claim to the privileges and blessings of the covenant into which they entered. Those Christians, who, in the primitive age, had fallen into error or relapsed into wickedness, are never in the New Testament exhorted to regenerate themselves, or taught to wait in a passive state for Regeneration by the Holy Ghost. They are called upon to be renewed, "Be renewed in the spirit of your mind (f);" "Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind (g);" "The inward man is renewed day by day (h)," which indicates a progressive improvement, and not a sudden conversion. The restoring those who had departed from the truth as it is in Jesus, is not called regenerating them, but "renewing them again unto repentance (i).” St. John, in the Revelation, commands the churches, which held unsound doctrine, or were guilty of immoral practices, not to be regenerated, but to "repent (j)." The word Regeneration therefore is in Scripture solely and exclusively applied to the one immediate effect of baptism once administered, and is never used as synonymous to the repentance or reformation of a Christian, or to express any operation of the Holy Ghost upon the human mind subsequent to baptism.

(f) Eph. c.4. v. 23.
(h) 2 Cor. c. 4. v. 16.
G) Rev. c. 2. v. 5, & 16.

c.2.

(g) Rom. c. 12. v. 2.
(i) Heb. c. 6. v. 6.
ç. 3. v. 3, & 19

baptism. "And the Christians did in all antient times continue the use of this name for baptism; so as that they never use the word regenerate or born again, but that they mean or denote by it baptism (k)."

We shall find this word used exactly in the same manner in our Liturgy, Articles, and Homilies. In the beginning of the service of Public Baptism of Infants, we pray, that the infant brought to be baptized "may be washed and sanctified with the Holy Ghost; may receive remission of his sins by spiritual Regeneration; may be born again; and that the old Adam may be so buried, that the new man may be raised up in him." Immediately after the priest has baptized the child by pronouncing the words commanded by our Saviour, and has signed him with the sign of the cross in token of his new pro→ fession, he proceeds to say, Seeing now that this child is regenerate (1) and grafted into the

66

body

(k) Wall's Hist. of Inf. Bapt. Int. Sect. 6. (1) There have been, says Dr. Nicholls on Common Prayer, some very unreasonable exceptions taken against this expression: as if all persons who are baptized were truly regenerate, whereas several of them prove afterwards very wicked. But this objection is grounded upon a modern notion of the word Regeneration, which neither the antient Fathers of the church,

body of Christ's church." And in the concluding prayer, the priest returns "thanks to God that it hath pleased him to regenerate this infant with the Holy Spirit, and to receive him for his own child by adoption, and to incorporate him into

his

nor the compilers of our Liturgy, knew any thing of. Indeed some writers of the last century run into this new fangled phrase, to denote conversion, or a returning from a lapsed state, after a notorious violation of the baptismal covenant, to an habitual state of holiness. But no antient writer that I know of, ever expressed this by the word Regeneration. Regeneration, as often as 'tis used in the Scripture books, signifies the baptismal Regeneration. There is but one word which answers to this in the New Testament, and that is Пayfevɛoia, and that Пayfevería refers to baptism, is plain, by having the word arpov joined with it, According to his mercy he saved us, διὰ λετρα Παλιγενεσίας, by the washing of Rege. neration.'-Tit. c. 3. v. 5. Our Saviour indeed made use of the like expression before the Apostle to Nicodemus, Except a man yevʊnbñ ävalev be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.'-John, c. 3. v. 3. But what he means by being born again, he explains, verse 5, by directing it positively to baptism; Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.' Regeneration in the language of the Fathers constantly signifies the participation of the sacrament of baptism :" in proof of this he quotes passages both from the Greek and Latin Fathers, and adds, that the language of the schoolmen, and of "the most eminent divines of the Reformation," is exactly the same, the word keeping "the antient sense for 1600 years.

his holy church;" and it is added, that "God for his part will most surely keep and perform his promise of releasing him from his sins, sanctifying him with the Holy Ghost, and giving him the kingdom of heaven and everlasting life.”—In the service of Private Baptism, immediately after the baptismal words are pronounced, it is said, "this child being born in original sin, and in the wrath of God, is now by the laver of regeneration in baptism, received into the number of the children of God, and heirs of everlasting life." And the service of Baptism of such as are of riper years, begins thus, "Forasmuch as all men are conceived and born in sin, and that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and they that are in the flesh cannot please God, but live in sin, committing many actual transgressions; and that our Saviour Christ saith, None can enter into the kingdom of God; except he be regenerate and born anew of water and of the Holy Ghost; I beseech you to call upon God the Father, through our Lord Jesus Christ, that of his bounteous goodness he will grant to these persons that which by nature they cannot have; that they may be baptized with water and the Holy Ghost, and received into Christ's holy church, and be made lively members of the same." And after the baptismal words are pronounced, the persons baptized are

declared

declared to be "regenerate and new-born again." -It is impossible for language to be more explicit and decisive than these passages quoted from our three Forms of Baptism.

In the Catechism it is said, that the inward and spiritual grace of baptism is, "a death unto sin, and a new birth unto righteousness; for being by nature born in sin, and the children of wrath, we are hereby made the children of grace."

In the office of Confirmation, the Bishop, after the renewal of the baptismal vow, but previous to the laying on of hands, prays thus, “ Almighty and everlasting God, who hast vouchsafed to regenerate these thy servants by water and the Holy Ghost, and hast given them forgiveness of all their sins," evidently referring to the rite of Baptisin. And in the Collect for Christmas-day, again in allusion to our Christian Baptism, and to a passage of Scripture already quoted, we pray to Almighty God, that "we, being regenerate and made his children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by his Holy Spirit;" here, "being regenerate," is a translation of regenerati, having been regenerated by baptism (m). To these positive proofs we may add an argument of a negative nature, namely, that in all the numerous passages of our Liturgy, which suppose the sinfulness of ¡Christians Bm) Wide Nicholl's Preface to the Supplement.