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THE

STATE AND CHARACTER OF BELIEVERS,

AS

THEY ARE OF GOD, WITH THEIR KNOWLEDGE

THEREOF, ILLUSTRATED; AND A DESCRIPTION OF THE UNREGENERATE WORLD LYING IN WICKEDNESS.

Several sermons preached at Ettrick, in the end of the year 1728,
and beginning of 1729.

1 JOHN v. 19.

And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wicked

ness.

As it was said to Rebekah, Gen. xxv. 23. Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowelsand the elder shall serve the younger; so it may be said in the text. Two manner of people are here, to one of which all of us do belong, viz. those that are of God, and those that are of the world. The latter is the elder, and shall serve the younger, Psal. xlix. 14. The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning.

1. There is a people, that though they are in the world, are not of it, but separated from it: And we know that we are of God. Here consider, (1.) The original of that people: They are of God; that is, begotten and born of God, regenerate persons, born again. They are a heavenly people in respect of their extract, born from above, 2 Pet. i. 4. (2.) Who they are in particular, We are they, we believers in Christ. Those that having received the call of the gospel to come out of the world lying in wickedness, have by faith embraced the call and come away, John i. 12, 13. 2 Cor. v. 17. (3.) The knowledge they have of their original: We know that we are of God. We are not only regenerate, but we know that we are so. Not that all of them know so much, but some of them do there may be children so young, that they know not their father's and mother's names; but the elder children know them very well. This comes in here for the comfort of believers against the sin unto death, ver. 16. which the regenerate cannot fall into, ver. 18.

2. There is another people, who are not of God, but are quite

distinct from those that are so. Here consider, (1.) Who they are, the world, that is, the unregenerate; these are the people distinct from, yea, in an opposite interest to, the people of God. It is plain, the world is taken here, not for the place, but for the men of the place, and these not the strangers and pilgrims in it, but the natives who have no other but a worldly birth, and who are in it as at home in their own country. The phrase is taken from the Old Testament, where the church is called the sons of God, Gen. vi. 4. those without the church, the earth, Gen. xi. 1. in opposition to heaven; being the earthly men in opposition to the heavenly men; men whose birth, temper, and manner of life are all worldly. (2.) The character of this people: they are lying in wickedness, or in the wicked one, viz. the devil. They are lying in sin, in the guilt and filth, and under the reigning power of it, and so under the power of the devil. They are not rising and wrestling out of it, but they are lying in it, sleeping, dead, and buried in it. (3.) The extent of this character; it belongs to them all, the whole world. There are many differences among those of the unregenerate world; some of them are professors, some profane, but the former as well as the latter are lying in wickedness.

That I may give you some view of this text, in its different branches, I shall essay to open up the three following points of doctrine therefrom, viz.

DocT. I. All true believers are of God, and so separated from the world lying in wickedness.

DocT. II. People's being of God, and separated from the world lying in wickedness, is what may be known by themselves.

DocT. III. The whole unregenerate world lieth in wickedness. DocT. I. All true believers are of God, and so separated from the world lying in wickedness.

In handling this point, I shall shew,

I. How true believers are of God.

II. How, as they are of God, regenerate persons, they are separated from the world lying in wickedness.

III. Make improvement.

I. I am to shew how true believers are of God. One is said to be of God two ways:

1. By creation; and so all things are of God, Rom. xi. 36. Thus the devils themselves are of God as their Creator, and so is the world. But this is not the being of God here meant. They may be God's creatures, who nevertheless are the children of the devil.

2. By generation, as a son is of a father. And this is twofold. 1st, Eternal generation: so Christ alone is of God, John vi. 46. Psal. ii. 7. He is the Son of God by generation of the person of the Father, having the same numerical divine essence eternally and necessarily communicated to him from the Father. Hence he is selfexistent, independent, and equal with the Father, John v. 26. Phil. ii. 6. Neither is this meant here.

2dly, Temporal generation, called regeneration, which is a work of God's grace on the souls of men, resembling natural generation. And thus believers, and none else, are of God, John i. 12, 13. and viii. 47. We are all born from below naturally; but we must be born from above spiritually, if we see heaven, John iii. 3. Except a man be born again [marg. from above] he cannot see the kingdom of God. All the elect are born so, sooner or later. They naturally lie in the foul womb of the world with others, but the power of divine grace separates them therefrom.

The work of regeneration is held forth under a double notion, shewing the regenerate to be of God.

(1.) It is a being begotten of God, 1 John v. 18. He that is begotten of God, keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. God himself is the Father of the new creature: it is of no lower original. The incorruptible word of the gospel is the seed of it, Jam. i. 18. 1 Pet. i. 23, 25. A word is cast into the heart, which by the efficacy of the Spirit changes one into a new nature. It is done by means of the resurrection of Christ, ver. 3. Christ lay in this womb of the earth in the grave, as a public person having satisfied justice, he was raised, came forth of the grave, as the first-born from the dead; and in virtue thereof the dead elect are raised out of their grave of sin, as the next born from the dead.

And this notion of regeneration speaks the parties themselves to have no hand in it, more than a child hath in its own generation. So that as regenerate, they are wholly of God; and owe their being in grace to him purely, not to their own free will.

(2.) It is a being born of God, 1 John v. 18. Whosoever is born of God sinneth not. By his Spirit alone the new creature is formed in all its parts, and brought forth into the new world of grace, John iii. 5. And this notion of it speaks the parties to receive life by the Spirit, and to be brought forth to act that life; and none other but the Spirit to be the cause thereof, John i. 13.

Now by this means, viz. regeneration, believers are of God.

1. As partaking of the divine nature, as the child doth of the nature of the parent, 2 Pet. i. 4. There is a fulness of grace lodged in the man Christ, out of which they receive grace for grace, and so

with him partake of the divine nature, being made one spirit, or of one spiritual and divine nature with him. Even as they received a corrupt nature derived to them from Adam, by which they were originally of the wicked one.

2. As bearing the image of God, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness. By regeneration they are like him; and if it were perfect, they would be perfectly like him. For in regeneration Christ is formed in them, Gal. iv. 19. that is, they are the image of the man Christ, who is the image of the invisible God.

3. As being of his family, Eph. iii. 14, 15. and that not as servants only, but as children, 2 Cor. vi. 17, 18. The new birth is a high birth; by it the sinner is a member of the family of heaven; God is his Father, Christ is his elder brother, and the angels and saints are his brethren.

4. As owing their new being to him only in the efficacy of his grace, Eph. ii. 10. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works. Our natural being we owe in part to our parents, Heb. xii. 9. but our gracious being to God only. That we are men, we owe it to him, in the efficacy of his creating power; and that we are saints, we owe it to him, in the efficacy of his quickening and renewing grace, Gal. iv. 28. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.

II. I shall shew how believers, as they are of God, regenerate persons, are separated from the world lying in wickedness. Negatively,

1. Not in respect of place, 1 Cor. v. 9, 10. They are still in the world, and must be till the Lord call them home; though they are not of the world. God could, in the moment of conversion, have transported converts into heaven, taken them out of the world for good and all; but he has seen meet for their trial, and the glory of the power of his grace, to keep them in the world a while; and yet to keep them separate from it,

2. Not in respect of gathering them into pure unmixed societies for worship. There are no such visible church-societies in the world, Matth. xiii. 28-30. Separating from the world lying in wickedness is not such an easy thing, as visible church separating; they may be forward enough to that, who are yet with the world lying in wickedness, Jude, 19. and may go from party to party in the visible church, who are still of the world's party, not of God. But positively, the regenerate as such are separated from the world.

1. In respect of their being broken off from that corrupt mass, and become a part of a new lump. Adam falling left all mankind earthly men, bearing his corrupt image; Christ is become a second

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