Serm. LV. in order to Ju/tification and Sakatlon. time and occafion of this Change. For things may be Peen in their bled, which were never very fenfible in their Caufe. And it is very Reafonable, that fuch Perlons who never lived in any evil courfe, fhould eicape thofe Pangs and Terrours which unavoidably happen unto others, from a courfe of actual Sin, and the guilt of a wicked Life ; and if there be any fuch Per- fons as I have defcribed, who are in this gradual and infenfhle manner Regene- rated, and made good, this is a Demonftration, that there is no necefflty that this Change thould be in an infant, it being fo frequently found to be otherwife in Experience. And as for others, who are vifibly reclaimed from a notorious wicked Courfe, in thefe we likewife frequently fee this Change gradually made, by ftrong im- preflions made upon their Minds, moft frequently by the Word of God ; forne- times by his Providence, whereby they are convinc'd of the evil and danger of their Courfe, and awakened to Confideration, and melted into Sorrow and Repentance, and perhaps exercis'd with great terrours of Confcience, 'till at length by the Grace of God, they come to a fixt Purpofe and Refolution of forfaking their Sins, and turning to God ; and after many ftruglings and con.- filth with their Lufts, and the ftrong byafs of evil Habits, this Refolution al- filted by the Grace of God, doch effe&wally prevail, and m ke a real change both in the Temper of their Minds, and the Courfe of their Lives ; and when this is done, and not before, they are laid to be Regenerate. But all the while this was a doing, .. the new Man was forming, and the work of degene- radon was going on ; and it was perhaps a very confiderable time from the firft beginningof it, 'till it came to a fixt and Jetted ftate. And this I doubt not in experience of moft Perlons who are reclaim'd from a vicious courfe of Life, is found to be the ufual and ordinary Method of God's Grace in their Conver- flon. And if fo, it is in vain to pretend that a thing is done in an infant, which by fo manifold experience is found to take up a great deal of time, and to be ef- feded by degrees. And whereas fotne Men are pleafed to call all this the Preparatory,: work to Re- generation, but not the Regeneration it felt, this is an idle contention about words. For if thefe Preparationsbe a degree of goodnefs, and a gradual ten- dency towardsit, then the work is begun by them, and during the continuance of them, is all the while a doing ; and tho' it be hard ro fix the point or inftant when a Man juft arrives at this Rate, and notbefore, yet it is very fenfible when a Man is in it, and this Change when it is really made, will loon difcover it felf by plain and fenfible effects. Fourthly, and Laftly, all this is very agreeable to the plain and conftant te- nourof Scripture, Ifa. e. e6. where the Prophet exhorts to this Change, he (peaks of it as a gradual thing, Wafbye, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes ; seafe to do evil, learn to do well ; that is, break off evil and vicious Habits, and gain the contrary Habits of virtue and good- nefs by the exercife of it. The Scripture fpeaks of fome as farther from a utate of Grace than others, Jer. 53. 23. Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the Leopard his (pots ? then may ye alfo do good, that are accuflomed to do evil; plainly declaring the great difficulty, equal almoft to a natural impoffibility, of reclaiming thofe to goodnefs, who have been long habituated to an evil Courfe. Vnd theScripture fpeaks of force as nearer to a {late ofGrace than others. Our Saviour tells the young Man in the Gofpel, who laid he had kept the Commands of God from hisyouth ; that he was not far from the KingdomofGod. But now ifby an irrefiflible ad of God's power, this Change be made in an inflant, and cannot.otherwife be made, how is one Man nearer to a Rate of Grace, or far- ther from it than another ? If all that are made good, mull be made fo in an inflant or not at all, then no man is nearer being made good than another; for if he were nearer to it, he might former be made fo; but that cannot be if all mutt be made good in an inflant ; for fooner than that no Man can be made fo. If the fimilitude of our being dead in fins and trefaffes be ftridly taken, no Man is D d d 2 nearer agi
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=