REGENERATION, BAPTISMAL.
We give two articles on this subject from emi nent exponents of somewhat varying views in the Protestant Episcopal and Reformed Episcopal Churches. The Rev. J. Francis Hall, D. D., In structor of Dogmatic Theology in the Western Seminary of Chicago, presents the subject as fol lows : The purpose of this article is to give a brief exposition of the doctrine of baptismal regenera tion as contained in the Book of Common Prayer of the Protestant Episcopal Church. The writer holds no brief for a party, whether high or low, advanced or moderate, but seeks simply to state what the Episcopal Church teaches officially.
In the form for "the Administration of Public Baptism of Infants," the minister exhorts the congregation to pray that God "will grant to this Child. . . . that he may be baptized with water and the Holy Ghost, and received into Christ's holy church, and be made a living member of the same." In one of the prayers which follow, the words occur, "We call upon thee for this in fant that he, coining to thy holy baptism, may receive remission of sin, by spiritual regenera tion." In another prayer the minister is to say, "Give thy holy spirit to this infant, that he may he born again, and be made an heir of everlasting salvation," etc. After the baptism itself is per formed the minister must say, "Seeing now .. . . that this child is regenerate, and grafted into the body of Christ's Church," etc. A little further on he is to say, "We yield Thee hearty thanks . . . . that it 'lath pleased Thee to regenerate this infant with Thy Holy Spirit, to receive him for Thine own child by adoption, and to incorporate him into Thy Holy Church." Then follows a prayer that being thus "living unto righteous ness." he "may crucify the old man, and utterly abolish the whole body of sin," etc.
The teaching here implied seems clearly to be as follows : Regeneration is treated as something which can be received by an unconscious infant e. it is not to be confounded with any moral movement on the part of the subject of regenera tion, but is entirely through an operation of the Holy Ghost. It's concomitants are (a) incor
poration into the Church of Christ, which is treated, as in St. Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians, as the body of Christ ; (b) adoption or engraft ing into the body of Christ, so as to become God's child by grace ; (c) the flowing into the child's soul of life-giving and cleansing streams of grace. In short, baptismal regeneration is the effect of a new and life-giving relation to Christ in his body, achieved by the Holy Ghost through the instrumentality of a rite divinely ap pointed for that purpose. (Comp. St. John n:12, 13; iii :5; Titus, iii :5; Luke vi :to; Eph. iv :4, 16; v :30.) This doctrine is often misunderstood by being confused with conversion. The two are not treated by us as equivalent, although nearly re lated. I shall endeavor to bring out our meaning by distinguishing four closely related but distinct ideas.
(a) Regeneration, or the reception of life-im parting grace, without which our perfect con formity to Christ is impossible, but which is a divinely conferred relation to Christ, which en ables rather than compels such conformity. In it we become branches of the vine. But we may still fail to respond to the life which flows into us from the trunk (Christ), and be cut off in the end. In brief, regeneration is not a moral change on our part, but a state of grace from above by which our full sanctification becomes possible.
(b) Conversion in its primary sense, or a change in our convictions and purpose from error and evil to truth and righteousness. It is made possible by the Holy Ghost, whether it precedes or follows baptism; but it includes a change of view and will on our part. It is not in itself life-giving, as is regeneration, but the new aims adopted in it are made realizable by regeneration.
(c) Repentance, which resembles conversion with this difference, that, whereas conversion usually refers to a revolution in our whole course of mind and purpose, repentance concerns our particular sins, sins which we continue to com mit through weakness even after regeneration and conversion.