124 WORK OF THE HOL the gospel, as baptism, do really communicate internal grace unto them, that are, as to their outward manner of their administration, duly made partakers of them, whether, ex opere operato, as the Papists speak, or as a liideral means of the conveyance and communication of that grace, which they betoken, and are the pledges of; but whether the outward sasception of the ordinance, joined with a profession of repentance in them that are adult, be not the whole of what is called regeneration. The vanity of this presumptuous folly, destructive of all the grace of thegospel, invented to countenance men in their sins, and to hide from them the necessity of being born again, and therein of turning unto God, will be laid open in our declaration of the nature of the work itself. For the present the ensuing reasons will serve to remove it out of our way. Sect. 16. (l.) Regeneration lothnot consist in these things which are only outward signs and tokens of it, or, at most, instituted means of effecting it. For the nature ofthings is different and distinct from the means, and evidences or pledges of them. But such only is baptism, with the professionof the doctrine of it, as is acknowledged by all who have treated of the nature of that sacrament. (2 ) The apostle Peter really states this case, ï Pet. iii. 21. n' In answer whereunto even "baptism doth also now save us; not the putting away "of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good con- " science towards God, by the resurrection of Jesus "Christ" The outward administration of this ordi- nance considered materially, reachetb no farther, but to the washing away of the filth of the flesh, but more is signified thereby. There is denoted in it the resti- pulation of a good conscience unto God, by the resur- rection of Christ from the dead, or a conscience purged from dead works to serve the living God, Het), ix. 34. and quickened by virtue of his resurrection unto holy obedience; see Rom. vi. 3, 4, .5, 6, 7. (3.) The apostle Paul doth plainly distinguish between the outward or- dinances, with what belongs unto a due participation of them, and the work of regeneration itself; Gal. vi. 15. " In Jesus Christ neither circumcisionavaileth any " thing, nor uncircumcision availeth any thing, but a + new creature." For, as by circumcision, the whole system of Mosaical ordinances is intended, so the state of uncircumcision, as then it was in the professing Gen- iles, supposed a participation of all the ordinances of Y SPIRIT IN THE the gospel. But from them all he distinguisheth the new creation, as that which they may be without, and which being so, they are not available in Christ Jesus. (4.) if this were so, then all that are duly baptized, and do thereon make profession of the doctrine of it, that is of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, must of ne- cessity be regenerate. But this we know to be other- wise: for instance, Simon the magician was rightly and duly baptized; for he was so by Philip the Evan- gelist; which he could not be without a profession of' faith and repentance; accordingly it is said that he be- lieved, Acts viii. 13. that is, made a profession of his faith in the gospel. Yet he was not regenerate; for, at the same time, he had no part or lot in that matter, his heart not being right in the sight of God, but was in the gall of bitterness, and bond of iniquity, ver. 21, 113. which is not the description of a person newly regene- rate and born again. Hence the cabbalistical Jews; who grope in darkness after the old notions of truth that were among their forefathers, do say, that at the same instant' wherein a man is made a proselyte of righteousness, there comes a new soul into him from heaven, his old Pagan soul vanishing or being taken away. The introduction of a new spiritual principle, to be that unto the soul which the soul is unto the body naturally, is that which they understand, or they choose thus to express the reiterated promise of taking away the heart of stone, and giving an heart of flesh in the place of it. Sect. 17.Secondly; Regeneration doth net con- sist in a moral reformation of life and conversation. Let as suppose such a reformation to be extensive unto all known instances. Suppose a manbe changed from sensuality unto temperance, from rapine to righteous- ness, from pride and the dominion of irregular passions, unto humility and moderations, with all instances of the like nature which we can imagine, or are prescribed in the rules of the strictest moralists: suppose this change be laboured, exact, and accurate, and so of great use in the world. Suppose also that a man hath been brought and persuaded unto it, through the preaching of the gospel, so escaping the pollutions that are in the world through lust, even by the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, or the directions of his doctrine delivered in the gospel; yet, I say, all this, and all this added unto baptism, accompanied with a profession of
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=