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1. God the Father, who is the Father of Christ; he as such begets men again according to his abundant mercy, 1 Pet. i. 3. 2. The Son has also a concern in regeneration, and so great a concern, that they who are born again are said to be born of him, that is, Christ; for no other is spoken of in the context, 1 John ii. 29. It is by virtue of his resurrection that they are begotten to lively hope of the heavenly inheritance, 1. Pet. 1. 3, 4.-3. The holy spirit of God is the author of regeneration, and to him it is ascribed by our Lord; Except a man be born of water and of the spirit, John in. 5. by water is not meant the ordinance of water baptism, that is never expressed by water only, without some other word with it in the text or context which determines the sense; nor is regeneration by it; Simon Magus was baptized, but not regenerated; regeneration ought to precede baptism: but the grace of the Spirit is meant by water, so called from its cleansing and purifying use.

Secondly, The impulsive cause, is the free grace, love, and mercy of God; God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, hath quickened us, Eph. ii. 4, 5. It is according to his abundant mercy, God huth begotten us again unto a lively hope, 1. Pet. i. 3. What were there in the three thousand, some of whom had been concerned in the death of Christ, converted under Peter's sermon? what were in the jailor, who had just before used the apostles in a cruel manner? what were there in Saul, the blasphemer, per. secutor, and injurious person, between these characters and his obtaining mercy? no, it is not according to the will and works of men that they are regenerated, but God, of his own will begat he us, James i. 18.

Thirdly, The resurrection of Christ from the dead is the virtual or procuring cause of it; there is a power of virtue in Christ's resurrection, which has an influence on our regeneration. Christ's resurrection was his first step to his glorifi cation, so is regeneration to seeing and entering into the king. dom of God.

Fourthly, The instrumental cause of regeneration, if it may be so called, are the word of God, and the ministers of it; hence, regenerate persons are said to be born again by the word of God. &c. 1 Pet. i. 23. and again, of his own will beSat he us with the word of truth, James i. 18. Though ministers of the gospel are not only represented as ministers and instruments by whom others believe, but as spiritual fathers; though you have ten thousand instructors in Christ, says

the

apostle to the Corinthians, yet have ye not many fathers, or in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel; so he speaks of his son Onesimus, whom he had begotten in his bonds, Philem. 10. It seems plain that the ministry of the word is the vehicle in which the spirit of God conveys himself, and his grace into the hearts of men; receive ye he Spirit, says the apostle, by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith, Gal. iii. 2.

on.

III. The subjects of regeneration are next to be enquired nto, or who they are God is pleased to bestow this grace upThese are men, and not angels; good angels have no need of regeneration: the evil angels never will have any share in it. They are men, God regenerates, and not brutes, nor stocks nor stones. Those whom the apostle speaks of as begotten again into a lively hope, are first described as elect according to the fore knowledge, 1 Pet. i. 2, 3.

IV. The effects of regeneration, or the ends to be answered, and which are answered by it, and which shew the importance and necessity of it. 1. A principal effect of it; or, if you will a concomitant of it, is a participation of every grace of the Spirit. The grace of repentence then appears; the stony, hard, obdurate, and impenitent heart being taken away, and an heart of flesh, susceptible of divine impressions being giv en; on which follow, a sense of sin, sorrow for it after a godly sort. Faith in Christ which is not of a man's self, but the gift of God, and the operation of the Spirit of God, is now given and brought into exercise; which being an effect, is an evidence of regeneration; for whosoever believeth that Jesus is

the Christ, and especially that believes in Christ, as his Saviour and Redeemer, is born of God, 1 John v. 1. and such have hope of eternal life by Christ. Regenerated persons have their hearts circumcised, which is but another phrase for regenerating grace, to love the Lord their God with all their heart and soul, Deut. xxx. 6. and by this it is known, that they have passed from death to life, because they love the brethren, 1 John iii. 14. In short, regenerate persons are partakers of all the fruits of the Spirit; and they are blessed with such measures of grace and spiritual strength, as to be able to resist sin and Satan, and to overcome the world, and every spi ritual enemy; For whosoever is born of God, overcometh the world: he that is begotten of God, keepeth himself from Satan, 1 John v. 4, 18. 2. Knowledge, and actual enjoyment of the several blessings of grace, follow upon regeneration. Now it is that an awakened sinner has the application of pardoning grace and mercy. God blesses his people with peace, with peace of conscience, flowing from the blood, righteousness, and sacrifice of Christ. 3. Another effect of regeneration is, a fitness and capacity for the performance of good works. In regeneration men are created in Christ Jesus unto good works, Eph. ii. 10. such who are born again, are sanctified and meet for the Master's use, and prepared unto every good work, 2 Tim. ii. 21. whereas, an unregenerate man is to every good work reprobate. God has promised to put his Spirit in his people, to cause them to walk in his statutes, and to keep his judgments, and do them, Ezek. xxxvi. 27. A very heathen could say, "Whatever good thing thou dost, ascribe it to God." 4, Regeneration gives a meetness for the kingdom of God; without this, no man can see, nor enter into it, John iii. 3, 5. Unregenerate men have not the proper qualifications for the church of God, and the ordinance of it; these particularly, are faith and repentance; these are required to a person's admission to baptism, Matt. iii. 2-8. Acts. ii. 38. and viii. 12-37. and so to the ordinance of the Lords supper; Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat, 1 Cor. xi. 28.

V. The properties of regeneration; and which may serve to throw more light on the nature of it.-1. Regeneration is a passive work, or rather, men are passive in it; men no more contribute to their spiritual birth, than infants do to their natural birth. 2. It is an irresistible act of God's grace; no more resistance can be made unto it, than there could be in the first matter to its creation; it is of the will of God, the Spirit, in regeneration, is like the wind which bloweth where it listeth, John iii. 8. 3. It is an act that is instantaneously done, at once; for indeed one man cannot be said to be more regen. erated than another, though he may be more sanctified. 4. As it is done at once, so it is perfect; some persons speak of a regenerate and an unregenerate part in men; and that they are partly regenerate and partly unregenerate. I must confess I do not understand this; the whole old man is unregenerate, he remains untouched, and the new man is wholly regenerate, no unregenerate part in him; there is no sin in him, nor done by him, he cannot commit sin. 5. The grace of regeneration can never be lost; once regenerated and always so; such are kept by the power of God, through faith, unto salvation, 1 Pet. i. 3-5. 23. To which may be added,-6. An adjunct which always accompanies regeneration, a spiritual warfare between the old and the new man, the principle of sin, and the principle of grace; the flesh lusting against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh; the law in the members, warring against the law of the mind; which are, as; it were, a company of two armies engaged in war with each other, which always issues in a victory on the side of the new

creature.

OF EFFECTUAL CALLING.

EFFECTUAL Calling may be distinguished from Regenera tion, taken more strictly, for the first infusion and implanta tion of grace in the heart; yet it is closely connected with it,

and the consideration of it naturally follows upon it. Concerning it, the following things may be observed.

I. What it is, and the nature of it. It is not of a civil kind, of which there are various sorts; as a call to an office in state; so Saul and David were called to take upon them the government of the people of Israel: nor a call to do some particular service, as Bezaleel was called to devise and do some curious work for the tabernacle, and Cyrus was raised up, and called from a far country, to let the captive Jews go free. Every ordinary occupation, men are brought up in, is a calling; hence the apostle says, Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he is called, 1 Cor. vii. 20. 24. The calling now to be treated of, is of a religious kind; and of which also there are various sorts; as a call to an ecclesiastical office, so, Aaron and his sons were called to officiate in the priesthood; for no man taketh this honour to himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron, Heb. v. 4. so the twelve disciples of Christ were called to apostleship; and Paul, a servant of Christ, is said to be called to be an apostle. There is likewise an universal call of all men, to serve and worship the one true and living God; this call is made by the light of nature, displayed in the works of creation, which demonstrate the Being of God; and by the law of nature, written on the hearts of all men ; besides this there is a more special and particular call of men, and not so general, and is either external or internal: the external call is by the ministry of the word; by the ministy of the prophets under the Old Testament, of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, of Christ himself in human nature, and of his apostles under the New; and of all succeeding ministers in all ages. The internal call is by the Spirit and grace of God to the hearts and consciences of men; as this external call is a matter of moment, it is necessary to be a little more large and 'explicit upon it. 1. This may be considered either as a call to saints, to such who have a work of grace already begun in ' them; and to such it is a call, not only to the means of grace, but to partake of the blessings of grace; and these as labouring under a sense of sin, and under a spirit of bondage, to come