371 SERMON UII. Of the Nature of Regeneration, and its Necef- fity, in order to Juftification and Salvation. The Second Sermon on this Text. GALAT. 6. 15. For in Chrift Jefus, neither Circurncfon availeth any thing, nor Vncircumcion ; but a new Creature. IN thefe words arecontained thefe two Things. Fir. That the Gofpel hath taken away the obligation of the Law, ha ving taken away the fign of that Covenant, which was Circumcifion. Secondly, That according to the terms of the Gofpel, and the Chriftian Re- ligion, nothing will avail to our juftification and acceptance withGod, but the real renovation of our Hearts and Lives. For the full explication of this, I pro- pounded to do thefe three Things. I. To (hew what is imply'd in this Phrafe of a new Creature. II. That this is the great Condition of our juftification and acceptance with God, and that it is the fame in fenfe and fubftance with thofe other expreffions, in the two parallel Texts of Faithperfetfed by Charity, and keeping thè Command- ments ofGod. III. That it is very reafonable that this (hould be the Condition of our juftifi- cation, and acceptance to the favour of God. I began with thefirft of thefe, viz. To (hew what is imply'd in this Phrafe of a new Creature ; as to which I (hew'd, Firft, What this Metaphor doth certainly import, fo as to be undeniably evi- dent from other moreclear and full Texts ofScripture ; namely, thegreatnefs of this Change ; and that it is effected by a Divine Power. I now proceed ; Secondly, To Phew that it doth not import what fome would extend it to, and that fo as to found Doctrines of great Confequence upon the meer and tingle ftrength of this and other like Metaphors of Scripture, without any manner of countenance and confirmation from plain Texts : fuch Doctrines as thefe three. i. That as the Creation was by an irrefifiable ad of the Divine Power, fo is this newCreation, or Converfion ofa Sinner. 2. That as Creatures were meerly pave in their being made, and contributed nothing at all to it ; no more do we to our Converfion and Regeneration. g. That as the Creationof the feveral Ranks and Kinds of Creatures was in an inflant, and affefted by the powerful word of God, only faying, let fuch and fuch things be, and immediately they were ; fo this new Creation, or the work of Regeneration is in an Inflant, and admits of no degrees. Concerning thefe three Doctrines of great Moment and Confequence in Divi- nity, I thall (hew, with all the clearnefs and brevity I can, that they are built folely upon Metaphors of Scripture, tortur'd and ftrain'd too far without any real ground and foundation from Scripture or Reafon; nay, contrary to the tenor of the one and the di&ates of the other ; nay indeed contrary to the general experi- ence of the operation of God's Grace upon the Minds of Men in their Con- verfion. Firil, It is pretended, that as the Creation was by an irrefiflable ad of the Di- vine Power, fo is the new Creation, or the Converfion of a Sinner; and this is B b b 2 folely
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