Practical Discourses on Regeneration Author:Philip Doddridge Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: SERMON III. OF THE NATURE OF REGENERATION, WITH RESPECT- TO THE CHANGE IT PRODUCES IN MEN'S AFFECTIONS, RESOLUTIONS, LABOURS, EN- JOYMENTS, AND HOPES. 2 CO... more »R. V. I7. Jf any man be In Chrifl, he is a new creature ; old thing! are paffed away, behold, all things are become new. AMONG the various fubjefts, which exercife the thoughts and tongues of men, few are more talked of than Religion. But it is melancholy to think how little it is understood; and how much it is mif- taken and mifreprefented in the world. The text- before us gives us a very inftrudive view of it , fuch a view, that I am fure, an experimental knowledge of its fenfe would be infinitely preferable to the mod critical and exaft knowledge of all the moft curious paflages, both of the Old Teftament, and the New. From it, you know, I have begun to deferibe that great change, which the word of God teaches us to reprefent under the notion of regeneration, or, according to the language of St. Paul, in this pafTage of his writings, by a new treation. I know I am explaining it before many, who have been much longer acquainted with it than myfelf; and it becomes me to believe, before many that have attained much higher advancements in it: but I fear alfo at the fame time, I fpeak of it before many, whoar yet Grangers to it; and I am labouring, by the plainest addrefles that I can, to give them at leaft fome juft ideas of it. Oh, that to all the defcriptions that either have, or fhall be given, God may, by his grace, add that un- derftanding which arifes from feeling correfpondent im- preffions on the mind ! I have already endeavoured to illuftrate thofe new ap- prehenfions, which arife in the regenerate mind ; appre- henfions of the bleffed God, of itfelf, of Chrift, of the eternal world, and of the way to obt...« less