34:4 VINDICI^ EVANGELIC^.
thereof. In the first sense he works in men in order of nature antecedent to their beheving, faith being a fruit of the Spirit ; in the latter, and for the ends and purposes thereof, he is received by faith, and given in order of nature upon beheving.
8. That the 'world cannot receive the Spirit, nor the natural man the things of God, is from hence, that the Spirit hath not wrought in them that which is necessary to enable them thereunto; Avhich is evident from what is affirmed of the impotency of the natural man as to his receiving the things of God : for if the reason why he can- not receive the things of God is because he is a natural man, then, unless there be some other power than what is in himself to translate him from that condition, it is impossible that he who is a natural man should ever be otherwise, for he can only alter that condition by that which he cannot do. But, —
4. That the Spirit is given for and doth work regeneration and faith in men, I shall not now insist on the many testimonies whereby it is usually and invincibly confirmed. There is no one testimony given to our utter impotency to convert or regenerate ourselves, to believe, repent, and turn to God; no promise of the covenant to give a new heart, new obedience through Christ; no assertion of the grace of God and the efficacy of his power, Avhich is exalted in the voca- tion and conversion of sinners, — but sufficiently evinces the truth thereof That one eminent instance shall close our consideration of this chaptei', which we have Titus iii. 5, 6, " Not by works of right- eousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour."
Of the first head made by men professing the religion of Jesus Christ against the deity of the Spirit, attempting to rank him among the works of his own hand; of the peculiar espousing of an enmity against him by Macedonius, bishop of Constantinople, from whom the ensuing 'Kvsuij.aroiidy^oi took their name; of the novel inven- tions of Faustus Socinus and his followers, denying the personality of the Spirit, making him to be nothing but the efficacy of the power of God, or the power of God, — this is no place to treat. Be- sides, the truth is, until they will speak clearly what they mean by the "Spirit of God," and so assert something, as well as deny, they may justly be neglected. They tell us it is virtus Dei; but whether that virtus be substantia or accidens they will not tell us. It is, they say, potentia Dei. This we confess; but we say he is not potentia bipynrr/.r), but v'Troararix.ri, and that because we prove him to be God.
What, then, hath been spoken of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, I shall shut up with that distich of Greg. Naz. Sanct. Spir. lib. iii. : —
'H Si rpia-t rdvTiiDi l^o^d aroi /iiXira.
OF SALVATION BY CHRIST, 345
CHAPTER XVI.
Of salvation by Christ.
MR BIDDLE's sixth CHAPTER CONSIDERED.
This is a short chapter, and will speedily receive its consideration. That Christ is a Saviour, and that he is so called in Scripture, is confessed on all hands. Mr Biddle's masters were the first who directly called into question amongst Christians on what account priucipally he is so called. Of his faith in this business and theirs we have the sum, with the reasons of it, in the book of their great apostle, " De Jesu Christo Servatore." This book is answered throughout with good success by Sibrandus Lubbertus ; the nerves of it cut by Grotius, " De Satisfactione Christi;" and the reply of Crellius thereunto thoroughly removed by Essenius, in his " Trium- phus Crucis." The whole argumentative part of it, summed up into five heads by Michael Gitichius, is answered by Ludovicus Lucius, and that answer vindicated from the reply of Gitichius. And ge- nerally those who have written upon the satisfaction of Christ have looked upon that book as the main master-piece of the adversaries, and have made it their business to remove its sophistry and unmask its pretensions.
Mr B. is very slight and overly in this business, being not able, in the method of procedure imposed on himself, so much as to deliver his mind significantly as to what he does intend. The denial and rejec- tion of the satisfaction and merit of Christ is that which the man intends, as is evident from his preface, where he denies them, name and thing. This he attempts partly in this chapter, partly in that concerning the death of Christ, and also in that of justification. In this he would attempt the notion of salvation, and refer it only to de- liverance from death by a glorious resurrection. Some brief animad- versions may possibly rectify the man's mistakes. His first question we pass, as a principle in the terms of it on all sides confessed, namely, that " Christ is our Lord and Saviour." His second is: —
Ques. Is Christ our Saviour originally and of himself, or because he was given, exalted, and raised up by another to be a Saviour? Ans. Acts iv. 12, v. 31, xiii. 23.