REGENERATION. 339 I do not say that a state of regeneracy is always known to the persons themselves. Many cry, Peace, peace, when sudden destruction is at hand : these either think themselves regenerated when they are not, or else wilfully despise the consideration of what is required in them that they may have peace, and so delude their own souls to their ruin. And many that are truly born of God yet know it not : they may for a season walk in darkness and have no light. Nor is it always known to others. It is not known to unregenerate men, for they know not what it is to be regenerate. Natural men perceive . not the things of God, 1 Cor. 2: 14, for they are foolishness to them, and no more can they judge aright of the persons in whom they are. And if they do at any time judge aright con- cerning any, yet they do not judge so upon right grounds, or with any evidence of what they judge. Wherefore generally they judge amiss of the regene- rate; and because they make profession of something which they find not in themselves, they judge them hypocrites and false pretenders. For the things which evince their union with Christ and their being born of God the ungodly have no relish, nor can they receive them. Nor is this always discerned by them that are regenerate. They may sometimes, with Peter, think a Simon Magus to be a true believer; or, with Eli, a Han- nah to be a daughter of Belial. Many hypocrites ap- pear to have such gifts and graces that they pass among believers for such as are born of God ; and many poor saints may be so disguised under darkness, temptation and sin as to be looked on as strangers from that family whereto indeed they belong. The judgment of man
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