Sin Stigmatized, Part 1 · Section 149
§ 149.
BUt, for ought thou knoweſt, Object. thou art regenerate, haſt repented, What it is to be born againe.and doeſt believe in Chriſt, as well as the beſt.
Indeed, Anſw. ſome will not believe they have the Plague, till they ſee the Tokens: but to put this out of queſtion, know that to be regenerate, is to bee begotten and borne anew, Iohn 1.13. by the miniſtery of the Word, Iames 1.18.21. and the Spirits powerfull working with it, Ioh. 3.3.5.8. and of the children of wrath, and bondſlaves of Sathan by nature, to be made, by grace, through faith in Chriſt, the Sonnes of God, Titus 3.3. to 9. and that they which are thus borne, have Christ formed in them, Galathians 4.19. are led by the Spirit of God, Rom. 8.14. and live uprightly, 1 Iohn 3.9. and exercrſe righteouſneſſe, ver. 10. Regeneration will alwayes manifeſt it ſelfe by a juſt and holy life, by the innocency of our actions, and the ſobriety of our ſpeeches: God's children are known by this marke, they walke not after the fleſh, but after the Spirit, Rom. 8.1. they are tranſlated from the raigne of ſin; to the raigne of grace; they confeſſe him, ore, with the mouth; profeſſe him, opere, with the life; love him, corde, with the heart; for theſe are the three objects of a Chriſtians care, the devotion of his heart, the profeſſion of his mouth, and the converſation of his life.
It is the ſumm of all Religion, to imitate him we adore: he that follows Chriſt's example, is a true Chriſtian; hee that ſquares his life according to the rule of Gods Word, is godly, and none elſe: for otherwiſe if we be drunkards, and ſwearers, wel may we boaſt that wee are the Sonnes of God, as the Spanyards did to the Weſt Indians, when they came firſt amongſt them: but he that knowes any hing, will certainly conclude with thoſe poore Salvages, that hee cannot bee a good God, who hath ſuch evill Sonnes; well may he be the god of this world, as the Divell is called, 2 Cor. 4.4.
If Chriſt be formed in any, he deſtroyeth the Divells power, which formerly he had in them, Heb. 2.14.15. and his wicked works, 1 Ioh. 3.8. he is not ſubject to the dominion of ſin, ſinne doth not raign in him, Pſa. 19.13. wherefore be reſolved againſt tranſgreſſion, as you would be reſolved of your regeneration, and ſalvation. True converſion workes a manifeſt change; the old man, changeth with the new man; worldly wiſdome, with heavenly wiſdome; carnall love, for ſpirituall love; ſervile feare, for Chriſtian and filiall feare; idle thoughts, for holy thoughts; vaine words, for holy and wholſome words; fleſhly workes, for workes of righteouſneſſe, &c. as if a man were caſt into a new mould. Otherwiſe, if godlineſſe hath not made us good, what power hath it wrought? A feeble godlines it is, that is ineffectual; if it hath not wrought us to bee devout to God, juſt to men, ſober, and temperate in the uſe of Gods creatures, humble in our ſelves, charitable to others, where is the godlineſſe, where is the power?
When the heart is changed, and ſet towards God, all the members will follow after it; as the reſt of the creatures after the Sunne, when it ariſeth; the tongue will praiſe him, the foot will follow him, the eare will attend him, the hand will ſerve him, nothing will ſtay after the heart, but every one goes, like hand-maides, after their Miſtreſſe; which makes David (preſenting himſelf before God,) ſummon his thoughts, ſpeeches, actions, &c. ſaying, all that is within me praiſe his holy name, Pſal. 103.1. Prov. 23.26. ſo that it is a true rule, he that hath not in him all Chriſtian graces, in their meaſure, hath none; and he that hath any one truly, hath all. For as in the firſt birth, the whole perſon is borne and not ſome peeces: ſo it is in the ſecond, the whole perſon is borne againe, though not wholly; how much the regenerate man is changed from what hee was wont to be, may be ſeene, 1 Corinth. 6.9.10.11. Tit. 3.3. to 8. Rom. 6.4. to 23. and here upon Chriſt is compared to purging fire, and Fullers Sope, to ſignifie, how hee ſhould fine and purg, purifie and cleanſe his people Mal, 3.2.3.
God never adopteth any his children, but he beſtowes love tokens upon them, which are the earnest of his Spirits in their hearts, 2 Cor. 1.22. and his ſaving graces, as an earneſt, and for a ſigne: that they ſhal overcome their Ghoſtly enemies, and live everlaſtingly with him in heaven: as he gave Hezekiah, the going backe of the Sunne tenne degrees, for a ſigne, that hee ſhould be delivered out of the hands of the King of Aſhur, and have added to his dayes fifteene yeares, 2 Kings 20.6.8.11
Alaſſe! though there bee ſcarce a man on earth, but he thinks to goe to heaven; yet heaven is not for every one, but for the Saints, would any man have a lot in Canaan, let him bee a ſure to bee a true Iſraelite.
And ſo we ſee, there muſt of neceſſity bea a manifeſt change; that fruitfulneſſe, is the beſt argument, he hath begotten us anew; that the ſignes of ſalvation, are to be ſought in our ſelves, as the cauſe in Ieſus Chriſt; that wee muſt become new creatures, as S. Paul hath it, 2 Cor. 5.17. talk with new tongues, Mar. 16.17. and walk in new wyaes, Matth. 2.12. hating what we once loved, and loving what we formerly hated, then ſhall we have new names, Rev. 2.17. put on new garments, and have a portion in the new Ieruſalem, Revel. 21. otherwiſe not. Take notice of this, all ye carnall worldlings, who are the ſame that yee were alwayes, even from the beginning, and think the ſame a ſpeciall commendations too, though you have ſmall reaſon for it, for that wee need no more to condemne us, then what we brought into the world with us. Beſides, doe you live willingly in your ſinnes? let mee tell you, ye are dead in your ſinnes, this life is a death; and wee need no better proofe, that you are dead, then becauſe you feele not your deadneſſe.