Friday, June 02, 2006
from 'The New Birth' vol 3 of the works of Stephen Charnock
From 'The Nature of Regeneration.'
'From, The excellency of your birth. It is a birth of heaven, a resemblance to God; do nothing below it or unworth of it. It is fit for you to lie amoung the pots and smut yourselves? The consideration of the relation you bear to God should inspire you with the heroic resolutions for his glory. You are the only persons to keep up God's honour in the world, and his final anger from it. Whenever you are tempted, reflect upon yourselves, as Nehemiah: 'Should such a man as I' do this? Or as Joseph to his mistress 'Behold my master hath commited al that he hath to my hand;' behold God hath put his divine nature in my heart and 'shall I do this wickedness?' Consider in every action what that God you call Father by regenerating grace that Christ who is the great examplar and copy of the image in you, would do in such cases and circumstances. How unworthy is it for living man to do dead works! As your life springs from the highest principle, let it be employed for the highest ends. Was every any prince ashamed of his honor? And shall any new creature be ashamed of the paticular badage of heaven upon it; or that any righteousness which is the true nobilitly of his nature? Holiness is the beauty of an intellectual and rational creature; it must then be your highest honor to live comformably to the diginity of your nature.'
p. 158
We should live like we have been regenerated. We should live to a higher standard than the world lives by.
'From, The excellency of your birth. It is a birth of heaven, a resemblance to God; do nothing below it or unworth of it. It is fit for you to lie amoung the pots and smut yourselves? The consideration of the relation you bear to God should inspire you with the heroic resolutions for his glory. You are the only persons to keep up God's honour in the world, and his final anger from it. Whenever you are tempted, reflect upon yourselves, as Nehemiah: 'Should such a man as I' do this? Or as Joseph to his mistress 'Behold my master hath commited al that he hath to my hand;' behold God hath put his divine nature in my heart and 'shall I do this wickedness?' Consider in every action what that God you call Father by regenerating grace that Christ who is the great examplar and copy of the image in you, would do in such cases and circumstances. How unworthy is it for living man to do dead works! As your life springs from the highest principle, let it be employed for the highest ends. Was every any prince ashamed of his honor? And shall any new creature be ashamed of the paticular badage of heaven upon it; or that any righteousness which is the true nobilitly of his nature? Holiness is the beauty of an intellectual and rational creature; it must then be your highest honor to live comformably to the diginity of your nature.'
p. 158
We should live like we have been regenerated. We should live to a higher standard than the world lives by.
