The new birthThe nevv birth

Reason. 2 ¹The second follows, taken from the purity of Gods nature. The Lord is a God of pure eyes, and can abide none iniquity, yea the wicked and the workers of iniquity his soul hateth. He is as contrary to sin, as heat to cold, as light to darkness, as any two contrary things in the world can be imagined to be contrary, and a great deal more too. For other things are contrary each to other alone in regard of their qualities. But the very nature, substance, and being of God, is contrary to sin. For sin is a taxie, disorder, confusion, a not being; and God is order, perfection, holiness, an absolute, and a simple being. For holiness in God is not an accident, but his very essence is holiness, and he is after an inconceivable and incomprehensible manner, infinitely, and essentially, good, holy, and pure. Wherefore there can be no reconciliation, nor union, betwixt him and the sinner, till the sinfulness of the sinner be removed, and the image of God be formed and imprinted in him a fresh. Even as the poison of an Adder is contrary to the nature of a man, and the venom of a Toad extremely opposite to his life: and therefore no force can compel, no wages hire, no Rhetoric persuade, no persuasion induce him, to lodge a Toad, or Serpent, in his bosom; so is it impossible that the most holy, pure, righteous, perfect essence of God, should admit into a society of grace and glory with him, the impure, filthy, loathsome, toadlike, serpentine nature of man. For though the infinite perfection & excellency of Gods nature be such, that he cannot receive any hurt or indamagement from sin; as a man is hurt by the poison of a poysonfull creature: yet still withal, such is his excellency, and the infiniteness of his power and goodness, that he cannot ⟨p. 11⟩but remove far and far from himself, all things whatsoever that are contrary unto himself. What fellowship can there be betwixt light & darkness? God and wickedness? How can things absolutely and essentially contrary, be joined together in one? Seeing God is perfectly holy, and man (if we may use that epithet in this matter) perfectly sinful; either God must become sinful like to man, or man holy like to God, or else there can be no gracious union and communion betwixt man and God.

Reason. 2 ¹The second followes, taken from the puritie of Gods nature. The Lord is a God of pure eyes, and can abide none iniquitie, yea the wicked and the workers of iniquitie his soule hateth. Hee is as contrary to sinne, as heate to colde, as light to darknesse, as any two contrarie things in the world can be imagined to be contrarie, and a great deale more too. For other things are contrary each to other alone in regard of their qualities. But the very nature, substance, and being of God, is contrary to sinne. For sinne is a taxie, disorder, confusion, a not being; and God is order, perfection, holinesse, an absolute, and a simple being. For holinesse in God is not an accident, but his very essence is holinesse, and he is after an inconceiueable and incomprehensible manner, infinitly, and essentially, good, holy, and pure. Wherefore there can be no reconciliation, nor vnion, betwixt him and the sinner, till the sinfulnes of the sinner be remoued, and the image of God be formed and imprinted in him a fresh. Euen as the poison of an Adder is contrary to the nature of a man, and the venome of a Toade extreamly opposite to his life: and therefore no force can compell, no wages hire, no Rhetorique perswade, no perswasion induce him, to lodge a Toade, or Serpent, in his bosome; so is it impossible that the most holy, pure, righteous, perfect essence of God, should admit into a societie of grace and glorie with him, the impure, filthie, loathsome, toadlike, serpentine nature of man. For though the infinit perfection & excellencie of Gods nature be such, that he cannot receiue any hurt or indamagemēt from sin; as a man is hurt by the poyson of a poysonfull creature: yet still withal, such is his excellencie, and the infinitnes of his power and goodnesse, that he cannot