Let us but digest and state the case aright in our own | know it not, yet because it is possible, we ought no otherthoughts. Admit we are praying with great ardency, on wise to deprecate such a procedure against us, than as the behalf of a people to which we are related, and who will consist with that possibility. To pray otherwise, if are also related to God. It can scarce be thought we are we make no mention of his name, is absurd presumption, more concerned for them than for ourselves; or that we that we should wish or imagine he will prefer any conlove them more than we do ourselves. Our love to our-cernments of ours, to the steady order and decorum of his selves is the usual measure of our love to others. And that own government. But if we do make mention of it, 'tis is higher in the same kind, which is the measure of all a more absurd hypocrisy to seem concerned for his name besides, that belongs to that kind. When therefore we are when we intend only our own external advantages! as if much concerned for the external felicity of such a people, we thought he that could answer our prayers, could not it is very natural to be more deeply concerned for our own. understand them. 'Tis surely very unbecoming creatures Now if the sense of our hearts, in such a prayer, will not to bear themselves so towards the God that made them. agree with the true import of these words, " for thy name's 2. Consider, that to have a sense in our hearts truly sake;" because indeed, we are more concerned for our agreeable to the proper meaning of this argument, for thy own carnal peace, ease, and accommodation than we are name's sake, is very suitable to the state of returning for the name of God; let us, that we may have the matter creatures, who are gathering themselves back to God, out more clearly in view, put our request into such words, as of the common apostacy wherein all were engaged and wherewith the sense of our hearts will truly agree, and combined against that great Lord and Ruler of the world. will it not be thus, "Lord, whatever becomes of thy name, In that defection every one did principally mind and set let nothing be done that shall be grievous, and disquieting up for himself. Each one would be a God to himself, to my flesh;" which is as much as to say, Quit thy throne but all were, by consequence, against God. Whom to be to it, resign thy government, abandon all thy great in- for, they were divided, and of as many minds as there terests for the service and gratification of this animated were men. Whom to be against, they were agreed, as if clod of clay; and do we not now begin to blush at our their common Lord was the common enemy. For his inown prayer? We easily slide over such a matter as this, terest and theirs were opposite and irreconcileable. They while our sense is more latent, and not distinctly reflected were sunk and lost in sensuality, and had no other inon, but let us have it before us conceptis verbis; let it ap- terest than that of their flesh. When man hath made pear with its own natural face and look; and now see what himself a brute, he then thinks himself fittest to be a god. horror and detestableness it carries with it! And dare we The interest of our souls must unite us with him; that of now put up so treasonable a prayer? It would puzzle all our flesh engages us against him. Some are through the our arithmetic, to assign the quota pars, or the proportional power of his grace returning. What a pleasure would it part, any of us is of the universe, or the whole creation of be to us to behold ourselves among the reducers! those God! And do I think it fit that the heavens should roll for that are upon their return; that are again taking the me? or all the mighty wheels of providence move only Lord only to be their God, and his interest for their only with regard to my convenience? If a worm in your gar- interest! den were capable of thought, and because it is permitted to crawl there, should think, this garden was made for me, and every thing in it ought to be ordered for my accommodation and pleasure, would you not wonder that such insolence, and a disposition to think so extravagantly, should be in conjunction with the thinking power or an ability to think at all. If we allow ourselves in that far greater (infinitely more unbeseeming and disproportionable) petulancy, do we think when the roller comes it will scruple to crush us, or have regard to our immodest, pretenceless claim? Let us consider what little, minute things, how next to nothing we are, even compared with all the rest of the world; what are we when compared with the Maker and Lord of it, in comparison of whom, the whole is but as the drop of a bucket, or the small dust of the balance, lighter than nothing, and vanity! We should more contemplate ourselves in such a comparison; many comparing themselves with themselves are not wise. While we confine and limit our eye only to ourselves, we seem great things, fancy ourselves very considerable. But what am I? What is my single personality, ipseity, self-hood, (call it what you will,) to him who is the all in all? whose being (actually or radically) comprehends all being, all that I can conceive, and the infinitely greater all that I cannot. If therefore I take in with myself the whole body of a people besides, that I am concerned for, and admit that a generous love to my country should make me prefer their concernments to my own; or that upon a higher account, as they are a people related to God, I could even lay down my life for them. What are we all, and all our interests, to that of his name? And if we should all agree in a desire, that our interest should be served upon the dishonour of that name, it were but a treasonable conspiracy against our common, rightful Lord. And a foolish one, being expressed in a prayer; as if we thought to engage him, by our faint breath, against himWe are to desire no more for them, than they may for themselves. And if we have joined in open sinning against him, to that height that he shall judge he is obliged for the vindication and honour of his name, (by which we have been called,) of his wisdom, holiness, and punitive justice, as openly to animadvert upon us, can we gainsay? If we know of such a judgment nothing could remain for us but shame and silence, conviction of ill desert, and patient bearing the punishment of our sin. And while we

self.

3. Consider that our very name, as we are Christians, obliges us to be of that obedient, happy number. For what is Christianity but the tendency of souls towards God, through the mediation and under the conduct of Christ? Therefore is the initial precept of it, and the condition of our entrance into that blessed state, self-denial. We answer not our own name, further than as we are revolving and rolling back out of our single and separate state, into our original most natural state of subordination to God, wherein only we are capable of union with him, and final blessedness in him. This is discipleship to Christ, and the design of the Christian religion, to be subdued in our spirits, and wrought down into compliance with the Divine will; to be meek, lowly, humble, patient, ready to take up the cross, to bear any thing, lose any thing, be any thing, or be nothing, that God may be all in all. This is our conformity, not to the precepts only but to the example too, of our great Lord. Who when he was in the form of God, and thought it not robbery to be equal with God; made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of man; and being found in fashion as a man, humbled himself and become obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, Phil. ii. 6, 7, 8. And hereupon, because he was so entirely devoted to the honour and service of God's great name, (Father, glorify thy name, summed up his desires,) therefore God highly exalted him, and gave him a name above every name, that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, &c. ver. 9, 10. And whenever he shall have a church in the world, that he will think it fit to own with visible, unintermitted favours, it must consist of persons formed according to that pattern. And then, by losing their own name and little interests for God's, they will find all recovered, when their glorious Redeemer shall write upon them the name of his God, and the name of the city of his God, and his own new name, Rev. iii. 12.

4. Let it be further (in the last place) considered, with what cheerfulness and confidence we may then pray; when our hearts are wrought to the pitch, that we sincerely design the honour of the Divine name as the most desirable thing, and which name above all things we covet to have glorified. For we are sure of being heard, and to have the same answer which was given our Lord by a voice like that of thunder from heaven, when he prayed,

Ir was apprehended the entire thoughts of this great man, upon so important a subject, might be very useful to the world, and acceptable to many; and though they are only a specimen of his ordinary course of preaching, without any finishing hand, or further design, or perhaps, always his ripest thoughts; yet they carry the lively signatures of the admirable genius, and excellent spirit, which always appeared in his composures, and rendered them so peculiarly fit to instruct and impress the minds of men. Whosoever considers the compass and variety of the matter, the thread and connexion of the thoughts, the striking imagery, and the pertinence and pungency of the expression, will see reason to admire the vast capacity of the author, and be easily disposed to forgive any lesser neglects and escapes; especially when he only proposed to speak familiarly and without any written notes, and allowed himself a liberty in expressing the well digested and disposed conceptions of his mind.

It will be necessary for your satisfaction, as well as the reader's, to assure you, that the same care has been taken, and the same method observed, in reviewing and transcribing this part of the subject, as was used in the other; as the manuscript was writ by the same skilful and diligent hand.

The intimacy of a long friendship, and mutual respect, the endearments of the nearest relation, for several of the latter years of his life; the high honour you always paid him, and the singular value he expressed for you, living and dying; give you the best title to these two volumes of posthumous discourses of the Spirit, and of Family Prayer; and to any respect we are capable of showing you. We believe the noble argument, as well as the excellent author, will be peculiarly acceptable and delightful to you, who were so well acquainted with his spirit and preaching; and may contribute to a well-grounded peace of mind in a clearer discerning of a regenerate state; and to your daily walking in the Spirit, and improvement in the spiritual life.

This is the sincere desire of,
Honoured Madam,

Your respectful humble servants,

Goodman's-Fields,

July 9, 1726.

W. HARRIS,
JOHN EVANS.

SERMON I.*

John iii. 6, latter part.

That which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

fountains of evil and good, unto the children of men, according as the one or the other hath place in them. The whole verse presents us with a view of both; "that which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit ;" though I am to insist, as my design requires, only upon the latter. Some perhaps, taking some notice, that there is a universal death reigning over this THE apostle represents the different states of men,accord- world, by reason of that carnality which hath spread itself ing to the different temper of their minds, as they are either through it; may be prone to inquire, From whence is it, carnal or spiritual; the misery and deadliness of the that so prevailing a carnality should so mortally have taintformer; Rom. viii. that "to be carnally minded is death:"ed the spirits of men every where? And this our Lord the life and peace which is involved in the other; that "to be spiritually minded is life and peace." We are presented in this text with a view of the two great fountains of that carnality and spirituality, which are themselves so great

* Preached November 25th, 1677, at Cordwainer's Hall.

gives no other account of, and only resolves the matter into ordinary human propagation; "that which is born of the flesh is flesh." His account is not such as seems to aim at gratifying the curious, but such as wherein the

:

ly Ghost, and is attributed and ascribed to it, to produce spirit, and bring forth such a thing as spirit in them who appertain to God, and are in purpose, and shall be actually, taken into communion and participation with him. For if we refer this verse to the foregoing verses of the chapter, we find our Saviour designedly insists upon this argument of regeneration; and doth not only discover to us that there is such a thing, but gives some account wherein it doth consist, or what kind of work it is; and represents the indispensable necessity of it to any man's entrance into the kingdom of God, i. e. his coming into it, or seeing and having any part in it. And so the truth which we shall recommend to you, as both answering the text and our present purpose, is, that there is a work to be done upon whomsoever shall be taken into the kingdom of God, by his own blessed Spirit, whereby they are to be created, or begotten, spirit of that Spirit. We have three things before us which require our consideration, in order to the more distinct and clear notion of it.

sounder mind might very well be expected to acquiesce. | forth so much in general, as that it doth belong to the Ho It being taken for granted, that the higher original of human nature was very well understood and known; it might seem a sufficient account of the original of that corruption, which is now connate with the nature of man, that from apostate creatures, such as were like themselves have descended, and what is born of the flesh, is nothing else but flesh it being manifest that our Saviour intends to comprehend under that name, with the nature of man, the corruption which is now adhering to it. But serious and awakened inquiries would not surcease here, though they were never so well satisfied thus far; but at least having gotten an intimation that there is a design on foot, for the restoring of life and peace among men, who were universally sunk into carnality, earthliness and death; they would carry the inquiry further: i. e. In what way this is ever to be brought to pass; by whom it is to be effected; what course is to be taken to bring about so happy and glorious a change, with any of this wretched and forlorn world? At least they would take notice that here and there is a renewed spirituality appearing, and putting forth itself open to view; though there is too little of it, the Lord knows. Why, whence is it, how comes it to pass, that here and there we can perceive spirit and life flourishing afresh in the world, which was so universally over-run with carnality and death? This matter our Lord gives an account of in the words which I have designed more especially to consider; and resolves it wholly into a spiritual production. This is owing to nothing else but the Spirit, or a new kind of creation, and generation: the Spirit of the living God has taken the matter into his own hands, to recover and revive and raise up life and spirit out of this wretched world, which is so lost and buried in flesh and sin. What is born of the Spirit is spirit; if there is any such thing as spirit, any thing worthy of that name to be found now among men, that spirit is not of man, but the production of the Eternal, Almighty Spirit.

And certainly to such whose hearts are deeply and thoroughly concerned about a matter of this consequence, this of our Lord here cannot but be a very grateful discovery, and carry with it a very pleasant and joyful sound; that there is so great and mighty an undertaker, who is engaged in this affair, thus to retrieve things among men, and make life and spirit spring up in this world, so universally under the dominion of death. Nor can it be more grateful to some than it is certainly necessary to all; and we may wonder that it should not be more generally apprehended so, and that more eyes are not looking wishly round about. What, is there no deliverer; no one to undertake? Is there no one suitable to such an undertaking as this; or who will engage in it? to repair the ruins of perishing flesh, and restore the life of God among men, who were alienated from the life of God? But, alas! instead of such solicitous inquiries, it appears, we are fallen into an age, wherein some deny, and others deride, and most utterly disregard, the operations of the blessed and glorious Spirit of God, for such purposes. There are multitudes to whom the mention of such a thing is matter of laughter. What, to have the Spirit! for men to talk of having the Spirit!-And there are a great many more, we have reason to suppose, who do as little concern themselves, whether they ever are the subject of such operations of this Spirit, as if they were yet to learn, or had never heard, whether there were any Holy Ghost: as is said concerning some, Acts xix. 2.

It is therefore my design and purpose from sundry texts of Scripture, which may successively suit our purpose, to assert unto you the office of the Holy Ghost, in reference to the refining the spirit of men, and restoring the life of God among them; to show that such a work is attributed to it; to let you see the necessity of so great an undertaker for this work, and his abundant sufficiency for it; to show you by whose procurement, and for whose sake, and in whose name, it is employed and set on work; and in what way, and through what dispensation, it is communicated, and by what methods, and steps, and degrees, it carries on this work upon the spirits of the elect of God, till having brought them to sow to the Spirit, they do at length of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

The scripture which I have now read doth plainly hold

I. The effect to be wrought, or produced; which is here called by the name of the spirit.

II. The author or productive canse of this great effect; it is called with an emphasis, the Spirit. III. The way or manner of production; and that is said to be by begetting, or being born; for so 'tis indifferently rendered.

I. We are to consider the product or the effect wrought, and that is defined by the name spirit; what is born of begotten of the Spirit, is spirit. It is needful to give some account here what we are not to understand by it, and then what we are.

1. It is very manifest we are not to understand by it the natural spirit of a man; for our Saviour is not speaking here of bringing men into the world, but bringing them into the church: he is not speaking of such a sort of begetting whereby men are produced, but Christians. Nor is it a distinct substance from that, or another substance diverse from the spirit of a man; for then a regenerate person and an unregenerate, the same person in his unregenerate and in his regenerate state, would substantially differ from himself; and that you may easily apprehend how absurd it would be. But,

2. As to the reason of the name, and the more general import of it; by spirit we are to understand something spiritual, and which is of a spiritual nature; the abstract being put for the concrete, which is a very ordinary elegance in the Scripture; as well as it is many times in a contrary sense: You were darkness, but now ye are light in the Lord, Eph. v. 8. The name is no more intended to hold forth to us, spirit,considered under a merely natural notion, without any adjunct, than flesh is intended to signify without any adjunct, and only in a merely natural sense. The thing which in general is intended to be held forth to us by this name, is that frame of holiness, which is inwrought in souls by the Spirit of God in regeneration; and which because it is a spiritual production, most agreeable to its productive cause, is therefore called here by the name of spirit. It is something which is many times in Scripture held forth to us by such other names as these: sometimes 'tis called simply by the name of light; "Now are ye light in the Lord;" as if this product were nothing else but a beam of vigorous vital light, darted down from heaven into the hearts of men. Sometimes it is called by the name of life; that is used, 'tis true, as an expression of a larger extent than for the internal work of the Spiri, but it comprehends that too; "Ye will not come unto me that ye might have life," John v. 45. Many times 'tis so used as that the circumstances of the place do determine it more limitedly, to that peculiar sense. 'Tis sometimes expressed by the seed of God, an incorruptibie seed which is put into the souls of men, 1 Pet. i. 23. 1 John iii. 8, 9, 10. Sometimes 'tis called the new creature: In Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumci sion, but a new creature, Gal. vi. 15. If any man is in Christ he is a new creature. It is very usual to speak of the effect, and the operation too, by which that effect is wrought; the former under the name of creature, the lat ter under the name of creation; as here it is spoken of as a thing begotten; and the causative action, under the

name of begetting. It is sometimes called the new man; the image of God; and God's workmanship. These different forms of expression, and if there are any more which are not in my thoughts, which are parallel to these, are only intended to signify one and the same thing and what is here signified by the name of spirit.

But to give you somewhat a more particular account of this thing, this being, this creature, which is here signified by the name of spirit. Of this we have said it is not a distinct substance from the spirit of a man, and yet we must know concerning it in the

1. place, That'tis a distinct thing; or something, though not of another substance, which is yet superadded to the spirit of a man: and which the spirit of a man, considered according to its mere naturals, is destitute of; and which therefore lies without the whole sphere and compass of mere nature, or any of the improvements thereof. It is spoken of in the Scripture as a thing put on: Put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness, Col. iv. 10. There is something put off, and laid away; the old man, with his deeds. This shows it to be an adjunct, or a thing superadded to us; which is not only out of the compass of our natures, but is no more to be conceived as comprehended in that state, than a man's clothes which he puts on are comprehended in the notion of his body. And in that it is called a new thing, as the new creature and the new man; it shows it to be an additional thing. 2. Though it is diverse and distinct from the spirit of a man; yet it is a most intimately inherent thing, and is most closely united, wherever it comes to obtain and take place. It is a spirit which gets into a man's spirit, a spirit put into spirit. That you may be renewed in the spirit of your minds, Eph. iv. 23. Create in me a clean heart, renew a right spirit within me, Ps. li. 10. It is the Divine Spirit which is the formal renovating principle by which we are renewed; and our former natural spirit is the subject of it. And 'tis a thing which most inwardly seats and centres itself in a man's soul, and takes possession of his inmost soul, which is called the spirit of the mind; and which we must conceive to be to the soul, as the heart is to the body, so very inward and middle a part, and upon the account of which analogy it is that the name of heart is so often transferred thither to signify the inward part, or the very innermost of the inner man. There it is that the spirit doth most intimately inhere and reside. 'Tis not a thing which lies in the surface of a man, or consists in outward forms, or empty shows, or fruitless talk; but it is something which is got into a man's heart, and hath insinuated and conveyed itself there.

thing; like putting some spirits into that water which changes the colour and quality of it.

4. Tis universally diffused in its subject, as it is in its nature alterative of it. 'Tis a thing universally diffused through the whole subject wherein it comes; whence it is that the operation also is universal, and it makes a thorough change. They are very comprehensive expressions which the apostle uses concerning holiness or sanctification, (1 Thess. v. 23.) where he prays on the behalf of the Thessalonians, that God would sanctify them wholly, or throughout, that is, in their whole spirit, soul, and body: he distinguishes these; probably meaning by the former, the soul as rational; by the second, the soul as sensitive; and by the third, the corporeal body. It is plain this same created, begotten spirit, being designed to repair what was impaired by sin, must take place and spread itself as far as sin had done. That had vitiated and depraved the whole man, and is therefore called, a man; the old man; as having extended itself to all the powers, and faculties, and all the parts of a man: 'tis a man in a man. This spirit therefore is to be a man in a man too, and must spread into all the same powers and parts which the former had done, and make a new man. Though it is true indeed, that the intelligent soul of man can only be formally the subject of this change, yet sin is by a sort of participation in the sensitive soul, and in the external senses and parts of the body; and so must grace or holiness too. 'Tis strange rhetoric the apostle uses in that collection of passages which we find in Rom. iii. from 10, onward, out of certain places of the Old Testament. The apostle designs to represent not only how universally sin had spread itself among all men, but how it had spread itself through the whole of every man: as if they were so very full of sin, and so under the possession and power of it, that they belched it out of their throats, and through their lips; acted it with their hands; and made haste to it with their feet: Their throat is an open sepulchre, with their tongues they have used deceit, the poison of asps is under their lips, their feet are swift to shed blood, destruction and misery are in their ways. They do nothing but work mischief wherever they come. Why, according to this same spreading and diffusion of sin, which is here called flesh; so must be that of the spirit too, enthroning itself in the very inwards of the soul, and having its residence there; whilst thence it diffuses its energy and vital influence through all the parts and powers of the man, and leavens the whole lump. Both sin and holiness are represented to us upon the account of their diffusive nature, by a metaphor of the same kind; by the apostle, 1 Cor. v. 6. and by our Saviour, Matt. xiii. 31.

3. It is alterative of its subject, or of that nature to which it is adjoined. It is so in it, as to make a very great altera- 5. He must understand it to be a most excellent thing; tion within, and to work a change where it comes; as of a very high and great excellence, which is here called leaven, to which this very thing is compared by our Lord spirit. 'Tis a most pure essence, and noble production, which he here calls spirit, hath in it that fermentative vir- agreeable to its productive cause. How vain a thing is all tue, by which it strangely alters the lump into which it is this material world, if you abstract and sever spirit from it! put, and whereto it is adjoined. It is incredible, according What a sluggish dull lump were all this mass of earth, to the accounts the chemists give, how very little and mi- and all the matter of the world, without spirit! If you nute a portion shall quite alter and transform the mass into could imagine such a distinct thing as a spirit of nature, which it is put, so as to make it quite another thing. Such and we know there are operations which some call by that a thing is this begotten spirit, it is alterative of its subject; name, which in Scripture are simply ascribed to this same and when it gets within a man, it makes him quite another Spirit who is here spoken of under the name of the Spirit. thing from what he was. If any man be in Christ he is a The great Almighty Spirit of God, in the creation of the new creature; or which is all one, there is a new creature world, did move upon the waters; and in the continual in him. Sometimes the whole man is spoken of as the sustentation, direction, and government of the creatures, it subject of this production, and we are said to be new crea- hath its agency: Thou sendest forth thy Spirit, they are tures, and the new creation is spoken of as being in us. created, and thou renewest the face of the earth, Psal. civ. It only carries this signification with it, that when a man 30. If we should conceive no such thing as spirit to inis said to be begotten or regenerated, it is only said to be fluence this same material world, what a heap would it so secundum quid, or in this peculiar respect; as having soon be! As a house would in time become, only much such a thing of new production now put into him. It is sooner, which should never have any inhabitant, or any such a great change which is made, as that all things body to reside there; for the influence of an inhabitant is which were old, are said to be done away, and all that re- not so much to keep the house up, as this Almighty Spirit mains to be made new, 2 Cor. v. 17. This is nothing else is to keep up the frame of nature, and continue things in but the same Spirit which is got into the heart of a man, the course and order wherein they naturally were. Upon and makes its subject new; that is, to become a new heart this account, many of the more refined philosophers have and a right spirit, where it comes to obtain. 'Tis not so made it very much their business, to speak debasingly and with every thing which is put into another, or whereof diminishingly of man, and to represent him as a despicable another thing is contained; you may put water into a bathing; that is, the mere body or matter separate from sin, and it alters it nothing; but this is such a thing which spirit: which plainly carries this signification with it, that alters that which it is put into, and makes it quite another spirit was, in their account, a most excellent sort and kind