have been once named the fame day that God's Grace and works are praised, or have been pleaded or contended for in thefe difputes, had there not been a neceffity compelling thereto. They have compelled me, who under a colour of magnifying the Grace of God, and bringing greater thanks to him, and of juftly reproving them who have been flatterers of human abilities, are become chargeable with afcribing to divine Grace what is neither fitting nor true; fo far forth as by them Satan feeketh to fubvert the Truth and righteoufnefs of God, and to extinguish and deftroy all Piety and Religion in Men, bringing into the World ftupid floth for fome, a remorseless infidelity and impenitency for others, and an invincible defperation and hardness for other fome; the natural offspring of that Doctrine that taketh away all manner of Freedom of Will from Men in matters of Salvation, that turneth the General promises of the Gofpel into particular and private, that limiteth an efpecial kind of Grace which is only effectual to a few fecret ones by a dire&t Decree, the reft being left deftitute of true Grace, tho' they be called by the word of the Gospel.

These things I was warned of long ago by Melanchton in his common-Places, before the name of Arminius was heard of here; let us remove, faith he, from St. Paul fuch Stoical disputes, as overthrow Faith and Prayer, for how could Saul believe or pray, when he doubted whether the Promife belonged to him, or when that Decree of the Deftinies had prepoffeffed his mind, It is already Decreed that thou shalt be a caftaway; thou art not written in the number of the Elect &c. And in the Chapter concerning Freewill, he faith he

* Qui verò, neceffitate cogente, vera de fe bona loquitur, tantò magis verius humilitati jungitur, quand & veritati affociatur. Bern. Serm. 2do. In Can. Domini.

had

had known many who would argue in this manner, If my Freewill doth avail nothing in the mean time till I perceive that Regeneration, you speak of, wrought in me, I will be indulgent to my unbelief and other vitions affections; and adds; This Manichæan imagination is an horrible falfhood, and from that error our Minds are to be fetched off, and taught that Freewill avails fomewhat.

To conclude, with reference to the Queftion about what maketh one Perfon differ from another, the fame grave Author faith, whereas the promife is univerfal, neither are there in God contradictory wills, there is a neceffity, fome cause of this difference should be in us; that Saul was rejected and David received; of neceffity in thofe two there was some different action. But we are ftill to remember that that doing fomething, that whatever action, is not to be conceived to be performed by mere natural ftrength, but by the help of Grace.

CHA P. XIII.

Of Converfion under the Terms of a new Creation, Regeneration, the first Refurrection, &c.

TH

"HIS Chapter is an anfwer to another Objection. There are who delight much in thefe Metaphors, rather than in the fimple term of Converfion: infering hence that a Man doth no more to his new Creation, than he did to his firft; nor to his Regeneration than he did to his Generation; nor to his Refurrection from Sin, than Lazarus did to the raifing his dead Body.

*Loe, Com. de Lib. Arbitr.

P

Hence

Pag. 13.

Hence proceedeth that Doctrine of Mr. Pemble of Grace and Faith; "That the feed of spiritual Life, and the habits of Grace and Faith, like a new Soul, are infufed into Men before they be so much as illuminated fupernaturally, Illumination going before the act of Faith, but not before the habit, or the Grace of SanPag. 80. Etification in the Soul. Hence alfo Dr. Taylor upon that Text, whosoever is in Chrift is a new Creature, infers that Grace cannot be refifted, because no Creature can refift his Creator in the Creation thereof, &c. But they might have been pleafed to have been advised.

2. Cor.

17.

Pag. 42.

17.

5.

*

1. That this leaneth too much to Enthufiafm, fuch as the Judicious Divines in their Suffrage do disclaim.

2. That in our fpiritual Nativity, as in our Natural, there are many preparative difpofitions, as the fame Fathers fay.

3. That arguments taken from Allegories and Metaphors are weak and deceitful, if they be extended infinitely, and beyond that to which the Scripture intendeth them.

2. Cor. 5. 4. That, as Mr. Beza himself upon that Text confeffeth, there is an uns, which must not be taken in its ftricteft fenfe; for that the new Creation extendeth not to the fubftance, but to the qualities of a Man. Elfe if we prefs the letter, we may better defend a Tranfubftantiation in a Man's Converfion, than the Romanists can do in the Sacrament of Chrift's body; or we may help with an Argument the abfurd Opinion of Flav. Illiricus, that Original Sin is the very fubftance of Man: but we have learned better of Chryfoftom; being born, faith he, in this place doth not fignifie the being made a new John. 3. Substance, but the being improved in Excellency and

Hom, on

Grace.

Suffrag, Coll. Theol. M. Brit.Pag. 42.

5. They

αὔξησις

19.

5. They might have been advised that this anos denoteth, first, the univerfality of the change in qualities diffufed over the whole Man, which is fuch, that you could not know him to be the fame, faith Chryfoftom; and upon this account he expreffeth it alo by a stronger term, calling it a Refurrection, or being made a new Creature, that he might intimate to us the greatness of the change and alteration. And that this is the fenfe of it, appears by St. Paul's defcriptions of the old and new Man, and by his Parallels to this Text; In Chrift Jefus neither Circumcifion availeth Gal. 6. 15. any thing, nor uncircumcifion, but a new Creature. In-5.6. Chrift Fefus neither circumcifion availeth any thing, nor I. Cor. 7. uncircumcifion, but Faith that worketh by Love. Circumcifion is nothing, and uncircumcifion is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God: Where that which conftituteth a new Creature, is plainly Faith that worketh by Love, or the keeping of God's commandments. Secondly, it expreffeth the neceffi- John. 3. 3 ty of this change; Firft, in opposition to our first Birth from Adam, by which we are all Sinners, and excluded out of the Kingdom of God: but by Faith in Chrift we become to be in him as in a second Adam, and have from him Righteousness and Holinefs, as real, and available to our entrance into the Kingdom of God, as our being born of Adam was available to the excluding us thence. Secondly, in oppofition to the Jews boafting themfelves the Children of Abraham, as if that were enough to Righteoufnefs and Happinefs; who notwithstanding if they be not John.1.13. born again by another Birth, and that of God, may be the children of the Devil. Thirdly, it implyeth the neceffity of a Divine and Supernatural Principle, from whence this change must flow, without which, there is no hope for us ever to be converted: therefore the Apoftle having faid, old things are 2. Cor. 5. paft away, behold all things are become new; addeth, 17. 18. and all things are of God, &c. for it is he that hath Pfal. 100. made 3.

P 2

8.44.

ang made us, and not we our felves in both Creations; ἐσμένο and we are therefore, God's workmanship created in Eph. 2.10. Chrift Jefus unto Good Works.

6. But now as to the manner, and many circumftances, each Creation, and Generation, hath fomething proper and peculiar to it felf: for he that made us without us, will not fave us without us, as is alledged out of St. Augustine. In a proper Creation, there is a change from Non-existence to existence; in this Metaphorical one, from not having fuch and Such qualifications, to the having them: the one perfecteth an uninformed Mafs; the other, a Creature already living, reafonable, moving: in the one, God worketh immediately; in the other, by means: the former could not be preceded by any Defire of being in the thing to be created; in respect to the latter, we may hear the Subject to be wrought on, Pfal. 51,10. petitioning, create in me a clean Heart, O God, and renew a right Spirit within me: in the one Senfe, nothing was ever commanded to make it felf; in the Ezek. 18. other, it is enjoined, make you a new Heart, and a new Spirit, for why will ye dye, O house of Ifrael! Jer. 4.4. Nothing was ever blamed for not creating it felf, Eph. 5.14 in a proper fenfe, or for being as it is; but to keep on the old Man and not to put on the new, is imputed as a notorious fault in them that profess Chrift Jefus, and the Gospel.

31.

For this matter, fee if you pleafe Dr. Jackson of Juftifying Faith, unlefs you be Sick of the Disease of thefe times; for among many things very culpable in us, we labour under that which Nazianzen complaineth of in his age; that is Men are denomi nated Good or Bad, not from their manners, but according as they agree or disagree with us; and those things which this day we appland, to morrow will be difliked; and that which others abominate, we have in admiration.