Vol 01 - Chapter 03 - Of the restoration by CHRIST,

Chapter 03 - Of the restoration by CHRIST
showing how man is renewed in him to life everlasting.
1. THE new-birth is a work of the Holy Ghost, whereby man, of a child of wrath and damnation, is made the child of grace and salvation, and of a sinner, is made righteous; so that his heart, with all the powers and faculties of his soul, more particularly the understanding, will, and affections are renewed, enlightened, and sanctified in CHRIST JESUS, and formed after his express likeness. And this change consists of two principal parts; the one, justification-the other, sanctification. Both which the apostle has thus excellently expressed, "The kindness and love of GOD toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to his mercy, saving us by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost," Titus 3:4-5.
2. So that the birth of every Christian man is two fold: The first birth is after the flesh; the second, after the Spirit;-the first from beneath, the second from above; the first natural and earthly, but the second supernatural and heavenly. The one is carnal, sinful, and accursed, as descending from the first Adam, after the similitude and image of the devil; but the other is spiritual, holy, and blessed, as descending from the second Adam, after the likeness and living representation of the Son of God. This is the " renewing of the’Holy Ghost," and the beginning of true sanctification, which follows the "washing of regeneration," by which is given the seal of justification. Thus, by this new and second birth, this blessed regeneration through CHRIST, the Seed and image of GOD is manifested in us, and the man of GOD, heavenly and like unto GOD, is produced.
3. Now, then, let us see how we are regenerated by CHRIST: Even as the old birth is propagated carnally from Adam, so the new spiritually from CHRIST, through the Word of God. " For we are born (says St. Peter,) not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of GOD, which lives and abides for ever." And thus blessed James, " He of his own will begat us by the Word of his faith, or by the Word of truth, that we should be a kind of first-fruits of his creatures." This Word produceth faith, which faith apprehends in like manner the Word-and in that Word is apprehended JESUS CHRIST, together with the Holy Ghost; and by that Ghostly virtue, force and efficacy, the man is born again, or regenerated. Briefly, regeneration is effected, first by the Holy Ghost, and this does CHRIST call, the being born of the Spirit:-secondly, by faith; whence it is said, " He that believeth that JESUS is the CHRIST, is born of GOD:"-thirdly, by baptism;* as it is also written, "Except a man be born again of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven."
4. By Adam man came by the chief evils, such as sin, wrath, death, hell, and damnation; for these all are the fruits of the old nature: but in CHRIST man recovers the chief goods,-such as righteousness, grace, blessing, power, heavenly life, and eternal salvation. From Adam man has a carnal spirit, and is subject to the dominion of wicked spirits; but from CHRIST he has the Holy Spirit, with his gifts, and a most quiet reign and peaceable kingdom. From Adam man has an haughty, swelling, proud spirit; but an humble, meek, and simple spirit from CHRIST. From Adam we receive an unbelieving spirit, yea, blasphemous also, and ungrateful; by faith in CHRIST, a believing spirit, faithful, acceptable and well pleasing unto God. From Adam, a disobedient, a fierce Baptism may be a means of regeneration, when an adult person, already penitent and believing in JESUS, is admitted to that ordinance, and a rash spirit is given us; but it is from CHRIST we take the spirit of obedience, gentleness, and of prudence, through faith in him. Again, from Adam we by nature possess the spirit of wrath, of revenge, and of murder; but from CHRIST, by faith, the spirit of longsuffering, mercifulness, forgiveness, and universal goodness. From Adam, man has a covetous heart, and a spirit that is churlish, seeking only his own profits, and catching at that which is another man's; but from CHRIST, the spirit of mercy, generosity, and liberality. Furthermore, from Adam does proceed the spirit of unchastity, and intemperance; from CHRIST, a chaste, clean, and temperate Spirit:-from Adam is communicated to man a lying spirit; from CHRIST, the spirit of truth and integrity. Lastly, from Adam we receive the spirit of the beasts, earthly and brutish; but from CHRIST, a spirit which is celestial and Divine; and for that cause it behooved CHRIST to take our nature on him, to the end he might be conceived by the Holy Ghost, and so abound with the same Spirit above measure, that of hisfulness we might all receive:-yea, for this very cause it was convenient that the Spirit of the Lord, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and fortitude, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of GOD, should rest upon him; that so the human nature, in him and by him, should be renewed; and that we, in him, and by him, and through him, might become new creatures, by receiving from him the spirit of wisdom, and understanding, for the spirit of foolishness and sottishness; the spirit of counsel for that of madness; the spirit of fortitude for a base and cowardly spirit; the spirit of knowledge, in the room of our natural and inbred_ blindness; and the spirit of the fear of the Lord,, instead of the spirit of impiety and atheism. Thus we are united in CHRIST-to life eternal; we are, after his likeness, regenerated by CHRIST, and become new creatures. And hence the works proceed which, by faith, may please God: for the works that please him must be all of the new birth; must all flow out of CHRIST, and of the Holy Ghost, and out of faith unfeigned.
5. See, now, and behold You, the most amiable, the most lowly, the most obedient, and the most patient JESUS, and learn you of him. Live even as he lived; live in him. For what was the cause he so lived That he might be thy example, and the rule of thy life. He, even he only, is the right rule of life. It is not the rule of any man whatsoever, or how holy soever is this rule, but the pattern of CHRIST only; which all his apostles and evangelists have, after him, with one consent, set before us for our imitation. This, this is what they did alone point at. And this is the mystical ground of his passion, death, and resurrection; even that You, O man, together with him, should die from thy sin: and again, in him, with him, and by him, rise spiritually, and " walk in newness of life, even as he walked."
6. Now, therefore, we see how our regeneration arises from the death and resurrection of our Lord JESUS CHRIST: whence St. Peter says, " GOD has begotten us again to a lively hope, by the resurrection of JESUS CHRIST from the dead." The holy apostles every where lay the foundation of repentance, and of the new life, in the passion. of CHRIST; particularly St. Peter and St. Paul: " For if we be dead with CHRIST," because he that is dead is justified from sin, we have then faith, (as the latter of these argueth,) " that we shall also live with him;" we " being dead unto sin, but alive unto GOD, through the life of CHRIST in us."
And therefore has the former likewise given this express charge, that we " pass the time of our sojourning here in fear; for, asmuch as we know we are not redeemed with corruptible gold and silver; but with the precious blood of CHRIST, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:" where you see the most precious ransom paid for our redemption, to be urged as the motive for our holy conversation. And St. Peter writeth afterward how "CHRIST his own self bare our sins in his own body on the cross, that we being dead to sin, should live unto righteousness, by whose stripes we are healed." And CHRIST also himself says, " Thus it behoved CHRIST to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remirsion of sins should be preached in his name."
7. By all which it is manifest, that from the death and resurrection of JESUS CHRIST does flow the Christian's true rule and pattern, and that thereby repentance and forgiveness of sins are best preached to us in his name. And so the passion of CHRIST is both the satisfaction for our sins, and also the renewing of our nature by faith; both which are required by GOD to the redemption and reparation of mankind;, because this last is the fruit, and the true efficacy of the passion of CHRIST, working in us the renovation of lapsed nature. This, to conclude, is the means whereby we are born again, born from above, and renewed in CHRIST: neither is the laver of regeneration any other thing, wherein we are baptized into the death of CHRIST, but the dying with CHRIST from our sins, by the efficacy of his precious death, and the rising from sin by the grace of his glorious resurrection.