there can be no more in the effect, than there is in the cause: but this principle of fpiritual life is not fubject to diffolution, it is the water that springs up into everlasting life, John iv. 14. The feed of God, which remaineth in the regenerate foul, 1 John iii. 9. And all this, because it is "born not of corruptible, but of incor"ruptible feed," 1 Pet. i. 23.

Arg. 4. If our new birth be our refurrection, a new creation, yea, a victory over nature, then we cannot actively contribute to its production; but under all these notions it is represented to us in the fcriptures; it is our refurrection from the dead, Eph. v. 14. And you know the body is wholly paffive in its refurrection: but though it concurs not, yet it gives pre-existent matter: therefore the metaphor is defignedly varied, Eph. iv. 24. where it is called a creation: in which there is neither active concurrence, nor preexiftent matter; but though creation excludes pre-exiftent matter, yet in producing fomething out of nothing, there is no reluctancy nor oppofition; therefore to fhew how purely fupernatural this principle of life is, it is clothed and prefented to us in the notion of a victory, 2 Cor. x. 4. And fo leaves all to grace.

Arg. 5. If nature could produce, or but actively concur to the production of this fpiritual life, then the best natures would be fooneft quickened with it; and the worft natures not at all, or at laft, and least of all: but contrarily, we find the worst natures of- ! ten regenerated, and the best left in the state of spiritual death; with how many fweet homilitical virtues was the young man adorned? Mark x. 21. yet graceless: and what a fink of fin was Mary Magdalen, Luke vii. 37. yet fanctified. Thus beautiful Rachel is barren, while Leah bears children. And there is scarce any thing that affects and melts the hearts of Chriftians more than this comparative confideration doth, when they confider veffels of gold caft away, and leaden ones chofen for fuch noble uses. So that it is plain enough to all wife and humble fouls, that this new life is wholly of fupernatural production.

Fifthly, and laftly, I fhall briefly reprefent the neceffary antecedency of this quickening work of the Spirit, to our first closing with Chrift by faith: and this will easily let itself into your underftandings, if you but confider the nature of the vital act of faith; which is the foul's receiving of Christ, and resting upon him for pardon and falvation: in which two things are neceffarily included, viz.

1. The renouncing of all other hopes and dependencies. 2. The opening of the heart fully to Jefus Chrift.

First, The renouncing of all other hopes and dependencies whatfoever. Self in all its acceptations, natural, finful, and moral, is now to be denied and renounced for ever, elfe Chrift can never be

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received, Rom. x. 3. not only felf in its vileft pollutions, but felf in its richest ornaments and endowments: but this is as impoffible to the unrenewed and natural man, as it is for rocks or mountains to ftart from their centre, and fly like wandering atoms in the air: nature will rather chufe to run the hazard of everlafting damnation, than efcape it by a total renunciation of its beloved lufts, or felf-righteoufnefs: this fupernatural work neceffarily requires a fupernatural principle, Rom. viii. 2,

Secondly, The opening the heart fully to Jefus Chrift, without which Chrift can never be received, Rev. iii. 20. but this alfo is the effect of the quickening Spirit, the Spirit of life which is in Chrift Jefus. Sooner may we expect to fee the flowers and bloffoms open without the influence of the fun, than the heart and will of a finner open to receive Chrift without a principle of fpiritual life first derived from him: and this will be paft doubt to all that confider, not only the impotence, but the ignorance, prejudice, and averfations of nature, by which the door of the heart is barred, and chained againft Chrift, John v. 40. So that nature hath neither ability nor will, power nor defire, to come to Christ: if any have an heart opened to receive him, it is the Lord that opens it by his Almighty Power, and that in the way of an infufed principle of life fupernatural.

Queft. But here it may he doubted and objected, against this pofition. If we cannot believe till we are quickened with fpiritual life, as you fay, and cannot be justified till we believe, as all fay, then it will follow, that a regenerate foul may be in the state of condemnation for a time, and confequently perifh, if death fhould befal him in that juncture.

Sol. To this I return, That when we speak of the priority of this quickening work of the Spirit to our actual believing, we rather understand it of the priority of nature, than of time, the nature and order of the work requiring it to be fo: a vital principle muft, in order of nature, be infufed before a vital act can be exerted, Firft, Make the tree good, and then the fruit good and admit we should grant fome priority in time alfo to this quickening principle, before actual faith, yet the abfurdity mentioned would be no way confequent upon that conceffion: for as the vital act of faith quickly follows the regenerating principle, fo the foul is abundantly fecured against the danger objected; God never be ginning any special work of grace upon the foul, and then leaving it and the foul with it in hazard, but preferves both to the finishing and completing of his gracious defign, Phil. i. 6.

First Ufe of Information.

Inf. 1. If fuch be the nature and neceffity of this principle of

divine life, as you have heard it opened in the foregoing difcourfe, then hence it follows, That unregenerate men are no better than dead men. So the text reprefents them. "You hath he quickened "who were dead in trefpaffes and fins:" i. e. fpiritually dead, though naturally alive; yea, and lively too as any other perfons in the world. There is a threefold confideration of objects, viz. 1. Naturally.

2. Politically.

3. Theologically.

First, Naturally, To all thofe things that are natural, they are alive they can understand, reason, discourse, project, and contrive, as well as others; they can eat, drink, and build, plant, and fuck out the natural comfort of these things, as much as any others. So their life is defcribed, Job xxi. 12. "They take the "timbrel and harp, and rejoice at the found of the organ; they "fpend their days in wealth," &c. And James v. 5. "Ye have "lived in pleasure upon earth," as the fish lives in the water its natural element, and yet this natural fenfual life is not allowed the name of life, Tim. v. 9. fuch perfons are dead whilft they live; it is a bafe and ignoble life, to have a foul only to falt the body, or to enable a man for a few years to eat, and drink, and talk, and laugh, and then die.

Secondly, Objects may be confidered politically, and with respect to fuch things, they are alive alfo: they can buy and fell, and manage all their wordly affairs with as much dexterity, skill, and policy as other men: yea, "the children of this world are wifer in their "generation than the children of light," Luke xvi. 8. The entire * ftream of their thoughts, projects, and ftudies, running in that one channel; having but one design to manage, they must needs excel in worklly wifdom: But then,

Thirdly, Theologically confidered, they are dead; without life, sense, or motion, towards God, and the things that are above: their understandings are dead, 1 Cor. ii. 14. and cannot receive the things that are of God: their wills are dead, and cannot move towards Jefus Chrift, John vi. 65. Their affections are dead, even to the most excellent and fpiritual objects; and all their duties are dead duties, without life or fpirit. This is the fad cafe of the unregenerate world.

Inf. 2. This fpeaks encouragement to minifters and parents, to wait in hopes of fuccefs at last, even upon thofe that yet give them little hope of converfion at the prefent.

The work you fee is the Lord's; when the Spirit of life comes upon their dead fouls, they fhall believe, and be made willing;

May God free me from him who is a man only of one bufinefs. Bern.

till then, we do but plough upon the rocks: yet let not our hand flack in duty, pray for them, and plead with them; you know not in which prayer, or exhortation, the Spirit of life may breathe upon them. Can thefe dry bones live? Yes, if the Spirit of life from God breathe upon them, they can, and fhall live: what though their difpofitions be averfe to all things that are fpiritual and ferious, yet even fuch have been regenerated, when more sweet and promising natures have been paffed by, and left under spiritual death.

It was the observation of Mr Ward, upon his brother Mr Daniel Rogers, (who was a man of great gifts and eminent graces, yet of a very bad temper and constitution) Though my brother Rogers, faith he, hath grace enough for two inen, yet not half enough for himself.

It may be you have prayed and striven long with your relations and to little purpose, yet be not difcouraged. How often was Mr John Rogers, that famous and fuccefsful divine, a grief of heart to his relations in his younger years, proving a wild and lewd young man, to the great difcouragement of his pious friends; yet, at laft, the Lord graciously changed him, fo that Mr Richard Rogers would fay, when he could exercife the utmost degree of charity or hope, for any that at prefent were vile and naught, I will never defpair of any man for John Rogers' fake.

Inf. 4. How honourable are Chriftians by their new birth! "They "are born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the "will of man, but of God." John i. 13. i. e. not in an impure, or mere natural way, but in a moft fpiritual and fupernatural manner they are the offspring of God, the children of the Moft High, as well by regeneration as by adoption; which is the greateft advancement of the human nature, next to its hypoftatical union with the fecond perfon. Oh, what honour is this for a poor finful creature, to have the very life of God breathed into his foul! All other dignities of nature are trifles compared with this; this makes a Chriftian a facred hallowed thing, the living temple of God, 1 Cor. vi. 19. The fpecial object of his delight.

Inf. 4. How deplorable is the condition of the unregenerate world, in no better cafe than dead men? Now to affect our hearts with the mifery of fuch conditions, let us confider and compare it in the following particulars,

Firft, There is no beauty in the dead, all their loveliness goes away at death; there is no fpiritual beauty or loveliness in any that are unregenerate: It is true, many of them have excellent moral homilitical virtues, which adorn their converfations in the eyes of men; but what are all thefe, but fo many fweet flowers ftrewed over a dead corps?

Secondly, The dead have no pleasure nor delight; even fo the unregenerate are incapable of the delights of the Christian life: "To be fpiritually minded is life and peace," Rom. viii. 6. i. e. this is the only ferene, placid, and pleasant life: when the prodigal, who was once dead, was alive, then he began to be merry, Luke xv. 24. They live in fenfual pleasures, but this is to be dead while alive, in fcripture-reckoning.

Thirdly, The dead have no heat, they are as cold as clay; fo are all the unregenerate towards God and things above: their lufts are hot, but their affections to God cold and frozen: that which makes a gracious heart melt, will not make an unregenerate heart move.

Fourthly, The dead must be buried, Gen. xxiii. 4. "Bury my "dead out of my fight:" So must the unregenerate be buried out of God's fight for ever; buried in the lowest hell, in the place of darkness, for ever, John iii. 3. Wo to the unregenerate, good had it been for them had they never been born!

Infer. 5. How greatly are all men concerned to examine their condi tion with respect to fpiritual life and death! It is very common for men to prefume upon their union with, and intereft in Chrift. This privilege is, by common mistake, extended generally to all that profefs the Christian religion, and practise the external duties of it, when, in truth, no more are or can be united to Christ, than are quickened by the Spirit of life which is in Chrift Jefus, Rom. viii. 1, 2. O try your interest in Chrift by this rule, if I am quickened by Chrift, I have union with Chrift. And,

Firft, If there be spiritual sense in your fouls, there is spiritual life in them: there are anтngia, fenfes belonging to the spiritual as well as to the animal life, Heb. v. 14. They can feel and fenfibly groan under foul preffures and burdens of fin, Rom. vii. 24. The dead feel not, moan not under the burdens of fin, but the living do: they may be fenfible indeed of the evil of fin, with respect to themselves, but not as against God; damnation may fcare them, but pollution doth not; hell may fright them, but not the offending of God.

Secondly, If there be fpiritual hunger and thirst, it is a sweet sign. of fpiritual life; this fign agrees to Chriftians of a day old, 1 Pet. ü. 2. Even "new born babes defire the fincere milk of the word:" If fpiritual life be in you, you know how to expound that fcripture, Pfal. xlii. 1. without any other interpreter than your own experience: you will feel fomewhat like the gnawing of an empty ftomach making you reftless during the interruption of your daily communion with the Lord.

Thirdly, If there be fpiritual conflicts with fin, there is spiritual

• By prefuming they hope, and by hoping they perish. Ames.