Scrm. LÍI. in order .to9ta/tification and Salvation. 369 Refolution, and is in Scripture call'd Repentance from dead works, and Repen- tance unto Life g) by Regeneration, or being born again ; by Refurreílion from the Dead, and riling to neronefs of Life; by Samáiftcation, and being wafh'd and clean.' from all filthinefs and impurity, (which three lait Metaphors are imply'd inBaptifm, which is called Regeneration, Tit. 3. 5. According to his Mercy hefaved us by he waChing of Regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghofl; and our being born again of Water and the Holy Ghofl, John 3. 3. Except a Man be born again, &c. and ver. 5. except a Man be born of Water and of the Spirit, he can- not enter into the Kingdom of Gods and the purifying of our Confciences, Heb. to. 22. having oar Hearts fprinkled front an evil Confcience, and our Bodies wafh'd with pure water; and the anfwer of a good Confcience towards God, a Pet. 3. 21. Baptifm cloth now fave us; not the putting array of the filth of the Flefh, bat the anfwer ofa good Confcience towards God ; and finally our being Baptiz'd in- to the Death and Refurre5.lion ofChrift, Rom. 6. 3,4. Knowye not that fo many of us as were Baptized into lefnsChriff, were Baptized into his death ; therefore we are buried with him by Baptifm into death, that like as Chriii was railed up from the dead by the glory of the Father, evenfo we alfo fhouldwalkin newnefs of Life.) And la(t- ly, this Change is fet forth to us by Renovation, and our being made New Crea- tures, and new Men, 2 Cor. 5. 17. Therefore if any Man be in Chri,fi, that is, 'pro- feffeth himfelfa Chriftian, he is a new Creature ; old things are pafi away, behold all things arebecome neat. And fo likewife, Ephef.4. 22, 23i 24. this great Change is expreft byputting ofconcerning theformer Converfation, the old Man, which is corrupt according to the lefts of deceit, and being renewed in thefpirit of our Minds, and putting on that new Man, whichafter God is Created in righteoufnefs, and true .Holinefs. The Exprefíìon is very eniphatical, renewed in the fpirit of our Minds, that is, in our very Minds and Spirits, to lignifie to us that it is a molt inward and thorough Change, reaching to the very center ofour Souls and Spirits. And, Co/of 3.9, to, i eth verfes, it is reprefented much after the fame manner, Seeing yehaveput of the old Man withhis deeds, and have put on the new Man, which is re- newed in knowledge after the Image ofhim that Created him,. where there is neither Greek nor few, Circumeilion nor Vncircumcifçon, Barbarian,.Scythian, bond nor free ;butChrift is all and in all Which is the fame with what the Apoftle lays here in the Text, that in Chrifi fits neitherCircumcifìon availeth any thing, nor iincir- cnmcifion : but a new Creature ; that is, thefe external Marks and Differences figni- fie nothing: but this inward Change, the newCreature, Chr0formed in us, this in the Chriftian Religion is all in all. s But that we may the more clearly underftand the juft importance of this Meta- phor of anew Creature, or a new Creation, I (hall, Firft, Confider what it doth certainly fignifie, by comparing this Metaphori- cal Phrafe with other plain Texts of Scripture. And Secondly, That it doth not import what fome would extend it to, fo as to found Doetrines of great Confequence upon the tingle ftrength of this, and the like Metaphors inScripture, without any manner of countenance from plain Texts. Firfl, I (ball confider what this Metaphor doth certainly import, fo as to be undeniably evident from other more clear and full Texts of Scripture, namely thefe two Things. a. The greatnefs of this Change. 2. That it is effe&ual and wrought by a Divine Power. r. Thegreatnefs of this Change ; it is called xa'rd x7lots anew Creation ; as if theChriftian Do&rine, firmly entertained and believed, ,did as it were mould and fa(hion Men over again, transforming them into a quite other fort of Per- lons than what they were before, and made fuch a change in them, as the Crew- Ling Power ofGod did, in bringing this Beautiful and orderly frame of things outof their dark and rude Chaos. Thus the Apofile reprefents it, 2 Cor. 4. 6. God who commanded the light toThine out of clarknefs, (alluding to the firft Creation). bathfhined into our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge ofthe glory of God in theface of fefas Chrili. We are tranflated from one extream toanother, Aels 26. i8. B b b When
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