CHAP. 3.4. cilCommentarie upon the 622 I member, thy feruanr's, thy children.are all poyfoned , and haue need of I forreprefent antidote. Verf. 4. But whenthe bountifulneffe,andloue ofGodour Sauiour towards man appeared, 5. Not by the worker ofrighteoufneffe which we had done but according to his merciehe faxedvs,by the wafhing ofthe newbirth,axd renewing of theholy Ghofi, 6. Which he/hedon vsabundantly ,through lefur Chrifiour Ssaiour, '7. That táe beeing iuflifìed,drc. Our Apofile having to largely defcribed themiferable ,condition of man in his naturalls, whole whole temper we haue feene to be fach as cariethhim to all rough andgracelcfíe courfes: he now fetteth by it a liuely defcripeion of anew condition,vnco which chofe who are good in Gods tightare called : and this he doch in chefe foue verles, in this Ananias. order. Firfl, by the principall efficient caufe of it, which is the bounti- fulneffeand loue of God: fitly oppofed co that hardntlfe and vnmerci- fulneffe of men , which was the ground of feircenes in their fpeaches and behauiours : God was not Ço feirce again(} man, but when we were in that miferable condition:as he is the fountaineofall goodnes in him- felfe;To his genclenes andphilanthropic fiseamed out -and the glorious beames ofhis grace fhined out vpouvs throughhis Chrifi, ver.4. Now this principall efficient is illufirated, r, by the time, when. a. by re- mooning the contrary things: which whatfoeuer they may feeme,are fo farre from beeing caufes,as they are rather diametrallyoppofed ;namely the worker of righteoufneffe which wee had done, that is, the verie belt and floure of our wòrkes , which indeed had no righteoufneffe; here was no fuch thing concurring to the helping of vs into this elate,but his meeremercie famedvs: which affection ofGods free mercy is in. ferted and repeated againe, to take downe the arrogancie of fome pre- fumptuous fpirits in chofe daics. This he doch in the former part of the 5.verfe. Secondly ,by the infirumentall or minitieriall efficient caufe, which helpech vs into this change, and new condition; and this may becon- ceiued either proper , and that is the renewing of the holy Ghofl: or ty- picall and facramentali, and that is the lauer of regeneration. By which fome vndertiand Baptiftne in a larger fence, including all the gifts ne- cefarieto faluation; as it is taken, Lob. 3.5. and r. Pet. x.3. becaufe the verfe following cafleth eye' to fuch places of the old Tefiament, which fpeakenor ofthe effu(ionoffacramentall water, but ofthe pien_ tifull powring out offach graces of the fpirit , as were prophccied tobe rn
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