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this new Creature, the Work of Christ in us, or the Power which the humble Soul (the Perfon brought to the teachable, abased, and manageable Difpofition of a little Child) hath obtained, to turn from Sin unto God, by Means of Faith. Whether we confider Christ living in his Members, or whether we confider the Defires of a truly humbled Mind, this new Creature is the Completion of fuch Defires, the Life of such a Member; and is at once the great Evidence of our Union with Chrift, and of the Sincerity of our Faith.

I SHALL go on therefore to the Second main Point above laid down, which is, the Defcription of the new Creature.

BUT I cannot enter upon this Matter fo haftily, as not to beg one Moment, that I may previously engage your Attention to it. You are about, every one of you, to be brought to a Trial by the Word of God, at the Bar of your own Confciences, whe ther ye be in Chrift, or not; that is, whether GOD be, this Day, your Father, or your Avenger; whether ye belong to Christ, or Belial, whether ye be Inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven, or Children of Wrath. And fuch an Inquiry, one cannot but judge, muft awaken, or comfort, or quicken you. Truly, it is no light Thing, either to be, or not to be, in Chrift. To be in Chrift: F 3 Hear,

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Hear, how our Apostle triumphs in the Bleffedness of such a State! All things are yours, whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the World, or Life, or Death, or Things prefent, or Things to come; all are yours, if ye are Chrift's (m). Not to be in Chrift: How doth all, more than conceivable, Misery ftand proclaimed against fuch a Condition, in that one awful Word, He that believeth not the Son, fhall not fee Life; but the Wrath of God abideth on him (n).

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A QUESTION of fuch Moment as this, warns you, to lay afide vain Curiofity, and deceitful Excufes, and all Application to others of what you fhall hear; and to put on Meekness of Spirit, and the Discernment of a fingle Eye, with an heedful Attention: It calls upon me, to addrefs you with Caution and Freedom, that I may neither go beyond, or fall fhort of the Truth, in this Description of the New Creature. May God be with us herein, both one and ano→ ther; that neither our Preaching, nor your Faith, may be found vain!

THAT you may enter with me the more readily into this Defcription, I fhall lay before you the Plan upon which I intend to proceed, and the particular Views. I am to have before me, whilft I fhall be defcribing the Character of the new Creature.

(m) 1 Cor. iii. 22, 23.

(n) John iii. 36.

As

As to the Plan, it is this.

First, To let you into the Nature of the Character, from a general Account of it; and then,

Secondly, To go through a Survey of this Character, in the feveral Branches of it: And this by laying open his Soul to you, in an Illuftration of the Apprehenfions of bis UnderStanding, the Choice of bis Will, and the Exercife of his Affections.

Thirdly, I WILL reprefent to you the Expreffions and Workings of fuch a renewed Soul, in his Thoughts, Words and Actions, whether they regard what he doth not do, or what he doth.

As to the Views I have with me, they are thefe; principally to give an Account of the new Creature: Secondarily, to fhew the Oppofition there is between this Character and that of the careless Sinner: Collaterally to undeceive the formal Profeffor: In Purfuit of which Scheme, I fhall make it my bufinefs, as I go along defcribing the new Creature, to fet the natural Man over-against it; and alfo carefully to mark the Difference, where-ever the formal Profeffor, who is indeed altogether unrenewed, (as he will find by the two Characters to be drawn up of the new Man and the old) feems to carry a Refemblance of the new Creature.-And in all this, my Defign is to be as practical as poffible;

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fible; and therefore I purpose to lead you into all these Points, in a way of Enquiry; wifhing, that while you are made to fee what the new Creature is, you may take the Matter to yourself, and examine if you have, or have not a Title to that Character.

THE First Thing I have to do is, to let you into the Nature of the new Creature's Character, from a general Account of it.

AND here I will reprefent him to you, as one whofe Eyes are opened to a right Senfe of himself and all Things, or who is humble;-whofe main Bufinefs in Life is the Care of his Soul-who is ready to this fpiritual Work; and, who hungers for Growth in it.

1. His Eyes are opened to a right Senfe of bimfelf and all Things; or, he is humble. It is only a juft Eftimation of ourselves, and of the other Things, with which we are concerned, that can fhew us our Friends and our Enemies; the Path we muft take, and that we must avoid; our Interefts and our Dangers. This is what leads the Way with the new Creature, putting every Thing upon its right Footing, and keeping a Man's Face directly fet towards GoD: And therefore I place this juft Eftimation of Things, this Humility, in the Front of the new Creature's Walk. So our LORD places it, you know, as the introductory Grace, in his Sermon

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upon the Mount, Bleffed are the Poor in Spirit; for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven (0).

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Now hereby I mean, not that Humiliation or Heart-breaking Concern, which attends the firft Awakenings out of a State of Sin; brings the Sinner to the Foot of the Cross for Pardon, Grace, and Acceptance; and fo lays the Foundation of the Christian Building: But I am fuppofing the Foundation already laid, and therefore intend here no more than Humility, the Chriftian Grace, which alone keeps up, as well as raises this fpiritual House. And this I have called a juft Senfe and Estimation of all Things.

I SHALL now fhew you more particularly, what I mean by it. More fully therefore: HUMILITY hath placed the Man in his right Station in the Order of Beings; caufing him to regard himself as a Creature of God's Power and Goodness, and a Dependent upon his fovereign Will and Government: And, in this Connexion, hath taught him to know, that by his Sins, the perverse Rebellion of his Heart, and the wanton Licentioufhefs of his Life, he hath darkened God's Glory, difturbed his Government, abufed his Goodness, wearied his Patience, and provoked his Juftice to a deferved Sentence of Exclufion from Rest and Happiness. But then it hath disposed (a) Matt, v. 3.

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him

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