Now let us consider, Why God careth not for those externall duties, without the work of Regeneration. If thou prayest and hearest in that old state thou wert born in, and not renewed, these duties are like wild Grapes. And,

First, Because God doth not graciously accept any man, but where he seeth his own likeness, his own similitude. Thus God made man at first after his own Image, that so³ he might delight in him, and communicate happinesse to him, which Beasts were not capable of. Now this Regeneration is called, Ephes. 4. A renewing after the Image of God. It is a known Rule, That likenesse is a cause of love. And this holdeth in some proportion between us and God: For although this new Creature of grace hath many imperfections and deformities in it; yet for the substance and main it’s the likenesse and Image of God, and so for Christs sake he accepts of it.

Is it any wonder then, if the prayer, the hearing of a wicked man be an abhomination? for God seeth there the Devils likenesse, the resemblance of Satan, and how can he entertain such? Say then to thy self. I goe to pray, I goe to hear to day, but is there any thing of God in me, am I holy, as he is holy in some degree? If not, God seeth nothing but what he hates and abhorreth in me. Those outward duties they put not a divine stamp upon us, but this inward change wrought by God. How then is it, that you are no more sollicitous in this great matter? why should you not be as much afraid of praying without a new heart, as not praying at all; of hearing without a new heart, as not hearing at all?

Secondly, God doth not regard outward duties unlesse we be new Creatures because⁴ we are not able without this to perform them upon spirituall and supernaturall grounds: And unlesse all our duties be grafted upon this stock, they are no more than Brambles and Thorns fit for burning: now the supernaturall ground in praying and hearing is because of God, and in reference to him: Israel was an empty Vine, in all her duties, because she brought forth fruit for her self, Hos. 10. 1. she did not turn to God, even unto him. The Motive or Loadstone to draw our affections in any spirituall exercise, must be Gods goodnesse, holinesse, and spirituall excellency: The Virgins love thee, because of thy oyntment powred forth, Cant. 1. 2. Christ raxeth his followers because of his loaves; and the Apostle reckoneth it as an Argument, That all old things are passed away, and all things are become new, because, they know no man, no nor Christ himself after the Flesh, 2 Cor. 5. They do not look for carnall advantages by Christ, but love him and obey him because of spirituall grounds; now a stone may as well flye up into the aire, as a man without this new Creature be carryed out in Religious duties upon spirituall grounds. A Beast may as well speak and understand reason as a naturall man discern and be affected with spirituall Motives; and yet if this be not, a man in all religious duties is like David in Sauls Armour, they are too big and great for him, he knoweth not how to manage them: Consider then, How can I pray, or hear upon those supernaturall Motives which God requires, if this new nature be wanting? How can Im prayer rejoyce in the promises of God, mourn because of the foul and loathsome nature of sinne, if there be not this good foundation laid? This then is all in all, and yet we doe not above all attend to this: Therefore as Paul said, commending the gifts of the Holy Ghost, speaking with tongues, working of Miracles, &c. Yet I shew you a more excellent way. So, though ye doe well in praying, in hearing, yet there is a more excellent and more necessary way, and that is to perform all these by a sanctified, renewed principle within.

Thirdly, as Religious duties cannot be performed graciously without this, so, Neither is a man a fit subject to receive those spirituall benefits communicated by God⁵ in them, without this. Unlesse a man be a new Creature he knoweth not what it is to have Communion and Fellowship with God in Prayer and Sacraments; He cannot taste of the comforts and joyes in the Holy Ghost; such expressions as those, I will come and sup with him, and he with me; and my soul panteth after the living God, when shall I come and enjoy him? he is not able to understand: There is in the spirituall discharge of holy duties, a very heaven, a comfortable enjoying of Gods presence; I will dwell with them, saith God, 2 Cor. 6. and yee are the Temple of the Holy Ghost, 1 Cor. 3. But (alas) these are unspeakable miseries to an unregenerate man. In all duties they have but the bone as it were, not the marrow; they stand in the Porch of the Temple, they doe not enter into the Holy of Holies; They doe not feel what David and Paul, and all those holy Servants of God have felt in Gods Word; what should move you more to seek after this new Creature than this? To think these Ordinances are but husks to me, and Manna to others; they are but a Wildernesse to me, when a Garden to others; others goe home blessing and praising God, as if they had been in a glorious transfiguration, but I return earthly and stupid. Oh why is all this, but because I want this new Creature; then it wouldbe new praying, and new hearing.

Fourthly, therefore no outward Duty or Privilege is accepted without a new⁶ Creation, Because justification and this new Creature are inseparably united together, and cannot be one moment divided from each other, Rom. 8. There is no condemnation to those who are in Jesus Christ, (there is Justification:) Who walk not after the Flesh, but after the Spirit, (there is Sanctification:) Now seeing that justification is the ground of all acceptance both of our persons and duties, and this is alwayes concomitant with a new Creature; therefore without this, that hath necessarily adjoyned to it a ground of all acceptance, we can never be regarded by God. Oh therefore think with thy self, The prayer of a justified person is onely approved of, God hath first respect to Abel, and then to his Offering: You must not think by praying and hearing to get your persons accepted, but they must be first accepted, that your duties may; now this justification is of none but this regenerated person: Why should ye not hearken diligently to these things, for if all thy duties hitherto have not been accepted, thou art to begin anew, to lay a new foundation; and certainly it is the necessary duty that lyeth upon many persons, though Christians, to raze the very foundation they have built all their hopes upon; they have trodden in a road, judge of acceptance with God according to the principles of Reason, and the light of Nature, but have not informed themselves out of Gods Word, for by that we must attain to those two great works of God, Justification and Sanctification; Justification to reconcile our Persons; Sanctification to make holy our Natures and spiritualize all our Duties; and if these two be not in us, God rejecteth all our Duties, as the Artificer in, his building doth some crooked stone that he cannot make straight.

Fifthly, God doth not accept our religious services without this new Creature,⁷ because they cannot be so much as called good, and holy in a Scripture-sense without this. God saith not unto thee as unto the Centurion, Thy Prayers are heard; Neither doth God, as it’s said of Noah’s Sacrifice, smell a sweet savour, till thou art made new, and changed from thy Originall estate. For they are not good or well done, because to have a good action there is required all the conditions, Bonum est ex integris causis, malum e quolibet defectu, one defect is enough to make an action evil, but it cannot be good unlesse all circumstances are concurrent; now the Scripture, to have it good praying, good hearing, requireth; First, That the man himself be made good: Make the Tree good, and then the Fruit will be good; Cleanse the inside first: The heart is the good Treasure; so that a man cannot do any thing after a godly manner but by a renewed nature, he may doe it after a customary and seeming religious manner, so that men may admire it, but he cannot do it with a gracious foundation, till his nature be healed: Then as the principle must be good, so the manner also, that is, after a fervent, zealous and heavenly manner, not with a meer lip-labour, or bodily presence; there must be motions and earnest stirrings of heart: Take heed how you hear, and pray with groans unutterable: and lastly, as you heard all this must be to God, pleasing God, aiming at God, looking at God, and not at man; so that all our spirituall duties are to be of him, and by him, and to him; and no wonder if so much be required to the right discharge of any holy duty, for Aristotle requires as much to any virtuous action; He saith, That onely can be called a righteous action which is, justa, à justo, justa, from a just man, in a just manner; and so that is onely a godly duty, which is done by a godly man, in a godly manner, to a godly end.

Sixtly, This new Creature is looked after, rather than any outward duty, Because⁸ in this true Christianism doth consist. A man is not really and properly a Christian, because Baptixed, because he professeth Christ, and worshippeth him, but because he hath this new Creature in him, and this is the scope of Paul in the Text: So that as in the time of the Old Testament, true Judaism, or the true being of a Jew did not consist in being outwardly Circumcised, but it was in that of the heart, and he was a Jew which was so inwardly, Romans 2. Thus he is a Christian, not who is outwardly baptized, but who is inwardly anointed with the graces of Christ; for to be a Christian is to be an anointed one; and then of this inward Jew see what the Apostle saith, Whose praise is of God, not of men. It’s God that is a Father of spirits, that looks to the hearts of men, that praiseth this Jew, this Christian. The denomination of every thing is from its chief and better part. We call a man reasonable, because of his soul the chief part of him; so a man is called a Christian, not so much because he prayeth, heareth, cometh to Church, which is but like the body; but because these are done by a renewed nature within, which is like the soul. O then know, as every Profession hath its Art, its Skill, its Mystery, which a stranger hath not; so hath Christianity; there is a Mystery of praying, a Mystery of hearing, which the naturall man understandeth not.

Seventhly, If external duties were enough without this new Creature, then the way to heaven would be a broad easie way. Whereas the Scripture sets down a peremptory⁹ position clean contrary; Streight is the way, and strive to enter into it, and Few enter in it. But if no more were required to pray and hear then most men doe, it would be a broad way, every man would enter into it. There needs no striving, no agonies to such duties: A man in prayer must have a broken contrite heart; it is a Metaphor from a broken bone, which cannot be without much pain and torment; so a broken heart in a duty cannot be without much sense of grief, shame and spirituall confusion; and as when any thing is broken, we see what is in the midst of it, which did not appear before; so in a broken heart we discover all that foulnesse, all those loathsome Monsters, all that horrid impiety, which we had no acquaintance with before. And oh that this truth had got full possession in your hearts! Every religious duty, if rightly performed, puts the heart into a great agony: They are but few that can enter into this streight way: Therefore say, I fear my praying, my hearing, my walking is too broad a way, too large a way, it doth not wound deep enough, or affect throughly.

8. These externall duties are nothing without a new Creature, Because while¹⁰ this is absent there cannot be faith to apply Christ, and bring him to dwell in the soul who onely is the meritorious cause of all acceptance with God. Without faith its impossible to please God. By faith we are justified, we have boldnesse: Now this faith cannot be but in a new nature; yea its made equivalent to this new Creature; for that which the Apostle calls here a new Creature, in the Chapter mentioned before he expresseth it, By faith working with love. As in the Holy of Holies every thing was Gold, or covered with Gold; so all that is accepted with God, is either Christ, or Duties covered with Christ. Til therefore thou art a new Creature, thou canst not put forth an act of faith, there wants that Hyssop which should sprinkle Christs bloud upon thee; and howsoever people may think and say they believe in Christ, yet its impossible for them to doe it, till they be born again; for to believe in Christ is the greatest grace, and so needeth the greater power of God.

Ninthly, thereupon it is, that we must be new Creatures in all our duties, because Gods Promise is onely to such duties that flow from such a Fountain. There is no¹¹ promise made singly to bare hearing, and bare praying, but to those that are done with a godly heart, with the whole heart: To those that are poor in spirit; to those that turn from their evil wayes, and all these properties are the fruit of the new Creature. If therefore there can be no promise, then there can be no acceptance: Now what a terrible consideration is this! Thou that livest in thy sins, thou that refusest to be reformed, yet thou prayest, thou hearest, think with thy self what promise is there in all Gods Word, that I may challenge. What Word of God is there to encourage me to pray in hope, to hear in hope; so that by this you see the absolute necessity of this point: Well might the Apostle say, Pace be on all those who walk after this principle, for to other there can be no just peace in all their prayers, and religious duties.

To conclude all; a new Creature must needs be more then all duties, Because¹² this onely gives life, vigour, and power to them: they are but dead works; as a dead eye, or a dead hand without this supernaturall life. This new Creature is the root that communicates all juice, and sap to these branches; This is the kernell, the other is but the shell: out of this renewed heart come renewed duties; so that as long as you are defective in this, whatsoever parts, abilities, inlargements you have in any duty, you are still defective in the main. All knowledge, all understanding, though it were equall to Angels cannot make a good prayer without a renewed heart. Bernard said well of Lucifer, the chief Angell that fell, Bonum erat si fuisset ignitus magis quum Lucifer; He had better have had the fire of love to God, than the light of knowledge; so it is here, it’s better having a renewed heart, which is full of faith and love of God, than the greatest parts and assistance that can be.

Use 1. Of Instruction, That there is a just and great reason why men should at¹³ well be troubled for not doing of duties with a renewed and regenerated heart, as for not doing them at all. Thou thinkest, Oh if I should never hear, never pray, I may justly be accounted an Atheist, one that hath no fear of God in my heart; this is a good thought; but think further, If I doe not pray and hear with a sanctified nature, God casteth all my duties away, as so much dung. Consider, doth not the same God that commands thee to pray, to be baptized, to professe his Name, command thee also to have a new heart and a new spirit. Oh then sit down and bewail thy self, Lord how have I lived! What shall I do! whither shall I goe that have been carefull in the outward work of Religion, but not in the inward. God forbid that any should think this is to discourage you in your outward duties, to abate your willingnesse and diligence. No, these must also be done; but these are not all that are to be done; remember, God is a Spirit, and so must be served in Spirit.

Use 2. Of Exhortation, Be at last provoked to pray to God for this new Creature;¹⁴ Think all thy Religion is like an house without a foundation, till this be accomplished in thee: Oh think God saith to thee every Sabbath day after every duty private or publick, What is all this, If I have not your heart? say, I want the main, the soul, the life of all, while I want this: To pray, to hear, are duties too high for me to do in a right manner, till God cloath me with spirituall power from above; Think upon this very ground, so many shall pretend to heaven, and glory, yet by God will be rejected; for imagine there come men with parts and abilites, and they say, Lord we have done thus in thy name; but depart (saith God) ye were not new Creatures. The third and fourth kinde of hearers, they knock to have heaven opened to them, but depart, ye were not new Creatures. The foolish virgins came with more hope to speed than any; but depart ye were not new Creatures. Oh it is this makes a Christian; This makes us have praise of God.

Footnotes

1. Observ. No privilege, &c. ↩

2. The neglect of duties not hence to be in[…]erred. ↩

3. Reasons 1. Without Gods likeness […] acceptance. ↩

4. 2. We cannot perform duties upon right grounds, unless regenerated
   ↩
5. 3. We are not fit to receive the benefits of duties without regeneration.
   ↩
6. 4. Justification and Regeneration are are inseparably united.
   ↩

7. 5 Duties are nor in a true sense good without the new Creature. ↩

8. 6. True Christianism consisteth in the new Creature.
   ↩
9. 7. Otherwise Heaven way would be broader then Scripture allowes.
   ↩
10. 8. No faith interresting us in Christ without the new creature.
    ↩
11. 9. The promises to duties are onely as they come from new Creatures.
    ↩
12. 10. The new creature alone gives life to duties.
    ↩

13. Use 1. Instruction. We ought to be affected with performing duties without a renewed heart. ↩

14. Use 2. Exhortation. Pray for the new Creature. ↩