Huwebes, Disyembre 15, 2016

A Man of New Principles (Thomas Brooks, 1675)

2 Corinthians 5:17

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 

A new creature has . . .
  a new judgment,
  a new will,
  new affections,
  new thoughts,
  new company,
  new choices,
  new laws,
  new ways,
  new works, etc. 
A new creature is a changed creature throughout.

The new creature includes a new light, a new sight, 
a new understanding. The new creature sees sin to 
be the greatest evil, and Christ and holiness to be the 
chief good. When a man is a new creature, he has a 
new judgment and opinion—he looks upon God as his 
only happiness, and Christ as his all in all, and upon 
the ways of God as ways of pleasantness. The new 
man has new cares, new requests, new desires, "Oh 
that my heart may be adorned with grace!"

The new man is a man of new principles
If you make a serious inspection into his soul, 
you shall find a principle . . .
  of faith,
  of repentance,
  of holiness,
  of love, 
  of contentment,
  of patience, etc.

The new man experiences a new combat and conflict 
in his soul. "The flesh lusts against the spirit, and the 
spirit lusts against the flesh." He combats with all sorts 
of known sins—whether they are great or small, inward 
or outward, whether they are the sins of the heart or the 
sins of the life. This conflict in the new man is a daily 
conflict, a constant conflict. The new creature can never, 
the new creature will never, be at peace with sin; sin and 
the new creature will fight it out to the death. The new 
creature will never be brought into a league of friendship 
with sin. 

The new man is a man of a new life. A new life 
always attends a new heart. You see it in Paul, 
Mary Magdalene, Zaccheus, the jailor, and all 
the others that are upon Scripture record.

The new man has new society, new company
Holy society is the only society for people with 
holy hearts, and in that society can no man 
delight, until God renews his heart by grace.

The new man walks by a new rule, which is the 
written Word of God. This rule he sets up for all 
matters of faith, and for all matters of practice. 

Well, friends, whatever you do forget, be sure that 
forever you remember this—that none can or shall 
be glorious creatures, but such as by grace are 
made new creatures.

Thomas Brooks, "Paradise Opened"

http://www.gracegems.org/

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