Discourse of the Efficient of Regeneration

Stephen Charnock preached alongside Thomas Watson from 1675 until his death in 1680. Nearly all of his writings and sermons were published posthumously, the most famous being The Existence and Attributes of God, a treatise defending the rationality of belief in God and exploring that God’s nature. His discourse on the “efficient of regeneration” (in other words, what causes regeneration) seeks out what allows Christians to live renewed lives in Christ. He focuses on John 1:13—“Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” Rather than through sacrifices or any other act of the human will, only God can bring about sanctification. Along with this discourse, Charnock wrote several others on the topic of regeneration, including the discourses on the “Nature of Regeneration” and “the Word, the Instrument of Regeneration.”

Kathleen O’Bannon
CCEL Staff