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mists, and that will be calculated to | regard, and wishes for a comfortable make you respected. (After referring Christmas and happy new year, your

JOHN BICKER.

to local and relative news, he con- loving father,
cludes) Believe me to remain, with
every affectionate feeling of parental | To Hannah and Sarah Bicker.

The Counsel Chamber.

REGENERATION.

Ir those who are borne down with spiritual trouble would frankly open their minds to their pastors, instead of secretly brooding over their difficulties, they might soon obtain relief. A few judicious words would sometimes do more than months of ill-directed inquiry, through the medium of books, were they possessed; but the bulk of people have few, most of them none, bearing on many of those points which chiefly trouble the disciple at the outset of his Christian career. Under these circumstances, the proper party to be applied to is the pastor, who will ever be found both able and willing to meet the case, whatever be its character. But there is often a reserve, a timidity, which keeps the inquirer back, and prolongs his affliction, which ought not to be. If on earth the perplexed may count on a friend in any class, it is among the men of God, who wait constantly on this very thing. We would, therefore, encourage them to cast away their fears, and go in the simplicity of their hearts to ask counsel. Our ad vice extends not only, however, to all things of an experimental and spiritual, but also of a doctrinal difficulty. The following letter stands connected with these observations:

SIR,-It is my privilege to sit under a very gifted minister, from whom I think I receive much instruction; but there is one subject on which he always leaves me quite at sea. I am frequently told, in the

words of Christ to Nicodemus, "Ye must be born again," and that "except a man be born again, he cannot see" and "he cannot enter the kingdom of God." This I can bear, and try to comprehend; but, along with the congregation, I am told that unless I be born again, as a punishment, I must perish, and nothing can prevent it. Now, Sir, this often sorely troubles me. I am told that this new birth is the result of the exercise of Infinite power, and that I am utterly passive during its exercise, as much so as matter in the hands of the potter, when fashioning it according to his own will. I may be wrong, but I am unable to connect guilt-guilt so great as to merit eternal perdition -with the not being born again; commission of sin with the nonexercise of Infinite power, which is surely not a commission of sin. If I am the happy subject of this mighty change, I can see that I am thereby laid under an unutterable and an eternal weight of obligation to love and praise; but, to my feeble judgment, it does not appear that for lack of it, simply in itself considered, I am justly the subject of condemnation, and that I will be justly punished by everlasting incarceration among penal fires. I am unable to connect guilt of this description with anything in which I am not deliberately and actively a transgressor. Such, at least, is the dictate of my conscience. If you would favour me by a few hints on the subject for my instruction and guidance, you would oblige ONE IN TROUBLE.

P.S. I am not alone in my feeling of perplexity upon this subject; so that to relieve me, may be to aid many others.

This case is by no means an un

unbelief. Wherever these are, there

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common one, and it deserves the par- is regeneration. The following words ticular notice of pastors, preachers, of Peter are much to the point: and teachers. The feeling of our Cor-" Being born again by the Word of respondent is simply the rebellion of God." (1 Pet. i. 23.) Whatever be the the sense of natural justice against exact import of these words, it is demisrepresentation of the Divine Re-clared that saints are born again by cords. It is not thus that the Bible the Word of God. We say, whatever teaches; there is no instance in it of a is the import of being "born again," threat of condemnation for non-rege- it is connected in some way with the neration, simply in itself considered. "Word of God." What, then, does This is uniformly made to turn upon this mean? Can it mean anything personal transgression, wicked ways less, or anything other than the knowand wicked thoughts; and, above all, ledge and the belief of the Word," as involving nothing less than the and the effect of that Word on the rejection of Christ and his Gospel. soul which knows and believes? The "This is the condemnation, that light soul which has "eternal life" must, of is come into the world, and men loved necessity, be born again: but the lips darkness rather than light." The Di- of the Highest himself have settled it, vine mode of dealing with men, is to that "This is life eternal, to know the preach to them "repentance towards only true God, and Jesus Christ whom" God, and faith towards the Lord Jesus he "has sent." Here, then, we attain Christ." Compliance with these com- to something like firm footing; none mands is salvation-resistance, damna- are spoken of as "born again," in the tion! This is the uniform strain of Word of God, but believers-those in the whole New Testament. On these whom the Word dwells by faith. grounds, then, the condemnation of These are "born by the Word." In the sinner is always made to turn on this case the new birth may be said to the guilt of his own act; and in this be completed. way, while the Divine equity is apparent to reason, it is acquiesced in by the conscience which feels assured that "the Judge of all the earth will do right." But it may still be replied, This view meets the case of equity, but it leaves the words of Christ already quoted unexplained: "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Well: these words set forth not an act, but a consequence of an act. This regeneration never found to exist apart from repentance and faith. Hence, if condemnation follow on-regeneration, it will be as following impenitence and

But the question must be carried higher, and the inquiry put, How comes it that such parties believe? How is it, that of two men sitting in the same pew, listening to the same Gospel, the same argument, the same moral motives; the one believes, and the other does not? Has the faith or the believer to do, in its origin, with anything but evidence, anything without and beyond the mind, anything Divine? Perhaps the true reply is, as far as his own consciousness is concerned, No. He believes simply upon evidence, and is unconscious of anything beyond its commanding force. He

attends to this, as he never attended men themselves have to do with the

to it before.

The difficulty, however, is not yet removed, it is only shifted. How comes he now to attend to evidence? The answer is furnished by the apostle John, chap. i., ver. 11-13.

He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, that by 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."

Gospel, neither as elect nor as nonelect, but simply as sinners, and as if there were no such thing as the election of grace. Their immediate duty is to obey the Voice which commands them to repent, and to believe the Gospel, animated by the assurance that so doing they shall be forgiven, shall be accepted as righteous, and never come into condemnation. The follow

ing remark on the passage by the great commentator, Scott, is worthy of notice:

Thus new creatures are formed and brought into the spiritual world, to be nourished up by the word of sound doctrine, to a complete meetness for the in

heritance of the children of God in heaven.

This new birth is the preparation for re

There is a great treasure of Divine wisdom here; the belief is here represented as flowing from the birth, and but for that there had been no faith. In this, then, consists the sovereignty of God, and the work of his Spirit; in this way the election of grace is mani-ceiving Christ, and believing in his name, fested. Wherever this work takes place, there is repentance towards God, for good and sufficient reasons; there is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, also founded on satisfactory evidence. The man believing, however, appears to

himself in everything to act freely, and he does act freely. The part he acts, although about spiritual things, is entirely rational. With his new views, to act otherwise would be to act, not according to, but against reason.

The measure of this work, then, of the Spirit of God, whereby this change is wrought, leading to faith upon the earth, determines the measure of true religion upon it. There is no genuine conversion but that which flows from this source.

But this great subject does not enter into the question either of the preaching of the word or the reception of it. Preachers have to do with men simply as sinners, neither as elect nor as non-elect, but simply as sinners; and

without which all men would still continue to despise and reject him. The difference between regeneration and adoption, as noticed in these verses, deserves peculiar attention. They who are "born of God" receive Christ, and to those who receive him he gives the "power," or privilege," of becoming the sons of God.” The former is regeneration, or a change in their nature; the latter is adoption, or a change in their state: and when thus regenerated and adopted, they receive "the Spirit of adoption."

At first sight, this reasoning may seem to run in a circle, as if it represented Regeneration to be the source of Faith, and Faith, in turn, the source of Regeneration. Both these ideas, howeve; are perfectly compatible. There can be no doubt that Regeneration is, in the primary and higher sense, the source of Faith, and as little doubt that Regeneration, as developed in character, is completed through Faith. By Faith the spiritual life is manifested; by Faith spiritual character is formed.

The Fragment Basket.

REGENERATION. "Marvel not at it that I said unto thee, ye must be born again." But who may not apprehend a necessity of being regenerate? What will become of thee if thou diest with such a disaffected mind Godward? Do but suppose your soul going out of the body in this temper, full of disaffection towards the ever blessed God, before whose bright glory and flaming majesty (to thee a consuming fire) thou must now appear, though most unwilling, and as full of horror and amazing

dread! How will thine heart meditate terror, and say within thee, This is the God I could never love, whom I never would know, to whom I was always a willing stranger; whose admirable grace never allured or won my heart! who in a day of grace that is now over with me, offered me free pardon and reconciliation, but I was never at leisure to regard it. The love of this world, which I might have known to be enmity against God, had otherwise engaged me. It hath been the constant language of my heart to Him, "Depart from me, I desire not the knowledge of thy ways." I must now hear from Him that just and terrible voice, even by the mouth of the only Redeemer and Saviour of sinners,

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Depart from me, I know thee not." And into what horrid society must I now go! The things that eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, more glorious things than ever entered into the heart, are all prepared for the lovers of God. And for whom can everlasting fire be prepared but for the devil and his angels, and such other accursed God-haters as I have been? Recollect yourselves: consider the present posture and temper of your souls, and what your way and course is. You care not to come nigh to God now, but love to live at a distance from him, through enmity against him: from whence proceeds your departing from him, and saying to him, "Depart from But another day you will have enough of departing from God: a wicked man's life is nothing else but

us."

a continual forsaking of God, or departing from Him. I appeal to your own hearts concerning the justice of that mentioned repartee: They say now to God, "Depart from us;" and God will then say to them, "Depart from me." That man's soul must thus perish, that lives and dies at enmity with God.

Regeneration slays this enmity, and implants in the soul Divine love; for we must be regenerate, or we cannot enter into the kingdom of God. A man must have a new

heart and a new spirit created in him; in which heart and spirit the love of And God is the ruling principle. again I repeat to you, the things which eye hath not seen, and a crown of life, are prepared and promised to them that love him. You may yourselves collect the rest.-Howe. UNPREPAREDNESS FOR DEATH

VERY DANGEROUS.

It was a good answer that one Messodamus gave to his friend, inviting him to a feast the next day. "My friend," saith he, "why dost invite me against the morrow? I could not, for these many years, so secure myself, that I could live one day; for I am in daily expectation of the time of my departure: and, indeed, no man can be sufficiently armed against death, unless he be ready to entertain it. What rashness, then, is it for a man to lie down in ease upon a feather-bed, to sleep securely, snorting and snoring, and all this while to lodge an enemy, a deadly enemy, all the while-sin in his bosom. Sudden deaths are common. How many have we heard of, that went well to bed over-night, for aught a man could tell, and have been found dead in the morning, and, it is much to be feared, have gone impenitently to bed-it may be dead-drunk -and have found themselves awake in hell the next morning." Unpreparedness for death must needs, therefore, be dangerous.

EVIL SPEAKING.

Pliny, in his Natural History, maketh mention of a certain people in the

Indies upon the river Ganges, called Astomi, that have no mouth, but do only feed upon the smell of herbs, flowers, &c. The truth of this may be uncertain, but most sure it is that there is such a generation among us, that when they should speak well, they are like men puffed up with a dumb devil, they have no mouth, no lips, no tongue at all; but if it be to blaspheme God and the king, to backbite and slander their neighbours, they have tongue enough, and to spare.

GRANDEUR OF FAITH.

OLD CUSTOMS.

"I know very well (said Edward VI. of England,) that our religion consists, not of old customs, or the usage of our fathers, but in the Holy Scriptures and Divine word-and that, if you think antiquity and custom makes a thing good, it is older than the world; for God is the word, who was without beginning, and shall continue without end. And if you think truth ought to be followed and obeyed, all truth is contained in that book. Our religion ought not to be planned or governed by our forefathers; for Ezekiel saith, 'Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, for they were polluted.' Moreover, our God and Saviour and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, said, 'I am the

As he that cometh to God by Christ is no fool, so he is no little-spirited fellow. There is a generation of men in this world that count themselves men of the largest capacity, when yet the greatest of their desires lift them-way, the truth, and the life.' He did selves no higher than to things below. not say, ' I am the old custom.'” If they can, with their net of craft and policy, encompass a bulky lump of earth, O what a treasure have they engrossed to themselves! Meanwhile, the man in the text has laid siege to heaven! has found out the way to get into the city! and is resolved, in and by God's help, to make that his own! Earth is a drossy thing in this man's account; earthly greatness and splendours are but like vanishing bubbles in this man's esteem. None but God, as the end of his desires-none but Christ, as the means to accomplish this his end, are the things counted great by this man. This man's mind soars higher than the eagle, or the stork of the heavens.-Bunyan's Christ a Complete Saviour.

POWER OF FAITH.

They that come not to God by Christ have no faith. What! is man such a fool as to believe things, and yet not look after them; to believe great things, and yet not concern himself with them? Who would knowingly go over a pearl, and yet not count it worth stooping for? Believe thou art what thou art; believe hell is what it is; believe death and judgment are coming, as they are; believe that the Father and the Son are, as by the Holy Ghost in the word they are described-and sit still in thy sins if thou canst. Thou canst not sit still. Faith is forcible.-Bunyan.

A BRAHMIN'S CONFESSION. A wealthy Brahmin in Benares, India, not long since committed his son to the care of a missionary, remarking, "I feel convinced, sir, after reading your holy shasters, that they contain the true religion. I have not the power to come up to the purity of their precepts. But here is my son; take him as your child; feed him at your table; and bring him up as a Christian." At the same time he made over to the missionary the sum of five thousand dollars, to defray the expenses of his son's education.

HUMAN THOUGHTS.

As a creature of memory, every thought which man voluntarily entertains will abide with him for ever. If it be a thought in harmony with the Divine will, and he has acted in harmony with it, it will never cease to yield him good: if he have not so acted, it will never cease to reproach and condemn him. If it be an evil thought, and he have repented of it, and have not carried it out into action, it can yet never cease to be an occasion of regret. If he have not repented of it, it remains with him, in effect, as an overrunning fountain of pollution. How terrible the ordeal of having to meet the sinful thoughts of a long life of guilt!! How fearful the

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