TITUS iii. 4, 5, 6.

But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour.

ST. PAUL in these words has briefly taught us God's method of saving both Jew and Gentile, under the Christian dispensation. He did it, and does it, of free grace, and according to the riches of his pure mercy; not for or by any righteousness which we have done or do by our own unassisted abilitiesa, but by the "washing (or laver) of "regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost:" that is to say, by the sacrament of Christian Baptism, considered in both its parts, the outward visible sign, which is water, and the inward things signified and exhibited, viz. a death unto sin, and a new birth unto righteousness, therein wrought by the Holy Spirit of God. I interpret the text of Water-baptism, as the ancients constantly did b, and as

a Si quæras cujusmodi opera a justificatione et salute excludat Apostolus, clare hic respondet ipse: ἃ ἐποιήσαμεν ἡμεῖς, pronomine ἡμεῖς emphatice addito: quæ fecimus ipsi, h. e. ex propriis viribus. Deinde operibus hujusmodi, ex ingenio humano profectis, opponit gratiam illam Dei, ex mera sua misericordia in nos per Christum largiter effusam, qua regeneramur ac renovamur, quaque sola operibus vere bonis idonei reddimur. Quodque prioribus ademerat, his concedit operibus: h. e. per hæc, non per illa, nos servatos affirmat. Cum enim dicit Paulus, servari nos διὰ ἀνακαινώσεως πνεύματος aylov, intelligit omnes illas virtutes ac bona opera quæ a corde per Spiritum Sanctum renovato fluunt. Bull. Harmon. Apost. dissert. ii. c. 12. p. 485. edit. Lond. 1721.

b Baptisma enim esse in quo homo vetus moritur et novus nascitur, manifestat et probat beatus Apostolus dicens: Servavit nos per lavacrum rege

the rules of true criticism require. For though some moderns have endeavoured to explain away the outward part, resolving all into the inward part or thing signified, namely, the grace of the Spirit; yet with how little reason or success they have attempted it is well known to the more judicious, who have abundantly vindicated the ancient construction. The latter part of the text is nearly parallel to those words of our Lord; "Except a man be "born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the "kingdom of heaven d." 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 use of Water-baptism, causes the new birth. But it is observable, that while our Lord's words make mention only of the new birth, that is, of regeneration, the Apostle here in the text distinctly speaks both of a regeneration and a renovation, as two things, and both of them wrought ordinarily in one and the same Baptism, here called the laver of regeneration, and of renewing. Indeed the words of the original may be rendered, by the laver of regeneration, and by the renewing; and so some have translated

nerationis. Si autem in lavacro, id est, in baptismo, est regeneratio, quomodo generare filios Deo hæresis per Christum potest, &c. Cyprian. ep. lxxiv. p. 140. edit. Benedict. item epist. i. p. 2. Conf. Origen. in Matt. p. 391. ed. Huet. Theophil. ad Autol. lib. ii. c. 25. p. 153. Chrysostom. ad Illumin. Catech. 1. tom. ii. p. 228. ed. Bened.

See Whitby on the text. Wolfius, Cur. Crit. in loc.

d John iii. 5. That this text also was anciently understood of Water-baptism, and ought to be so, has been abundantly proved by the best learned moderns, viz. Hooker, vol. ii. book v. numb. 59. p. 243. Ox. ed. Maldonate in loc. Lightfoot, tom. i. p. 571, &c. Wall, Infant Baptism, part i. p. 6, 22. part ii. p. 165. Defence, p. 11, 24, 153, 237. Wolfius, Cur. Crit, in loc. vol. i. p. 811, &c. Beveridge's Sermons, vol. iii. serm. xi. p. 319, &c.

e Aqua igitur exhibens forinsecus sacrumentum gratiæ, et Spiritus operans intrinsecus beneficium gratiæ, solvens vinculum culpæ, reconcilians bonum naturæ, regenerant hominem in uno Christo, ex uno Adamo generatum. Augustin. Epist. ad Bonifac. xcviii. p. 264. edit. Bened. Conf, Origen. in Johann. p. 124, 125. ed. Huet.

or interpreted them f. But the common rendering appears to be preferable, as best warranted by the reading, and by the ancient versions, and by the general doctrine of the New Testament in relation to Baptism, as ordinarily carrying with it, in adults at least fitly prepared, both a regeneration and a renovation: which though distinct in name and notion, (as appears from this text, and from several other texts of the New Testament, to be hereafter mentioned,) are yet nearly allied in end and use; are of one and the same original, often go together, and are perfective of each other. In discoursing farther, my design is,

I. To explain the name and notion of regeneration, showing what it is, and what it contains; as also what concern it has with Christian Baptism, called the laver, or fountain of it.

II. To consider what the renewing mentioned in the text means, and how it differs from or agrees with regeneration; and what connection both have either with Baptism here, or with salvation hereafter.

III. To draw some proper inferences from the whole, for preventing mistakes in these high matters, and for our better improvement in Christian knowledge and practice.

I.

First, I propose to treat of regeneration, showing what it means, and what it contains, and what relation it bears to Christian Baptism, called the laver, or fountain of it. Regeneration, passively considered, is but another word for the new birth of a Christian: and that new birth, in the general, means a spiritual change wrought upon any person, by the Holy Spirit, in the use of Baptism; whereby he is translated from his natural state in Adam, to a spiritual state in Christ. The name, or the notion, pro

f Per lavacrum regenerationis, et renovationem Spiritus Sancti. So Jerome, in his Comment on the place, tom. iv. p. 435. edit. Bened. As if dra were understood before vaxawársas. And so some of the critics, in Poole's Synopsis.

bably, was not altogether new in our Lord's time for the Jews had been used to admit converts from heathenism into the Jewish Church, by a baptism of their own; and they called the admission or reception of such converts by the name of regeneration, or new birth; as it was somewhat like the bringing them into a new world. Such proselytes were considered as dead to their former state of darkness, and born anew to light, liberty, and privileges, among the children of Israel, and within the Church of God. The figure was easy, natural, and affecting; and therefore our Lord was pleased, in his conference with Nicodemus, to adopt the same kind of language, applying it to the case of admitting converts both from Judaism and Paganism into Christianity; transferring and sanctifying the rite, the figure, and the name to higher and holier, but still similar purposes. Such is the account given of this matter by many learned and judicious writers 5. It appears extremely probable, from the authorities commonly cited for it; and it is particularly favoured by those words of our Lord to Nicodemus, expressing some kind of marvel at his slowness of apprehension; "Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not "these things h?" Some doubts have been raised on this head, and some very learned persons have expressed their diffidence about it: but, all things considered, there does not appear to be sufficient reason to make question of it i.

Selden, de Jur. Nat. et Gent. lib. ii. c. 2, 3, 4. Elderfield of Regeneration, Hebrew and Christian. Wall, Infant Baptism, introduct. p. 95, &c. Defence, p. 22, 26, 35, 211, 318. Wotton, Miscellan. Disc. vol. i. p. 103, &c. Vitringa, Observ. Sacr. lib. ii. c. 6. p. 322. Others referred to in Fabricius, Bibl. Antiq. p. 386. Archbishop Sharpe, vol. iii. serm. xiii. p. 280. Deylingius, Observ. Sacr. part. iii. dissert. 34. p. 323, 324. Wesselius, dissert. xv. de Bapt. Proselytorum, p. 444, &c.

b John iii. 10.

i The very learned Wolfius several times speaks doubtfully of it, Cur. Critic. vol. i. p. 53. 815. vol. ii. p. 445. But it will be proper to compare Wesselius, who has appeared since, and who has professedly treated this argument, and done it in a very accurate way, recapitulating all that had been urged on both sides the question, and at length deciding in favour of what I have mentioned. The title of the book is, Johannis Wesselii Dissertationes