when there was no dawning in him; as the word is, Isa. viii. 20. while as yet the day of grace was not broken with him. 4. He is enlightened in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, 1 Cor. i. 3, 24. "But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; but unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God, and the wisdom of God." The truth is, unregenerate men, though capable of preaching Christ, have not (properly speaking) the knowledge of him, but only an opinion, a good opinion of him; as one has of many controverted points of doctrine, wherein he is far from certainty. As when ye meet with a stranger upon the road, he behaving himself discreetly, ye conceive a good opinion of him; and, therefore, willingly converse with him; but yet ye will not commit your money to him; because, though you have a good opinion of the man, he is a stranger to you; ye do not know him. So many they think well of Christ, but they will never commit themselves to him; seeing they know him not. But saving illumination carries the soul beyond opinion, to the certain knowledge of Christ and his excellency, 1 Thes. i. 5. "For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance." The light of grace thus discovers the suitableness of the mystery of Christ, to the divine perfections, and to the sinner's case. Hence the regenerate admire the glorious plan of salvation through Christ crucified, lay their whole weight upon it, and heartily acquiesce therein; for whatever he be to others, he is to them Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. But unrenewed men, not seeing this, are offended in him; they will not venture their souls in that bottom, but betake themselves to the broken boards of their own righteousness. The same light convincingly discovers a superlative worth, a transcendent glory and excellency in Christ; which darken all created excellencies, as the rising sun makes the stars to hide their heads; and so engages the merchant-man to sell all that he hath, to buy the one pearl of great price, Matth. xiii. 45, 46. makes the soul well content to take Christ for all, and instead of all. Even as an unskilful merchant, to whom one offereth a pearl of great price, for all his petty wares, it 22 dares not venture on the bargain; for though he thinks, that one pearl may be more worth than all he has, yet he is not sure of it; but when a jeweller comes to him, and assures him it is worth double all his wares, he then greedily embraceth the bargain, and chearfully parts with all that he has for that pearl. Finally, This illumination in the knowledge of Christ convincingly discovereth to men a fulness in him, sufficient for the supply of all their wants; enough to satisfy the boundless desires of an immortal soul. They are persuaded such fulness is in him, and that in order to be communicated, they depend upon it, as a certain truth; and, therefore, their souls take up their eternal rest in him. 4. The man is instructed in the knowledge of the vanity of the world, Psal. cxix. 96. "I have seen an end of all perfection." Regenerating grace elevates the soul, sets it, as it were, amongst the stars, from whence this earth cannot but appear a little, yea, a very little thing; even as heaven appeared before, while the soul was immersed in the earth. Grace brings a man into a new world; while this world is reputed but a stage of vanity, an howling wilderness, a valley of tears. God hath hung the sign of vanity at the door of all created enjoyments; yet how do men throng into the house, calling and looking for somewhat that is satisfying; even after it has been a thousand times told them, there is no such thing in it, it is not to be got there, Isa. lvi. 10. "Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy ways; yet saidst thou not, There is no hope." Why are men so foolish? The truth of the matter lies here, they do not see by the light of grace, they do not spiritually discern, that sign of vanity. They have often indeed made a rational discovery of it; but can that truly wean the heart from the world? Nay, no more than painted fire can burn off the prisoner's bands. But the light of grace is the light of life, powerful and efficacious. Lastly, (To sum up all in one word,) In regeneration the mind is enlightened in the knowledge of spiritual things, 1 John ii. 20. "Ye have an unction from the Holy one," (that is, from Jesus Christ, Rev. iii. 18. It is an allusion to the sanctuary, whence the holy oil was brought to anoint the priests,) " and ye know all things," viz. necessary to salvation. Though men be not book learned, if they be born again, they are Spirit-learned; for all such are taught of God, John vi. 45. The Spirit of regeneration teacheth them what they knew not before; and what they did know, as by the ear only, he teacheth them over again, as by the eye. The light of grace is an overcoming light, determining men to assent to divine truths on the mere testimony of God. It is no easy thing for the mind of man to acquiesce in divine revelation. Many pretend great respect to the scriptures; whom, nevertheless, the clear scripture testimony will not divorce from their preconceived opinions. But this illumination will make mens minds run, as captives, after Christ's chariot wheels; which, for their part, shall be allowed to drive over, and cast down their own imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, 2 Cor. x. 5. It will make them receive the kingdom of God as a little child, Mark x. 15. who thinks he has sufficient ground to believe any thing, if his father do but say it is so. Secondly, The will is renewed. The Lord takes away the stony heart, and gives a heart of flesh, Ezek. xxxvi. 26. And so, of stones raiseth up children to Abraham. Regenerating grace is powerful and efficacious, and gives the will a new set. It does not indeed force it; but sweetly, yet powerfully draws it, so that his people are willing in the day of his power, Psal. cx. 3. There is heavenly oratory in the Mediator's' lips, to persuade sinners, Psal. xlv. 2. "Grace is poured into thy lips." There are cords of a man, and bands of love, in his hands, to draw them after him, Hos. xi. 4. Love makes a net for elect souls, which will infallibly catch them, and hail them to land. The cords of Christ's love are strong cords; and they need to be so; for every sinner is heavier than a mountain of brass; and Satan, together with the heart itself, draw the contrary way. But love is strong as death; and the Lord's love to the soul he died for is strongest love; which acts so powerfully, that it must come off victorious. 1. The will is cured of its utter inability to will what is good. While the opening of the prison to them that are bound is proclaimed in the gospel, the Spirit of God comes to the prison door, opens it, goes to the prisoner, and by the power of his grace makes his chains fall off; breaks the bond of iniquity, wherewith he was held in sin, so as he could neither will nor do any thing truly good; brings him forth into a large place. "Working in him both to will and to do of his good pleasure," Phil. ii. 13. Then it is that the soul, that was fixed to the earth, can move heavenward; the withered hand is restored, and can be stretched out. 2. There is wrought in the will a fixed aversion to evil. In regeneration, a man gets a new spirit put within him, Ezek. xxxvi. 26. and that spirit lusteth against the flesh, Gal. v. 17. The sweet morsel of sin, so greedily swal lowed down, he now lothes, and would fain be rid of it; even as willingly as one that had drunk a cup of poison would throw it up again. When the spring is stopped, the mud lies in the well unmoved; but when once the spring is cleared, the waters springing up, will work the mud away by degrees. Even so, while a man continues in an unregenerate state, sin lies at ease in the heart; but as soon as the Lord strikes the rocky heart with the rod of his strength, in the day of conversion, grace is in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life, John iv. working away natural corruption, and gradually purifying the heart, Acts xv. 9. The renewed will riseth up against sin, strikes at the root thereof, and the branches too. Lusts are now grievous, and the soul endeavours to starve them; the corrupt nature is the source of all evil; and, therefore, the soul will be often laying it before the great Physician. O what sorrow, shame, and self-lothing fill the heart, in the day that grace makes its triumphant entrance into it. For now the madman is come to himself, and the remembrance of his follies cannot but cut him to the heart. Lastly, The will is endued with an inclination, bent, and propensity to good. In its depraved state, it lay quite another way, being prone and bent to evil only; but now, by a pull of the omnipotent all-conquering arm, it is drawn from evil to good, and gets another set. And as the former set was natural, so this is natural too, in respect of the new nature given in regeneration, which has its own holy lustings, as well as the corrupt old nature hath its sinful lustings, Gal. v. 17. The will, as renewed, inclines and points towards God and godliness. When God made man, his will, in respect of its intention, was directed towards God, as his chief end; in respect of its choice, it pointed towards that which God willed. When man unmade himself, his will was framed into the very reverse hereof; he made himself his chief end, ahd his own will his law. But when man is new made, in regeneration, grace rectifies this disorder in some measure, though not perfectly indeed; because we are but renewed in part, while in this world. It brings back the sinner, out of himself, to God as his chief end, truly, though not perfectly, Psalm 1xxiii. 25. "Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee." Phil. i. 21. "For me to live is Christ.' It makes him to deny himself, and whatever way he turns, to point habitually towards God, who is the center of the gracious soul, its home, its dwelling place in all generations, Psalm xc. 1. By regenerating grace, the will is framed into a conformity to the will of God. It is conformed to his preceptive will, being endued with holy inclinations, agreeable to every one of his commands. The whole law is impressed on the gracious soul; every part of it is written over on the renewed heart. And although remaining corruption makes such blots in the writing, that oft times the man himself cannot read it; yet he that wrote it, can read it at all times; it is never quite blotted out, nor can be. What he has written, it shall stand; "For this is the covenant,--I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts," Heb. viii. 10. And it is a covenant of salt, a perpetual covenant. also conformed to his providential will; so that the man will no more be master of his own process, nor carve out his let for himself. He learns to say from his heart, "The will of the Lord be done, he shall chuse our inheritance for us," Psal. xlvii. 4. Thus the will is disposed to fall in with those things, which, in its depraved state, it could never be reconciled to. It is Particularly, (1.) The Lord is reconciled to the covenant of peace. The Lord God promiseth a covenant of peace to sinners; a covenant which he himself hath framed, and registered in the Bible; but they are not pleased with it; nay, an unrenewed heart cannot be pleased with it. Were it put into their hands, to frame it according to |