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will excuse my digressing a little to notice, in a very brief manner, one or two of the confident assertions by which this notion is attempted to be supported.

His lordship adopts as his own the following pas. sages from two authors respecting the ancient use of the term Regeneration.

"And the Christians did in all ancient times con"tinue the use of this name for baptism; so as that they never use the word regenerate or born again, "but that they mean or denote by it baptism*."

"Regeneration in the language of the Fathers constantly signifies the participation of the sacrament "of baptismt."

For the correctness of these assertions his lordship has made himself particularly responsible by declaring in his preface, that he has "carefully examined nearly seventy folio volumes-of the Fathers of the "first four or five centuries-and extracted from them "whatever related to the subjects in question."

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Persons who believe, with the Church of England, that Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary "to salvation§," and attach no importance in religion "to whatsoever is not read therein nor may be proved "thereby," however they may venerate the piety and zeal of the Fathers, cannot consider their writings as any authority in faith or practice. But as many readers perhaps will take it for granted that his lordship is accurate as to the matter of fact, let me request their attention to the following quotations. CLEMENT of Alexandria, speaking of an unchaste

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woman, says, she "lives indeed in sin, but is dead to "the commands; but becoming penitent, as if born again by conversion of life, she has regeneration of

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life; the old sinner indeed being dead, but she who "has been born by repentance having entered into life again *"

EUSEBIUS calls the renovation of the world at the last day the regeneration of all things t."

BASIL the Great says, that the Stoics introduce innumerable corruptions and regenerations of the world ‡.

On the expression of our Lord, (Matt. xix. 28.) "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;" AuGUSTINE says, by regeneration in this place he undoubtedly means the final resurrection §."

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The same Father, in another part of his works, referring to the same expression of our Lord, says, by the word regeneration he "unquestionably intended the resurrection of the dead; for thus our body will be regenerated by incorruption as our soul has been regenerated by faith || .'

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* Οιον αναγεννηθεισα κατα την επισροφήν τε βιο παλιγγενεσίαν έχει ζωής τεθνηκυίας μεν της πόρνης της παλαίας, εἰς βιον δε παρέκθεσης αυθις της κατά την μετανοιαν γεννηθείσης.-Clem. Αlex.

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+ Twv oλwv πaλYyEveσav.-Euseb. Præp. Evang lib. 15. cap.11. * Απειρες φθοράς κοσμε και παλιγγενεσίας.—Basil. M. Hom. 3. Regenerationem hoc loco, ambigente nullo, novissimam resurrectionem vocat. August. ad Pelag. epist. lib. 3. cap. 3.

Quod ait, in regeneratione, procul dubio mortuorum resurrectionem nomine voluit regenerationis intelligi, sic enim caro nostra regenerabitur per incorruptionem, quemadmodum est anima nostra regenerata per fidem.-De Civit. Dei, lib. 20. cap. 5.

And in another place," the renovation of the body "which will take place at the resurrection our Lord "calls regeneration *."

JEROME on the same passage says, "in the regene"ration, that is, when the dead shall rise from corruption to incorruption †."

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THEOPHYLACT says, "by regeneration understand "the resurrection ‡."

THEOPHANES says, "the general resurrection, "which he called regeneration, as begetting us again "and restoring us to our primitive state §."

ORIGEN and BERNARD || furnish instances of a similar application of the term, in passages too long to be inserted here.

DIONYSIUS the Areopagite says, that "holy souls, "who during the present life are liable to fall into evil, "shall in the regeneration be removed to a state of 'immutability and perfect conformity to God¶.' EPIPHANIUS, speaking of the human body under the image of an earthen vessel, and the Creator under the

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Corporis renovationem, quæ fiet in resurrectione, regeneratio-2 nem vocat Dominus.-De Peccat. &c. lib. 2. cap. 7.

† In regeneratione, id est, quando mortui de corruptione resurgent incorrupti. Hieron. in Matth. lib. 3.

ПaλYEVEσIAV Thy avasaσly voel. Theophylact. in eund. loc. § - εν τη κοινη αναςάσει, ην παλιγγενεσίαν εκάλεσεν, ως αυθις αναγεννώσαν ημας, και εις το αρχαιον μεταγεσαν. Theophan. Homil. 41.

Origen. in Matt. orat. 9.

Bernard. de bonis deserend.

Η Εν τη παλιγγενεσία την επι το ατρεπτον εξεσι θεοειδες στην METATAV.Dionys. Areopag. de Hierarch, Eccl. cap. 7.

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character of a potter, says, that "in the regeneration " he will restore the vessel by a resurrection to its former "beauty*."

BASIL of Cæsarea, speaking of the reception of Paul's preaching at Athens, says, "they laugh extremely "at us, when we speak of the end of this world and "the regeneration of lifet."

ATHANASIUS says, "In the regeneration we shall "all rise again as one man ‡."

ISIDORE of Pelusium says, "I can prove from all "the sacred Scriptures, that the Jewish state is come to "an end, and shall have no regeneration §.”

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The word αναγεννησις, a cognate of the verb yaw used by the Apostle Peter, and perfectly synonymous with παλιγγενεσία, is also found in the writings of the Fathers.

GREGORY of Nazianzum says of the Holy Spirit, that "he effects the spiritual regeneration ||.”

CYRIL of Jerusalem says of Christ, "on the for"tieth day after his regeneration from the dead, he "ascended to the Jerusalem above T."

That words expressive of Regeneration are frequently

* Ινα αυθις εν τη παλιγγενεσία ανασκευαση το αγγος εν τη ανα στάσει εις την αρχαίαν φαιδρότητα.-Epiph. Hæres. lib. 37.

† Περί συντέλειας το κόσμο τότε και παλιγγενεσία αιώνος. Bas. Cæsar. Hom. 1.

* Εν τη παλιγγενεσία πάντες ως εις άνθρωπος απανισταμεθα. Athan. Quæst, 24. ad Antioch,

αναστασίας

§ Пaλуyevεσlav 8 Ex-Isidor. Pelus. Epist. 17. lib. 4.
Η Δημιέργει την πνευματικήν αναγεννησιν. Gregor. Naz. Orat. 44.

Μετα τεσσαράκοντα ημέρας της εκ νεκρών αναγεννήσεως εις την avu Isperaλnu aveλnaude.Cyrill. Hieros. Orat. de Simeon.

used by the Fathers in reference to Baptism, is readily conceded; and CHRYSOSTOM gives the following reason for such an application of the figure. "Because Baptism is said to be a symbol, or sign, "of a death and a resurrection, therefore it is also "called regeneration. For as he who rises from the "dead appears to be born again, so he who is rege* nerated in baptism, having first died in the water, being thus raised out of it by the power of the Spi" rit, is said to be regenerated; the immersion resembling a burial, to the person baptized, and the "elevation of the head at the pronunciation of each “ divine name, and the ascent out of the water, resembling a resurrection by the Spirit*. But that the Fathers restricted the use of the word regeneration to the Sacrament of Baptism, the foregoing quotations demonstrate to be an assertion

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* Επει και θανατε και αναςάσεως συμβολον λεγεται είναι το Βαπτισμα, διο και αναγεννησις καλείται. Ωσπερ γαρ ο ανιςαμενος μετα τον θανατον, αυθις γενεσθαι δοκει έτως ο εν τω βα πτισματι αναγεννωμενος, ωσπερ εναποθανων προτερον τω υδατι, θα το έτως εκείθεν τη δυνάμει τα πνεύματος ανίςαμενος, αναγεννάσθαι ενταφιαξω λέγεται, της μεν καταδύσεως εν ταξει τάξης του βαπτιζομενω γιγνομένης, της δε ανανεύσεως, της καθ' εκάςην επίκλησιν, και της ανοδο της γιγνόμενης εκείθεν, εν ταξει ανατασεως δια τε πνεύματος γιγνομενης. Chrysost. Cat. in Joh. iii. Chrysostom here alludes to the mode of baptism practised by many Chris. tians in ancient times, which was by a descent into the water and an immersion of the body under water three times, either in allusion to the sacred Trinity, or in reference to our Lord's continuance three days in the sepulchre. See Suicer. Thesaur. on the words Ανάδυσις and Κατάδυσις also on the words Αναγεννησις and Παλιγγενεσία-to which I am indebted for this and the foregoing quotations from the Fathers.

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