The door of salvation opened by the key of regeneration

Now Reader having given thee some motives to quicken thee to try thy soul, I shall lay down the marks, and bring thee to the test. And they shall be taken from the nature and effects of regeneration.

Now Reader having given thee some motives to quicken thee to try thy soul, I shall lay down the markes, and bring thee to the test. And they shall be taken from the nature and effects of regeneration.

First, examine thine heart by the nature of this true holiness. Now there are two things in the nature of this new creature. In every birth there is Generatio unius & corruptio alterius, saith the Philosopher, something generated and something destroyed; so in this new birth there is the production of grace, and the destruction of vice; the life of righteousness, and the death of sin; the setting up of the Ark, and the throwing down of Dagon. The sinfulness of our souls by our first births, consisteth in their aversion from God and good, and in their conversion to the evil one, and evil; in having the image of Satan imprinted on them, and the image of God blotted out of them. The sanctity of our souls by their second births, consisteth in their conversion to God, and their aversion from sin, in having the image of the Devil razed out of them, and the image of the Saviour stamped on them. As we have born the image of the earthly, so we must bear the image of the heavenly. And these two parts of the good part, are like two Buckets in a Well, ⟨p. 153⟩as the one (namely the interest of God) cometh up, the other (namely the interest of sin and Satan) goeth down; the higher the Sun getteth, the more still it scattereth the darkness.

First, examine thine heart by the nature of this true holiness. Now there are two things in the nature of this new creature. In every birth there is Generatio unius & corruptio alterius, saith the Philosopher, something generated and something destroyed; so in this new birth there is the production of grace, and the destruction of vice; the life of righteousness, and the death of sin; the setting up of the Arke, and the throwing down of Dagon. The sinfullness of our souls by our first births, consisteth in their aversion from God and good, and in their conversion to the evil one, and evil; in having the image of Satan imprinted on them, and the image of God blotted out of them. The sanctity of our souls by their second births, consisteth in their conversion to God, and their aversion from sin, in having the image of the Devil razed out of them, and the image of the Saviour stamped on them. As we have born the image of the earthly, so we must bear the image of the heavenly. And these two parts of the good part, are like two Buckets in a Well,