could not surely be, but that many times in the midst of secular business, such thoughts would come in ; But am I yet born of the Spirit? All that I do is mere idle trifling impertinency when I do not yet know, whether I am so much as alive, in order to heaven and God's kingdom, and the eternal state which is before me. How seldom throughout the day, can any such thoughts be crowded into the minds of men? surely it would be a great check to the heat of their pursuits after the things of the world, if such thoughts did but now and then strike in; and they could not but strike in often, if the matter were indeed thoroughly believed; "I must be so born into heaven, or buried in all the darkness and misery of hell for ever."

[7.] If men were so concerned about this matter as the thorough belief of it, one would think, should infer; such thoughts must needs be a very great allay to the pleasure and sweetness of their sensual enjoyments. When they are relaxing themselves to pleasure, and allowing themselves the liberty of excursions, into this or that kind of sensual delight; certainly they could not so freely enjoy the creatures themselves, if it were considered; "I am yet at a very great uncertainty whether the divine life hath any place in my soul or no: whether the great work of the new creation, hath any, so much as the least beginnings in me?" Alas, what an infusion would this be of gall and wormwood, of bitterness and death, into whatsoever sensual delights, which would utterly spoil the sweetness of them; if it were believed that it is necessary to be thus born; and yet that it is uncertain whether we are thus born!

(2.) And pray then, what can we resolve this unconcernedness into, which is the other thing under this head; but their disbelief, and that they want a thorough persuasion of this truth, that I must be so born, or perish? For think of what else we would resolve it into: Is it the obscurity of the matter, and that it is merely an unintelligible thing? But why is this unintelligible, that there is a work necessary to be wrought upon the spirits of men by the Spirit of God, to render them suitable to God, and capable of blessedness in him? Indeed what can we think of that is plainer, if we consider the common state of men, and the prescut temper of their spirits? and how apparently necessary it is; that their spirits must be of another tem per, in order to their being happy; and that there is nothing to be done in this kind, but by a proportionable cause; and that such an effect doth manifestly challenge to be wrought by such a cause? They are to be changed by the dispensation of the gospel from glory unto glory; where the progressive work

is spoken of, of the same nature and kind with that whereof we are speaking; even as by the Spirit of the Lord, (2 Cor. 3. 18.) that as does not signify similitude but identity : the work must be such as may plainly and evidently speak its own author; or so as that it may be peremptorily concluded,—this is a work so very agreeable to the Spirit of God, that nothing but the Spirit of God could have done it. Now the Spirit of God hath wrought like itself, and worthy of itself; and what it, and it only could do. It is true indeed that the nature of the work, and all the several parts of it, and the way of working, may be very much unknown things to persons as yet unexperienced. But that there is such a work necessary to be done, by which the spirits of men are to be changed, and that the Spirit of God only can do it, I know nothing can be pretended more intelligible than this; or why, at least, it should with any tolerable, or colourable pretence be said to be an unintelligible thing. It is not because men cannot understand this, but because they have no mind to believe it and admit the truth about it into their hearts, that they are so little willing of. Or is it, that the thing is inconsiderable, and not worthy of their regard? No man who hath not abjured his understanding, can have the face to say so. What can con

cern me more, than whether I have a station in God's kingdom, or not; where the state is such as includes and comprehends the whole of that felicity and blessedness, which an intelligent nature is capable of, and being excluded that kingdom, is to be excluded blessedness, and left a miserable creature for ever? Certainly no man who hath not abandoned man, and put off himself, but must acknowledge this to be the greatest concernment to him of all others; and that therefore he is not unmoved and unaffected, with this matter, because he thinks it inconsiderable and not worth his regard. The business therefore still returns hither, that it is not believed: men will not believe it, and therefore they are not concerned.

Thus far you see, that there is too plain evidence that this doctrine is not believed. The next thing would be to shew the unreasonableness of this disbelief. It might well astonish our hearts to think what there is of malignity and horror, in this belief among them who professedly own, that this revelation is from God; but yet, it is manifest, all the while, that they do not believe it: or that ever it should enter into the heart of a creature capable of understanding its own rise and original from the ever blessed God, to doubt or dispute, or deny so plain and manifest a revelation from him as this. The case arrives to this state, and we cannot give it a more favourable one, as if such a person should say to the great God, the Lord

of heaven and earth, "I take thee to have spoken by thy own Son, such and such words to men, but I do not believe them.' This it plainly comes to. He hath said, that men must be born again, or they can never come into the kingdom of God; and if such persons would say, what is in their hearts, they must say too; We do not believe it. The matter comes to a direct and flat contradiction, a practical one, and which is more and worse than a verbal one, between them and the great Lord and Founder of this kingdom: as if they better knew the mind of God in this matter, than his own Son, who came out of his bosom; or better understood, who were to be of God's kingdom, and who not, than he into whose hands the management of all the affairs of this kingdom is put. Certainly when this matter comes to be discussed we shall find it impossible to pitch upon any thing in our own thoughts which carries more of monstrosity and horror in it, than the disbelief of such a truth.

SERMON V.*

E

We have insisted upon this subject doctrinally at large, and

made some entrance upon the use. That which we have, in the first place, inferred, is; That this being so evident and important a truth, it is very strange, it should not be more generally believed among christians, than apparently it is. We have shewed that generally it is not believed, in the last exercise; and are now to shew

II. The great unreasonableness and perversity of this disbelief in reference to this great important truth. We insist the longer and more distinctly upon this use, because it is the use which our Lord himself makes of his discourse, upon this subject, as you may see in the 11th and 12th verses, which I shall have occasion to consider and open afterwards. The great unreasonableness of not believing this truth will appear, if you consider-how much is to be said for it and how very little and insignificant any thing is, which can be said against it.

1. Consider how much is to be said for it, and hath in part been said. As much surely as any considering person would think necessary to recommend a thing to his belief which he did not know before. I would appeal to men, what would they expect? Or what condition would they require any such thing to be qualified with, which they would think to be a competently credible object of their belief? What would they

Preached January 9th, 1677. Cordwainer's Hall...

say is necessary? What suppositions would they make? If you had a voice from heaven, or an angel sent to you on purpose; or if Christ himself should appear, and speak these words to you, as he did to Nicodemus; then you would believe? Even they who say so would soon find, if God should make such trials with them, it would be to as little purpose, as to clothe it with the evidence wherewith he doth recommend it. For you see though our Lord himself did speak these things to Nicodemus, yet he hath cause to complain of infidelity still. But what, Is not a thing sufficiently credible without such a recommendation as this? Or is it not a most unreasonable extravagance to say, "Except ourselves, with our own eyes, see signs and wonders we will not believe?" What have you a vision and voice for every thing you believe which you do not see with your own eyes? Let it be considered what we have to assure us of this great truth.

(1.) We have the plain reasonableness of the thing itself: which will appear by laying together these several considerati

ons.

[1] That the kingdom of God imports a state of perfect felicity in the highest notion of that kingdom; or a state of preparation thereto, or gradual tendency thither-ward, in the first or lower notion of it. This is a thing plain and obvious to all our thoughts, that the kingdom of God imports a state of persons either perfectly happy already; or else tending to a state of happiness.

[2.] Consider that such who are no way within the compass of this kingdom, are not happy as yet. Look upon any_man in his natural state, and any one will soon acknowledge, I am not happy as yet. I appeal to your own senses, and to the common sense of men, can you say, you are already happy? What do you know no wants? No desires? I wish it were better with me than it is? A plain indication to every man's sense, that he is not happy as yet. And

[3.] That it is not in the power of all this world to make men happy. He who enjoys never so much of it, it is not a little more will make him happy; for it is manifest an additional degree of a good of the same kind, will not do it; it must be a good of another kind. They who have most of this world, have they never thought themselves unhappy, or pronounced so concerning their present state Ante obitum nemo &c. Pagan light hath seen so much, that in this life no one can be happy; who have known how to make their best of this world, as well as any of us. Besides it is in the reason of the thing manifest, that no man can be happy, as long as he knows himself to be mortal. There is a gloomy thing called death still hanging