WORK OF THE H « Examineyourselves whether ye be in thefaith, prove rt your ownselves; know ye not your ownselves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates." It is the concernment of all individual Christians, or professors of Christian religion, to try and examine themselves what work of the Spirit of God there bath been upon their hearts; and none will deter them from it, but those who have a design to hoodwink them to perdition. And, (1.) The doctrine of it is revealed and taught us. " For secret things belong unto the "Lord our God, but those things which are revealed s belong unto us and to our children forever, that we rr may do all the words of this law," Deut. xxix. 29. And we speak not of curious inquiries into, or after hidden things, or the secret veiled actions of the Holy Spirit; but only of an upright endeavourto search into, and comprehend the doctrine concerning this work, to OLY SPIRIT, (%'c. 181 this very end, that we might understand it. (2.) It is of such importance unto all our duties and all ourcom- forts, to have a due apprehension of the nature of this work, and of our own concernment therein, that an in- quiry into the one and the other cannot be neglected without the greatest folly and madness. Whereunto we may add, (3.) The danger that there is of mens be- ing deceived in this matter, which is the hinge whereon their eternal state and condition doth absolutely turn and depend. And certain it is, that very many in the world do deceive themselves herein: for they evidently live under one of these pernicious mistakes; namely, That (I.) Either men may go to heaven, or enter into the kingdom of God, and not be born again; contrary to that of our Saviour, John iii. 6. or that men may be born again, and yet live in sin, contrary to 1 John iii. 9. WORKS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT PREPARATORY UNTO REGENERATION. CHAP. II. (1.) .Sundry things preparatory to the work ofconversion. (2.) Material and formal dispositions with their dif- ference. (S, 4.) Things in the power of our natural abilities required ofus in a way ofduty.-(5.) Internal spiritualeffects wrought in the souls ofmen by the word. (6, 7.) Illumination. Conviction ofsin. Consequents thereof. (8.) These things variously taught. (9.) Power of the word and energyofthe Spirit distinct. (l0.) Subject ofthiswork; mind, affections, and conscience.(11, 12, 13.) Nature of this whole work, and djfiér- encefrom saving conversionfarther declared. FIRST, In reference unto the work of regeneration itself, positively considered, we may observe, that or- dinarily there are certain previous and preparatory works, or workings in and upon the souls of men, that are antecedent and dispositive unto it. But yet rege- neration doth not consist in them, nor can it be educed out of them. This is, for the substance of it, the posi- tion of the divines of the church of England, at the synod of Dort, two whereof died bishops, and others of themwere dignified in the hierarchy. I mention it, that those by whom these things are despised, may a little consider whose ashes they trample on and scorn. Lawful, doubtless, it is for any man on just grounds, to dissent from their judgments and determinations; Kk C but to do it with an imputation of folly, with deri- sion, contempt, scorn, and scoffing at what they be- lieved and taught, becometh only a generation of new divines amongst us. But to return; I speak in this po- sition only of them that are adult, and not converted until they have made use of the means of grace, in and Sunt quidam operaextern ab hominibus ordinarie requisita prius- quam ad statum Regenerationis aut Conversionis perducantur, qua ab ìisdem quandoque libere fieri, quandoque libere omitti solens, ut adire Eselesiam, audire verbi preconium, et id genusalla. Sunt geadam effecta interna ad . Conversionem sive Regenerationem previa, qua vistate Verbi Spiritusque in nondum regeneratnrum cordi- bus excitantur, qualia suet tonti& volunsatis Divina; senses peccati, ti- mor pana; cogitatio de liberation, eyes alienavenia. Synod. Dordrec. Snffrag. Theolog, Britan. ad Artie. quartom, Thes. 1, 2. 21
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