* Qu. ' of ' ' — Ed,
ABOVE THE LAW. 257
God that is unchangeable, or we that are corrupt and changeable ? God will not change. There is no reason he should. He is goodness itself, alway unchangeable. His perfection stands in an individual point. He cannot alter a whit. There is not a shadow of change in God. Therefore, when there is difference between God and us, the change must be on our part. We must be changed, as it is Rom. xii. 2, and other places, ' in the spirit of our minds.' We must be wholly moulded anew. Where there is a condition so opposite as the frame of our hearts is to God, he being holi- ness and we a mass and lump of sin, of necessity there must be a change. God intends in the gospel to bring us near himself, and Christ's end is to bring us to God, as it is 1 Pet. iii. 18. All the gospel is to bring us back to God from whom we fell. Now our nature, as I said, is defiled and imholy ; and we cannot be friends with God till there be a likeness in dis- position to God. Therefore our natures must be suitable to the sweet and holy and pure nature of God in some measure. We enter into a covenant with God, in the covenant of grace, and how can we maintain the covenant of grace, without some likeness to God and Christ ? In that regard of necessity there must be a change ; and this change must be on our part. As we see in an -instrument, those strings that are out of tune are brought to them that are in, so it is we that must change and alter, and not God. God is alway unchangeable, like himself in his love ; and it is our comfort that he is so unchangeable in his mercy and holiness and justice. There- fore I say the change must be on our part.
' Flesh and blood, as it is, cannot enter into heaven,' 1 Cor. xv. 50 ; that is, the nature of man, as it is corrupted; we must have new judgments of things, and new desires, and new esteem, new affections, new joys, new delights, new conversation, new company. All the frame of the soul must be new. There must be a new bent of soul. It must be turned another way. The face of the soul must look clean another way. Whereas before it looked to the world- ward, and to things below, now it must look to God- ward and heaven-ward. Therefore those that are in their pure naturals, that feel no change in themselves, what shall we think of them ? They are not in the state of grace, for of necessity there must be a change.
There is a double change, real and gradual.
First, A real change, from ill to good.
And then, A gradual change from better to better, ' from glory to glory.'
The first change is from the state of nature to grace at our first conver- sion, when God puts the first form and stamp upon us.
And then a change in grace, ' from glory to glory,' we must be changed.
Second, Then again, ice <iU expect glory in heaven; and how can we do that except we be fitted for it ? The church is the fitting place for glory. We enter into heaven in the church here. We are hewn and squared here. If we be not holy here, we shall never enter into heaven. There - must be a change begun here if ever it be perfected in heaven. ' No un- clean thing shall come there,' Rev. xxi. 27. As soon as ever Satan, an angel of light, sinned, he was ^tumbled out of heaven. It will brook* no unclean thing ; no unclean thing shall ever come there again. Therefore our nature must be altered suitable to that place and glorious condition, before we come to heaven. Except we be now born, wo cannot enter into the kingdom of God. There is direct Scripture for it. Beloved, this is forgot. Men trust to the grace and mercy of God, and look not after a change ; and this holds many from embracing the gospel in the truth of it ; * That is, 'suffer,' 'endure.'— G.
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258 EXCELLENCY OF THE GOSPEL
rem knowinf; Christ as the truth is in him. They hear they must be changed, which they arc uuwilhng to. They behcve that God is merciful, aud that Christ died, &c. They snatch so much of the gospel, as may serve to build them up iu self-love. So far they think all is well. But when they see such grace as must teach them ' to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts,' Titus ii. 12, and such grace as must change and alter them, this they cannot brook. They are content to go to heaven if they may have it in a way to hell ; in maintaining their corruptions ; being proud and covetous and worldly, as they are. This must not be. Of necessity there must be a change.
Third, Nay, I say more, beside the former reasons, the snid that, trahj desires mercy and favour, desires ahrai/s poiver aijainst sin. Pardon and power go together, in God's gift and in the desire of a Christian's soul. There is no Christian soul but he desires the grace of sanctification to change him, as much as the grace of pardon ; for he looks upon corruption and sin as the vilest thing in the world ; aud upon grace and the new creature as the best thing in the world. There is no man changed but he hath those apprehensions of sanctification.