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accounted righteous in him so completely that there is, therefore, now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. It is not done by throwing a cloak of divine righteousness over a corrupt heart, but by removing from the heart the consciousness of sin, thereby making peace."

REGENERATION.

Regeneration is that work of the Holy Spirit by which we experience a change of heart. The Scriptures express it in various ways, such as being born from above (John iii, 7); being quickened (Eph. ii, 1); a new creation (2 Cor. v, 17). The subjects of this change are represented as being begotten of God (John i, 13); begotten of the Spirit (John iii, 8); new creatures (Gal. vi, 15); and partakers of the Divine nature (2 Pet. i, 4). This is a great work, but it does not imply the creation of any new faculties. Man has faculties enough; all he requires is grace to use them well. Nor does regeneration effect any constitutional change. The converted man remains identically the same in all his fundamental characteristics of body and mind. If he were before a pugilist, he may be expected to prove a valiant champion of the truth, a soldier of Christ, a defender of the faith. If he were before a promulgator of evil things, he may be expected to appear as a herald of truth, a preacher of righteousness. Intellectually, the bent of his mind remains the same; the change is in his morals, the spirit and aim of his life and work. His appetites and propensities are not eradicated, but they will be regulated. No new taste is given, and no new substance of holiness is implanted. The germ theory of holiness is germinal nonsense. Holiness is holiness, not a seed, or separate substance of any sort whatever. "The soul," says Bishop S. M. Merrill, "with its natural attributes, remains the same through all the experiences of sin and pardon, of pollution and washing, of death and life, retaining its identity and its essential aptitudes and powers; but the spirit, the seat and sphere of depravity, and of renewing and sanctifying influences, passes through these changes of character and condition, determining always the moral state of the man. A new soul is impossible, but a new heart and a new spirit are plainly promised and graciously realized. Regeneration is, therefore, the fundamental fact of life, because it breaks the reigning power of sin, makes us the children of God, and gives us power to walk in the light of holiness.'

He that is born of God has a new heart, and that is the beginning of holiness. The wicked heart, the stony heart, is taken away, and

the good, tender heart is given. The carnal mind, whose characteristic is the devotion of the will to self-gratification, is displaced by the spiritual mind, the self-sacrificing mind, the mind that was in Christ. "To be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." (Rom. viii, 6.) The carnal mind is at enmity with God, is not subject to his law, and is sold unto sin. The spiritual mind is free from the rule of sin, and is swayed by the Divine Spirit. Hence Paul said that "they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; and they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.” (Rom. viii, 5.) Regenerated persons experience a radical change in their ultimate intention, or choice of an end. The will is devoted to God, and the aim of life is to serve Christ. The whole moral character is changed, and so is the entire course of life, if previously wrong. Christ says: "Except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." (Matt. xviii, 3.) The phraseology may be figurative, but it is emphatic, and shows that when a moral being is changed into the image of Christ, he must live an entirely new life-a life as innocent and pure as that of a child. In 1 John iii, 9, we are told that "whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he can not sin, because he is born of God." Whether this "seed" be "the word of truth," the "Spirit of God," the "power of the divine life," the "regenerate vital principle," the "fixed purpose of faith," or what not else, while it remains he can not sin, "or be a regular sinner, any more than ice can bear caloric, for the two things are incompatible.” The regenerate man can not practice sin, because within him is the element of holiness utterly incompatible with sin. Not that sin is volitionally impossible with the regenerate, but that regeneration is entirely antagonistic to sin. The sinner is unregenerate; the regenerate can not be sinful. Ignatius, who was born before St. John died, used this language: "Let no one deceive you. They who are carnal can not do the things that are spiritual; nor can they who are spiritual do the things that are carnal. Faith can not do the works of unbelief, nor can unbelief do the works of faith. The works which ye do in the flesh are spiritual, because ye work all your work in Jesus Christ." Divine truth, energized by the Spirit, works conviction and conversion. This truth is the "seed" which remains in the regenerated heart. "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever." (1 Pet. i, 23.) This seed, which has once broken the power of selfishness, the tendency to sin, remains in him, in his memory, in

his affections, in his conscience, and unless he willfully casts it out he can not sin. He may cast it out; he may fall; but until he does so he will not indulge himself in any form of evil. "Let that therefore abide in you which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father." (1 John ii, 24.)

Regeneration implies more than some modern writers appear to grant. To receive the things of God; to become the subjects of his grace; to recover the moral image of God; to regain spiritual life; to become dead to sin and alive unto God; to have the eyes of the mind opened; to receive a relish for the things of the Spirit; to have the disposition to sin removed, and the disposition to holiness implanted, these are things to be not lightly esteemed, but remembered and cherished, improved and perfected unto the day of full salvation.

"Regeneration and entire sanctification," says Rev. R. C. Armstrong, "do not differ in nature, but in degree; the former is inferior in degree to the latter. Whatever regeneration implies, entire sanctification implies the same in a higher degree. Then, as regeneration implies cleansing, renovation, so is this carried on to entirety in the perfected state."

"I hold," says Bishop H. H. Kavanaugh, "that all our past sins are remitted and removed in justification and regeneration, and nothing can obstruct our passage to the attainment of Christian perfection but the want of faith, the omission of duty, or the breach of the Divine commandments."

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Rev. John Wesley tells us that we can not separate the power over sin from being born of God-power over outward sins of every kind; over every evil word and work; for wheresoever the blood of Christ is thus applied [in regeneration], it purgeth the conscience from dead works, and over inward sin; for it purifieth the heart from every unholy desire and temper."

This grand work of regenerating grace is grandly described by St. Paul in the sixth chapter of his Epistle to the Romans. "How shall we," saith he, "who are dead to sin, live any longer therein ?" "Our old man is crucified with Christ, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin." "Likewise, reckon ye yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body," "but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead." " "For sin shall not have dominion over you. God be thanked,

that ye were the servants of sin, but being made free," the plain meaning is, God be thanked, that though ye were, in time past, the servants of sin, yet now, "being free from sin, ye are become the servants of righteousness." And not only servants, but sons. "Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. Beloved, now are we the sons of God; and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know, that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." (1 John iii, 1, etc.)

Regeneration depends on faith. "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name; which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." (John i, 12, 13.) Those only who received him and believed on his name were made sons or regenerated. "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God." (1 John v, 1.) "But these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name." (John xx, 31.) These are only a few of the many passages which prove clearly that regeneration is conditioned on faith. Justification, adoption, and regeneration being concomitants, whatever leads to one of these blessings must lead to the others.

ADOPTION.

As commonly understood, adoption means to place as a son and heir one who is not such by nature.

"Ye are

Moses was the first to apply the term to God's people. the children of the Lord your God," said he to ancient Israel. (Deut. xiv, 1.) The pious Israelite was prone to regard himself as a servant rather than an heir, and Moses began to instruct him in the conception of a higher relation.

Our Lord must have taken up the theme early in his ministry, for the apostle John tells us that "as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." (John i, 12.) Faith is the condition upon which is based the gift of power to become sons. Faith saves the soul, and when the soul is saved, the Spirit of God witnesses to adoption. "For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." The Holy Spirit takes. away slavish fear from the justified soul, and implants the knowledge of sonship, that filial confidence which enables us to call God our

Father. "But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." (Gal. iv, 4-6.) This passage teaches that redemption through Christ is the means of our adoption; that adoption follows our redemption; and that when adopted the Spirit conveys to our hearts the evidence of it.

Yet it will hardly do to teach that adoption is a distinct and separate act of God, disconnected with the work of justification and regeneration. It is rather a relative act, involved in, and necessarily flowing from, our justification. Those who are justified are renewed and adopted. As Paul says: "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and I will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." (2 Cor. vi, 18.) Adoption is intimately connected with coming out from the world, being pardoned, and separated from every thing unclean. God wants his children to be pure. Those whom he forgives he receives into his favor and family, giving them a title to all the purchased possession. The Scriptures everywhere teach us that our heirship, and our consequent title to eternal life, are grounded on our justification. "For we are justified by his grace that we should be heirs according to the hope of eternal life." (Titus iii, 7.)

WITNESS OF THE SPIRIT.

The doctrine of the witness of the Spirit is simply the assurance of pardon and regeneration, without which knowledge of salvation is impossible. It is based upon such passages of Scripture as these: "After that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory." (Eph. i, 13, 14.) "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." (Rom. viii, 14–16,). “And, because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ."

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