be born again," or born from above,* "he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." And can we contemplate the character of him who speaks, and his official authority, whether as the Saviour or as the Judge of men; can we consider his love for souls, and his earnest desire for their salvation,-his perfect knowledge of the plan of grace and of every provision which it contains, and his divine commission to declare the will of God, and to decide the case of every soul at the last day; without feeling that the very benevolence of his character, and his almighty power as a Saviour, impart a tremendous force to his words, —when "he that is true-he that hath the key of David, he that openeth and no man shutteth, and shutteth and no man openeth "—declares that the door of heaven is barred against every unregenerate man; and that, notwithstanding all that he suffered on the cross, he will himself decide when he takes his seat on the throne, that "except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

In regard to the nature of that change which must be wrought on a sinner before he can see the kingdom of God, I shall only observe at present that it is a spiritual one, spiritual in respect alike to its subject, its author, and the means by which it is accomplished: it is wrought on the soul of man by the Word and Spirit of God. The soul is the subject of this change; it is not an external reform merely, but an internal and spiritual renovation,-a change of mind and heart, taking effect on the understanding

* John iii. 3, avabεy-from above, supernê.

when it is enlightened-on the conscience, when it is convinced-on the will, when it is subdued-on the affections, when they are refined and purified-on the whole man, when "he is transformed by the renewing of his mind,” and “created anew in Christ Jesus unto good works;" so that he is said to be " a new creature, in whom old things have passed away, all things have become new."-The Spirit of God is the author of this change; the soul is born again only when it is "born of the Spirit"-for "that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." It belongs to Him to enlighten the darkened understanding, by shining into it and giving it the light of the knowledge of the glory of God; to awaken the slumbering conscience, by convincing it of sin; to subdue our rebellious wills, by "making us a willing people in the day of his power;" "to take away the hard and stony hearts out of our flesh, and give us hearts of flesh;" to refine and sanctify our affections; and to "work in us all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power." -And this spiritual change is wrought by spiritual means,-for the Word of God, or the truth contained in the Word, is the instrument by which the Spirit acts. "We are born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, even by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever;" and we are saved "through sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth."

This change is often preceded by a process of instruction and conviction, and is always followed by

a progressive course of sanctification; but it properly consists in our being made willing to comply with the Gospel call, by embracing Christ for salvation, and surrendering ourselves up to him to be taught, and pardoned, and governed, according to his revealed will; and as soon as it is accomplished in the experience of any sinner, his whole relation to God, his prospects for eternity, his views and feelings, his prevailing dispositions and habits, are totally changed; insomuch, that he who formerly sat in darkness is introduced into marvellous light-he who was at a distance from God is brought nigh-he who was in a state of enmity is translated into a state of peace-he who was exposed to a sentence of condemnation, is forgiven and accepted-he who was lost, is saved.

I need scarcely add, that it is a great change which is here spoken of. That is a very great change which is wrought on an infant, when it is born into the world-when it is introduced into a new scene, and begins to have a consciousness of its individual existence, and receives a thousand new sensations, and enters on a life of which it had no experience before. So is it with the soul at the time when a new spiritual life is imparted to it; for when our Lord speaks of its conversion under the figure of its being "born again," he evidently represents it as a very great change-so great as to bear some resemblance to the first commencement of conscious existence. Many other figures are employed, which are severally descriptive of one or other of its peculiar features, but all equally significant of its greatness. It is called a renovation

of the soul, or its being made new; a transformation of the soul, or its being changed into another likeness; a translating of the soul, or its being brought from one position and placed in another, and a very different one; a quickening of the soul, or its receiving a new life; a resurrection of the soul, or its being raised from the dead; a new creation of the soul, or its being created anew by Him who made it; the washing of the soul, or its purification from defilement; the healing of the soul, or its being delivered from disease; the liberation of the soul, or its being emancipated from bondage; the awakening of the soul, or its being aroused out of sleep; and it is compared to the change which is wrought on the blind, when they receive their sight, on the deaf, when their hearing is restored,-on the lepers, when they are cleansed,—on the dead, when they are raised to life. Now, of this change-so great, so spiritual, so comprehensive the Saviour himself, who alone can save, declares, “Except a man be born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

By the kingdom of God in this place, we are to understand, not the external dispensation of the Gospel, or the visible Church of Christ in this world, although it is sometimes used in that sense, but the spiritual and invisible kingdom of God; and the statement here made is designed to warn us, that no unconverted man is a member of Christ's spiritual Church on earth, or can by possibility obtain admission into the Church triumphant in heaven. There is peculiar emphasis in the words: it is not said that he

may not, or that he shall not, but that he cannot; the IMPOSSIBILITY of any unregenerate man being admitted into heaven is declared, and that, too, by Him who came to throw the door of heaven open for the reception of sinners, and who holds in his own hands the keys of the kingdom.

That we may arrive at a right conclusion on any subject, two things are necessary, a sound principle and a certain fact. In the case before us, the principle which our Lord assumes is, that a man must be spiritual if he would enter into the kingdom of God; and the fact on which he founds in connection with that principle, is, that by nature men are not spiritual but carnal, corrupted, and depraved. If these two things be certain, the conclusion is inevitable, that a great CHANGE is indispensably necessary, or, in other words, that " except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Let us first of all consider the fact which is here assumed, and then connecting it with the principle which is also assumed, evince the necessity of a great spiritual change.

I. In thus affirming the necessity of regeneration, and the impossibility of salvation without it, our Lord proceeds on the supposition, that in our natural state we are fallen and depraved,—a supposition which is uniformly assumed in Scripture, and abundantly verified by experience and observation. It is implied in our Lord's words, for unconverted men are there spoken of as being out of the kingdom of God,* and incapable

* CALVIN " Docemur, exsules nos ac prorsus alienos a regno Dei nasci, ac perpetuum nobis cum ipso dissidium esse donec," &c.- In Evang. Joan.