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into that foul. Nay, the British divines add, Theff. 6 That even the Elect themselves never behave in these acts preceeding regeneration, in fuch a manner, as that, on account of their negligence and refiftance, they may not justly be abandoned and for faken of God. Yet they call them rather preparations for grace, than the fruits and effects of grace; because they think, that even the reprobate may go as far as this: and they affirm, that thefe antecedent effects, produced by the power of the word and Spirit in the minds of men, may be and, in many, ufually are stifled and entirely extinguished thro the fault of the rebellious will. Ibid. Thef. 5. But we really think, they argue more accurately, who make thefe and the like things in the Elect, to be preparations to the further and more perfect operations of a more noble and plentiful spirit, and fo not preparations for regeneration, but the fruits and effects of the first regeneration; for as these things fuppofe fome life of the foul, which fpiritually attends to fpiritual things, and are operations of the Spirit of God, when going about to fanctify the Elect, we cannot but refer them to the fpirit of grace and regeneration. Nor is it any objection, that the like, or the fame may be alfo faid to be in reprobates: for they are only the fame materially, but not formally. Reprobates alfo have fome knowledge of Chrift, fome taste of the grace of God, and of the powers of the world to come. Yet it does not fol low, that the knowledge of Chrift, as it is in believers, and that relish of grace and glory, they have is not the gift of the fpirit of grace and of glory. And indeed, the things mentioned by Perkins, and the other British divines, are no preparations for regene-. ration in the reprobate; either from the nature of the thing, or the intention of God. Not the former: for, however great these things may appear to be," yet they are confiftent with fpiritual death; and the reprobate are fo far from being difpofed thereby to

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a fpiritual life, that, on the contrary, deceived by thofe actings, which counterfeit fpiritual life, they are the more hardened in a real death, and fondly pleafing themselves, are at a greater diftance from en. quiring after true life, which they falfely imagine, they have obtained. Not the latter: for no intention of God can be rendered void. It is therefore neceffary, that all these things be, in another manner, in the elect than in the reprobate.

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XII. If this matter be more closely confidered, we The of fhall find, thrt the orthodox differ more in words, and thodox in the manner of explaining, than in fenfe and reali- differ ty. For, the term, regeneration, is of ambiguous words, fignification: fometimes it is blended with fanctifi- than in cation, and by regeneration is understood that action fenfe, of God, whereby man, who is now become the friend of God, and endowed with fpiritual life, acts in a righteous and holy manner, from infufed habits. And then it is certain, there are fome effects of the Spirit, by which he ufually prepares them for the actings of compleat faith and holiness, for, a knowledge, of divine truths, a fenfe of mifery, forrow for fin, hope of pardon, &c. go before any one can fidu cially lay hold on Chrift, and apply himself to the practice of true godlinefs. God does not ufually fanctify a man all at once, before ever he has had any thought, about himself and God, and any concern about his falvation. And this is what the Bri tish divines seem to have intended; when in confirmatione Secunde Thefeos, they thus fpeak: Divine grace does not ufually bring men to a state of juftification, in which we have peace with God, through our Lord Jefus Chrift, by a fudden entbufiafm, but first fubdues and prepares them by many previous acts by the ministry of the word. By which words they fufficiently fhew, that, by regeneration, they mean the state of paffive juftification. But fometimes regeneration denotes the firft tranflation of a man from a state of death to a ftate of fpiritual life, in which fenfe we take it.

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And in that refpect none of the orthodox, if he will fpeak confiftently with his own principles, can fuppofe preparatory works to the grace of regeneration." For, either he would maintain, that thefe works proceeded from nature; and fo, by the confeffion of all the orthodox, are but dead works and fplendid fins. But none in his right mind will affirm, that any can be difpofed for the grace of regeneration, by thofe things which are finful. Or he would maintain, that thefe works proceeded from the Spirit of God. But if thus far he does not operate in another manner in the Elect, than in the reprobate: thefe works, notwithstanding this his operation, may be reckoned among dead works, for the orthodox look upon all the actions of the reprobate, to be finful, let them be ever fo much elevated by divine affiftance. Thus the British divines, l. c. p. 143: an evil tree, which naturally brings forth evil fruit, muft itself be first changed to a good tree, before ever it can yield any good fruit. But the will of an unregenerate perfon is not only an evil, but also a dead tree. I now infer, the reprobate are never regenerated, and therefore continue evil trees, without ever producing any other than bad fruit. And so there can be no preparation in fuch works for regeneration, for the reafon above explained. If you fay, that these works, which you call prepatory, are different in the elect: I afk, in what refpect? No other answer can be given but this, that they proceed from the fpirit of grace and life: right; but then they are not preparations for the first regeneration,but effects of it; for, regeneration is the first approach of the fpirit of grace and life, effectually working in the elect.

XIII. You will fay then, are there no preparatory acknow- difpofitions to the first regeneration? I confidently ledge that anfwer, there are hone: and agree with Fulgentius, de fpiritual death has Incarnat & Gratia Chrifti, c.19. with respect to the its debirth of a child, the work of God is previous to any will' of the perfon that comes into the world; fo alfo in the

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Spiritual

Spiritual birth, whereby we begin to put off the old man. I own, indeed, fpiritual death has it's degrees, but with a diftinction: what is privative therein, or what it is destitute of, namely, the want of the life of God, is equal or alike in all; and in this refpect there are no degrees lefs or more. But what is poffitive, or, as it were, pofitive therein; namely, thofe evil habits, these indeed, are very unequal. In infants there are only thofe evil habits, which come into the world with them: in the adult there are others, con-" tracted and deeply rooted by many vitious acts, and a courfe of wickednefs. Thefe again greatly differ, according as, by the fecret difpenfation of God's providence, the affections of men are more or lefs reftrained. For, tho' every kind of wickednefs, like certain hydra, lurks in the heart of all; yet God fuffers fome to give loofe reins to their vices, and to be hurried on, as by fo many furies; while he moves others with a fenfe of fhame, and a reverance for the laws, and fome kind of love to honour and honefty; who, in that refpect, may be faid not to be at fuch a diftance from fanctifying grace, as they who are guilty of horrid crimes, which are more oppofite thereto, than a civil and external honefty of life. But yet, whatever length any, before regeneration, has advanced in that honefty, he nevertheless remains in the confines of death, in which there is no preparation for life.

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XIV. Nor do we agree with thofe, who fo incon- We don't fiderately affert, that man is no more difpofed for re- think,that generation than a ftone, or an irrational animal. man has For, there are naturally fuch faculties, in the foul of difpofition for regeneration than

The author's phrafe is quædam velut lerna; and therefore a ftone. I have rendered it like a certain Hydra, which was fuppofed to be a water ferpent in the lake of Lerna, haying feveral heads, which grew again, as fast as they were cut off. This monfter was killed by Hercules,

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man, as render him a fit fubject of regeneration, which are not to be found in ftones or brutes. Thus a man can be regenerated, but a brute or a stone cannot. In that fenfe Auguftine de Predest fan&t, c. 5a faid, the capacity of having faith and love is of the nature of man, but to have them, of the grace of believers, Voffius has proved by proper arguments; that this is to be understood, not of the proximate, but remote capacity, in fo far as man has naturally thofe facul ties, in which faith and love may be wrought: biftor, Pelag. lib. 4. P. 1. p. 448.

XV. But we must not here omit, that the Elect, before re- before their actual regeneration, are honoured by tionallow- God with various, and those indeed very excellent ed to have privileges above the reprobate, which are intended, privileges, according to the purpofe of God, to be fubfervient

for promoting their regeneration, in his appointed time. For, as God has a love of fpecial benevolence for them, according to the decree of election; and they are redeemed by Chrift, and in a state of reconciliation with God, and of justification, actively taken It follows: ft, That God often preferves them from thofe base and fcandalous crimes, which are repugnant to common humanity, and that by fome af fillance of light, of divinity, of confcience and civil honesty, with an acceffion of § fome grace operating internally, and laying a restraint on the wickedness of their nature. 2dly, That all and every one of them, who are brought to the acknowledgement and the common illumination of the truth of the Gospel, are kept from the fin against the Holy Ghoft. 3dly, That, by the miniftry of the word, and other ope rations of God's fpecial providence towards them, many evident principles of divine truth, are under ftood by the natural mind, and alfo imprinted on the natural memory, the meditation of which, immediately after they are regenerated, con

This is what is generally called restraining grace.

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