a new flake, to the er: trance, or hurts Admission into such and such privileges,, First Reception of the grants, entrance into sonship. да 1. Which grant may be considered as made and 2. As Sabularity applied. Birth, it comer but once. The the Thing receiver, as gettin :fication, Remission, we are continued Acl. co other from them as bist Reception does from continuance of thein, 2 Confiser as a continuanc mar that State. When a is said to repair his Bapliser, or to love, or forfeit it, s' word mears a Baptismal State: So when Regeneration is said to be retained, or loft, it means a State, But as that Stube is rover who lost, a man is i never rebaptized, or regenerated again, or again, or crores into son his 3 Both considered as Lubutay, or not Salutay, imperfect as to be main ond or sife, or perfect with respect to their main in and use. integral The perfective addition is considered as an part of it: And then Bafforism in a Large Senje, takes in it Salutarines; and Regeneration in a Large Scape backey in Rens •vation, and is distinguised from it as whole from part in man may lose his sonship in part, which ben: repainted by restoring that perfective bars this view, a Ship is restored, on Renneration for Papilm, exhibite , or for the Thing Signities and in and by Baptism. Raptism, in its whole notion, beher in Sign and Thing, comprehends Evie part and mens part Water and Spin't. To be balady bagliked is the same as to be revenerabed of water and the Epicit, a' but abstrack's from bla Inession unfevingly. For at den :heration 2's not Loving, any more than all valid Boph Javingh, Y or Regeneration, or the grants once made and applied, linked & in and by the wortly receiving of the month Ench - rist, and is distinguided from that condition by Birth Lite, or as reception of life from se rubrition the Life is no more given, no more begung anoisi a renewed, preserved, flourishe, dept up. TIT. III. 4, 5, 6. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour towards man appeared, not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to his mercy be faved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghoft; which he shed on us abundantly through Jefus Chrift our Saviour. S T. Paul in thefe Words has briefly taught us God's Method of faving both Jew and Gentile,under the Chriftian Difpenfation. He did it, and does it, of free Grace, and according to the Riches of his pure Mercy; not for or by any Righteoufnefs which we have done or do by our own unaffifted Abilities, but by the B Washing, Si quæras cujufmodi opera a juftificatione & falute excludat Apoftolus, clare hic refpondet ipfe: à μers, pronomine pes emphaticè addito: Quæ fecimus ipfi, h. e. ex propriis viribus. Deinde operibus hujufmodi, ex ingenio humano profectis, Washing, or Laver, of Regeneration, and Renering of the Holy Ghost: That is to fay, by the Sacrament of Chriftian Baptifm, confidered in both its Parts, the outward vifible Sign, which is Water, and the inward Things fignified and exhibited, viz. a Death unto Sin, and a new Birth unto Righteoufnefs, therein wrought by the Holy Spirit of God. I interpret the Text of Water-baptifm, as the Ancients conftantly did, and as the Rules of true Criticism require. For, tho' fome Moderns have endeavoured to explain away the outward Part, refolving all into the inward Part or Thing fignified, namely, the Grace of the Spirit; yet with how little Reason or Succefs they have attempted it, is well known to the more judicious, who have abundantly vindicated the ancient Constructionc. The profectis, opponit Gratiam illam Dei, ex mera fua mifericordia in nos per Chriftum largiter effufam, qua regeneramur ac renovamur, quaque fola operibus verè bonis idonei reddimur. Quodque prioribus ademerat, his concedit operibus: h. e. per hæc, non per illa, nos fervatos affirmat. Cum enim dicit Paulus, fervari nos διὰ ἀνακαινώσεις πνεύματΘ άγίκ, intelligit omnes ilias virtutes ac bona opera quæ a corde per Spiritum Sanētum renovato fluunt. Bull. Harmon. Apoft. differt. 2. c. 12. p. 485. Edit. Lond. 1721. b Baptifma enim effe in quo Homo vetus moritur & novus nafcitur, manifellat & probat beatus Apoftolus dicens: Servavit nos per lavacrum regenerationis. Si autem in lavacro, id eft, in baptifmo, eft regeneratio, quomodo generare Filios Deo Hærefis per Chriftum poteft, &c. Cyprian. Ep. 74. p. 140. Edit. Benedict. item Epift. 1. p. 2. Firmel: p: 143.149 Conf. Origen. in Matt. p. 391. Ed. Huet. Theophil. ad Autol. 1. 2. c. 25. p. 153. Clim. Alex. 156.551 Chryfoftom. ad Illumin. Catech. 1. p. 228. Tom. 2. Ed. Bened. Hieronym. Pelaging. The don't in Loc. See Whitby on the Text. Wolfius. cur. crit. in loc. E The latter part of the Text is nearly parallel to thofe Words of our Lord: Except a man be born of Water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. And the general Doctrine both of our Lord and St. Paul in those Texts, is; that Water applied outwardly to the Body, together with the Grace of the Spirit applied inwardly to the Soul, regenerate the Mane: Or, in other Words, the Holy Spirit, in and by the Ufe of Water-baptifm, caufes the new Birth. But it is obfervable, that while our Lord's Words make mention only of the new Birth, that is, of Regeneration, the Apostle here in the Text diftinctly speaks both of a Regeneration and a Renovation, as two Things, and both of them wrought ordinarily in one and the fame Baptifm, here called the Laver of Regeneration, and of Renewing. Indeed, the Words of the Original may be rendred, by the Laver of Regeneration, and by the Renewing, and fo fome B 2 have John iii. 5. That this Text alfo was anciently understood of Water baptifm, and ought to be fo, has been abundantly proved by the beit-learned Moderns, viz. Hooker, B. v. n. 59. p. 225. Maldonate in loc. Lightfoot, Tom. 1. p. 571, &c. Wall, Inf. Bapt. Part 1. p. 6, 22. Part 2. 165. Defence, e Aqua igitur exhibens forinfecus Sacramentum Gratiæ, & Spiritus operans intrinfecus Beneficium Gratiæ, folvens vinculum culpæ, reconcilians bonum naturæ, regenerant hominem in uno Chrifto, ex uno Adamo generatum. Auguftin. Epift. ad Bonifac. xcviii. p. 264. Edit. Bened. Conf. Origen in Johann. p. 124, 125. Ed. Huet. have tranflated, or interpreted them f. But the common rendring appears to be preferable, as best warranted by the Reading, and by the ancient Verfions, and by the general Doctrine of the New Testament in relation to Baptifm, as ordinarily carrying with it, in Adults at least fitly prepared, both a Regeneration and a Renovation: Which tho' diftinct in Name and Notion, (as appears from this Text, and from feveral other Texts of the New Testament, to be hereafter mentioned) are yet nearly allied in end and use; are of one and the fame Original, often go together, and are perfective of each other. In difcourfing farther, my Defign is, I. To explain the Name and Notion of Regeneration, fhewing what it is, and what it contains; as alfo what Concern it has with Chriftian Baptism, called the Laver, or Fountain of it. II. To confider what the Renewing mention'd in the Text means, and how it differs from, or agrees with Regeneration; and what Connexion both have either with Baptifm here, or with Salvation hereafter. III. To draw fome proper Inferences from the whole, for preventing Miftakes in these high Matters, and for our better Improvement in Christian Knowledge and Practice. First, Per lavacrum regenerationis, & renovationem Spiritus Sancti. So Jerom, in his Comment on the Place, Tom. 4. p. 435. Edit. Bened. As if die were understood before avanaires. And to fome of the Criticks, in Poal's Synopfis. |