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had just been brought from the mine. Thus sinners are in themselves, "vessels of wrath fitted for de"struction," bearing the image of fallen Adam, and disposed to imitate his rebellion and apostacy: but the new creation forms them into "vessels of mercy, prepared for glory," stamped with the image of Christ, "fitted for their Master's use, and ready for every good work." They are the same men, yet

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new creatures.

The grafted tree also is in many respects the same as before: yet it is a new tree, and as the poet beautifully expresses it,

Miraturque novas frondes, et non sua poma.

'It wonders at its new leaves, and fruit that is not its 'own.'-Thus when the word of truth is engrafted in the heart by the Holy Spirit, the same man becomes a new creature, and his thoughts, words, and actions also become new.

The scriptural emblems of sinners, according to their different propensities, are taken from lions, tigers, foxes, swine, serpents, and other fierce, crafty, ravenous, or filthy animals: but a sheep or a dove is the emblem of a Christian; and the new creation affects this marvellous change. The wolf also shall dwell "with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with "the kid, and the calf, the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And

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the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones "shall lie down together, and the lion shall eat straw "like the ox: and the suckling child shall play on the "hole of the asp; and the weaned child shall put his

"hand on the cockatrice den: they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain."* Does not every man perceive, that if Almighty God should dispose these animals to live together in perfect amity, as here described, they would be new creatures; though the same outward form, and many other peculiarities of each species should remain? And who can deny, that if the grace of God so change the ambitious, rapacious, covetous, fraudulent, contentious, revengeful, cruel, sensual, and profane; that they willingly live together, "in all the commandments and ordi"nances of the Lord blameless," they are to all religious purposes new creatures?

Let any considerate and impartial man compare the character and spirit of St. Paul, before and after his conversion; and determine for himself, whether the apostle was not a new creature. His body and soul, his abilities and ardent turn of mind, continued the same; but, in other respects, he differed as much from his former self, as from any other man in the world. The change would probably appear as remarkable, in the case of Matthew, Zaccheus, or Onesimus, had we as copious an account of them, as we have of the apostle.-Nay, the thief upon the cross, gave evident proofs, that the tree was made good; for the fruit began to be good, and would doubtless have been abundant had his life been spared.-Even when a man's outward conduct has been irreproachable, the internal change in his views, purposes, and desires, is clearly manifest

Is. xi. 6-9,

to his own mind, though the effects be less visible to others.

The various metaphors, in which this new creation is spoken of in scripture, confirm this explanation. "A new heart, will I give you, and a new spirit "will I put within you," saith the Lord.* But reformation, without an inward change of disposition, would be a mere counterfeit of the promised blessing." Ye must be born again." "Blessed be God "who hath begotten us again to a lively hope.t" The allusion is made, in this common scriptural language, to the production of a creature, which before had no separate existence, but now possesses life, has capacities of action and enjoyment, wants nourishment, and may be expected to grow to maturity: and it is the invariable rule of nature, that the offspring bears the image and inherits the propensities of the parent animal. The emphatical meaning of "being "born again," "born of the Spirit," "born of God," must be very manifest: and had our Lord only intended an outward ordinance or reformation, when he said, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except ye be "born again, ye cannot see the kingdom of God;" it could not have been denied, that he had perplexed a plain subject by a needless obscurity of expression.

"You hath he quickened," saith the apostle, who "were dead in trespasses and sins." Man, as the Lord created him, possessed animal life and its propensities; as a rational creature, he was capable of ac

* Ezek. xi. 19, 20. xxxvi. 25-27.
John, iii. 1-8 1 Pet. i. 3, 237

tions and enjoyments of a higher order; and as spiritual he was capable of finding happiness in the love and service of God: but he has lost his spiritual life and is dead in sin. Fallen angels possess the powers of reason to a very great degree: yet they are spiritually dead; they are incapable of loving and enjoying God, and finding happiness in his holy service: and, I am persuaded that sober reflection will convince any candid enquirer, that the most rational man living is, while unregenerate, as incapable of the pleasures angels enjoy in heaven, as animals are of sharing the satisfactions of the philosopher. This appears in one remarkable circumstance: when any person renounces all other pursuits for the sake of religion, it is always supposed that he leads a joyless life, and is in danger of becoming melancholy; as if the felicity of "angels, and the spirits of just inen made perfect," were wholly unsuited to man's nature on earth, and incapable of affording him delight!

The same internal renovation is called "the circum-` cision of the heart to love the Lord;" and described under the image of "putting his law in the heart, and "writing it in the inward parts." "For the grace "of God which bringeth salvation, teaches us to de"ny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live so"berly, righteously, and godly in this

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present world." This change begins that "renewing in the spirit of our mind," the "transformation by the renewing "of our mind".." the putting off the old man," and "the "the putting on the new man;" for these expressions relate to the growth of the new creature, and the removal of every thing that retards it. So that regene, VOL. I. Kk

ration is the beginning of sanctification, which signifies the making of that person or thing holy, which was before unholy.

We cannot however, fully explain or even comprehend the manner, in which the new nature is communicated. In general we may observe, that as natural life subsists in every part of the animal; so spiritual life pervades all the faculties of the soul. It is light, knowledge, and judgment in the understanding; sensibility in the conscience; purity, spirituality, and fervour in the affections, and submission in the will: and this entire inward revolution produces proportionable effects upon the whole conduct and character of the real Christian. But this will appear more distinctly, while,

III. We consider the effects of the change, "Old "things are passed away; behold, all things are be66 come new."

This language is general, and no exceptions are intimated. He who hath thus "passed from death "unto life," will find that his old sentiments and thoughts are vanished. His high opinion of himself, of his abilities, actions, and heart are no more; he ceases to shine in his own eyes, and gradually discovers that he is "wretched, poor, miserable, blind, and "naked;" he is constrained to renounce all depend ence on his wisdom and righteousness, to distrust his own heart as "deceitful and desperately wicked," and to abhor himself as a guilty polluted criminal. Nor can he ever again recover those lofty thoughts of himself, which once were natural to him.

His hard thoughts of the divine law, as unreason

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