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the holy Spirit," after describing his work in regeneration, it is added, "the Spirit of God works by the word," &c. And while they testify, in that instrument, against those on the one hand, who, pretending to hold by the word, ridicule the work of the Spirit in opening and applying it to hearers of the gospel; and on the other hand, against those, who, under pretence of magnifying the work of the Spirit, despise and neglect the word, by which he works, in renewing and calling sinners, and in preparing them for the inheritance of the saints in light.

A great variety of writers of note might be referred to, as speaking the same language, with these public formularies, on this subject. But we shall satisfy ourselves, that we do not swell this paper too much, with extracts from a very few of them.— Owen, in his Exposition of the Epistle to the Hebrews (Williams' Abridgment) says, that "in the regeneration and sanctification of the elect, the first external act of their salvation, is wrought by the word. It is true, (he adds,) it doth not this by any power resident in itself, and always necessarily accompanying its administration; for then, all would be regenerated to whom it is preached, and there would be no neglectors of it.— But it is the distinguished instrument of God for this end; and, in that respect, is mighty and powerful. By the gospel and its promises, as the most exalted instruments or means, are believers actually and really made partakers of the Spirit, as to his gifts and graces, his indwelling, presence and abode. Gospel promises, are (vehicula Spiritus) the chariots that bring his holy Spirit to our souls." Boston, on this subject, in his Fourfold State, says, "the word, by which the gospel is preached unto you, impregnated by the Spirit of God, is the means of regeneration, and by it, are dead sinners raised to life." And again, addressing the unregenerated, he says, "the word is the seed, whereof the new creature is formed, therefore, take heed to it and entertain it, for it is your life." Witsius defines regeneration to be, "that supernatural act of God, whereby, a new, a divine life, is infused into the elect person spiritually dead, and that from the incorruptible seed of the word, made fruitful by the infinite power of the Spirit." Beza, Turretine, Marck, and other systematical divines; with Hallyburton, Brown, Marshall, Kollock, and other practical writers, all express themselves in a similar manner. So that the sentiment in question has a vast majority of sound writers against it.

3. It is in flat contradiction to God's established way of working, which is by means. For do we take a view of his working in the creation of the world, which was the beginning of the

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works of God, we find that he did not, by a mere energy of his power, bring created existence into being, out of nothing; but he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it arose into being from its primitive nothing: and in bringing creation work into its perfection, six days were employed, and every day had its own particular work, which was done upon it; and that was done, not simply by God's putting forth his almighty power in the production of these respective parts of creation work, but there was a "Let it be," used in respect to every part of that work-" Let there be light"-" Let there be a firmament," &c. In the making of Adam and Eve means also were used, for he made Adam out of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and he became a living soul; and Eve was formed from a rib taken from Adam's side. General providence, is just his keeping the world in being, and ordering and governing all things both in the natural and moral world, by a connected chain of causes and effects: And in the kingdom of grace, means are represented as generally used in carrying on the grand purposes of his love and mercy, both in the church generally and in believers individually; as his providence placing those whom he intends to call effectually by his grace, where the gospel is enjoyed, or sending it to them and exciting them to thoughtfulness about their privileges and opportunities; and his ordinances calling in and building up. Does God in the use of means, work conviction in the heart of the sinner, build up his people in comfort, establish and strengthen them, seal his covenant blessings over unto them, and give them a communion with himself, as he does in all the ordinances of his grace in this world. And shall he in regeneration alone, or the implantation of the principle of faith, and every other grace, work without them? We had need to have something more than bare conjecture, as the reason why we should make an exception of regeneration, especially when we consider that scripture speaks so often in language that seems to teach us the instrumentality of the word in this work. We say that to assert that regeneration is accomplished without means, would make it altogether an anomaly in the works and ways of God. For though the Westminster divines say, under the article "Of God's works in providence," that "he sometimes works in providence without, above, and against means," this only respects particular cases, in which he sometimes steps out of his usual way of working, and is not to be understood of his working in any one way generally, in providence, without means. So in regeneration: though he also makes use of means ordinarily, he sometimes, as respects indr

vidual persons, works without them, as in the conversion of Paul, the thief on the cross, with some others; or rather, perhaps, though he still makes use of the word in the regeneration of persons capable of being outwardly called, he does not use it upon all in the same way. For it will be hard to prove that the word was not used as the instrument in Paul's conversion, as the words of the voice he heard from heaven were nothing else than the word of God to him, though they did not at that time form a part of the written book of the scriptures. Besides, Paul had a knowledge of the Old Testament scriptures, and like the rest of the unbelieving Jews in his time, expected a Messias to come at some period or another, though he did not believe that he was actually come, until he heard that voice from heaven, which we may presume produced conviction in the mind of Paul, by discovering that the same Jesus who spake to him, was the Messias of the scriptures already come. Nor is there evidence wanting of the instrumentality of the word in producing the change effected upon the thief while hanging upon the cross, since we know that Christ declared himself, both when upon the cross in the hearing of both the thieves, and on his way to it, so as that they both had an opportunity of knowing who he was; and in the case of the convicted thief, the declaration Christ gave of himself, accompanied with the power and blessing of the Spirit, answered the same end to him which a gospel sermon, preached by his ambassadors called and employed by him, has done to others, with the blessing of God attending it. The Spirit, we have reason to believe, wrought, even with him, by means of the word, but not in the ordinary way.

4. It is not simply a physical, but a moral change, which takes place in regeneration, and must be considered as having moral means to produce it. The sinner in his unregenerated state, is not only without an ability to serve God, but he is under an enmity, which renders him unwilling for his service, and that enmity has to be overcome, in order that he may go on in it with freedom and delight. But how does the Holy Spirit overcome this enmity? It is by a satisfying discovery he gives of God, as a God reconciled, in the Lord Jesus Christ, with the sinner, so as that he may know that there is mercy with God for him, notwithstanding his sin and guilt, and be induced from that discovery he obtains of God, to love and obey him. Because a view of God, only as offended, without a discovery of his mercy manifested in the Lord Jesus Christ, would keep the soul for ever chained down under the power of that enmity. And that the Spirit works in this two-fold manner, in regenerating the sinner,

appears from this circumstance, that we find these two so often represented in scripture as uniformly accompanying each other in this work, the power of God put forth, and motives engaging the heart, as in the 110th Psalm, verses 2, 3-"The Lord shall send the rod of his strength out of Zion"-" Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power:" and Songs of Solomon, i. 4"Draw me, we will run after thee:" and iv. 16-and in Hosea xi. 3. where God says of Ephraim, "I drew them with cords of a man and with bands of love." Should it be asserted, that in these and similar passages, there is a respect to the way in which the Spirit works in sanctification, rather than in regeneration, we affirm that they are equally as positive proof for the mode of the Spirit's dealing with the sinner in his regeneration, as with the believer in his progressive sanctification; because they set forth the way by which any good can ever be found in us, either in the principle, or exercise of that principle. And the very first passage shows that this is the case, as the declaration, that the Lord shall send the rod of Christ's strength out of Zion, is accompanied with the declaration, that he shall rule in the midst of his enemies, as overcoming their enmity, by implanting his grace in the heart, and in this manner, in the day of his power, making a willing people for himself. The words in the 45th Psalm, 3d verse, are also much to our purpose, as they show, not only the instrumentality the word has in this work, but the situation and character of those upon whom God bestows his saving grace, before he implants the principle in them in regeneration: and upon any other view of regeneration than the one we defend, they would be an absolute untruth. They cannot refer to that conviction unregenerated persons may have produced in their minds while they still remain enemies to Christ, for it is a conviction, the words in the Psalm speak of, which brings them to submission to Christ, or falling under him. Nor can they refer to that conviction which may be the fruit of regeneration, and follows it, because regenerated persons cannot be classed among Christ's enemies, if the change which is produced in regeneration is a saving change. It follows therefore, that they must be understood of that conviction which takes place in regeneration itself, which, from being enemies, makes them friends of Christ, and is accomplished by the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And many other passages might be referred to which prove that the Spirit uses the word in regeneration as a moral instrument, by which he operates upon the sinner. But, 5. It is a sentiment, which giving it its full sway, would land those who maintain it into every absurdity. It savours greatly

of a spirit of enthusiasm, and has given birth to most of the enthusiastic notions so prevalent in our times. That God may, and often does communicate himself, as really now, by dreams and visions, and particular revelations of the Spirit, as before the canon of scripture was completed; and that the Spirit, by suggestions borne in upon the mind, either without the word, or by the word, presented in an adaptation to the person's case, as what he may take comfort from, otherwise than by acting faith upon it, as God's word brought to his remembrance by the Spirit, which was promised to be given for this end, is considered by all sound casuistical divines to be nothing else than enthusiasm. Because the Spirit, in all his saving operations upon the soul, generally uses the instrumentality of the word, and brings the soul to act upon it, as it lays a ground for faith. And it is no less so, to believe that the Spirit, in this work, operates without the word.— It is nothing else than the doctrine of the Quakers, concerning a light within, which directs and regenerates them, without the written word at all as an instrument. It has an affinity to that doctrine which teaches to look for something in ourselves, before actual believing in Christ, as actually necessary in order to our finding acceptance with God. It is contrary to what the gospel declares as to the character in which we are to come to Christ, namely, as sinners who have no ability, to him, as, through the promise, offering faith and every other grace, for our receiving him rightly. If there is a work of God, preparing persons immediately for receiving Christ without the word, or otherwise than through the word, we would be coming to Christ in the first act of genuine faith, not as sinners, but as persons qualified and prepared for receiving him; and the first enquiry of a hearer of the gospel, before he attempts to embrace the promise, or consider that it belongs at all to him, should be-Have I received these qualifications, or not? It lays a ground for actual discouragement, where there is no certainty that they are really possess ed of these qualifications to believing; because the promise will not be of avail to any, and has not respect to any upon this principle, until they obtain these qualifications. And it supposes the preaching of the gospel to have no respect to sinners, but to actually regenerated persons; because if it is not the usual instrument by which the Spirit works in regeneration, of what use is it to preach it to sinners at all? If it is only an instrument in our sanctification, after regeneration work is effected, all the design of providence in sending it where unregenerated sinners are, as respects them, can only be, that it may be ready, as an instrument in their sanctification, after regeneration has actually

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