Chapter V
That the new creature wrought in us by the Spirit of God is a change of heart.
A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will 1 put within you ; and
I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart
of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my
statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. EZEK. XXXVI.
26, 27.
The glory of God s grace in the application of salvation unto us in this
life, and the commitment of it to the Holy Ghost, you find it put together in this one scripture. Here is, 1. A creating and issuing new abilities, and vivific principles of spiritual
life, whereby the soul is quickened and enabled to act as a supernatural agent, or worker of all sorts of spiritual works and operations, which is here
in Ezekiel said to be the giving a new heart and a new spirit, together with
taking away the heart of stone, which is as truly a work of omnipotency as
to turn a stone into flesh, into living flesh, or to transform stones into bread
(upon doing which the devil himself would have believed Christ to be the Son of God) ; or of stones to raise up children to Abraham, whereby John
the Baptist celebrateth God s omnipotent power.
2. Here is set forth the Holy Ghost s effectual drawing forth, and effica
ciously working every such spiritual act, causing us to walk in his ways,
212 THE WOEK OF THE HOLY GHOST [BOOK V.
both by his giving Tb ^Xg/v, to will and to do of his good pleasure,
Philip, ii. 13.
3. Here is the giving this person of the Holy Ghost unto our persons, to dwell in us for ever, as the author of both of these, which is expressed in those words,
* I will put my Spirit within you, which comes in between the former two. It is he who gives us the new heart at first ; and having predisposed and prepared us thereby, causeth us to walk, and do ; that is, draws forth that new heart into act.
The words of my text, Ezek. xxxvi. 26, 27, are promises of the covenant of grace concerning all that is wrought in us by God, from first to last, unto salvation, summed up to two heads : 1. The giving a new heart, &c. ; 2. The intent of that gift, viz., to enable us to do, and to walk, which is a continuation of doing. The first is the principle of doing, placed first in
order, and accordingly given first, as the foundation of subsequent doing and walking ever after. There is also the Spirit of God, over and besides
that new spirit promised, given to them, to cause them to act and do, when once the new heart and spirit is given. And although the Holy
Spirit of God is promised, to cause them to do, as without whom the new heart alone would not produce those new actions, yet so as withal the
Spirit himself doth not cause us to do without a new heart first given ; and unless the old heart, the heart of stone (the principle of the former con
trary walking and doing), be removed and taken away, as being that con
trary principle that letteth, and would let for ever, if it continued in its old
full being and strength. The Holy Ghost is the extrinsecal cause of the
operation therefore said to be put ; but the new heart is the intrinsecal cause of our doing, though as acted by the Holy Ghost.
And these things are consonant to reason and scriptures.
1. The heart doth, in the language of nature, speak the primary intrin
secal cause of motion and action, being the first seat and forge of all the
vital spirits by which we act and move. And so in the soul there is that answers to it, which is the spring ; and actions are the streams that issue from thence : Above all keeping keep thy heart, for out of it are the issues of life, that is, the course and actings of a man s life, which are as issues from the heart as a fountain. The walking and doing here are not the new heart itself, for that (as was noted) is a new gift and benefit distinct there from. Nor is the Spirit s acting our natural faculties and principles already in our hearts, the whole or sole work on God s part in us. Nor consists
it only in actings (which the promise of the 27th verse is wholly spent upon), but that verse before, the 26th, is taken up as much with the pro mise of giving a new heart and removing the old, and is a promise of as much grace as this latter in verse 27.
2. It is true that the natural faculties of the mind, and will, and affec
tions, are in Scriptures termed the heart, or connotated at least when the heart is spoken of; and therefore they must be taken in and supposed here, for they are the subject and intrinsecal principle of all the actings of a man in doing whatever is done, be it good or evil. And this is common
to all men, whether regenerate or unregenerate, in their doing good or
evil, to do it with their hearts. And therefore Solomon adrnonisheth, Prov.
* Keep thy heart, for out of it are the issues of life, which reason
iv. 23,
in general concerns all men, that such as the heart is, such is the course of
life. He compares the heart to the fountain, and the actions to the streams that issue out from it: A good man, says Christ, Mat. xii. 35, out of
: and an evil
the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things
CHAP. V.J IN OUR SALVATION. 213
man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. So as a heart to do
is ascribed to either of them.
3. I shall confirm this by other scriptures. You have a workmanship said to be created unto good works : Eph. ii. 10, For we are his work
manship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them, Here is a whole frame or cro/^a created and wrought in us, in order unto our working or acting, God having ordained the one for the other, viz., those works for us to walk in (as it
follows), and this workmanship to bring forth those works. You read in
like manner of the image of God created, lie, sniyvufftv, unto knowledge,, for it is wrought to that end. And it is more expressly said, 1 John v. 20,
* He hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true. Another scripture is that passage in 1 John iii. 9, Whosoever is born
of God doth not commit sin ; for his seed remaineth in him : and he can not sin, because he is born of God. The words I lay hold on for my pur pose are what that seed of God that remains in a man born of God should
be. I might annex this argument, to be drawn from the interpretation of these passages, unto the first argument I drew before from John iii. 6, that it is a birth, a thing born. And this which I shall now urge, you may well put to that, for it seconds it ; and they do mutually confirm each
other.
The scope is, to set out the difference between an unregenerate man and a regenerate (under the dominion of grace), in point of sinning. Yea, and
it may be extended to the differing case of Adam in his first sinning. He mentions indeed only the case of a regenerate man, but asserts concerning him : 1. That a man born of God commits not sin ; that is, persists not in
any constant track or course of sinning ; for committing sin here is meant
in the same sense as that in the words afore, He that doth righteousness is
righteous, is meant, which position is further amplified that he cannot
sin. 2. The reason of which is resolved into this, because he is born of God, he hath by and from that his birth, a seed of and from God remain
ing in him ; that is, he hath a new principle of holiness, a divine nature, and indoles, which God that begat him, and formed anew for himself, main
tains in his heart, out of his gracious favour towards that grace, so as to continue the station and residence of the substance and matter of it in the
heart, whilst yet its activity may be, or is weakened and abated by the pre
vailing of the contrary corruption (that is in the soul) through the will s
indulging to it. And yet so far as that seed and principle in the solid sub stance of it thus remains, this corrupt will, nor all a man s own lust that
tempts him, cannot employ or draw this seed to close with that sin, but it stands off, and is averse, and co-operates not It is not I, but sin that dwelleth in me yea, more or less it lusteth against it. But it is not thus with an unregenerate man s will, nor was it thus with Adam in his first
sinning. But all his principles and concreated habits of holiness inherent, were by one single act of sinning, through the mere mutability and verti-
bility of his will (suppose his sin had been the least sin), utterly driven out
of his heart and destroyed at once. The reason whereof lay in this : the terms of his state then being the covenant of works, the curse of that law
in threatening In that day thou sinnest thou diest the death took hold
of his soul, and began to have its full process and execution against all that
spiritual life that was in him, and raised out the whole of what was holy in
him, which was the best of his lives, to whose keeping the whole stock of
his grace was committed and betrusted ; and he was no more able (when
214 THE WORK OF THE HOLY GHOST [BOOK V.
he sinned) to keep the least mite thereof to remain still in him, than a man
that is stabbed to the heart is able to keep his soul in his body. But a
stronger law is now, under grace, in force over men that are born of God, who are
* not under the law, but under grace ; which law is, that the
strength of this inherent grace is the gospel of grace, which preserves this seed in the heart in the midst of sinning, so as that grace in the soul is not
wholly expelled upon every sin the will consents to, as it is acknowledged by all. And who can set or put the limits of the difference, that in some
sins to which the will yet consents, sin should not totally expel that seed
for that present ; and in other sinnings, perpetrated by the will s allowance and consent, grace should be destroyed for that present ? Now the preser vation of this seed is because it remains upon that gospel-account specified in such a man, and that is the rb HUT S^OV, the thing that lets, or hinders, that he cannot sin with fulness of consent. And whilst this seed upon this account remains, so much of it as remains and hath possession and resi dence in the heart cannot be made use of, or be drawn to a party with its
contrary, or to act the same thing which its contrary doth act. Nor will we grant that the activity of that principle, though preserved in being, may be retunded so as to put forth no acting; for the apostle affirms (Gal. v. 17) that it is never so but in some degree it makes a resistance, though so weak
as it is not discernible by his heart in whom it is, as there is some motion of the pulse, though not felt, whilst there is life. This that holds invincibly true, that whilst this seed of life remains in the will at all (and that it re mains is the apostle s word and assertion), it, to be sure, cannot sin, no more than sin, whilst it remains in the heart, can act holily. Sin and cor
ruption, so far as it remains, cannot become an actor of true holiness; you may much safelier affirm that fire, as fire, may cool and moisten. It is true God may, and once we read of did, retund the activity of fire whilst
it remained fire, so as not to burn, or so much as singe, as was seen in Nebuchadnezzar s fiery furnace ; but that fire, remaining fire, should cool and moisten, this were utterly contrary to its nature. And the truth of
this maxim the apostle confirmeth, and applies it to this very case of sin and holiness in us, bottoming it upon this very reason ; viz., that a thing contrary in its nature, whilst it remains contrary, cannot be brought to
co-operate in the same act with that which is contrary to itself. Gal. v. 17,
* For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh : and these are contrary the one to the other ; so that ye cannot do the
things that ye would. And the same is the bottom ground of that other assertion of his in Rom. viii. 7, 8, The carnal mind is enmity against God ; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. And let no man say
it is in the power of the will to cause it so to do ; the apostle says the con
* So as ye cannot do what you would, neither in sinning with your whole will, nor in doing good with your whole hearts and whole souls. And although corruption that is in us may so far prevail over the will,
trary,
against the active power of grace in the will, as often exert for the outward
act to commit a sin, yet still, so far as a principle of grace exists, and God causeth it to continue and abide, and whilst God upholds it so to do in the
soul and will, that part of the soul and will cannot be prevailed with by the
corrupt part to join with it in sinning, for they are contrary. Our apostle John, in this his first epistle, expressly says that it doth remain. And how should that be if God did not maintain it by his grace ? For that sin is
stronger than created holiness, take it in its own efficacy, and as in itself,
CHAP. V.J IN OUR SALVATION. 215
we have found by Adam sinning. And it is in effect said, in that verse,
that it is God that causeth it to remain, even because it is born of God ; and is therefore so beloved of God, that he says, Destroy it not, there is a
blessing in it. And what is the thing that doth remain, but a seed ; and as all must
grant, distinct from fruit ? Now, every fruit must have a root to grow
upon. And therefore, gracious actings proceed from a seed let in by a
birth, and that birth is from our being born of God, whose seed it is called. Which fully makes good the assertion, that in regeneration, not merely our
actions are altered, but there is a change of heart.
Use 1. We see then, that one fundamental difference between them that
fall away, and others that persevere in grace, is, that in the first, there is not
a change of heart nor a new principle, a seed from God that remains. Many glorious things are spoken of temporary believers, but it is nowhere
said in all the Scripture (that I can find), that they are born again. This
assigned difference is congruous to the works that are wrought on them, In the one, there is a stirring, an elevating what is in nature, as of virtuous
dispositions and self-love, by such motives as suit self, laid down in the
gospel; which motives, when they cease, those actings in their hearts, which men take for grace, do cease also. It was the case of the stony ground, who received the word with joy, but immediately (as the word is, Mark
iv. 17) they fall off from it, whereas in the other, it becomes new ; new
acts towards new objects, so new principles
: 2 Cor. v. 17, Old things pass
away, and all things become new. And though operations may cease, or
be weakened and overborne with the contrary corruption, so far as to pre
vail unto the outward acts of sin, yet there is a constant abiding principle which lusts unto the contrary. And this difference is found by experience in the one sort and the other. And you find also this difference in Scrip
ture, in that parable of the sower, of the stony ground; Mat. xiii. 21, Mark
iv. 17, it is said, they have no root in themselves, which phrase expresseth the proper language of inherent grace habitually seated in the heart. There
might be, and was, a springing up, from an external principle moving them,
as the Holy Ghost stirred them by the word, but they had no root in them
selves. And thus Job expresseth the difference between himself and the
hypocrites, in the number of which his friends went about to persuade him
that he was ; Job xix. 28, The root of the matter (says he) is in me ; that is, truth and sincerity of heart towards God, whence my profession hath
risen. And the apostle (Gal. v.) alludes to the same comparison, where he
calls adultery, fornication, and so forth, works of the flesh ; but the
fruits (says he) of the Spirit (the new creature in us, to which flesh is
* are love, joy, &c. And in this
opposed ; as also in that text, John iii.)
sense they are opposed in the 17th verse of that chapter, The flesh lusteth
against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh : and these are contrary the one to the other. By spirit he means not the Holy Ghost in us, for it must not be said that the Holy Ghost lusteth against the flesh, but it is
that spirit which he begets, and then acteth, which is contrary to the cor
ruption in us, as two contrary qualities use to be. And that metaphor of
fruits of the spirit, and works of the flesh doth congruously argue this
spirit to be a root, whence these fruits arise.
The like difference I observed from the parable, in Mat. xxv., between
the wise virgins and the foolish. The foolish had oil in their lamps, for a
profession. They had present assistance for what they did, by motions and the like. They had heat, and warmth from rubbing, and stirrage, but
216 THE WORK OF THE HOLY GHOST [BOOK Y.
they had not oil in the vessel, which remained, as principles of grace do, when men are asleep, as these were. They had not warmth and heat from
ft principle of life.
Use 2. Let us therefore examine ourselves. Acts and motions will not save us, without a spiritual new frame of heart, which is acted and wrought upon ; whereas when these other motions are off, men s hearts remain as bad as ever, Heb. xii. 28. The apostle useth this argument, that seeing, by the state of grace in which we are, we have a kingdom that cannot be shaken, perpetual and abiding,
< we should have grace correspondent and answerable ; let us therefore have a fixed and abiding principle thereof within us,
* that we may serve God acceptably, seek unto God to work this in you, as well as the act and deed. Turn me, Lord (saith the convert Ephraim, Jer. xxxi. 18), and I shall be turned. Use 3. When a lust stirs and ariseth in thee, either from Satan s temp tation or from thine own heart, and the mass of corruption that is in thee, seek thou unto God to give thee the contrary grace, and to act that grace in thee, that it may lust against that corruption and overcome it : James iv. 6, The spirit that is in us lusteth after envy ; but he gives more grace. Wherefore he saith, He giveth grace to the humble. And for this espe cially the apostle frames his prayer for the Thessalonians : 1 Thes. v. 23, * And the very God of peace sanctify you throughout ; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. And bless God if thou dost find such an abiding principle so wrought in thee, a seed of God, that thou canst not sin or do what thou wouldst, in the sense before explained. Bless God for it, for this is a great work ; as in Adam at first there was the image of God, as a principle concreated with him, which was the foundation of all.
Use 4. And then again, rest not in having sleeping habits. The wise were saved, having oil in their vessel; but being asleep, they were frightened out of that sleep, or they had not been saved neither, Matt. xxv. And therefore endeavour to exercise every grace upon every occasion it is ordained to act in, and that is the end of it. Let patience have her perfect work. Patience as the grace given habitually, let it have its perfect work that it is ordained for. And so do as to every grace else, that every grace may be able to say at your death, I have done the work thou gavest me to do!
^ The apostle, 2 Pet. i., having exhorted to add grace to grace, as to faith, virtue, &c., both by increasing the principle and acting accordingly, he concludes, ver. 8, If these be in you, and abound (the root of them in bringing forth fruit),
< they make you that you shall not be barren nor un fruitful in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. As thou mayest have every sin in thee, though yet thou hast not acted it; so thou hast every grace in thee, in
^ the root, which thou hast not yet experience of. And therefore (as Paul
saith) as in other graces, so see you abound in this grace also, for grace is ordained to act. It is the image of God, and as God is pure act, so grace, in imitation of him, should be.
CHAP. YI.J IN OUR SALVATION. 217