life; and because, where we do not abso. lutely know that God has not pardoned a person, we may entertain some measure of hope that he has. But, taking the expressions more according to the spirit of them, they precisely accord with what we continually read in the Epistles of St. Paul. In the First Epistle to the Corinthian church, he says of them, "I thank my God always on your behalf, that in every thing ye are enriched by him in all utterance, and in all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that ye come behind in no gift, waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." Yet, does he instantly begin to condemn the same persons for their divisions and contentions; and afterwards tells them "that they were carnal, and walked, not as saints, but as men,' that is, as unconverted and ungodly men.* In like manner, in his Epistle to the Philippians, after saying, "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day

#1 Cor. i. 47. and iii. 3.

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until now; being confident of this very thing, that he who hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ," he adds, "Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all."* Yet does he afterwards caution these very persons against strife, and vain-glory, and self-love; and tell them that he will send Timothy to them shortly, in order to make inquiries into their state, and to give him information respecting them: and he even mentions two by name, Euodias and Syntyche, whose notorious disagreements he was desirous to heal.

A multitude of other passages might be cited to the same effect; to shew that the Apostles, in a spirit of candour and of love, spoke in terms of commendation respecting all, when in strictness of speech they should have made some particular exceptions. And, if we at this day were called to use the same language under the very same circumstances, it is probable that many * Phil. i. 3-7.

would feel scruples respecting it, and espe eially, in thanking God for things, which, if pressed to the utmost meaning of the words, might not be strictly true. But surely, if the Apostles in a spirit of love and charity used such language, we may safely and properly do the same: and knowing in what manner, and with what views, they spake, we need not hesitate to deliver ourselves with the same spirit and in the same latitude, as they.*

In the baptismal Service we thank God for having regenerated the baptized infant by his Holy Spirit. Now from hence it ap

*To guard against a misapprehension of his meaning, the Author wishes these words to be distinctly noticed; because they contain the whole drift of his argument. He does not mean to say, that the Apostles ascribed salvation to the opus operatum, the outward act of baptism; or, that they intended to assert distinctly the salvation of every individual who had been baptized; but only that, in reference to these subjects, they did use a language very similar to that in our Liturgy, and that therefore our Reformers were justified, as we also are, in using the same.

pears that, in the opinion of our Reformers, regeneration and remission of sins did accompany baptism. But in what sense did they hold this sentiment? Did they maintain that there was no need for the seed then sown in the heart of the baptized person to grow up, and to bring forth fruit; or that he could be saved in any other way than by a progressive renovation of his soul after the Divine image ?* Had they asserted or coun

* In proof of the correctness of this sentiment, it may be observed that the church evidently distinguishes between regeneration and renovation. She considers regeneration as that change of spiritual state or condition, which takes place in baptism; and renovation, as a change of heart and life, by the influenees of the Holy Spirit. This change, Mr. Simeon describes as "a progressive renovation of the soul after the divine image.”

The distinction between regeneration and renovation, is expressly noted in the colleet for Christmas day; in which the church directs her members to pray, "Grant that we, being regenerated, may daily be renewed by thy Holy Spirit."

The primitive fathers uniformly preserve this distinetion, and call baptism the "laver of regeneration."

tenanced any such doctrine as that, it would have been impossible for any enlightened

The

The distinction is founded on scripture. apostle in the epistle to Titus (ch. iii. ver. 5.) speaks of "the washing of regeneration," evidently meaning baptism, and "the renewing of the Holy-Ghost.”

Following scripture and primitive authority, the church therefore very properly applies the term regeneration to baptism; in which sacrament that change takes place in our spiritual state or condition, which the term describes. Thus the baptismal offices, and the office of confirmation speak of every baptised person as "being regenerate." The cateehism, in reference to baptism, declares, that "being by nature born in sin, and the children of wrath, we are hereby" (by baptism) "made the children of grace." The baptised person is taught to profess, in the catechism, that in baptism, on the conditions of repentance and faith he was made "a member of Christ, a child of God, and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven." And in the same admirable summary of christian instruction, he is taught to "thank his heavenly Father who hath called him to this state of salvation."

But, as Mr. Simeon justly maintains, the church enforces a change of heart and life as essential to secur