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242 SERMONS UPON 2 CORINTHIANS V. [SeR. XXXIII.
and put light for darkness, aud darkness for light, Isa. v. 10. However, to choose the one and leave the other, that is not in their power. They may have loose desires of spiritual favours, especially as appre- hended under the quality of a natural good, or as separate from the means : Num. xxiii. 10, ' Oh that I may die the death of the righteous ! ' They may long for the death of the righteous, though loath to live their life. That excellency which they discover in spiritual things is appre- hended in a natural way : John vi. 36, ' And they said unto him. Lord, evermore give us this bread.' But these desires are neither truly spiritual, nor serious, nor constant, nor laborious. So that to appre- hend or seek after spiritual things in a spiritual manner is above their reach and power. Neither if we consider what man is in his natural estate ; this work must needs come of God. Man is blind in his mind, perverse in his will, rebellious in his affections; what sound part is there in us left to mend the rest ? Will a nature that is carnal i-esist and overcome flesh? No; our Lord telleth you, John iii. 6, ' That which is born of flesh is flesh ; ' and his aposLle, Rom. viii 5, ' They that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh.' Can a man by his own mere strength be brought to abhor what he dearly loveth ? and he that ' drinketh in iniquity like water,' Job xv. 16, of his own accord be brought to loathe sin, and expel and drive it from him ? On the other side, will he be ever brought to love what he abhorreth ? Rom. viii. 7, ' Because the carnal mind is enmity to God, and is not subject to the law, neither indeed can be.' There is enmity in an unre- newed heart, till grace remove it. Can we that are worldly, wholly led by sense, look for all our happiness in an unseen world, till we receive another spirit ? The scripture will tell you no : 1 Cor. ii. 14, ' But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit;' and 2 Peter i. 9, ' He that lacketh these things (viz., faith and other graces) is blind, and cannot see afar off.' What man of his own accord will deny present things, and lay up his hopes in heaven ? Let that rare phoenix be once produced, and then we may think of changing our opinion, and lay aside the doctrine of supernatural grace. Can a stony heart of itself become tender ? Ezek. xxxvi. 26 ; or a dead heart quicken itself ? Eph. ii. 5. Then there were no need of putting our- selves to the pains and trouble of seeking all from above, and waiting upon God with such seriousness and care.
2. From the nature of this work. It is called a new creation in the 17th verse, and Eph. ii. 10, and elsewhere. Now, creation is a work of omnipotency, and proper to God. There is a twofold creation. In the beginning God made some things out of nothing, and some things ex inluihili maAeria — out of foregoing matter ; but such as was wholly unfit and indisposed for those things which were made of it; as when God made Adam out of the dust of the ground, and Eve out of the rib of man. Now take the notion in the former and latter sense, and you will see that God only can create. If in the former sense, something and nothing have an infinite distance, and he only that calleth the things that are not as though they wei'e, can only raise the one out of the other, he indeed can speak light out of dark- ness, 2 Cor. iv. 6 ; life out of death, something out of nothing, 2 Peter i 3. By the divine power all things are given to us, which
VeK. 18.] SERMONS UPON 2 CORINTHIANS V. 243
are necessary to life and godliness. He challengeth this work as his own, as belonging to his infinite power, to give grace to a graceless soul. Or, if you wnll take the latter notion, creation out of unfit matter; he maketh those that were wholly indisposed to good, averse from it, perverse resist ers of what would bring them to it, t<. be lovers of holiness and godliness, and followers of it. God that made man at first must renew him, and restore him to that image he lost : Col. iii. 10, * Eestored to the image of him that created him,' and Eph. iv. 24, * Created after God,' His work must be acknowledged in it, and looked upon as a great work, not as a low, natural, or common thing, otherwise you disparage the great benefit of the new creation.
3. From its connection with reconciliation. We can no more con- vert ourselves than reconcile ourselves to God. Kenewing and recon- ciling grace are often spoken of together, as in the text, and often folded up in the same expression, as going pari passu : 1 Peter iii. 18. 'Bring us to God,' as being obtained both together; Acts v. 31, 'Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a prince and a saviour, to give repentance to Israel and remission of sins ;' and 1 Cor. vi. 11, ' And such were some of you ; but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.' And both are received from the same hand by virtue of the same merit. Well then, there must be a supernatural work upon us, to cure our unholiness, as well as a supernatural work without us, to overcome our guiltiness. The same person that merited the one by the value of his blood and sufferings, must apply the other by the almighty power of his grace. And we needed the Son of God to be a fountain of life, as well as the ransom for our souls ; and it is foi- the honour of our Redeemer that our whole and entire recovery should be ascribed to him, not part only, as the fieedom from guilt, but the whole freedom from the power of sin ; and that he might be a complete saviour to us. It is not sufficient only that he be a prophet or a lawgiver, to give sufficient precepts, directions, and rules for the sanctification and renovation of our natures, and propound sufficient encouragements and motives in the promise of eternal life ; nor that he should be priest only to offer a sacrifice for the expiation of our sin ; but also be a fountain of light and grace, to renew God's image upon the soul. As none but Christ is able to satisfy God's justice for us, so none but Christ is able to change the heart of man : Job xiv. 4, ' Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean ? Not one.' This work would cease for ever, as well as the other part of the ransom and redemption of our souls. He had this in his eye when he died for us : Eph. V. 25, 26, * Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word ; ' and Titus ii. 14, ' Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works.' And he purchased this power into his own hands, not into another's, and sendeth forth his conquering and prevailing Spirit to bring back the souls of men to God. And therefore, if this part of our salvation be not ascribed to Christ, you rob him of his choicest glory ; for to sanctify is more than to pardon.