Confession of the Christian Religion, Confession · Chapter 20
CHAP. XX. Of the regenerate mans freechoiſe, and power to do good.
I. They that are iuſtified in Chriſt, are alſo regenerate in him and receiue power to doe good.
WE beleeue that they which are ingrafted into Chriſt, like as they are iuſtified in him, ſo they bee regenerated in him, and made new creatures, by participatiō of his diuine nature: and conſequētly are made free, and doe take force from Chriſt himſelfe, as members from the head, and as braunches from the vine, to eſchew euill, and to follow that which is good. As Chriſt ſaieth, if the ſonne of man ſhall make yee free Ioh. 8.36.ye ſhall bee free indeede. But then be we made free, when wee are ioyned vntounto Chriſt, and regenerate by his ſpirite: as the Apoſtle alſo ſaith, where the ſpirite of the Lord is, there is libertie.
II. Chriſt liueth and worketh in men regenerate.
For with the Apoſtle we cōfeſſe that Chriſt liueth in vsus, Gal. 2.20 Phil 2.13. Rom. 8.26that are regenerate by his ſpirit, and liueth not idelie, but worketh, both that vvee may will, and that wee may performe; for the great louelove that he beareth vntounto vsus, and by his ſpirite doth help our infirmities.
III. A regenerate man, in matters pertaining to the ſenſible and humaine life, doth beare himſelfe better then one not regenerate, and therefore is more free.
So a regenerate man, beſids that he alwaies keepeth his will free from all conſtraint, (as alſo the vnregenerate doth:) he doth likewiſe beare himſelfe better and more warelie then the vnregenerate, euen in ſuch actions as pertaine to the ſenſitiue and humaine life, wherein the vnregenerate may bee circumſpect: ſith in thoſe actions alſo a regenerate man is wrought by the holy ſpirit, who lighteneth his minde, gouerneth his will and his thoughts, and draweth his actions out of a good fountaine, that is, out of a good heart, & directeth them to their principall ende, that is, to the glorie of God. Whereunto the Apoſtle alſo exhorteth vsus, 1. Cor. 10.31ſaying, Whether yee eate or drinke, or whatſoeuer yee doe, doe all thinges to the glorie of God. And therefore he is euen in this kinde of actions more free then the man vnregenerate: namely, in that he is not violently drawne by his owne luſtes to the doing thereof, as the other vnregenerate is: but beeing wrought by the holy ghoſt, thinketh, willeth, and attempteth all things more warily, wiſely, and religiouſlie: euermore heedfully reſpecting this, that he do all things to the glorie of God, his owne ſaluation, and ſome profite of his neighbour. Rom. 147.8.For he alwaies obſerueth that rule of the Apoſtle, None of vsus liueth to himſelfe, nether doth any die to himſelfe, for whether we liue, we liue vntounto the Lord, or whether we dye, vve dye vntounto the Lord: whether we liue therefore or dye, vvee are the Lords. And therefore he commendeth all his actions to the diuine prouidence: & ſaith with Iames, or at leaſt thinketh, if the Lord will, I will doe this or that, or I will goe to this place or that.
IV. Likewiſe in getting the morall vertues, a regenerate man is freer, and of more force then the vnregenerate.
And albeit we confeſſe, that a man vnregenerate, helped by the ſpeciall aide of God, cā bee poſſeſſed with the morall vertues: yet wee hold, that this ſpeciall aide of God is much more forcible in the regenerate: and that through the preſence of the holie ghoſt, Tert. in the Apol. c. 4.5. Aug. cont. Iul. Pel. lib. 4 c. 3. & De Ciu. De. lib. 19 c. 25. Orig. con. celſ.by whome they are lightened, gouerned, & driuē forward: as it was well prooued of the auncient fathers, againſt the vaine boaſt of the gē tilles, that thoſe vertues which they call morall, were farre other manner of giftes in the chriſtians, then they were, or could bee in the infidells: ſith in them they were onelyonly the images or ſhadowes of vertues, but in true chriſtians they were the verie vertues indeed.
V. Ʋnto ſuch things as are of God, and pertaine to his kingdome, onelyonly the regenerate man is by the holy ghoſt enlightened, inclined & wrought, to the vnderſtanding, chooſing, and performing them.
But we beleeue that in the true vnderſtanding, chooſing, and performing thoſe thinges which pertaine to the kingdome of God, onelyonly the regenerate, are ſo guided by the holie ghoſt: that they alone, truely vnderſtand, will, and doe the ſame: ſith the Apoſtle ſaieth, The naturall man perceiueth not the things of the ſpirite of God, 1. Cor. 2.19neither can he perceiue them, but of the regenerate he addeth, The ſpirituall man diſcerneth all things, Phil. 2.13.and in another place, God worketh in vsus, both to will and to performe.
VI. A regenerate man is not onelyonly vvrought, but alſo worketh by the holy ſpirite.
Being ſo taught by theſe words of the Apoſtle, and other teſtimonies of the holy ſcriptures, wee confeſſe that regenerate men are ſo wrought by the holy ghoſt, that they themſelues doe likewiſe worke: and God ſo worketh in them to will and to performe, that they are the ſame, which do will and doe performe. For, they are not blocks, nor beaſts, but men indued with reaſon, whereby they vnderſtand, and with a wil, whereby they deſire, and whereby they commaund ouer the other powers of the ſoule & bodie, that ſuch things as are good ſhould be put in execution
VII. The povver of free choiſe in the regenerate is yet weake: ſo that vve hauehave ſtill neede of the help of God, neither can we do all that we would.
But, becauſe our regeneration is as it were onelyonly begonne, and not as yet perfect, ſo that whereas we were before wholly fleſh, now we conſiſt partly of the ſpirite, and partly of the fleſh, Gal. 5.17.which do cōtinually fight the one againſt the other, that what good things we would, them wee cannot performe, but in our ſpirite we ſerue the lawe of God, Rom. 7.25.but in our fleſh the law of ſinne: Therfore we beleeue, that which wee alſo knowe by experience, in the regenerate, that much bondage ſtill remaineth, much darkeneſſe in the ſoule, and peruerſneſſe in the heart, and weakeneſſe in all the faculties of minde and bodie: that wee hauehave ſtill neede of new help from God, and new grace, whereby both our mindes may be more and more enlightened, and our willes made better & better, and our ſtrength to do good more increaſed and perfected. And therefore while wee remaine in this fleſh, our free choiſe is neuer truely and meerely free: that is, neuer able inough of it ſelfe, to auoide ill and doe good: eſpecially ſith the euent of all things is not in our power, but in the hand of God: and that it muſt needs bee, that all thoſe thinges come to paſſe, Act. 4.28.not which we thinke, but whatſoeuer his hand and purpoſe hath decreed ſhalbee done.
VIII. That God ſo gouerneth the mindes and wills of the godly, that in the very conflict of tēptations and of the fleſh, he ſuffreth them not altogether to fall from him.
Meane while wee hold this, that they which be alreadie ingrafted into Chriſt, their minds and willes being now indued with the holie ghoſt, are ſo gouerned and vpheld by God for Chriſts ſake: Ier. 32.40. Luc. 22.32 Rom. 8.35that although they may be weakned many waies and by manie temptations, yet they are neuer ſuffred wholly and altogether to be beaten downe and ſo to periſh.
IX. Errors.
We condemne them, which either denying or extenuating this new birth, will hauehave a mā regenerate, to be as vnable to doe good, and as much the ſeruant of ſinne, as he was before he was borne againe: againſt ſo many and ſo manifeſt teſtimonies of holie ſcripture, concerning the deliuerance of the regenerate frō the bondage of ſinne, and their choiſe to doe good: (to ſaye nothing of that bigh iniurie which is done to the holie ghoſt, which dwelleth and worketh in vsus.) Againe wee diſallow thoſe likewiſe, which will hauehave a regenerate man, to bee ſo deliuered out of the bondage of ſinne, that he can by no meanes ſinne anie more: which all the whole ſcripture in generall, and our daily experience gain-ſaieth. For although wee bee not ſuffered to ſinne vntounto death, yet it is verie apparent that we commit manie ſinnes, in their owne nature worthy of death. Therefore on the other ſide wee alſo diſallow their opinion, which do ſo extenuate or make ſmale the force of the ſpirit in the regenerate, and ſo enlarge & ſet out thereliques and remainder of the fleſh: that they ſaye the working of the ſpirite is often times quite extinguiſhed by the forces of the old man: and teach that the ſame regenerate man may vtterly fall out of the fauour of God, and ſo eternally periſh: which God gaine-ſaith by the Prophet, I will giuegive my feare into their hearts, Ier. 32.40 2. Tim. 2.19 Phil. 1.6that they ſhall not ſlippe from me. And the Apoſtle affirmeth, that the foundation ſtandeth ſure &c. And, He which beganne this good worke in you, ſhall perfect it vntounto the ende.