I. The Necessity. We must have another beginning, than we had as bare creatures; it is one thing to make us men, another to make us Saints or Christians. We have Understanding, Will, Affections and Senses as Men, but we have these san••••d as Christians: ⟨p. 142⟩The World thinketh Christianity puts strange names upon ordinary things, but is it an ordinary thing, to row against the stream of flesh and blood? and to raise men to those inclinations, and affections to which nature is an utter stranger? to have a Divine Nature put into us? 2 Pet. 1.4. the necessity is more bound upon us, if we look upon our selves not only as Men, but Christians: for whosoever is in Christ is a New Creature. Some are in Christ by external Profession, de jure, they are bound to be new Creatures, that they may not dishonour their Head. Others by real internal Union; they not only ought to be, but de facto are, new creatures, because they are made partakers of his Spirit, and by that Spirit are renewed and sanctified. Little can they make out their recovery to God and interest in Christ, who are not sensible of any change wrought in them, who have the old thoughts, the old discourses, the old passions, and the old affections, and their old conversations still: The same deadness to holy things, the same proneness to please the flesh, the same carelessness to please or honour God; and the drift and bent of their lives is as much for the world, and as little for God and heaven as before.
I. The Necessity. We must have another beginning, than we had as bare creatures; it is one thing to make us men, another to make us Saints or Christians. We have Understanding, Will, Affections and Senses as Men, but we have these san••••d as Christians: ⟨p. 142⟩The World thinketh Christianity puts strange names upon ordinary things, but is it an ordinary thing, to row against the stream of flesh and blood? and to raise men to those inclinations, and affections to which nature is an utter stranger? to have a Divine Nature put into us? 2 Pet. 1.4. the necessity is more bound upon us, if we look upon our selves not onely as Men, but Christians: for whosoever is in Christ is a New Creature. Some are in Christ by external Profession, de jure, they are bound to be new Creatures, that they may not dishonour their Head. Others by real internal Union; they not onely ought to be, but de facto are, new creatures, because they are made partakers of his Spirit, and by that Spirit are renewed and sanctified. Little can they make out their recovery to God and interest in Christ, who are not sensible of any change wrought in them, who have the old thoughts, the old discourses, the old passions, and the old affections, and their old conversations still: The same deadness to holy things, the same proneness to please the flesh, the same carelessness to please or honour God; and the drift and bent of their lives is as much for the world, and as little for God and heaven as before.
