Gospel-revelation in three treatises, viz, 1 The nature of God. 2 The excellencies of…

Eighthly, But further, That man or woman that hath not yet had such a change wrought by the power of the Spirit of God, as is a new birth, a resurrection from death, a new creation, that soul, if it now depart, would certainly perish. Certainly every one of you, as you come into the world, as you are by nature, your souls are in a lost estate, and in such a lost estate, as except the Lord make such a change in your heart, as is a new birth, by which you come to be born again; as is a new resurrection, by which you come to be raised from the dead; as is a new creation, by which you come to be a new Creature; certainly you perish; till this be wrought in your hearts by the power of the Spirit, you are in a perishing condition; there is nothing more plain than this in Scripture: You know what Christ saith to Nicodemus, Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a man be born again, ¹he cannot see the Kingdom of God; Therefore it is not enough that it may be thou livest somewhat better than heretofore thou hast done; It may be when thou ⟨p. 295⟩wert a young man, thou wert wanton, or unclean, and profane, and abroad in the fields, and in wicked houses on the Lords day, I but now thou hast more wisdom and understanding, and now thou dost not so, this is well, and good, and this is to be encouraged; I but what is this to such a mighty change as to be born again? If so be that your bodies had no other kind of soul than that that is of sense, and afterwards a rational soul should be put into it, what a mighty change would there be in that body? before they could only see, and hear, and feel, but now having a rational soul, they can understand, understand reason, understand the ways of men; this is a mighty change; and truly, there is as mighty a change when God puts a new life into the soul, and doth regenerate it, making it partaker of the divine Nature, and even to come to live the life of God, according as the Scripture phrase is: Now this must be in every soul that must be saved, and if the time be not come, that this regeneration is wrought, then certainly thy soul is yet in a perishing condition, God knows only what he doth intend to do hereafter, but for the present, thy soul, I say, is in a perishing condition: The first work that God made (that is, the work of Creation) by sin was quite spoiled;

Eighthly, But further, That man or woman that hath not yet had such a change wrought by the power of the Spirit of God, as is a new birth, a resurrection from death, a new creation, that soul, if it now depart, would certainly perish. Certainly every one of you, as you come into the world, as you are by nature, your souls are in a lost estate, and in such a lost estate, as except the Lord make such a change in your heart, as is a new birth, by which you come to bee born again; as is a new resurrection, by which you come to bee raised from the dead; as is a new creation, by which you come to bee a new Creature; certainly you perish; till this bee wrought in your hearts by the power of the Spirit, you are in a perishing condition; there is nothing more plain than this in Scripture: You know what Christ saith to Nicodemus, Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a man bee born again,