Eighteen sermons preached in Oxford 1640 of conversion, unto God. Of redemption, & justification,…

3. The last mark is from the words of the Apostle, Neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but faith which worketh by love. Love and the new creature puts Gods children on work; their hearts are first altered and changed by being made new creatures. As the Scripture saith, his flesh is circumcised, he is a dead man; deadness argueth impotency of doing those things which a living man doth; he cannot walk, &c. The temporary will not sin for fear of after-claps,; but this man cannot sin, his heart is changed, he is dead to sin; we see how both abstain from sin, but the perusal and disposition is not alike. The temporary sinner perchance commits not the sin, but he could find in his heart to do it; he saith not with Joseph, How can I do this great wickedness and sin against my God? the other saith, I could do this evil well enough, but I will not. Thou canst not bear those that are evil, as in the Revel. Now he that is born of God cannot sin, there is that seed, that spring in him, that for his life he cannot sin, but it turns his heart from it; for his life he cannot tell how to swear, lye, &c. or join with others in wickedness; but this must be understood of the constant course of their lives; I speak not what they may do in afflictions, when they are surprised, but in the course of their lives, they commit sin as if they knew not how to do it; the ⟨p. 396⟩other doth it skilfully; these coblingly and bunglingly, they do it ill-favouredly; thus it is with a wicked man in doing a good work, he cobbles it up. Thy faith then must be a faith that worketh by love; canst thou do those good works thou doest out of love? then my soul for thine thou art saved. Get me any temporary that loves God, and I shall say something to you. Hast thou then a faith that causeth thee to love God, a working faith, and a faith that will not suffer thee to do any thing displeasing to him? if thou hast such a faith, thou art justified before God.

3. The last mark is from the words of the Apostle, Neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but faith which worketh by love. Love and the new creature puts Gods children on work; their hearts are first altered and changed by being made new creatures. As the Scripture saith, his flesh is circumcised, he is a dead man; deadnesse argueth impotency of doing those things which a living man doth; he cannot walk, &c. The temporary will not sinne for fear of after-claps,; but this man cannot sinne, his heart is changed, he is dead to sinne; we see how both abstain from sinne, but the perusal and disposition is not alike. The temporary sinner perchance commits not the sinne, but he could finde in his heart to do it; he saith not with Joseph, How can I do this great wickedness and sinne against my God? the other saith, I could do this evil well enough, but I will not. Thou canst not bear those that are evil, as in the Revel. Now he that is born of God cannot sin, there is that seed, that spring in him, that for his life he cannot sin, but it turns his heart from it; for his life he cannot tell how to swear, lye, &c. or joyn with others in wickednesse; but this must be understood of the constant course of their lives; I speak not what they may do in afflictions, when they are surprized, but in the course of their lives, they commit sinne as if they knew not how to do it; the