SERMON II.

OF THE NATURE OF REGENERATION, AND PARTICULARLY OF THE CHANGE IT PRODUCES IN MEN'S APPREHENSIONS.

2 CORINTHIANS V. 17.

"If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

THE knowledge of our true state in religion is at once a matter of so great importance, and so great difficulty, that, in order to obtain it, it is necessary we should have line upon line, and precept upon precept. The plain discourse which you heard last Lord's day was intended to lead you into it; and I question not but I then said enough to convince many that they were in an unregenerate condition. Nevertheless, as there are various approaches toward regeneration and conversion, which, on the whole, fall short of it, I think it very expedient now to give you what I may properly enough call the counterpart of this view; which I shall, by divine assistance, attempt from the words I have now been reading. The Apostle who wrote them was transported to such a zeal for Christ, and for the souls of men, that some thought him "beside himself;" and, no doubt, many would represent him as the greatest enthusiast upon the face of the earth. But as it was "a very small thing to him to be judged of

man's judgment," he calmly vindicates himself by declaring, that there was a cause for all this warmth, as the honour of God and the Redeemer, and the eternal salvation of men, were so intimately concerned in the affair. The love of Christ," says he, " constrains us," or, as the word properly signifies, "it bears us away with it," like a mighty torrent, which we are not able to resist; "because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead," under the sentence of God's righteous law, or they would not have needed such an atonement as the blood of his Son; and we farther judge, "that he died for all, that they who now live," only in consequence of his dying love, "should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him that died for them." We therefore live to this Jesus; we consecrate our lives and labours to this purpose; and, in consequence of it, we henceforth know no man after the flesh;" that is, we do not regard our temporal interests, nor consider how we may most effectually obtain the favour and friendship of those who may be useful to us in life; "yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh," or have expected a temporal Messiah, who should make our nation triumphant over the Gentiles, and enrich it with the spoils of other nations, "yet now henceforth we know him no more' under such a character. And, in this respect, the same temper will prevail in the heart of every real Christian; and therefore, that is, in consequence of what was said before of his Redeemer's love, "if any man be in Christ," if he be really one of his faithful servants, united to him by a lively faith, and, in consequence of that union, interested in his sal

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vation, "he is a new creature ;" his views and sentiments, his affections and pursuits, are so entirely changed, that he seems, as it were, to be come into a new world, and to be transformed quite into another person from what he formerly was; "old things are passed away, and, (behold the astonishing transformation!) all things are become new." This is the thought that I am now to illustrate; and you cannot but see how proper a foundation it will be for our discourse on the second general I proposed, which is,

Secondly, Particularly to describe the nature of that great change which passes on every soul that is truly regenerate, in the scriptural and most important sense of the word.*

And here it may hardly seem necessary to tell you, that I do not mean to assert, that the substance of the soul, in its natural faculties, are, in a strict and proper sense, changed: a man might as reasonably assert, from such a scripture, that the former body was annihilated, and a new one produced; and common sense and decency will not allow us to imagine that the Apostle meant any thing of this nature by the general terms he uses here. But the plain meaning is, that when a man becomes a real Christian, the whole temper and character of his

* Some choose to call the change here described renovation, rather than regeneration. I have given my reasons before, why I use the words promiscuously; but I shall endeavour, through the whole of these discourses, so to state the nature of this change, as to have no controversy with good men of any persuasion, about any thing but the name of it; concerning which I hope they will not contend with me, as I am sure I will not quarrel with them.

mind is so changed as to become different from that of the generality of mankind, and different from what it formerly was, while in an unenlightened and unrenewed state. It is not merely a little circumstantial alteration; it is not assuming a new name, professing new speculative opinions, or practising some new rites and forms: but it is becoming, (as we frequently say in our usual forms of speech,) a different creature, or a new man. And thus the sacred writers express themselves in many other passages, which very happily serve to illustrate this. They, in particular, represent God as promising, with relation to this work, "A new heart will I give them; and a new spirit will I put within them; and I will take away the heart of stone," the stubborn, obstinate, impenetrable disposition they once had, "and will give them an heart of flesh," a tender, compliant temper, which shall incline them to submit to my will with humility, and to obey it with delight. And thus, when the Apostle had exhorted the Ephesians "to put off, with respect to their former conversation, the old man, which is corrupt according to its deceitful lusts;" he adds, "And be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new man, which, after God," or in conformity to his image, "is created in righteousness and true holiness ;" which is further illustrated by his important exhortation to the Romans, "Be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind." And on the same principles, what, in one place, he calls "the new creature," in another parallel place, he expresses by "faith that works by love," and by "keeping the commandments of God;"

for all these, as equivalent characters, he opposes.to circumcision and uncircumcision, or to the mere externals of a religious profession; declaring the utter insufficiency of the latter, and absolute necessity of the former.

The general nature of this change may then be understood, by an attentive consideration of such scriptures as those mentioned above; which indeed contain what is most essential on this subject. But for the more complete illustration of the matter, I shall particularly show you, that where there is reason to speak of a man, as one of those who are in Christ Jesus, or who are truly regenerate, there will be new apprehensions, new affections, new resolutions, new labours, new enjoyments, and new hopes:' and perhaps there are few important branches of the Christian character, which may not be introduced, as illustrating one or other of these remarks.

The former of them is indeed the foundation of the rest; because, as religion is a reasonable service, all the change which is made in the affections and resolutions, in the pursuits, enjoyments, and hopes of a good man, arises from that different view, in which he is now taught to look on those objects, the nature of which is to direct his choice, to determine his conduct, and regulate his passions: it will therefore be the business of this evening's discourse to show you,

I. That wherever there is a real principle of regeneration, there will be NEW APPREHENSIONS of things.

When God created the natural world, he said, in the very beginning of his work, "Let there be light,