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men, and bring every irregular propensity into captivity to the obedience of Christ!

Prayer and vigilance, in these respects, seem more particularly needful for Christian divines, espeIcially if called to engage in controversy. What a triumph is afforded to the irreligious and profane, who gladly catch at the merest trifle to uphold themselves in their unhappy delusions, when they observe wars and fightings, arts and stratagems, prevailing amongst those who ought to be the ministers of truth and peace! Theological controversy, so far as it stands connected with the defence and preservation of important truth, is not only allowable, but commendable, and sometimes necessary. Controversy, however, is one thing, and a controversial or contentious spirit is another. We are indeed exhorted to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints; but let us learn to do so, with meekness of wisdom; and let us ever remember, in the language of our admirable Hooker, that "there will come a time when three words, uttered with charity and meekness, shall receive a far more blessed reward than three thousand volumes written with disdainful sharpness of wit," even on subjects of the highest importance.

(To be continued.)

FAMILY SERMONS.-No. CLXXIII. 1 Pet. i. 3.-Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. THE more attentively the blessings of salvation are examined, the greater will they appear. They are not like superficial treasures, which attract the eye by their glitter, but will not bear close investigation. On the contrary, it is ignorance only that makes them ever seem

of little moment. In themselves they are inestimably valuable, and include all that mankind can need for this world or that which is to come. Among the particulars of these distinguished blessings, we may enumerate that love of God, displayed in his purpose of grace and mercy to mankind in Christ Jesus, which opened the way for all the subsequent blessings of redemption; the accomplishment of this purpose of grace in the gift and sacrifice of Jesus Christ; the gracious invitation held out to us in the word of God to become partakers of the benefit; our actual regeneration or conversion to God; our justification before him freely by faith in his Son; our adoption into his family; our introduction to a state of reconciliation and peace; the privilege of communion with him; our sanctification by his Holy Spirit; and our final admission to eternal glory. On the present occasion we shall consider one particular link in this chain of blessings; namely, that important change of character by which we become qualified for the enjoyment of the heavenly inheritance, being "begotten again to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."

In considering this subject, we shall first endeavour to describe the nature of the regeneration or new birth alluded to in the text; and, secondly, point out some circumstances mentioned in the text respecting it.

First, we are to describe the nature of the regeneration or new birth alluded to in the text. The Christian is there said to be "begotten again;" he is endued with a new and spiritual life. By nature he was dead, separated by sin from God, who is the life of the soul; insensible to religious objects, and incapable of any act of spiritual existence. The very life which he lived in the world was a state of death, as respects every thing holy and beyond the grave: gay or inno

cent as it might appear, it was in truth the death of " trespasses and sins."

Such is the condition of all men before they become partakers of that spiritual change of character which is called regeneration, a new birth, or being begotten again; and which is still further described to us by such expressions as, being turned or converted in soul, being quickened, being translated from a state of darkness into light, and from the power of satan unto God. We may consider regeneration as including that change of character by which, through the renewing operation of the Holy Spirit, we become inclined to do the will of God; by which, being thus inclined, we are further fitted to do his will; and by which, being both inclined and fitted, we actually go on to do his will,-not, indeed, perfectly, but with a growing zeal, love, and conformity.

1. Regeneration is that change of character by which we become inclined to do the will of God. Naturally we had no such desire; our will was in opposition to his. God commanded us to hate sin, and we loved it; God commanded us to come out from the world, and we cleaved to it; God commanded us to repent, and we were hard-hearted; God commanded us to believe, and we lived in practical infidelity; God commanded us to obey, and we were disobedient; God invited us to take his yoke upon us, and to come to him through a crucified Saviour, that we might live, and we declined his gracious offers. We would have none of his counsel; we put far from us his reproofs. In short, by nature there was in us no taste for any thing spiritual or holy; our affections were not set upon things above; we were living without God and without hope in the world.

2. But regeneration not only inclines our hearts to obey the will of God, but also fits us for so doing. Before this change takes place in the heart, the sinner can do nothing

well-pleasing to God.

Not that he

is destitute of those faculties which the Creator requires to be spent in his service. No: he cannot urge any such excuse as this for his disobedience: he has an understanding capable of learning what is right; a will capable of being turned to what is right; and affections capable of being fixed upon what is right. Regeneration gives him no new faculties; but it exalts, and turns to new objects, those which were already possessed: it restores the understanding, the will, and the affections to their right use and action. His want of fitness to serve God arose partly from the want of desire to serve him; partly from the want of knowledge how to serve him acceptably; and partly from the want of right motives to serve him. Now, in regeneration these deficiencies are supplied: the heart is renewed; and hence the service of God be comes a delight: love to God and faith in the Saviour are implanted in the soul; and thus the individual is constrained, not by mere terror, but by the best of motives-by love, confidence, and gratitude-to present himself, soul and body, to the service of his gracious Creator -his now reconciled God and Father in Christ Jesus. Those works which once partook of the nature of sin, on account of their springing from an impenitent and unrenewed heart, now become well-pleasing to God, as the fruits of Christian principles, the operations of faith, and the labours of love.

3. The soul being thus disposed and fitted to serve God, a state of regeneration further implies-an actual commencement of this holy obedience. The Christian, being made "partaker of a Divine nature," begins to live according to his new disposition. Restored in some measure in his tastes and inclinations to the likeness of God, he begins to seek and to obtain conformity to him. The spiritual activity which now prevails in his soul influences his character, and

is seen in his actions.

an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven." By nature we were "children of wrath,' and the only inheritance which we deserved was "the wages of sin, which are death." But being made sons of God by a new and heavenly birth, we are also made heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ. The extent of this privilege is far beyond all earthly conceptions. "Now are we the sons of God; but it doth not yet appear what we shall be." A state of perfect holiness and perfect happiness is too exalted for human imagination to grasp; but the hope of it is set before us in the Gospel; and it is "a lively hope;" a hope which has respect to an everlasting object of delight; a hope, which invigorates and purifies the soul; a hope which cannot disappoint us; a hope which, unlike the expectations of the worldly man, approaches nearest its accomplishment, when all other hopes are fading away in death.

The seed sown grows up, and blossoms, and brings forth fruit. Whether this change of character takes place in earlier or maturer years; whether it is more gradual or more rapid; whether it occurs in a person of a previously moral or immoral character; it is still in every case clearly seen in its effects. It teaches and inclines the subject of it "to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live righteously, soberly, and godly in the world." Formerly, as St. Paul says in the Epistle to the Ephesians, the understanding was darkened, being alienated from the life of God through ignorance, and because of the blindness of the heart; but now the former corrupt conversation is laid aside; the spirit of the mind is renewed; there is a new creation, in righteousness and true holiness; bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil-speaking, and malice, are put away; and in the place of them are seen tenderness of heart, a spirit of forgiveness, and all those religious and social virtues which the Apostle goes on to describe throughout the remainder of that Epistle. Such is the test or character of true regeneration of soul, "He who committeth sin, is of the devil;" but "whosoever is born of God, doth not commit sin;" that is, habitually and wilfully, or without deep remorse and repentance; nay, "he cannot thus sin, because he is born of God."

Secondly. But we shall understand more fully the nature of this spiritual birth, if we consider the circumstances mentioned in the text respecting it. These circumstances are, first, to what we are born-namely, "to a lively hope;" and secondly, the freedom of this privilege, springing wholly from the abundant mercy of God by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

1. We learn to what we are spiritually born-namely, to "a lively hope the object of which hope is explained in the next verse; "to

2. Now, the inestimable privilege included in this hope, and in that everlasting blessedness of which it is the foretaste, flows to us freely from the abundant mercy of God, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We had forfeited all hope of eternal glory by our sins, and our regeneration itself, though it introduces us to this state of privilege, and renders us meet for its enjoyment, does not by any means bestow on us any claim of merit. So far from this, it was of God's abundant mercy alone that we were begotten to this hope. It was for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, that we were quickened with Christ, and raised with him, and made to sit in heavenly places. "Of his own will," says St. James, "begat he us." Thus are we taught to trace up all our spiritual blessings to that great source, the infinite and unmerited love of God.

But we had sinned and forfeited the Divine favour: the love of God therefore took the form of mercy,

and flowed to us through the_medium of the atonement of Jesus Christ. The Apostle in the text particularly specifies his resurrection as the source of our new birth and lively hope; because it was by the resurrection of Christ that the seal was set to the work of mercy in the redemption of a fallen world. He was raised for our justification. His sacrifice being perfected, and fully available for our pardon, he proved himself the Son of God with power by his resurrection from the dead; and now that he has ascended into heaven he intercedes for his people, and sends down the Holy Spirit as the author of their regeneration, and of every successive advancement in their spiritual life.

The means employed for effecting our regeneration are not mentioned in the text. We are not, however, thence to conclude, that this great work is effected by miracle and without means. On the contrary, St. Paul speaks of the instrumentality of the ministers of Christ for this purpose; and St. James, in a passage nearly parallel with the text, mentions the word of God as the means: "Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth." This inspired word is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness. Its use, as the Psalmist teaches, is to enlighten the eyes, to convert the soul, and to rejoice the heart. We require no new revelation for the purpose of effecting this great change in our character: what we need is, that the truths already declared in Scripture should be known, and believed, and felt; and that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the doctrines and commands therein laid down should be so deeply engraven on the soul as to make us think and act as persons who really credit them; that we should repent; and have faith in the Gospel; and trust in the atonement of the Saviour

for salvation; and walk in his ways; and live to his glory.

In conclusion, I am anxious to impress upon your minds the great importance of the subject we have been considering. The Apostle, in the text, cannot speak of the new birth and lively hope of the Christian without breaking forth into a strain of gratitude and adoration. -"Blessed," he says, "be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," for this inestimable gift! Why, then, are so many persons careless on the question? Do they doubt their need of this renovation of character? Or are they ignorant of its importance ? Or are they insensible of the blessings which are connected with it? But perhaps some one will say, that all that was necessary took place in baptism. Now, doubtless, Christian baptism is an inestimable privilege; it is an outward mark of our willing selfdedication to God; a visible sign of spiritual regeneration, and a seal of the new covenant of grace. A person whose heart was really renewed by the Holy Spirit, and who had become a willing disciple of Christ, would immediately desire, in compliance with his Saviour's command, to submit to this initiatory rite, if he had not been already visibly admitted to it in his infancy. His recourse to this sacrament would be a declaration to the world that he wished to be considered, with whatever reproach the change might be attended, as a self-denying disciple of Jesus Christ; and he might without presumption look for the especial grace of the Holy Spirit in his humble compliance with this divinely appointed institution. But though, from these considerations, you should be deeply thankful to God for your baptismal privileges, and endeavour to walk worthy of them, you must not blind your eyes to the awful fact that baptised persons, notwithstanding their baptism, will perish at last unless they have that real and spiritual conversion,

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or renewal of heart, which is necessary to fit a sinner for the kingdom of heaven. It would be a most fatal error so to mistake the character of your baptismal privileges and obligations, as to forget the necessity of being actually, as well as in name, new creatures in Christ Jesus." Proceed then to a solemn inquiry as to the actual state of your hearts and lives. Are you, in point of fact, living as becomes holy and regenerate persons? Is your understanding enlightened to know God's law? Is your will inclined to obey it? Are your affections moulded by the example of Christ, and the model of Christianity? Are your desires fixed on God, as your eternal portion? Is the Saviour your only source of hope and consolation? Is sin, in all its forms, beginning to be mortified in your soul? Do the fruits of the Spirit begin to abound in your life? Do you possess that love to God, and to man for God's sake, which especially marks the influence of true religion? I do not urge you to point out the exact moment of your regeneration or conversion, whether in baptism or otherwise; but are the fruits of regeneration or conversion visible? Nor do I expect that you should be able to say that no remains of sin continue in your heart, and that its influence is never to be seen in your conduct. This would be a state of perfection which even the regenerate do not attain in the present world. Nor do I imagine for a moment that all fear is subdued; or that every temptation has lost its power; or that the world is never found seductive; or that the affections keep a constant and undivided hold upon spiritual objects. These are attainments which we are to desire; but their full enjoyment is rather to be wished for than expected in a world of sin and imperfection. But thus much at least is necessary to shew your sincerity and the truth of your renewal of character, that you are eagerly

pressing on towards the enjoyment of these distinguished privileges; that you pray, and strive, and watch for their attainment; and that, as sons of God, you prove your exalted birth by not resting satisfied with any thing short of a constantly progressive conformity to his image.

Tothe Editor of the Christian Observer. I TRUST the pages of the Christian Observer will always be open for the defence of our authorised version of the holy Scriptures against unmerited censure. Such is the estimation in which this version has been held by the most competent judges, and such the affection and confidence with which it has always been regarded by almost every Englishman, that nothing should rashly and unnecessarily be done to diminish this respect and estimation: no censure should be uttered against it but on strong grounds of reason and sound criticism. We may safely allow that it is not exempt from errors; that it admits in some instances of material improvement; and that the labours of the Biblical student are well bestowed in endeavouring to bring it nigher to perfection; but no specific charge of inaccuracy, especially of inaccuracy arising from the influence of prejudice or erroneous opinions, should be made, unless supported by unimpeachable evidence. With these sentiments, I beg leave to submit a few remarks on a work just published entitled, "Biblical Fragments, by Mary Ann Schimmelpenninck," author of a Tour to Alet, &c. It is no pleasing task to censure a work which evidently displays talen, ingenuity, and piety, and contains many remarks on the holy Scriptures well deserving the attention of every Christian; but in proportion to the merits of the work is the danger likely to arise for the errors it contains, and the necessity of guarding

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