The Holy Arbor, Chapter 6 · Section 9
IX.
REgeneration is a renewing and repairing of the decayed eſtates of our Souls; or an Act of the Holy Ghoſt in Gods Elect, whereby they are entred into a conſtant and faithful exerciſe of a godly life. No general Preventing Grace in us which we have in our own power to uſe or refuſe, but the ſpecial Grace of the Spirit onelyonly worketh in us Converſion, the want whereof cauſeth in us our continuance in ſin, for it is God alone who worketh in us both to will and to do; yet there is not one Effect aſcribed to the Holy Ghoſt, another to mans Will, but the ſame to both; unto the Holy Ghoſt, the Principal Cauſe, unto Mans Will as a Secondary and Inſtrumental Cauſe. Like that vertue proceeding from that Art in the Artificers minde, which guides the Inſtrument to frame this or that, the which without it could not be done; which inviſible paſſage or ſecret influence we ſee not otherwiſe then in the Effect: or like the vertue that directs the Arrow juſt to ſuch a Mark, ſo far and no farther. Such is the Secret Vertue, Divine Power, and inexpreſſible Efficacy of Chriſt, that works by his Spirit on the hearts of the Regenerate, being made New Creatures, 2 Cor. 5.17. The will and ability to do a work pleaſing and acceptable to God, is no mo…e in the unregenerates power then their Creation.
Now by our Regeneration we are aſſured of our Juſtification, not as by the cauſe of the Effect, but as by the effect of the Cauſe; and though Regeneration be not perfect in this life, yet if it be indeed begun, it ſufficeth for the confirmation and proving of the Truth of our Faith. And though the Faithful fail in the meaſure of thoſe Graces they have, yet is it not ſuch as can juſtly impeach the Truth of Grace: It is true though it may be weak, and their Sanctification is ſound though imperfect; the Perfecting is not a work ſo powerful as the Beginning of it, for the very New-Birth and firſt act of Converſion is the moſt powerful work of Gods Spirit: for then a Sinner is anew created, of nothing (in regard of Spiritual Being) he is made ſomething; of a man dead in ſin, he is quickned and hath Spiritual life put into him. As a Childe born of a Woman hath all the parts of Soul and Body; ſo he that is born again of God hath all the parts of a New-man. All the Faithful have all ſuch Graces as are abſolutely neceſſary to Salvation, actually wrought in them; no Saint wanteth any Grace that may hinder his Salvation, though he ſhould inſtantly dye: the perfection of Sanctification is but the higheſt degree of that which was begun before; and without Regeneration there is no attaining to this perfection: Except a man be born again by Water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, Joh. 3.5. Hereby a man of a limb of the Devil is made a member of Chriſt, and of a childe of Satan the childe of God.
Now the work of Regeneration in man, is a proper and immediate work of the Godhead; for to regenerate is to create, and man in that he is regenerated, is created again: Nothing then can actively regenerate but God, though Sacraments are ſaid to regenerate as Moral Inſtruments, becauſe when they are rightly uſed, God himſelf confers Grace by them. We receive not new and Spiritual life from the Son, but by the means of his Fleſh, apprehended by our Faith; yet the power and efficacy of quickning or reviving is not in the Fleſh, as in a proper ſubject, but in the Godhead. And we are not in this Regeneration perfectly ſanctified, but onelyonly in part, not perfectly till death: whence it is that a regenerate man, reſtored by Grace, is not by his Regeneration enabled to fulfil the Law perfectly; yet of a meer natural man is made a new man, in regard of Gods Image reſtored and renewed by Chriſt, Eph. 4.24. This is the reſtoring of that new quality of Righteouſneſs and Holineſs loſt in Adam; which is as it were a new Soul, for in a regenerate man there is a Body-Soul, and beſides the Spirit, which is the Grace of Sanctification oppoſed to Fleſh and Corruption of Nature, Rom. 8.10. This is as it were the Soul of a Soul renewed, without which we cannot ſee the Kingdom of God, Joh. 3.5. And laſtly, he that is indeed regenerate, hath this priviledge, That the Corruption of Nature is no part of him, neither doth it belong to his perſon, in reſpect of Divine Imputation, Rom. 7.17.
In the work of our Regeneration theſe three Graces be required; viz.
1. The Preventing Grace; which is, when God of his Mercy ſets and imprints in the Minde a new light, in the Will a new quality or inclination, in the Heart new affections.
2. The Working Grace; which is, when God gives to the Will the act of well-willing, namely, the will to Believe, the will to Repent, the will to Obey God in his Word.
3. The Co-working Grace, when God giveth the Deed to the Will; that is, the exerciſe and practice of Faith and Repentance: The firſt of theſe gives the power of doing good; the ſecond, the Will; the third, the Deed: and all three together make up the work of Regeneration.
The Regerate man cannot do the evil he would for theſe Reaſons; viz.
1. Becauſe he cannot commit ſin at what time ſoever he would, 1 Joh. 3.9. Thus was it with Joſeph, when he was aſſaulted by Potiphars wife to Adultery; and with Lot, when his righteous Soul was ſo vexed with the abominations of the Sodomites.
2. Becauſe the man regenerate cannot ſin in that maner he would, whereof there be two Reaſons; viz.
1. He cannot ſin with full conſent of Will, or with all his heart, becauſe the Will ſo far forth as it is regenerate, reſiſteth and dreweth back: It is a Rule, That ſin doth not reign in the Regenerate: for how much Grace is wrought in the Minde, Will and Affections ſo much is abated proportionably of the ſtrength of the Fleſh.
2. Though he fall into any ſin, yet he doth not lie long in it, but ſpeedily recovers himſelf, by reaſon of Grace in his heart.
Two contrary Grounds or Beginnings of actions in man after his Regeneration:
1. Natural Corruption of the Minde, Will and Affections, to that which is againſt the Law, called the Fleſh.
2. A created Quality of Holineſs wrought in the ſaid faculties by the Holy Ghoſt, called the Spirit: Theſe two are not ſevered, but joyned and mingled together in all the faculties of the Soul.
Why the Wills of the Regenerate are enclined not onelyonly to good, but to evil alſo; viz.
1. In this life the renewing of our Nature is not perfect, neither as concerning our knowledge of God, or our inclinations to obey him, Rom. 7.18.
2. The Regenerate be not always ruled by the Spirit, but ſometimes are for a time as it were left to themſelves, as if they were forſaken of God, either for to try, or to chaſtiſe, or to humble them, but yet are called to Repentance that they periſh not, Iſa. 63.17. for as the beginning, ſo the continuance of our Converſion dependeth on God.
The work of our Regeneration is diſtinctly attributed in Scripture to each perſon in the Trinity; To the Father, 1 Pet. 1.3. To the Son, Jam. 1.18. To the Holy Ghoſt, Joh. 3.5. It is alſo attributed to the Miniſtery of the Word; As thus:
1. The Father, as it were, the Beginner of this work; of his own will begat he us; for this end he ſent his Son into the world.
2. The Son put in execution the Will of his Father, Joh. 6.13. he took fleſh upon him, that we might be of his fleſh, being born anew: Chriſt is not onelyonly the Author, but the Matter alſo of our New-Birth; the new Spiritual Being which the Saints have, encreaſeth with the encreaſe of God, Col. 2.19. Eph. 1.3. This cometh to paſs by his Incarnation, Zech. 13.1. Joh. 1.16.
3. The Spirit applieth unto us the vertue and efficacy of Chriſts ſleſh, Joh. 6.63.
4. The Word, and the Miniſtery of the Word, are as inſtruments which the Lord is pleaſed to uſe in this bleſſed work, Jam. 1.18.
The Difference betwixt Regeneration and Creation; viz.
1. In our Creation Chriſt was onelyonly a Worker; but he is the very Matter of our Regeneration, we are of his Fleſh, Eph. 5.30.
2. The Relation that then was betwixt Chriſt and Man, was Creator and Creature; but here the Relation is Head and Body, We are members of his Body, Eph. 5.3. ſo that the Bond is now much nearer.
3. The Being which then we had was from Adam; but the Being which now we have is from Chriſt, being fleſh of his fleſh, Eph. 5.30.
4. That Being was but Natural, this is Spiritual; for, that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit, Joh. 3.6.
5. Man might then wholly fall from that eſtate wherein he was, as indeed he did, and yet Chriſt remain as he was: Now it cannot be ſo, for the Saints fall not totally and finally. O the Riches of Gods Mercy, who might juſtly have left fain Man as he did the evil Angels!
The Difference between one and the ſame work in the Regenerate and Unregenerate, being ſin in the one not in the other, and that for theſe Reaſons; viz.
1. Becauſe the Regenerate are reconciled to God, the Unregenerate are not.
2. The Regenerate work to the Glory of God, the other quite contrary.
3. In both of them the work is imperfect, but the one is covered by Chriſts Righteouſneſs, the other not.
4. The work of the godly is joyned with a beginning of Obedience, but the work of the ungodly with Sin reigning.
Of Regeneration or the New-Birth there be four degrees; viz.
1. The birth of a pure and holy Minde, hating Sin and loving the Law, Rom. 7.16.
2. A ſtirring and moving in holy Duties, which is a ceaſing to do evil and a learning to do well, doing the Duties of Piety towards God, and of Love towards Man, Pſal. 34.12.
3. An earneſt deſire of Food, whereby this new life may be maintained, 1 Pet. 2.2.
4. A growing up towards mans eſtate in Knowledge and Holineſs, 2 Pet. 3.18.
The purifying of the Heart in the Regenerate is by a twofold action of the Holy Ghoſt:
1. By creating in the Minde a Saving Faith, which unites a man unto Chriſt, and as a hand applieth Chriſts Purity, that is, his Obedience, to the Heart, Acts 15.9.
2. When a man is in Chriſt, the Holy Ghoſt purgeth and purifieth the Heart inwardly, by mortifying all the Corruptions in the Minde, Will and Affections, and by putting into it inward Holineſs, whereby the Image of Chriſt is renewed, Joh. 15.2.
We may know whether our ſelves be Regenerated by the ſigns thereof, or theſe fruits of the Spirit:
1. A true touch of Conſcience for our ſins, both Original and Actual.
2. A godly ſorrow and grief of Heart for offending and diſpleaſing God by our Tranſgreſſions.
3. An earneſt deſire, or true Spiritual hunger and thirſt after Chriſt and his Righteouſneſs, teſtified by our conſtant and diligent uſe of thoſe means, the Word, Prayer and Sacraments, wherein God gives Grace and aſſurance of Mercy.
4. An unfeigned turning unto God from all ſin by new Obedience, having a conſtant purpoſe of heart not to ſin, and a godly deavor in life to pleaſe God in all things.