GAL. 6. 15.
THis Text hath informed us of that Superiority and Preheminency which the Apostle giveth to the New Creature above all external Priviledges or Duties in Christianity. We therefore come to search out the Nature of this New Creature, and by the name we shall come to know the nature of the thing. In the Greek it is […] Creation or Creature; for the word is used both for the action it self, and the effect produced by it: Now this phrase to create a thing, is used of some strange and unwonted work of God. Thus Numb. 16. when God is about to make the earth swallow up Dathan and Abiram, he is said according to the Hebrew, to create a Creation. As Gods wonderful judgements are called a Creation, so his mercies, as in that of Jeremiah, Jer. 31. 22. Behold I create a new thing, a woman shall compasse a man, that is, Israel, weak as a woman, shall compasse about in an hostile manner, and so overcome her most potent adversaries; and thus here, because God doth work upon some men a wonderful and great alteration by the Word preached, such as cannot be performed by any moral education; therefore this is called a New Creature, and the expression is allusive to many passages in the Prophets, where when God intends to make a glorious Reformation in his Church, by abolishing their former wayes of wickednesse, and guiding them into paths of Righteousnesse; he is said To create new Heavens, and a new Earth, Isa. 65. 17. and that Old things are passed away: So that this phrase a New Creature, implieth that the work of Grace, is wrought by the sole power of God only, it cometh only from him, and also, that this being thus wrought in us, it is of a most excellent and glorious nature: And first I shall speak to the nature of it, it is a creature; then the qualifying adjunct, it is a new Creature.
That the work of grace in mans heart, whereby he is born again, is a creature wrought1 meerly by Gods glorious power.
No Angels, no men are able to work this in a mans heart, but as a man though he beget the body of his sonne, yet not the soul, for that is infused by the Father of spirits. So though men come to Church, and-outwardly hear, and though the Ministers of God they labour faithfully in preaching, yet it is God only that makes this light shine in the heart. Paul plants and Apollo watereth, but God giveth the increase, 1 Cor. 3. The Gardener doth only use his outward means, he doth not make the tree, nor can he make any one apple that groweth upon it. I shall not at this time insist upon the nature and operations of this new creature, that will be proper when we speak of the Adjunct; but of the efficient cause of this, that so we may know where to have it. As God onely created the world, and all the things therein, so he onely doth this new world of grace. Thus Austin defined grace, Bona qualitas facta in nobis, sine nobis, Wrought in us without our help and power: Now that this work of grace is wrought in us by God meerly, appeareth:
First, In that it’s called a Creation. and God onely can create. For to create there2 are required these particulars:
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An infinite vertue and power; in so much that the most solid Divines do hold, That no Creature can be used as an instrument in Creation, much lesse be a principall: For seeing it is the giving of a Being to something out of nothing, no Creature can work but upon some materialls provided; But God when he Created the world, when he made that Chaos, there was nothing pre-existent: Hence that power of God which turneth our hearts unto him, is said to have […], Ephes. 1. 19. an exceeding great strength with it; compared to that power of raising Christ from the grave. Hence Christ in converting the hearts of men towards him, making them at his command to follow him, demonstrated his Divine Power more than in all externall miracles. Oh then we need not wonder to see men love their sins and delight in them, notwithstanding they hear and know to the contrary. Alas the Ministers are not able, no more than the women at Christs Sepulchre were, to remove the stone upon mens hearts, yea this is heavier than that, for there came an Angel and rolled it away; but here God onely can speak to this Mountain to be removed into the Sea; see we then a man by nature dead in sinne, and by voluntary practice buried in it; if ever this man came to be holy, and to live in holinesse, wonder at it, as if a new world were made; for onely an infinite power could make this alteration, As Divines to prove that God made the world, it could not be made of it self, give many fit examples to convince thereof: If a man see a glorious house built up in a curious and most exact manner, he concludeth, That house did not make it self; or if one have an instrument of musick curiously tuned, and excellent Musick played upon it, he concludeth, This doth not make it self, or its Musick; so the world being so curiously and harmoniously composed, called therefore […], did not of a suddain put it self into this excellent glory: As they argue thus from the world, we may much more argue from the godly life of a Regenerated man, see such a man leaving off with detestation all his former wickednesse, and that because he loveth God, and delighteth in holinesse, see you him acting above the praises of men from God, and to God; this man could not do this of himself, but God hath changed him. Seeing therefore an infinite power is put forth by God to make us thus new Creatures, well may we exclude man from being partner in this work; so that as Austin observeth well, We are the Creatures of God, both quâ homines, and quâ justi; As a man thou art Gods Creature, as a renewed man much more Gods Creature.
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In Creation the Creature is made of nothing; and thus Creation differs from the works of men, which alway suppose matter aforehand to work upon. Thus in3 this sense, the Chaos, or confused heap, that was properly created, because made of nothing, yet the works on the other dayes are said to be created; because, though they were not made of nothing, as the Sun and Mans Body, yet of matters altogether indisposed, and unfit; and this some Divines call Creation mediate, as the former Creation immediate. Now in this sense the work of Grace is truely called a Creation; for there is nothing in us that did cooperate, or consent to it; our hearts are dead wombes, till God cause us to live, and in this respect the Scripture doth represent us so full of sinne, and all over corrupted, that thereby the work of grace may be acknowledged onely of the Lord; Those are derogatory Doctrines to the grace of God, that say grace doth onely stirre up and excite the naturall
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Creation is in an instant, on a suddain; and that is the reason why the Scripture4 expressing Gods work in bringing about any suddain mercy, or suddain judgement, calls it creation, I create light, and I create darknesse, Isaiah 47. 7. What a glorious world did God make in six dayes? Here was a mighty alteration in a short space of time; and if as some of the Ancients speak, whom Cajetan pertinaciously argueth for, and followeth, that God made all in one day, and that the distinction of six dayes is but for our capacity; if this opinion should be true (as I think it far from truth, because so expressely contradictory to the very letter of the Scripture,) it would much more demonstate the instantaneous nature of Creation. As Creation is thus suddenly, so this work of a new Creature is wrought very quickly in the hearts of those, whom he effectually toucheth. Thus Paul of a Persecutor, how quickly made a Prosecutor of the truth and Gospel? Thus Zachaeus the Publican, how immediately doth he leave all and follow Christ? and in all instances of Conversion, we may wonder to see the strange and admirable alteration on a suddain: that as the Psalmist cryed out, What ailest thou, O Jordan, that thou turnest back? Thus may we admire, What aile these men that formetly lived in such grosse and prophane courses, that now they should love and delight in the contrary? Only you must know that although it be wrought thus suddenly and from nothing in us, yet God hath ordered that he will dispense this grace no other way ordinarily than in the preaching of the Word, and the constant waiting thereon. Doe not thou therefore expect this Manna will fall from heaven in what place soever thou art in; and although thou neglect the publique Ordinances, and the means of grace. No, for although God hath not tyed himself to means, yet he hath tyed us to them; and therefore every time thou doest wilfully neglect any one Sermon, thou knowest not how much thou hast provoked God, what effectuall and5 gracious operations thou hast lost by not being present.
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This new Creature must needs be wholly of God, Because it’s of a supernaturall being, and so the operations of it doe exceed the sphere of naturall power; As when the Apostles were inabled to work miracles, it was plainly a demonstation of Gods power with them, because they did those things which did wholly transcend any natural power; so when men love God, when they obey his commands out of upright and sincere motives, they are inabled to doe that which wholly transcends the most refined natural abilities; It is therefore called, A participation of the divine Nature, 2 Pet. 1. 4. whereby our actions have a divine stamp upon them; and as Sampson when he put forth those wonderful acts of strength, he did it not by his naturall power, but an extraordinary assistance from God; so in those actions of a new Creature, whereby we mourn for sin, or delight in God, we have then more then as a man; for we pray not as a man, we hear not as a man; but God is in us, and with us.
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This new Creature must needs be of God, if ye do consider, What we are till6 made so, even the old Creatures of the Devill; therefore the old man is said to be in us; and the Devill, that old Serpent, he reigneth and ruleth in our hearts: This old house must be pulled down, ere a new one can be built. The making us new Creatures is sometimes called a Resurrection; now as our bodies cannot be made glorious and happy, till a great and wonderfull alteration hath been made in them, so neither can our souls be made those new Creatures, till God hath wholly new moulded us, put another stamp upon us, and another life in us: There cannot any thing be a greater object of horror and terror to us, than the beholding our selves in the pure glasse of Gods Word; for that represents us so full of loathsomnesse and enmity unto God; that we have cause to cry out, That God would wash us, and make us whiter than snow: Never think with that naturall condition thou art born in, to enter into the Kingdome of heaven.
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This Creature must rather be made of God solely, than the heavens and earth;7 for although the Scripture doth often celebrate the power and wisedome of God, in founding the earth upon nothing, and stretching out the heavens; yet this Creation upon a mans heart, and his life, is far more wonderfull: Hence it’s ordinarily said, That it’s a greater wonder to make a man holy and godly, then it is to create a world.