife the people of God as a Company of affected and turbulen t Hypocrites, fhall firtd.tn himfelf a love and efteem for them, and fhall fee the Beauty, and Gl~ry of tha_t Holinefs t~at before rendr~d them odious to him; this is a fi g,n. that ccrtaxnly a m1ghty change ~s wrought upon the Man, and that he himfclf is transformed into the Image of God, becaufe he loves that Image in others. Now this tr.ial 'will procee4 upon thefe _twO ?r ,three P,articulars. , Firft, That thu love re to them hccaufe they ar,c godly. We may poffibly love godly r. Men for 1other refpects? bccaufe they arc W1fe or learned, or becaufc poffibly'if it he t# they love us, or are related. t~ us; bu~ thefe are bdt by refpeB:s, an~ Graq: hath :!:fo ~~~ ilo Interefl: <~tall in them. That love to the, gQ<.Uy that can affi1re us of being god111 '1 ly and regenerate, muft be;: a love to the' Children of God mccrly becau'fc they are 'm go. · godly. . ' . Secondly, As we muft love them beca'u(e they are Godly, fa the more godly they are, the 2. more we Jhrmld love them. A1J delight, fays "David, is in the Saints, and in the excellent If the more ones of the earth. The more holy a Child .~f God is, if we love him ari g~t, the ~;;1',:eht! more we fu:Illlovc him. - · mo;e we Thirdly, Ifn'e love all that aregodly; not only thofc of our Temper, Conltitution,t1ue thtm. ::md Opinion Ill all th ings, but all of the!Jl, with a valuation and efteem for them, 3· with a prizing love, ~-v hich the Imag_e_of~od up~m _their Souls, an~ their fimilitudc If ..,e-lavt to him chailengeth ; mdeed our fam!l1anty and mtirnacy may be with fome of them"" the more than with others, but our high and cordial efteem mull: be of all of them. Grtl!J· Now try your fclves by this, do you love the Br:thrcn? And fo little truly is this love to be found, that the name o( Brethren IS become a Mock and a Jell: by many; b11t is your delight in the Saints? Do you account them the excellent ones of the Earth.? . How. few are there that love them that love God? Or if they do love them, 1t IS poihbly for other rcfpetl:s and reafons; could you not loVe them IJettCr if they-were not fo rigid, ftrict, and piecifc as they arc? Let fitch know as St. ']1Jhn fJ>caks_i~ ~ 1oh~ 5· t. J:le that loveth him than begetttth, Jo-veth him alfo ;hat is begot.tm. lt IS m vam to thtnk that we-are Born of God, If we· have not a fincere and cordial Affi:Clion for all thofe that are the Children of God, and our Brethren. SERMON XIV. JOHN iii. )• 'JejiH anfrvered, verily, verily I Jay unto thee, except a Man be born of ~VatlfY, and of the Spirit, be cannot enter into the f(jngdom of God. THirdly, .Another jign of Regeneration, is a univerfal refpetf 41td obedience 1f11to 3 all God's O:Jmmandmcnts. This St. <John exprcfiy gives us in his firlt Epi-univ;rf.J file, chap. 2. ver. 3· HerebJ,. fays he, we know that 1ve !mow him if we keep r:>bedienc~ hi& CIJmmandments. And fo m ver· 3· Whofo keepeth his word in him, verily to .,/[G,i': i$-the love of God per[eaed, hereby we know that we are in him. It is obfervablc that theCDmmand· work of Regeneration is it felf called the writing of the Law in our Hearts, In 'Jer.Jf/111 { •R. 31. 33· 1 will put my law into their inw.1rd pt!rts, and write it in their hearts. God hath;'fn::.,ri~. written his Law three feveral ways; when he firft Created Man he wrote it then upon his Heart by his Creating Finger, Man was the Tranfcript ofGod ; as he was his handy-work, fo he was his Hand-writing alfo; Man was then the only Copy of the Law extant in the World: This Copy it was perfect, but yet it was fuch as might b~ ~lottcd and to:n. Next God wrote his Law irt his y.;-ord, the Holy Sct·iturcJ exhtbtt to us an entJreS}rftem both of Commands and Duties; and this COpy is both perfeCt and durable, fuch a> neither bath; neither can it fitffer any decays fi·om T t t t length;
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