without doubt perish everlastingly ; his condemnation not being avoided, but rather increased, by his baptismal privilege." 1
3. A third form of doctrine on this subject, held by some di- vines of this church, is that regeneration properly expresses an external change of relation, and not an internal change of the state of the soul and of its relation to God. As a proselyte was regenerated when he professed himself a Jew, so any one in- itiated into the visible Church is thereby regenerated. This is held to be entirely different from spiritual renovation. Regener- ation, in this outward sense, is admitted to be by baptism ; ren- ovation is by the Spirit.
4. A large class of English theologians have ever remained faithful to the evangelical doctrine on this subject, in accordance with the views of the Reformers in their Church, who were in full sympathy both in doctrine and in ecclesiastical and Christian fellowship with other Protestant churches.
§ 3. The Evangelical Doctrine.
In the Lutheran Symbols the doctrine of Regeneration, which is made to include conversion, is thus stated : " Conversio hominis talis est immutatio, per operationem Spiritus Sancti, in hominis intellectu, voluntate et corde, qua homo (operatione videlicet Spiritus Sancti) potest oblatam gratiam apprehendere." 2
" Hominis autem nondum renati intellectus et voluntas tantum sunt subjectum convertendum, sunt enim hominis spiritualiter mortui intellectus et voluntas, in quo homine Spiritus Sanctus conversionem et renovationem operatur, ad quod opus hominis convertendi voluntas nihil confert, sed patitur, ut Deus in ipsa operetur, donee regeneretur. Postea vero in aliis sequentibus bonis operibus Spiritui Sancto cooperatur, ea faciens, quae Deo grata sunt." 3
" Sicut igitur homo, qui corporaliter mortuus est, seipsum pro- priis viribus praeparare aut accommodare non potest, ut vitam externam recipiat : ita homo spiritualiter in peccatis mortuus, seipsum propriis viribus ad consequendam spiritualem et ccelestem justitiam et vitam praeparare, applicare, aut vertere non potest, nisi per Filium Dei a morte peccati liberetur et vivificetur." 4
" Rejicimus errorem eorum qui fingunt, Deum in conversione et regeneratione hominis substantiam et essentiam veteris Adami, et
1 A Church Dictionary, by Walter Farquhar Hook, D. D., Vicar of Leeds, article ** Con- rersion"; 6th edition, Philadelphia, 1854. a Form of Concord, n. 83. * Hrid. 91. * Ibid. 11.
80 PART HI. Ch. XV. — regeneration.
prsecipue animam rationalem penitus abolere, novamque animaB es8entiam ex nihilo, in ilia conversione et regeneratione creare." * With these statements the doctrines taught in the Symbols and by the theologians of the Reformed churches, perfectly agree. It is sufficient to quote the standards of our own Church. The " Westminster Confession " says, " Man, by his fall into a state of sin, hath wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual good accompanying salvation ; so as a natural man being altogether averse from that which is good, and dead in sin, is not able, by his own strength, to convert himself, or to prepare himself there- unto." " When God converts a sinner, and translates him into the state of grace, He freeth him from his natural bondage under sin, and by his grace alone enables him freely to will and to do that which is spiritually good." " All those whom God hath predes- tinated unto life, and those only, He is pleased, in his appointed and accepted time, effectually to call, by his Word and Spirit, out of that state of sin and death in which they are by nature, to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ ; enlightening their minds, spiritually and savingly, to understand the things of God, taking away their heart of stone, and giving unto them an heart of flesh ; renewing their wills, and by his Almighty power, deter- mining them to that which is good, and effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ ; yet so as they come most freely, being made wining by his grace." " This effectual call is of God's free and special grace alone, not from anything at aU foreseen in man, who is altogether passive therein, until being quickened and renewed by the Holy Ghost, he is thereby enabled to answer this caU, and embrace the grace offered and conveyed in it." a
The Larger Catechism8 says, "What is effectual calling? Effectual caUing is the work of God's almighty power and grace, whereby (out of his free and especial love to his elect, and from nothing in them moving Him thereunto) He doth in his accepted time invite and draw them to Jesus Christ by his Word and Spirit ; savingly enlightening their minds, renewing and powerfuUy de- termining their wiUs, so as they (although in themselves dead in sin) are hereby made willing and able, freely to answer his caU, and to accept and embrace the grace offered and conveyed there- in.
Exposition of the Doctrine. According to the common doctrine of Protestants, i. *., of Lutherans and Reformed, as appears from the above quotations,-
« ™* " ^i*** *■*** 3d edit "** 1836> PP- ™> 681, 658, 581 .
2 Question 67.