A booke of notes and common places, with their expositions, collected and gathered out of the workes of diuers singular writers, and brought alphabetically into order. A worke both profitable and also necessarie, to those that desire the true vnderstanding & meaning of holy Scripture By Iohn Marbeck

REGENERATION.

What this word (Regeneration) importeth.

THis worde Regeneration importeth as much as a man might say, new birth. As if after that wée were once borne, we are borne yet againe. And therefore it importeth forthwith a reformation fo the man, which is a rising againe from the dead, which is wrought in the spirit, as the last resurrection shall be wrought in the flesh. Pet. Viret.

Regeneration standeth chiefly in these two points: In mor∣tification, that is to say, a resisting of the rebellious lusts of the flesh, and in newnesse of life, whereby we continually striue to walke in that purenesse and perfection, wherewith we are clad in Baptime.

How Regeneration is taken in these places following.

Ye which followed me in the regeneration, &c. In this worke whereby the world is chaunged, renued, and regene∣rate, or to ioyne this word with the sentence following, and so take regeneration for the day of iudgement, when the elect shall in soule and body enioy their inheritaunce, to the end that they might know, that it is not sufficient to haue begun once. Geneua.

By the washing of the new birth. ¶Baptime is a sure signe of our regeneration, which is wrought by the holy Ghost. Geneua.

How this place is vnderstood.

Except a man be borne of water and spirit. ¶Nichodemus vnderstoode not the opinion concerning regeneration or newe birth of man. Therefore our louing and mercifull Sauiour more plainely expoundeth these things which before he spake mystically teaching that to be borne againe, is nothing else, but to be borne of water and of the spirit, and that the same

is the true manner of regeneration. But all men for the most part by this sentence of our Sauiour Christ vnderstand Bap∣time, and many of them doe héereby make Baptime so necessa∣ry, that they affirme it impossible for a man to attaine to salua∣tion, except he be washed with the water of Baptime: & so dis∣orderly they include the assuraunce of our saluation vnder the signe, when as the whole Scripture attributeth the grace and power of regeneration to the Holye ghost: as maye appeare in diuers places of Scripture, but specially by these places noted in the margent. And as touching this place we ought to vnderstand the same simply of mans regeneration and not of Baptime. For the purpose of Christ was to exhort Nichode∣mus to newnesse of life, because he was not capable of the Gos∣pell, vntill he was a newe man. Therefore this is the simple meaning of this place. That it behooueth vs to be born againe, that we may be the sonnes of God, and also that the Holy ghost is the Author of the second birth. Marl. vpon Ioh. fol. 66.

Notes

• Mat. 19. 28
• Tit. 3. 5.
• Iohn. 3. 5
• Mat. 16. 16
• Tit. 3. 5.