repent: But if ever they do repent and turn to God, then that conditional Grant, fufpended as it were before, with refpect to any javing Effects, begins at length to take place effectually; and fo their Baptism, which had stood waiting without any falutary Fruit for a time, now becomes beneficial and faving to the returning Penitents. At the fame time, their Regeneration, begun in Baptifm, and left unfinish'd (like an Indenture executed on one fide only, or like a Part without a Counter-part) comes at last to a. vio: Augustin be compleat, that is, actually Salutary; not by De Bapt. 2.1. c.10. p. 87.88. Tom. 1x a formal Regeneration (as if nothing had been Corf. 79.81.91.121. done before) but by the Repentance of the Man, 1:15. 419. 427, 447, and by the Sanctification or Renovation of the Heart and Mind thro' the Spirit, which had been hitherto wanting.

620.169.

a

I have now run thro' the four feveral Cafes propofed, obferving how the Affair of Regeneration and Renovation ftands under each; in order to give the more diftinct Idea of both, and to remove the main Difficulties which appear'd to concern either of them. From this Account may be collected these Particulars, 1. That Regeneration, as containing Grants of Remiffion, Juftification, Adoption, Covenant-claim to Life eternal, is a

very

Note, that fantificatio is here ufed in a different Meaning from what St. Auftin ufed it in, when he fpake of a Santification going along with all true and valid Baptifm, tho' not faving. There he meant an outward Sanctification, fuch as I have before defcribed: Here he means the inward Sanctification of any one's Heart and Mind, neceffary to make his Baptifm, which was before valid, to become faving alfo. "The Simon magus was worn of water and the spint, yet He was to! Born of God in the sense of 1.90 h. 111.9.

Qui ratus est ex deo, habet caritatem," tzertum nativitatis Home Captionty: Sacramentum habet, et magnin Sacramentum, divinum, Sanctum, irckatile, confioria vuale: at ho • tum hominem facial dimissione onnium peccatorum, Atincat lamin -r; se perfectum est ibi quos factum est in corpore. Discat sih tatem, et tunc dicat, nabus fum ex deo. Habral Car

r

non sédical nabum ex des.. Sed habeo, inguit, Sacramentin ·Cum. 2. Cor. XII. 2. Augushion Till. par. 2. p. 859.1.6.4.

very different Notion from Renovation, which contains only a Renewal of Heart and Mind. 2. That Regeneration is in fome Cafes (as particularly in the Cafe of baptized Infants) not only different in Notion, or diftinct in Theory, but really and actually feparate from Renovation, for the time being. 3. That in other Cafes, Regeneration, while it takes in Renovation to render it compleat, or falutary to theRecipient (and is in Fact joined with it) yet even there it differs from Renovation, as the Whole differs from a Part. 4. That fuppofe what Cafe, or what Circumstances you please, the two Words or Names ftand, or ought to ftand for different Notions, for different Combinations of Ideas, and never are, or at least never ought to be used as reciprocal, convertible Terms. Nothing now remains, but to draw fome Corollaries or Inferences from the general Principles before laid down, by way of Application, for our farther Improvement.

III.

I proceed therefore to my third Head of Dif course, according to the Method chalk'd out in the Entrance above.

1. The first Reflexion I have to make, is, that it is very improper Language at least, to call those who have once been regenerated, in their Infancy, who have had their new Birth

upon

I

already

already at the Font, to be now regenerated; or to bid them expect a new Birth. Such Applications might properly be directed to Jews, Turks, or Pagans, or to fuch nominal Chriftians as have thrown off Water-baptifm: For, fuch really want to be regenerated, or born again, being ftill in their natural State. But as to others, who are, or have been favingly regenerated of Water and the Spirit, they fhould be called upon only to repent or reform, in order to preserve or repair that regenerate State which the Spirit once gave them, and which he gave not in vain. There is no Inftance, no Example in Scripture (as I before hinted) of any Exhortation made to Chriftians, to become regenerated, or born anew, but to be reformed only, or renewed in the inner Man; which is a very different Notion from the other, as I have before manifefted at large. Even Simon Magus, who had been baptized in Iniquity, was not exhorted to be regenerated afterwards, or born again, but to repent". Our Lord himself, in the Book of Revelations, made ufe of the like Language towards the revolting Churches; not bidding them become regenerate, but ordering them to repent: And the wicked Prophetess or Sorcerefs, Jezebel, had time given her; not to be regenerated again, but to repent". The only place I know of in Scripture that looks at all favourable to the Notion of a fecond Rege

X.

neration

w Acts viii. 22.

* Revel. ii. 5, 16. iii. 3, 19.

y Revel. ii. 20, 21.

neration here, is a Text of St. Paul's, where writing to the revolting Church of Galatia, and calling them his Children, he introduces himself under the Emblem of a pregnant Mother, and fays: My little children, of whom I travail in birth again, till Chrift be formed in youz. But

then confider, what an infinite Difference there is between the Force and Import of the two Figures: One, of a Minifter's inftrumentally forming the Minds and Manners of his People to Faith and Holiness; and the other of the Spirit's authoritatively adopting them into divine Sonship, and into Citizenship with all the Family of Heaven. The Minifter's inftrumental Work of Converting, or Renewing (as even the Spirit's Renewing) may often be undone, and may come over and over again: But the Regeneration of Water and the Spirit, the Confecration and Adoption unto God, is quite another Thing. Therefore that lower fort of Sonship of a Difciple towards his Teacher, or Master, may fail and be quite extinct: But that higher kind of Sonship or Adoption, once made in Baptifm, has an abiding Force and Virtue in it, and never F.

Gal. iv. 19.

wants

a See that Figure or Emblem explained in the ancient Testimonies collected by Suicer in his Thefaurus, under the Word 259. Ténva, Vol. 2. p. 143, 1595. And compare Perkins, in an595 fwer to the Objection about a Second Regeneration, as drawn from Gal. iv. 19. For tho' he intended his Answer for the Service of another Hypothefis, which I have nothing to do with, yet the Subitance of it is true and juft upon any Hypothefis. See Perkins's Comment on that Epistle, amongst his Works. Vol. 2. p. 293, 294. Zp Smal broke. Answ. to Quakers 15.183

bios baron, in foe. 34 Regeneration flated and explained

P. 278. Tom. IV.

LL Comm. in Loc

marising. 13.4/56.

wants to be reiterated, as it can never be totally fruftrated, or made void. In fhort then, the Galatians might be begotten again to St. Paul, because that meant no more than the being reinftructed in the Faith, and reclaimed in Manners:*But they could not be begotten again to God, unless they were to have been rebaptized, which the Apostle had no thought of.

The mistake in this matter, I imagine, firft X Calvin1.carofe from the misinterpreting fome Texts", which plainly import a Water-baptifm, of an inChamier Tom. IV. 1.5.6.oward Baptifm of the Spirit only. From hence, Gomarus.opp. Par. 1. 261. by degrees, outward Baptifm came to be thrown Episcopius. Dilemm, pon out of the Idea of Regeneration: The next Step *=bike. p. 159. Schlichinsky thus, was to confound Renewal of State with Renewal avizoverity, in lue of Mind, and fo to throw the former out of the Idea of Regeneration, making it the fame. with what the Text calls Renovation. In a while, Converfion and Repentance came to be used

Hours Bea kuw. Theol.

pract. I.1x.c.22. Grolins. in Loc.

Hottingerns. Thes. p.246.

Cocceing. Tom. IV. 96.
гід
vid Chific exercit:
Theol. p. 8o.

as

As John iii. 5. And alfo Tit. iii. 5. See above, p. 2, 3. How mifchievous this is, and how contrary to the ancient Doctrine of Fathers (grounded upon Scripture) may appear from the large Commendations they gave of Baptifm, including Sign and Thing; fuch as Laver of Life, Fountain of Life, Garment of Incorruption, Key of the heavenly Kingdom, Water of Life, living Water, quickening Water, heavenly Donative, Grace, Health, Life, Seal, Unation, choice Gift of God, Viaticum, Pledge of ReJurrection; tremendous Mystery, fuch as, unites us to Chrift, makes us of the fame Flesh with him, or the Temple of the Holy Spirit and of Chrift. The Authorities to this Purpose are colJected by Albertinus, de Euchariftia, and the Places of his Book are referred to in his Index, under Baptifmus. Now, though thofe high Expreffions ought to be understood cum grano falis, in a qualified Senfe; yet certainly it is a great Miftake to speak nightly of Water Baptifm, or not to take it in as the ordinary and neceffary, tho' inftrumental, Caufe of Regeneration, San&ti fication, and perfect Renovation.