preserve or to repair that regenerate state which the Spirit once gave them; to remind them, as St. Paul reminded his converts, that "they were buried with Christ by baptism into death, and that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so they also should walk in newness of life (r)." But this is very different from teaching them to wait for a second Regeneration-a sudden conversion-a sensible operation of the Holy Spirit effecting a total and instantaneous change in their hearts and dispositions. Let them rather be admonished to take a serious, strict, and impartial review of their past lives; let them compare their conduct with the unerring rule of God's written commandments; let them consider the folly and danger of continuing in sin; let them determine to abandon their wicked ways; let them earnestly and faithfully pray for spiritual aid; let them thus renew their minds, and they may rest assured that their pious resolutions and virtuous exertions will be strengthened and promoted by "power from on high.' Regeneration who call themselves disciples of Christ, is using a lan- Regeneration of those, who are already baptized, by the forcible operation of the Spirit, is one of the doctrines, by which the weak credulity of unthinking persons is imposed upon in the present times. It is a dangerous illusion, calculated to flatter the pride and indolence of our corrupt nature. It is an easy substitute for that "Godly sorrow which worketh repentance;" for that real amendment of life which consists in mortifying our carnal lusts, in forsaking "the sin which doth most easily beset us," and in an active and conscientious endeavour to obey the revealed will of God. Men, who fancy that they have received this second birth, consider themselves full of divine grace, are too often regardless of the laws both of God and man, affect to govern themselves by some secret rules in their own breasts, urge the suggestions of the Spirit upon the most trifling occasions, and pretend the most positive assurance of their salvation, while perhaps they are guilty of the grossest immoralities, and are treading under foot the Son of God by the most palpable departure from the plain and simple rules of his pure and holy religion; or at least by boasting of the peculiar favour of Heaven, they imitate the persons spoken of in the Gospel, who "trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others (s)." (s) Luke, c. 18. v. 9. Regeneration Regeneration then in its true sense signifies an inward effect produced by the Holy Ghost through the means of baptisin "rightly received," whereby the person baptized exchanges his natural state in Adam for a spiritual state in Christ (t). The indiscriminate use of the expressions Regeneration and Renewal of the heart as synonymous, has been productive of much confusion and error. By recalling these terms to their original signification, according to Scripture, the writings of the Fathers (u), and our Liturgy, all misunderstanding will be avoided, and the two primitive doctrines of baptismal Regeneration and progressive Renovation will retain their proper and distinct places and characters. Water applied outwardly to the body, together with the grace of the Holy Ghost applied inwardly to the soul, regenerates the man; or in other words, the Holy Ghost, in and (1) I think it right to warn young Students in divinity, that they will sometimes find the words Regeneration and Regenerate not used in their true sense, even by Authors whose principles are not Calvinistic. This want of precision is the more to be lamented, as it may not only lead into error upon this important subject, but may produce an inattention to the genuine doctrine of the Sacrament of Baptism, so strongly marked in the offices of our Church. Accuracy of language, as well as clear and distinct ideas, upon the points discussed in this chapter, cannot be too earnestly recommended. (u) This will appear afterwards. and by the use of water baptism, causes the newbirth. And the words Regeneration and Newbirth, are never used in the New Testament, or in the Formularies of our Church, as equivalent to conversion or repentance, independent of baptism. The instantaneous conversion of persons already baptized, by the resistless and perceptible power of the Holy Ghost, and their being placed in a state of salvation from which it is impossible for them to fall, are unfounded and mischievous tenets, utterly irreconcileable with Scripture and the doctrines of the Church of England. The design of Christianity is indeed to remedy the corruption and depravity of human nature, and to restore it to that image of God in which Adam was created, and which by transgression he lostbut this is not done by sudden and violent impulses of the Spirit-it must be, as I observed in the former Chapter, the progressive result of calm and serious reflection, firm resolution, zealous exertion, and constant vigilance, aided by the cooperation of Divine grace. The frame and temper of the mind will thus be gradually improved; the force of sinful temptations will grow less and less; we shall "daily proceed in all virtue and godliness of living (u)," "till we come unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ (x)." (u) Bapt. Service, (x) Eph. c. 4. v. 13. CHAPTER THE THIRD.. OF JUSTIFICATION, FAITH, AND GOOD WORKS. A LTHOUGH there must really and ne cessarily be a perfect harmony between authors who write under the immediate influence of the Divine Spirit, yet it is certain, that there is some appearance of inconsistency in the different books of the Sacred Volume. To the improper interpretation of seemingly contradictory texts, we may justly attribute many of the errors and contests, which have divided and harassed the Christian Church. No passages have given rise to more eager disputes among Divines, both in the present and in former times, than those which relate to Justification, Faith, and Works, which, like the subjects of Original Sin, Free-will, and Grace, considered in the first Chapter, are closely connected with each other; and I shall now endeavour to explain the true doctrine upon these controverted points (x). ま My (x) Osiander narrat viginti discrepantes sententias de Justificatione, Bellarminus, Lib. 2. de Just. cap. I. Salmeron 22 discrepantes de Justificatione sententias Lutheranis tribuit. Cent. Magd. H |