t labs;. 9. Argued. C.XV. totall impenitenry, foas to become Children'ofthe Divell, which he emphati- 365 call) adirmeth. 2. He doth indeedAcetate, that none can makegood their Title to be childrenofGod, but thofe who can juftify their claim; by an holy and Chri- Man converfation; but yet moreover, he maketh good theAffertion by this farther difcoverywhich hemaketh of their new nature, tobe fuch, as that they cannotfnne, or degenerate into a conditionoflying under the power of a vaine converfation: fo that thoughhisintent fhould not be primarily,to ma- nifeft that thofe who are at prefent the ChildrenofGod , cannot Apoftatize, but muff focontinue, yet it is to confirme their Nature, and Genius , to be fuch, with the principles which from God they have received, that fo it shall be with them, fo they Ihall abide; and to this he is not filent, but eminently exprefiive. TheContext being thus cleare, the words themfelves ire a Propofition or ¢. qqè. Thefts,anda Reafon for theconfirmationoftheTruth ofthat Propofition.The Propofition is ready at hand in the words : He that is borne of God, loth not, cannot commit 'bane. The Reafonof the Propofition confirming the Truth . thereof, is twofold; r. Becaufe he isborne ofGod; 2. Becaufe, his feedwhereof he isfoborne remaineth. ThePropofition is nniverfall, nás-o 3e14vnµtvg r"e 9eß; every one that is borne ofGod; whence theftwo things infue. r. The truth of it,hath a neceffarycaufe or caufes; Univerfail Propofitionsmuff . have fo, or they arenot true. Ifthat which is their ground maybeotherwife, it invalidates their 'certainty; fuch then mutt be the caufe of this AffertionoftheApoftle. 2. That it comprifethall andevery onethat is interefted in that which is the caufeofthe certainty of this univerfall Affertion or propofition; every onwho is borne ofGod, that hath this feed, be he young or old, weake or ftrong, wifeorfoolifh, exercifed in the wayes of God , or newly entred into them, all isone; whofoever is thus interefted in the foundation, is equally interefted in the inferences In thepropofition it felfe may be confrdered, thefubje&, and what isaffir- 6, F ., medof it. The fubje& is,.every one that is borneofGod. 'That which is affir- medofit, is, finnethnot, cannotfinne. a. For the firff viz., thesubject; they are thofewhich are borne of God; and who they are that are fo borneofGod, the Scripture iscleare in neither is there any difference ofimportance, as to the intendment of this expreflion. Thofe who fuppofethat Believers offome eminency onlyaredenoted in it, do not confider that all Believers whatever are fharers in the Grace inten- ded therein; they areall faid to be borne againe not of the will of fiefb but of God, lohn 1. 13. For it isafcribed to all Believers on thename ofChrift v, r 2. Hebegetteth themallofhis ozone will. games r.18. asalto r Epifile o fPeter r. chapter 23. verfe, he is laid to beget them, as to quicken them 2 Kph.. r r: And they to be borneof him, as they are quicltnedór railed from the dead. Two things are intimated in this Expreflion, T. A newprinciple,habilor spirituall Life which fuck perfonshave; hence they are faid to beborne' as they who are borne in the worldare partakersof a vitaliprinciple, that is thefoundationof all their a&ions, fohave they here a newLife, anewvitallprinciple, by theirbeingborne are they made partakers ofit. 2. The divineoriginallofthat principle,or life isfrom God. They havethe principle of Life,immediatelyfrô him,& therefore are faid to be borneofGod, &both thefe confiderations are here ufedas defcriptions of the Subje&: & in the chafe ofthe Reafon ofthePropofition,they are infiffedon,as the caufe of Aa a that
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