ir AI, WORE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE words at least, so far as 1 know, granted by all who pretend to sobriety in_Christianity. That by some o- thers it bath been derided and exploded, is the occasion of this vindication of it. It most not be expected that I should here handle the whole doctrine of regeneration practically, as it may be educed by inferences from the scripture, according to the analogy of faith, and the experiences of them that believe; it bath been done al- ready by others. My present aim is only, to confirm the fundamental principles of truth concerning those o- perations of the Holy Spirit, which, at this day, are opposed with violence and virulence. And what I shall offer on the present subject, may be reduced unto the ensuing heads: Sect. 6. (t.) Although the work of regeneration by the Holy Spirit was wrought under the Old Testa- ment, even from the foundation of the world; and the doctrine of it was recorded in the scriptures, yet the revelation of it was but obscure in comparison of that light and evidence which it is brought forth into by the gospel. This is evident from the discourse whichour blessed Saviour had with Nicodemus on this subject. For when he acquainted him clearly with the doctrinr of it, he was surprised and fell into that inquiry which argued some amazement; Ilote can these things be? But yet the reply of our Saviour manifests, that he might have attained a better acquaintance with it out of the scripture than he had done. Art thou, saith he, a mas- ter in Israel, and knowest not these things? Dost thou take upon thee to teach others what is their state and condition, and what is their duty towards God, and art ignorant thyself of so great and fundamental a doctrine, which thou mightest have learned from the scripture? For if he might not so have done, there would have been no just cause of the reproof given him by our Sa- viour: for it was neither crime nor negligence in him to be ign-.ant of what God had not revealed. This doc- snmpserit, nos el quod swumest denegamos? ille nos seperne genera- rionisheredes feels, nos hareditatem vindicamus, refutamos authorem; sed non potest manero beneficiam cum author excluditur; neeauthor sine munere nee sineauthore munas. Si vindicas Grattan), erede po-, tntiam; si refutas potentiam, gratiam ne requires. Sancti igitur Spi- ritus opus est Regenerado ista praestantior, es nevi hujus hominis qui reatur ad imaginem Dei author est Spiritus, quern utiq; melioremhoc exteriori eme postro Nomine nemo dubitaverit. Ambees. de Sp. San. Y. e. e. 9. trine therefore, namely, That every one whowill enter into the kingdom of God must be born again of the Holy Spirit, was contained in the writings of the Old Testament. It was so in the promises, rt That God would circumcise the hearts of his people; that he would take away their heart of stone, and give them a heart of flesh," with his late written tea it, and o- therwise as shall be afterwards proved. Sect. 7.-But yet we see that it was so obscurely de- clared, that the principal masters and teachers of the people knew little or nothing of it. Some, indeed, would have this regeneration, if they knew what they would have, or as to what may be gathered of their minds, out of their great swelling words of vanity, to be nothing but reformation of life, according to the rules of the scripture. But Nicodemus knew the neces- sity of reformation of life well enough, if he had ever read either Moses or the prophets. And to suppose that our Lord Jesus Christ proposed unto him the thing which he knew perfectly well, only under a new name or notion which he had never heard of before: so to take an advantage of charging him with being ignorant of what indeed he full well knew and understood, is a blasphemous imagination. How they can free them- selves from the guilt hereof, who look on regeneration as no more but a metaphorical expression of amend- ment of life, 1 know not. And, ifit be so, if there be no more in it, but as they love to speak, becoming a new moral man, a thing which all the world, Jews and Gentiles, understood; our Lord Jesus was so far from bringing it forth into more light, and giving it more perspicuity, by what he teacheth concerning regenera- tion, the nature, manner, causes, and effects of it, that he cast it thereby into more darkness and obscurity than everit was delivered in, either by Jewish masters, or Gentile philosophy. For, although the gospel do real- ly teach all duties of morality with more exactness and clearness, and press unto the observance of them, on motives incomparably more cogent than any thing that otherwise ever befel the mind of man to think or appre- hend; yet if it must be supposed to intend nothing else in its doctrine of the new birth or regeneration, but those moral duties and their observance, it is dark and unintelligible; I say, if there be not a secret mysterious work of the Spirit of God, in and upon the souls of men' intended in the writings of the New Testament,
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