SERMON XV.

St. John iii. 8.

THE WIND BLOWETH WHERE IT LISTETH, AND THOU HEAREST THE SOUND THEREOF, BUT CANST NOT TELL WHENCE IT COMETH AND WHITHER IT GOETH; SO IS EVERY ONE THAT IS BORN OF THE SPIRIT.

THIS is part of the remarkable conversation, which our

Saviour held with the Pharisee, Nicodemus; and a text usually cited by those persons who hold the doctrine of a new-birth in a literal sense, and suppose that Christian regeneration is a certain miraculous impulse communicated in a sensible manner, by the Holy Ghost, to such peculiar favorites of Heaven, as are supposed to constitute the elect. In consequence of which, they believe that without some such self-convincing circumstance, which they denominate an internal feeling, no Christian can be assured that he is in a state of Grace, that his Salvation is secured, or his Sins pardoned.

Now, as this opinion has frequently been productive of the worst consequences, and led its mistaken adherents

VOL. IV.

through every degree of enthusiasm up to absolute madness, it may not be amiss to examine whether the text in question affords any foundation for such a doctrine. I shall therefore compare it with the context, and after reciting the dialogue, of which this verse is a portion, shall examine the several parts of it distinctly, in order to find out the true scope and meaning of the whole: the only rational way, that I know of, to clear up a difficulty, either in the Scriptures, or any other species of writing.

This person, a man of note and consequence amongst the Jews, by sect a Pharisee, and a leader, as is believed, not only in the Synagogue, but the Sanhedrim, came privately to Jesus by night, to confess to him that he believed him to be divinely commissioned, on the best evidence, the evidence of miracles: "Rabbi (says he) 66 we know that thou art a teacher come from God, for

no man can do these miracles that thou doest, unless "God be with him." This beginning seems to be preparatory to a question he was about to put to him, which, it is highly probable, was the principal cause of his coming, and of desiring this private conference with him, namely, to know, after acknowledging him to be a Prophet, whether he was the very Prophet, the promised Messias, that temporal deliverer from whom he, and the rest of his nation, expected such peculiar civil advantages. This, I say, seems to be the question intended, by the manner in which Jesus interrupts him, answering (as

was customary with him on many other occasions) the question, before it was directly asked: "Verily, verily, “I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he can"not see the kingdom of God." Now the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the Messias, were then, and have since been always allowed to be terms of the same import. The Jewish Ruler would, therefore, naturally understand by this declaration, that no man could confess the Messias, or enter into his kingdom, without being born again. He did so; and, taking the term literally, thus exprest his astonishment-"How can a man be "born again, when he is old? Can he enter a second "time into his mother's womb, and be born?" Jesus seeing his error, condescends now to explain himself further, and to inform him that he spake not literally, but figuratively. "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except

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a man be born again of water, and of the spirit, he "cannot enter into the kingdom of God." Now the Pharisee would undoubtedly understand the first part of this sentence, to mean Baptism, because that rite or ordinance had already been practised, and was clearly enough exprest in being "born again of water." But, as this conversation was held with him, before the descent of the Holy Ghost, the subsequent terms of being " born of the

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spirit" must, of necessity, at the time be dark and enigmatical. Jesus therefore only dilates upon this latter part, and in these words, " that which is born of the flesh " is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit;

"marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born 66 again;" as if he had said, I do not mean that ye shall be born again in an earthly or corporeal sense, but in a divine and spiritual one. You suppose grossly that I speak of your being born again of your natural mother, whereas I mean that you shall be born again of a supernatural and heavenly comforter, which shall come upon you like "the wind which bloweth where it listeth, and "thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell "whence it cometh, and whither it goeth; so is every "one that is born of the spirit." Thus I would chuse to connect the text with the context, as words plainly prophetical of the descent of the Holy Ghost, as it happened on the day of Pentecost, which we now commemorate, when it "came suddenly on the disciples like a rushing "mighty wind, and filled the house where they were "sitting."

A late excellent writer, when developing the true idea of Prophecy, justly observes, that a considerable degree of obscurity may be reasonably expected to attend, and indeed usually does attend, all divine predictions on their first delivery. And this, we see, was the case when the Prophecy under our present consideration was delivered. Nicodemus did not understand it, and “ an"swered and said, How can these things be?" Jesus

* Vide Dr. Hurd's Introduction to the Prophecies, &c.— Sermon 3d, page 55.

replied, "Art thou a Master in Israel and knowest not "these things?" Art thou so little conversant in those prophetical writers, (thou, who, as a Ruler in that very nation to whom their prophecies relate, oughtest to make them thy principal study,) art thou so ignorant as not to know that this spirit will be poured out in that universal manner, which Isaiah and others of thy prophets have predicted. But if thou art, I am not: "Verily, verily, I 66 say unto thee, we speak what we do know, and testify “what we have seen, and ye believe not our witness." As if he had said, I know all this from experience, and am a living evidence of its truth, for when I was born again of water, by John's Baptism, I was also born again of the Spirit, by the heavens opening, and the Holy Ghost suddenly and visibly descending upon me; yet ye receive not my witness; if I have told you of earthly things, or facts* done upon earth (for this is the literal version of the original phrase) and ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I tell you of heavenly things. These words, I think, clearly imply the following meaning: I tell you only of an event, miraculous indeed, yet which will soon appear on this earth, and has already appeared at my own baptism. If, therefore, you can neither believe, nor comprehend this, how incredulous would you be, if I opened to you the whole heavenly scheme of man's redemption, and my mediation? This hitherto no man knows, (for it is not yet compleated) except he, who

* Τὰ ἐπιγεία τὰ ἐπουράνια.