taken place, among all those who have known sin, and have been the servants of it, there Christ, with his healing influence and spiritual life, is not to be found. And without this change of heart, this regeneration, there availeth neither circumcision or uncircumcision, baptism or the Lord's supper, or any ceremonies, be they ever so plausible or glorious in their nature or appearance.

And, as the natural birth of man is accompanied with travail and pain, so also is the new birth accompanied with godly sorrow for sin, and with crucifying the flesh with the affections and lusts. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of; (2 Cor. 7: 10.) and they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh, with the affections and lusts. Gal. 5: 24.

Moreover, as the race of man was not, through Adam's fall, altogether stripped and bereaved of the godly virtues and attributes, so as to be made like unto Satan in wickedness; but have, thro' the grace of God, been kept to retain some good affections and movings of the heart; so also, in regeneration, they will not be made free, altogether, of their innate sins and infirmities, under which they fell through Adam's transgression: but these infirmities remain in the regenerate until death. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other. Gal. 5: 17.---Thus, the innate sins and remaining in

firmities of those who are born again, strive against the law of their new mind, so that their life is a continual warfare against those indwelling infirmities, which they strive to mortify and subdue. And in this warfare, in this conflict with sin, the corrupt affections of the heart, and the lusts which war against the soul, in mortifying and subduing them; and to come out conqueror at the end, the true penitent will hold out faithful unto death; at which time, and not till then, the Christian's warfare will be ended.

And, on the other hand, we reject as spurious, and as a gross error, to ascribe regeneration to infants or little children; and that they, without it, could not be saved. Some pretend to base the regeneration of infants on infant baptism, asserting that when the infant is baptised, it is then born again. Others ground the regeneration of infants on the justification, or general salvation of Christ, whereby all mankind were reconciled and put under grace, when they pretend to say that the infants are regenerated at the conception, and thus placing the new birth, against all reason, before the natural birth. And again, others pretend not to say whether the children are born again before, at, or after their baptism; of whom we hold that they judge of the regeneration which is not founded in holy writ, as the blind do judge of colours inasmuch as the Lord God has given no intimation of the regeneration of infants in his holy word. And,

plished by the Spirit of God and his word, read: ---Seeing ye have purified your souls, in obeying the truth through the Spirit, unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart, fervently: being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. 1 Pet. 1: 22, 23.---Wherefore, laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocricies, and envies, and all evil-speakings, as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word,

that ye may grow thereby. 2: 2.---Of his own 'will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first-fruits of his creatures. James 1: 18.---For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you, through the gospel. 1 Cor. 4: 15.---Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost, which he shed on us abundantly, through Jesus Christ, our Saviour; that, being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs, according to the hope of eternal life. Tit. 3: 5--7.

Farthermore, that regeneration is not an idle and hidden thing, but that it requires a new life and a diligent following after Christ, in his commandments, whereupon everlasting blessedness is promised, read :---Verily I say unto you, that ye which have followed me in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of

his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name-sake, shall receive a hundred fold, and shall inherit everlasting life. Matth. 19: 28, 29.---For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. Gal. 6: 15, 16.---But as many as received him, to those gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe in 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 1: 12, 13.

But all those who have been the servants of sin, and are not born again, shall not inherit the kingdom of God:---Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. And farther: Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water, and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. John 3: 3, 5, 6, 7, 8.