new birth, and therefore, of immortality itself. Thus it is represented by the apostle Peter, 1 Pet. 23, and by the apostle James, who expressly tells us, that He hath begotten us with the word of truth. Jam. i. 18. Now, the enlivening virtue and plastic power of this word is derived from the Holy Ghost, who is the true spring and fountain of this new life. Nor are the most extended powers of the human mind, or the strength of its understanding, any more able to restore this life within it, even upon hearing the glad tidings of the gospel, than it was capable of producing itself at first, or of being the author of its own being, or, after death, of restoring itself to life.

To this exalted dignity are admitted the humble, the poor, the obscure, the ignorant, barbarians, slaves, sinners, whom the world look upon as nothing, and hold in the greatest contempt; of these nothing is required but true and sincere faith; no learning, nor noble extract, nor any submission to the Mosaic law; but upon every man, of whatever rank or condition, who believes this word, He in return bestows this dignity, that they should become the sons of God; that is, that what Christ was by nature, they should become by grace. Now, what is more sublime and exalted than this honour, that those who were formerly children of Satan, and heirs of hell, should by faith alone be made the sons of God, brethren of Christ, and jointheirs of the heavenly kingdom? If the sacred fire of the Romans happened at any time to be extinguished, it could only be lighted again at the rays of the sun. The life of souls, to be sure, is a sacred flame of Divine love: this flame, as we are now born into the froward race of fallen mankind, is, alas! but too truly and unhappily extinguished, and by no means to be kindled again, but by the enlivening light and heat of the Sun of righteousness, who is most auspiciously risen upon us.

LECTURE XVI.

Of REGENERATION.

THE great corruption of mankind, and their innate disposition to every sort of wickedness, even the doctors of the heathen nations, that is, their philosophers and theologers, and their poets also, were sensible of, and acknowledged; though they were quite ignorant of the source from which this calamity was derived. They all own, "That it is natural to man to sin*. Even your favourite philosopher, who prevails in the schools, declares, that we are "strongly inclined to vice†;" and speaking of the charms and allurements of forbidden pleasures, he observes, that mankind by nature "is easily catched in these snares." The Roman philosopher takes notice, “That the way to vice is not only a descent, but a downright precipice §." And the comic poet, “That mankind has always been, in every respect, a deceitful, subtle creature." The satirist likewise observes, "That we are all easily prevailed on to imitate things that are in their nature wicked and disgraceful ¶.” And the lyric poet, "That the human race, bold to attempt the greatest dangers, rushes with impetuosity upon forbidden crimes **."

י

All the wise men among the heathens exerted their utmost to remedy this evil by precepts and institutions of philosophy, but to very little purpose. They could not, by all their arts and

* Συμφύτον εἶναί τοῖς ἀνθρώποις το ἁμαρτάνειν.

+ Eixaragógous. Arist. Eth. ii.

* Ευθήρατον εἶναι ὑπό τῶν τοιουτῶν.

§ Ad vitia, non tantum pronum iter, sed et præceps.

|| Δόλερος μὲν δει κατὰ πάντα δή τρόπον.

Gens humana ruit per vetitum nefas. HoR. Carm. lib. 1. Od. 3.

VOL. IV.

U

all their precepts, make others better: nay, with regard to most of them, we may say, nor even themselves. But, "when there was no wisdom in the earth," says Lactantius, "that blessed doctor was sent down from heaven, who is the way, the truth, and the life *;” and, by an almighty power, effected what all others had attempted in vain.

It is not at all to be doubted, but the end proposed by philosophy, was, to renew and to reform mankind, and to reduce the course of their lives to a conformity with the precepts of wisdom and virtue. Whence, the common definition given of philosophy, is, "That it is the rule of life, and the art or science of living uprightly." To this purpose Seneca says, "Philosophy is the law of living honestly and uprightly." True religion, to be sure, has the same tendency; but it promotes its end with much greater force, and better success; because its principles are much more exalted, its precepts and instructions are of greater purity, and it is, besides, attended with a Divine power, whereby it makes its way into the hearts of men, and purifies them with the greatest force and efficacy, and yet, at the same time, with the most wonderful pleasure and delight. And this is the regeneration of which we are speaking, and whereof we have already observed, that philosophy acknowledged it, even under the same name. But, that it effected it, we absolutely deny. Now, it is evident from the very name, that we are to understand by it an inward change, and that a very remarkable one. And since God is called the author and source of this change, whatever the philosophers may have disputed, pro and con, concerning the origin of moral virtue, we are by no means to doubt but this sacred and Divine change upon the heart of man is produced by an influence truly Divine. And this was even Plato's opinion concerning virtue; nor do I imagine you are unacquainted with it. The same philosopher, and several others besides him,

* Sed cum nulla esset sapientia in terris, missus este cœlo doctor ille, via, veritas et vita.

expressly asserted, that virtue was a kind of image or likeness of God, nay, that it was the effect of inspiration, and partook, in some respect, of a kind of Divine nature. "No mind can

be rightly disposed without divine influence," says Seneca *. And it was the saying of the Pythagorean philosophers, "That the end of man is to be made like to God +." "This mind," says Trismegistus, "is God in man, and therefore some of the number of men are gods‡." And a little further on, "In whatever souls the mind presides, it illustrates them with its own brightness, opposing their immoralities and mad inclinations, just as a learned physician inflicts pain upon the body of his patient, by burning and cutting it, in order to recover it to health in the same manner, the mind afflicts a voluptuous soul, that it may pull up pleasure by the very roots. For all diseases of the soul proceed from it; impiety is the severest distemper of the soul §."

What wonder is it, then, if these very thoughts are expressed in the more Divine oracles of the sacred Scriptures more fully, and with greater clearness? And this confirmation of the human mind to the Divine nature, is commonly represented therein, as the great business and the end of all religion,

What was more frequently inculcated upon the ancient Church of the Jews, than these words, Be ye holy, because I am holy? And that the same ambition is recommended to Christians, appears from the first sermon we meet with in the gospel of our Lord and Saviour, who came down to this earth, that he might restore the Divine image upon men. Be merciful, says he, as your Father, who is in heaven, is merciful. And, according to Luke, Be perfect, as your Father is perfect. And again, Blessed are the pure in heart. And, indeed, this

* Nulla sine Deo bona mens est.

* Τελος ἄνθρώπου ὁμοίωσίς Θεῷ.

† Οὗτος ὁ νοῦς ἐν μέν ἀνθρώποις Θεὸς ἐστίν, διό καὶ τίνες των ανθρώπων θεοί εισι. [Trismeg.] περι του κοινου προς τατ.

§ Οσαὶς ἂν νῦν ψύχαις, &c.

is the true beauty of the heart, and its true nobility; but vice introduces degeneracy, and deformity also.

Now, the more the mind disengages and withdraws itself from "matter that pollutes it," that is, from the body it inhabits, the purer and more Divine it constantly becomes; because it attains to a greater resemblance with the Father of spirits, and, as the apostle Peter expresses, partakes more fully of the Divine nature, Hence it is, that the apostle Paul warns us at so great length, and in such strong terms, against living after the flesh, as the very death of the soul, and directly opposite to the renewed nature of a Christian. He that is born of God, is endued with a greatness of soul, that makes him easily despise, and consider as nothing, those things which he prized at a very high rate before: he considers heaven as his country, even while he lives as a stranger on this earth; he aspires at the highest objects, and, "flying up towards heaven, with soaring wings, looks down with contempt upon the earth +."

And yet, with all this sublimity of mind he joins the deepest humility. But all the allurements of sin, though they continue to have the same appearance they had before, and possibly throw themselves in his way, as the very same that were formerly dear to him, he will reject with indignation, and give them the same answer as St. Ambrose tells us was given by a young convert to his mistress, with whom he had formerly lived in great familiarity: "Though you may be the same, I am not the same I was before ‡."

Lactantius elegantly sets forth the wonderful power of religion in this respect: "Give me," says he, "a man that is passionate, a slanderer, one that is headstrong and unmanageable; with a very few of the words of God, I will make him as quiet as a lamb. Give me a covetous, avaricious, or close-handed person; I will presently make him liberal, and oblige him to give