And these things, as they are clearly laid down in the Scripture and exemplified in sundry instances, so, for the substance of them, they have been acknowledged (till of late) by all Christians; only some of the Papists have carried them so far as to make them formally dispositive unto justification, and to have a congruous merit thereof. But this the ancients denied, who would not allow that either any such preparation or any moral virtues did capacitate men for real conversion, observing that others were often called before those who were so qualified.^ And in them there are goads and nails, which have been fastened by wise and experienced masters of the assem- blies, to the great advantage of the souls of men; for, observing the usual ways and means whereby these effects are wrought in the minds of the hearers of the word, with their consequences, in soitow, troubles, fear, and humiliations, and the courses which they take to improve them, or to extricate themselves from the perplexity of them, they have managed the rules of Scripture with their own and
1 "Noime advertimus multos fi deles nostros ambulantcs viara Dei, ex nulla parte ingenio comparari, nou dicam qviorundam biiereticorum, sed etiam minorum ? Item nonne vidcmus quosdam homines utriusque sexus in conjugali castitate viventes sine querela, et tamen vel Lrereticos vel Paganos, yel etiam in vera fide et vera ecclesia sic tepidos, ut eos miremur meretricum et liistrionum subito conversorum, nor_sr>Vnni sa- pieutii et temperantia sed etiam fide, spe et charitate superari/j.-^^Auo-ust. lib. ii!"" Qutes. ad Simplician. q. 2.
VOL. Ill, 16
242 CORRUPTION OR DEPRAVATION [BOOK III.
others' experience suitable thereunto, to the great benefit of the church of God. That these things are now despised and laughed to scorn is no part of the happiness of the age wherein we live, as the event will manifest
And in the meantime^ if any suppose that we will forego these truths and doctrines, which are so plainly revealed in the Scripture, the knowledge whereof is so useful unto the souls of men, and whose publication in preaching hath been of so great advantage to the church of God, merely because they understand them not, and there- fore reproach them, they will be greatly mistaken. Let them lay aside that unchristian way of treating about these things which they have engaged in, and plainly prove that men need not be con- vinced of sin, that they ought not to be humbled for it, nor affected with sorrow with respect unto it ; that they ought not to seek for a remedy or deliverance from it ; that all men are not born in a state of sin ; that our nature is not depraved by the fall ; that we are able to do all that is required of us, without the internal aids and assistances of the Spirit of God, — and they shall be diligently attended unto.
CHAPTER III.
CORRUPTION OR DEPRAVATION OF THE MIND BY SIN.
Contempt and corruption of the doctrine of regeneration — All men in the world regenerate or unregenerate — General description of corrupted nature — De- pravation of the mind — Darkness upon it — The nature of spiritual darkness — Reduced unto two heads — Of darkness objective; how removed — Of darkness subjective ; its nature and power proved — Eph. iv. 17, 18, opened and applied — The mind " alienated from the life of God "—The " life of God," what it is— The power of the mind with respect unto spiritual things examined — 1 Cor. ii. 14 opened — ■*"£/;^<xo? av^paTra;, ov the " natm'al man," who — Spiritual things, what they ai'e — How the natural man cannot know or receive spiritual things — Difference between understanding doctrines and receiving of things — A two- fold power and ability of mind with respect unto spiritual things explained — Reasons why a natural man cannot discern spiritual things — How and wherefore spiritual things are foolishness to natural men — Why natural men cannot receive the things of God — A double impotency in the mind of man by nature — 1 Cor. ii. 14 farther vindicated — Power of darkness in persons unregenerate — The mind filled with wills or lusts, and enmity thereby — The power and efficacy of spiritual darkness at large declared.
/ We have, I hope, made our way plain for the due consideration of / the great work of the Spirit in the regeneration of the souls of God's elect. This is that whereby he forms the members of the mystical body of Christ, and prepares living stones for the building of a temple "^'rt^iifei'eiii^ cfefi. ■^^^^^S Grod will dwell. Now, that we ihay not only de- clare the truth "^ffi^-^s matter, but also vindicate it from those cor-
CHAP. III.] OF THE MIND BY SIN. 243
ruptions wherewith some have endeavoured to debauch it, I shall premise a description lately given of it, with confidence enough, and it may be not without too much authority; and it is in these words: " What is it to be born again, and to have a new spiritual life in Christ, but to become sincere proselytes to the gospel, to renounce all vicious customs and practices, and to give an upright and uniform obedience to all the laws of Christ. And, therefore, if they are all but precepts of moral virtue, to be born again, and to have a new spiri- tual life, is only to become a new moral man. But their account" (speaking of Nonconformist ministers) " of this article is so wild and fantastic, that had I nothing else to make good my charge against them, that alone would be more than enough to expose the prodigious folly of their spiritual divinity," pp. 843, 344.^ I confess these are the words of one who seems not much to consider what he says, so as that it may serve his present turn in reviling and reproaching other men; for he considers not that, by this description of it, he utterly excludes the baptismal regeneration of infants, which is so plainly professed by the church wherein he is dignified. But this is publicly declared, avowed, and vended, as allowed doctrine amongst us, and therefore deserves to be noticed, though the person that gives it out be at irreconcilable feuds with himself and his church. Of morality and grace an account shall be given elsewhere. At present, the work of regeneration is that which is under our consideration. And concerning this, those so severely treated teach no other doc- trine but vv'hat, for the substance of it, is received in all the reformed churches in Europe, and which so many learned divines of the church of England confirmed with their suffrage at the synod of Dort. Whether this deserve all the scorn which this haughty person pours upon it by his swelling Avords of vanity will, to indifferent persons, be made appear in the ensuing discourse; as also what is to be thought of the description of it given by that author, which, whether it savour more of ignorance and folly, or of pride and fulsome errors, is hard to determine. I know some v/ords in it are used with tlie old Pela- gian trick of ambiguity, so as to be capable of having another sense and interpretation put upon them than their present use and design will admit of; but that artifice will be immediately rendered useless. There is a twofold state of men with respect unto God, which is comprehensive of all individuals in the world ; for all men are either uni'egeuerate or regenerate. There being an affirmation and a ne- gation concerning the state of regeneration in the Scripture, one of them may be used concerning every capable subject; every man liv- ing is so, or he is not so. And herein, as I suppose, there is a general consent of Christians. Again, it is evident in the Sci-^jj^'aVe, and'we" ' See Samuel Parker's " Defence and Continuaticn of t^.c Ji'cclcsiastical Polity." Ed.