Religion & morality > Human nature in its four-fold state ... in several practical discourses

Head I. Regeneration. 217
upfide down : And when they are over, all runs
again in the ordinary Channel. All thefe Things
may be, where the fan&ifying Spirit of Chrift never
refts upon the Soul, but the Stony Heart ftill rer
mains; And in that Cafe, thefe Affections cannot
but wither, be'caufe they have no Root.
But Regeneration is a real thorough Change,
whereby the Man is made a new Creature, 2 Cor.
v. 17. The Lord God makes the Creature a new
Creature, as the Goldfmith melts down the Vef-
fel of Difhonour, and makes it a Veflel of Honour.
Man is, in refpectof his fpiritual State, altogether
disjointed by the Fall ; every Faculty of the Soul
is, as it were, dillocate : In Regeneration the Lord
loofeth every Joint, and fets it right again. Now
this Change made in Regeneration is ;
1. A Grange of Qualities or Difpofition : It is
not a Change of the Subjiance, but ot the Qualities,
of the Soul. Vitious Qualities are removed, and
tire contrary Difpofitions are brought in, in their
Room. The old Man is put off, Eph. iv. 22. tbp
new Man put on, ver. 24. Man loft none of the ra¬
tional Faculties of his Soul by Sin : He had an Un~
demanding dill, but it was darkned ; he had frill a
Hill, but it was contrary to the Will of God. So
iw Regeneration, there is not anew Subfiance created,
but new Qualities are infuled ; Light inftead of
Darknefs, Kighteoufntfs inftead of Unrighteoufne .
2. Mis a fupernatural Change; He that is born
again, is born of the Spirit, John iii. 5. Great Changes
may be made, by the Power of Nature, efpecially
when aflifted by external Revelation. And Nature
may be fo elevated by the common Influences of the
Spirit, that one may thereby be turned into another
Man, (as Saul was, x Sam. x. 6.) who yet never be¬
comes