cogitations. All his inward senses
are exercised about such objects. And then he is one walking "after the
Spirit," his motions are in a course of obedience, proceeding from that
inward relish or taste that he hath of the things of God. It is not
without very good reason, that the name of a Christian is thus
expressed,--one "after the Spirit." That is his character that expresses
his nature unto us. Whether ye look to the original of Christianity, or
the prime subject of it, or the chief end of it, it deserves to be called
by this name. The original of it is very high, as high as that eternal
Spirit, as high as the God of the spirits of all flesh. Things are like
their original, and some way participate of the nature of their causes.
"That which is born of the Spirit, is spirit," John iii. 6. That which is
born of God, who is a Spirit, must be spirit, 1 John v. 1. How royal a
descent is that! How doth it nobilitate a man's nature! Truly, all other
degrees of birth among men are vain imaginary things, that have no worth
at all, but in the fancies of men. They put no real excellency in men. But
this is only true nobility. This alone doth extract a man _de faece vulgi_
out of the dregs of the multitude. There is no intrinsic difference
between bloods, or natures, but what this makes, this divine birth, this
second birth. All other differences are but in opinion, this is in
reality. It puts the image of that blessed Spirit upon a man. Truly, such
a creature is not begotten in the womb of any natural cause, of my human
persuasion, or enticing words of man's wisdom, of any external mercy or
judgment. No instruction, no persuasion, no allurement, nor affrightment
can make you Christians in the Spirit, till the Spirit blow when he
pleaseth, and create you again. It must come from above--that power that
ran set your hearts aright, and make them to look straight above.

Christ Jesus came down from heaven unto the earth, and took on our flesh,
that so the almighty Spirit might come down to transform our spirits, and
lift them up from the earth to the heaven. We cast the seed into the
ground of men's hearts, (and alas! it gets entry but in few souls, it is
scattered rather on the highway side, and cannot reach into the arable
ground of the heart,) but it can do nothing without the influence of
heaven, except the Spirit beget you again by that immortal seed of the
word. Therefore we would cease our wondering, that all the means of Go