The First Things, Part 1
Except]
THis Except is without exception, for unleſs we are new born, there is no going to Heaven: before we live here we are born, and before we live there we are new born; as no man comes into this world, but by the firſt birth, ſo impoſſible it is that any ſhould go to Heaven in another world, but by the ſecond birth: And this gives us the neceſſity of Regeneration.
Except a man be new born, Doct. he can never be ſaved. It is our Saviors ſpeech, and he confirms it with a double aſſeveration, Verily, verily, I ſay unto thee. Twice verily, which we finde not any where but in S. Johns Goſpel, Rupert. in loc.and no where in the Goſpel ſo oft as on this argument: how then ſhould we disbelieve this truth, where we have ſuch a witneſs as Chriſt, ſuch a teſtimony as his Verily, verily, I ſay unto thee?
Again, God the Father thus counſels, not onelyonly Nicodemus, but all the Jews of the old Church, Ezek. 18.31.ſaying, Make you a new heart, and a new ſpirit, for why will you dye, O houſe of Iſrael? Ezek. 18.31. Notwithſtanding all their priviledges (for they are Iſraelites, Rom. 9.4.to whom pertains the adoption, and the glory, and the Covenants, and the giving of the Law, and the ſervice of God, and the promiſes, Rom. 9.4.) Yet here is one thing neceſſary, Vuum neceſſarium.that muſt crown all the reſt; they muſt have a new heart, and a new ſpirit, that is to ſay, they muſt be new born, or there is no way but death; from which death ſee how the Lord pulls them with his cords of love, alluring, wooing, queſtioning, Why will ye dye, O houſe of Iſrael?
And yet again, not onelyonly the Son and the Father, Revel. 2.17.but the Holy Ghoſt too will avouch this truth; He that hath an ear, Rev. 3.12.13.let him hear what the Spirit ſaith unto the Churches; Mos erat antiquis niveis atriſ que lapillis his damnare reos, illis abſolvere paena. Metamorphoſ. l. 15. Hunc macrine diem numera meliore lapillo. Perſ. Sat: ſ… cunda. Aretius in loc. 1 Cor. 5.17.And what's that? To him that overcometh — will I give a white ſtone, and in the ſtone a new name written: yea, I will write upon him New Jeruſalem, and I will write upon him my new name, Revel. 2.17. and 3.12. The meaning is, he that is new born, and ſo overcomes ſin Gods Spirit will give him his grace, the white ſtone, and his Kingdom, the new Jeruſalem, and a new name, the name of filiation (ſaith a Modern) whereby truly he is called the new born Son of God. See here how old things being done away, all things are become new; by a new birth man hath got a new name, a new inheritance: and therefore as the Spirit, ſo the new birth is called a fire, that purgeth away droſs, and makes ſouls bright and new, ſo that we muſt paſs thorow this fire, or no paſſage into Paradiſe.
Nor is this Doctrine without reaſon or ground.
For, Except by the ſecond birth, man is firſt unholy, Heb. 12.14.and therefore moſt unfit to enter into Heaven: Without holineſs no man ſhall ſee God, Heb. 12.14. And what is man before he is new born? if we look upon his ſoul, we may ſee it deformed with ſin, defiled with luſt, outraged with paſſions, overcarried with affections, pining with envy, burthened with gluttony, boyling with revenge, tranſported with rage, and thus is that Image of God transformed to the ugly ſhape of the Devil: Or ſhould we take a more particular view, every faculty of the ſoul is full of iniquity; the underſtanding underſtands nothing of the things of God, 1 Cor. 2.14. the will wills nothing that is good, 1 Cor. 2.14. Rom. 6.20. Gal. 5.17.Rom. 6.20. the affections affect nothing of the Spirit, Gal. 5.17. In a word, the underſtanding is darkned, the will enthralled, the affections diſordered, the memory defiled, the conſcience benummed, all the inner man is full of ſin, and there is no part that is good, no not one. But what ſay we of the body? ſure that is nothing better, it is a rotten carrion, altogether unprofitable, and good for nothing; ſhould we view it in every part and member of it? the head contrives miſchief, the eyes behold vanity, the ears let in ſin, the tongue ſends out oaths: Come we lower, the heart lodgeth luſts, the hands commit murther, the feet run to evil, all the ſenſes are but ſo many matches to give fire to luſts, deceits, envies, and what not? How needful now is a new birth to a man in this caſe? Can he enter into heaven, that ſavours all of earth? Will thoſe precious gates of gold and pearls open to a ſinner? No, he muſt firſt be new moulded, and ſanctified, or he is excepted; Except a man be new born.
Secondly, Except] This, and man, is Gods enemy; no greater oppoſition than betwixt God and a ſinner: Conſider we him in his eſſence, or in his attributes? in his eſſence he is called Jehovah, both in reſpect of his being, and of his promiſes; in reſpect of his being, and ſo God is contrary to ſin; for ſin is ataxy, diſorder, confuſion, a not-being; and God is order, perfection, holineſs, an abſolute and a ſimple being: in reſpect likewiſe of his promiſes, wherein there is a main oppoſition to ſin; for howſoever he promiſeth a reward to the regenerate, and ſo the name Jehovah is a golden pledge unto us, Pſal. 11.6.that if we repent, he will forgive us; yet withal he promiſeth ſtorms and tempeſt, fire and perdition to the unregenerate: and thus his name and nature is altogether oppoſite to ſin and ſinners. But view we thoſe attributes of God, I mean his Juſtice, truth, patience, holineſs, anger, power: his Juſtice, in puniſhing the impenitent according to his deſerts, his truth effecting thoſe plagues which he hath ſpoken in his time, his patience forbearing ſins deſtruction, till they are grown full ripe, his holineſs abhorring all impurities, He cannot behold iniquity, his anger ſtirring up revenge againſt all offered injuries, his power muſtring up his forces, yea all his creatures againſt his enemies; and what can we ſay, but if all theſe attributes are at enmity with ſinful man, woe worth to man becauſe of offences! better he had never been born, then not to be new born; alas! what ſhall become of him? Can he that is Gods enemy ſee God in his glory? no, there is no way but one, Except he repent, Except] he be born again.
Thirdly, Epheſ. 2.12. 1 Cor. 5.17.Except] by a new birth, man is without Chriſt; for If any man be in Chriſt, he is a new creature: And if he be not in Chriſt, what hopes of that man? It is onelyonly Chriſt that opens Heaven, it is onelyonly Chriſt that is the Way to Heaven; beſides him there is no Way, no Truth, no Life; and if we be in him, as the branch in the vine, it is of neceſſity that we bring forth good fruit: Upon theſe terms his death is effectual, if we become new creatures; or otherwiſe, all his Merits (his blood that was ſhed, his body that was crucified, his ſoul that was agonized) they are nothing unto us, we nothing bettered by them: he dyed for all, but his death is not applyed, his Kingdom is not opened, ſave onelyonly unto them that have learned and practiſed this rule of Exception: Except] a man be born again.
Fourthly, Except before Excepted, a man is a very limb of Satan, a childe of darkneſs, and one of the Family of Hell. Conſider this, ye that are out of the ſtate of Grace, in what miſerable thraldom is your ſouls? Should any call you ſervants, or ſlaves of Satan, you would take it highly in diſdain; but take it as you pleaſe, if you are not regenerate, you are in no better caſe. Paul appeals to your own knowledge, Rom. 6.16, 23.Know you not that to whomſoever you give your ſelves as ſervants to obey, his ſervants ye are to whom ye obey? Rom. 6.16, 23. If then ye obey the Devils ſuggeſtions (which you do being unborn) what are you but the Devils ſervants? And if he be your Maſter, what is you wages? You may ſee it in the laſt verſe, The wages of ſin is death; death of the body, and death of the ſoul, death here, and death hereafter in Hell fire. Alas, that Satan ſhould have this power on man! that he who is the enemy, and means nothing to a ſinner but death and damnation, ſhould be his Lord, and Tyrannize it over him at his own will and pleaſure! Would any man be hired to ſerve Lyons and Tygers? 1 Pet. 5.8.And is not the Devil a roaring Lyon, walking about, and ſeeking whom he may devour? To ſerve him that would devour his ſervant, is a moſt miſerable bondage; and what pay can one expect from Devils, but roaring and devouring, and tearing ſouls? In this plight are the ſervants of Corruption, ſlaves of Satan, ſo I rightly call them; for, Of whomſoever a man is overcome, 2 Pet. 2.19.even unto the ſame is he in bondage, 2 Peter 2.19. To winde up this point; Lord, who ſhall dwell in thy Tabernacle? who ſhall reſt in thy Holy Mountain? If we believe David, Not he that ſlandereth with his tongue, or doth evil to his Neighbor, Pſa. 15.1, 3, 5.—Or giveth his money upon Ʋſury, or taketh a reward againſt the innocent: No, ſuch are ſervants of Satan, and here is matter of Exception againſt them; Except a man be born again, he cannot ſee the kingdom of God.
The ſum of all: Without Regeneration no Kingdom; for, whether we conſider man in regard of himſelf, or of God, or of Chriſt, or of Satan, he is (Except he be new born) unholy, Gods enemy, out of Chriſt, in Satan.
And if the New Birth be thus neceſſary; Ʋſe. how ſhould we (a)Thus is the language of God; I ſaid, Behold me, to a nation that was not called by my Name, Iſa. 65.1.labor to be born again? I mean not as Nicodemus, to enter into our mothers womb again, and be born; It is not the ſeed of man in the womb of our Mother, but the ſeed of Grace in the womb of the Church, that makes us bleſſed: and if we are thus born by Grace, then are we ſanctified, made Sons of God, Heirs with Chriſt, over whom Satan can have no power at all. Now then, as you tender your ſouls, and deſire Heaven at your ends, (b)Thus whileſt the Miniſter ſpeaks its Chriſt comes with power in the word, Eze. 18.31.endeavor to attain this one thing neceſſary: (c)Pray, becauſe God bids you pray, it may be he will come in when you pray. When Simon Magus was in the gall of bitterneſs, Peter bid him pray Act… 8 22.Lift up your hearts unto God, that you may be waſhed, juſtified; ſanctified in the Name of the Lord Jeſus; and that by the Spirit of God you may walk in new ways, talk with new tongues, as being new creatures, created unto good works. Thus would you (d)Not that we can wait by a power of our own, but he that ſaith, Therefore will the Lord wait, that be may be gracious to you, Iſa. 30.18. He draws, and gives a power to wait on him, and he comes in when he hath waited the fitteſt time.wait on God in his way, I truſt the Lord in mercy would remember you, and his Spirit would blow upon you. and then you would finde and feel ſuch a change within you, as that you would bleſs God for ever, that you were thus born again: Otherwiſe, how woful are you, conſidering this bar in heavens door, to keep out the unregenerate. Except] Except a man be born again, he cannot ſee the kingdom of God.
Thus far of the Exception; we now come to the Perſon, that is a Niſi prius in the front, Except: This is the party that muſt proſecute the cauſe, a man.