declares, "except the Father, which hath sent me, draw him." (g) And St. Paul assures us, "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." (h) So our Church reminds us, "The condition of man after the fall of Adam is such, that he cannot turn and prepare himself, by his own natural strength and good works, to faith, and calling upon God: wherefore we have no power to do good works, pleasant and acceptable to God, without the grace of God by Christ preventing us, that we may have a good will and working with us, when we have that good will." (i) Here again we see man's absolute need of spiritual regeneration. He is corrupt, fallen, and evil, and he can by no means turn to God for mercy. All his own powers cannot work faith in the Gospel promises in his heart: and, though the door of salvation and eternal life has been thrown open to him by the life, and death, and resurrection of Jesus, yet he has no disposition, and because no disposition, he has no power to enter in. He needs divine help and teaching to enable him to draw near to God, to walk with him, and please him. In short he wants a new (g) John vi. 44. (h) 1 Cor. ii. 14. (i) Article x.

nature, a new principle of life, which the Spirit of God alone can give. He wants spiritual regeneration.

2. Let us proceed to consider what regeneration is, and in what it consists. The word occurs only twice in the Scriptures: once in Matthew xix. 28; where Christ promises his apostles that they shall reign over the twelve tribes of Israel, or the Jewish nation, "in the regeneration," that is to say, in the renewed earth, restored as it shall be to its original beauty and glory in the millennial kingdom of Jesus: and once again in St. Paul's Epistle to Titus, iii. 5, where it is spoken of as the instrument, whereby God our Saviour washes and saves his people's souls. It is called there, "The washing of regeneration," on account of its connexion with the water of baptism; which connexion we shall consider in the next discourse. The exact meaning of the word "regeneration," is the being born again; and this meaning will apply to both of these passages. For the earth will be as it were born again in that day, when the Lord shall create 66 new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness:"(k) by which is probably meant its restoration to that state of (k) 2 Peter iii. 13.

perfect blessedness, in which it existed, before our first parents' sin drew upon it the curse of God: and sinners are, as it were, born again, when God quickens and sanctifies their souls "by the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost." (1)

This latter is the general meaning of the word "regeneration." It is the soul being born again. In the day that Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, they died; (m) not bodily, but spiritually. Their soul became dead to God. They had received into it the accursed venom of sin, a principle of enmity to God, and most hateful to God. They no longer rejoiced in communion with him, or sought his presence and favour, as before they had done; but they fled from him, and hid themselves from the sound of his voice. (n) The spirit of Satan, God's great enemy, took possession of their souls, instead of the Spirit of God. (o) They turned away from God to seek their happiness in the world; they began to walk in their own ways instead of God's ways; and so they became, in the impressive language of Scripture, "Dead in trespasses and sins." (p) This is now the natural state of (m) Genesis ii. 17. (n) Genesis iii. 8. (p) Ephesians ii. 1.

(1) Titus iii. 5.
(0) Ephesians ii. 2.

B

"The

all mankind: and regeneration then takes place, when the Holy Spirit enters into the soul of any of these fallen creatures in the way of mercy for Christ's sake. "It is the Spirit that quickeneth." (q) He comes in the way of sovereign grace to the souls of God's people, secretly and invisibly, but manifesting his presence by new desires and godly fruits in due season. In this chapter, in which our text occurs, Jesus likens the Spirit, and his work to the wind. 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." (r) By this a person becomes partaker of a new and spiritual nature, just as properly and really, as at his natural birth he became partaker of an earthly and carnal nature: as we read here, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." He is born of God, born again, born from above, born for eternity, born of that incorruptible seed, which liveth and abideth for ever. How great is the dignity and blessedness of such persons! They are made "partakers of the divine nature."(s) Hear what St. Paul says to such; "Ye are the temple of (q) John vi. 63. (r) John iii. 7. (s) 2 Peter i. 4.

the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." (t) And, again, "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwelleth in you."(u) And again, "What, know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God?" (v) They are indeed living stones builded together in Christ, "for an habitation of God through the Spirit." (w) "The Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon them."(x) He is the Spirit of God the Father; and so they are said to have received that "Spirit of adoption, whereby they cry, Abba, Father;"(y) and whereby they become the children and heirs of God: and he is also the Spirit of God the Son, even the Spirit of Christ; and so "Christ" is said to "live in them;"(z) their members are called "the members of Christ;"(a) yea, they are said to be "members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones." (b) I need not enlarge on this subject. I trust it has been abundantly shewn, that spiritual regeneration is not a relative, but an absolute change; that it is the prin

(t) 2 Cor. vi. 15. (u) 1 Cor. iii. 16. (v) 1 Cor. vi. 19.

(w) Eph. ii. 22.
(x)1 Pet. iv. 14.
(y) Rom. viii.15.

(z) Gal. ii. 20.
(a) 1 Cor. vi. 15.
(b) Eph. v. 30.