of Christ, reason is struck dumb, and has nothing to do but to submit. And let us observe withal, that which is very common, that Nicodemus added to the words, and choked his belief by a difficulty of his own making. Christ said nothing of entering a second time into the womb.

5. Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

He must be washed from the defilement of his birth, by the remission of his sins, in baptism; and made a new man in holiness, and in the inward deep ground of his heart, by the power of the Spirit. He now explains what he meant by being born again; and would not alter what he had said of the necessity of it. Christ repeats for our conviction, that "he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." Do we never think of this matter with great concern? Do we never inquire what the new birth is, how it is to be attained, and that if we do not attain it, we perish eternally? The case is plain, we are still unregenerate, notwithstanding our baptism, and only in a fleshly and natural state.

SECTION XI.

Chap. iii. ver. 6-15.

THE NECESSITY AND NATURE OF THE NEW BIRTH.

6. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

That which is born of the flesh hath nothing but earthly views, desires, and workings; is too corrupt to enter into the kingdom of God, and cannot mend itself; is blind to

VOL. II.

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the great disorder, and averse to its cure.

why we must be born again.

This is showing

"And that which is born of the Spirit is spirit:" has a new nature, with new feelings, appetites, powers, by a divine operation. He can seek after God, live to him, and be happy in him.

7. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

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 said to show that the new birth may be, and that it will prove itself, though we know not the manner of it, namely, by its effects. Just as we know what the wind does, though we neither see it, nor know where it begins or ends.

9. Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?

Nicodemus would never have said this, if he had taken the new birth only for a figure, or getting a new name and profession, as some do now. In truth, the reality of it is the very thing we want, and nothing else will do us any good.

10. Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?

It is plain then that he might have known better from the scriptures of the Old Testament, and what they testify of Christ. Let each of us ask himself, art thou a Christian, and knowest not these things?

11. Verily, verily I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.

Perhaps we can take Christ's word for this, and believe that he knew what he said of the necessity of a new birth. Let us beware, therefore, that the next words are not said of us; "and ye receive not our witness." Our doom is here pronounced, if we do not; and yet those who do, are

at all times comparatively few. When did we receive this witness? When did this weighty passage of scripture come

home to us?

12. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?

Though what we are told is enough to try our belief, and as much as we are able to bear, it is but low and earthly in comparison of what might have been told us, and we shall know hereafter.

13. And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

No man hath ascended up to heaven to bring down the knowledge we want; and therefore we can have none, unless we receive it from him, who came from thence, and as to his godhead, was, and is always there. O that we would but know what we might, and know it as we ought!

14. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up;

15. That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Here Christ declares what is principally to be understood by the new birth, and tells Nicodemus how all are saved; even by looking to him, and believing in his name: as the Israelites, who had been stung, were cured by looking at the brazen serpent, and which we now understand to be an exact type of our healing by Christ. In this place, therefore, and in what follows, Jesus preaches faith, and also shows us precisely what it is.

SECTION XII.

Chap. iii. ver. 16-24.

THE EVIL OF UNBELIEF.

16. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten

Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Notwithstanding the hatred of the world to God, and its enmity to him, he "so loved it that he gave his only begotten Son," and he willingly offered himself to be made a curse for sinners. O astonishing, and almost incredible love!

"That whosoever believeth in him," as given for us. Mistake not this. The great thing for salvation, from first to last, is looking at Jesus, and trusting in him. And whosoever does so truly, has Christ given unto him, is a new man by a new birth, and shall not perish, but have everlasting life.

17. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Not to condemn it, according to its deserts, and at that time: "but that the world through him might be saved;" that is, all who pleased, and would receive the offer of salvation, in the way marked out for them. But not otherwise.

18. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

He is in a state of condemnation, whoever he be, and must continue in it, because he will not take the only way to come out of it, by "believing in the name of the only begotten Son of God."

19. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

Light is come into the world, to see God, sin, ourselves, and Christ. If we have not the necessary light, let us look nowhere else for the reason of this deficiency but to our evil deeds. It is the evil in ourselves which shuts it out; and this is that which will justify God in our condemnation, and make it heavy.

20. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

All who will not be convinced of evil, nor cease from it -all who will not come into the light of God's truth, as revealed by Christ, have their true ground of conduct here laid open; whatever excuses they make, whatever they think of themselves, in their hearts, they hate the light.

21. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

Who is he that doeth truth? The regenerate man; who having come to Christ by faith, walks in the light of it, as under the eye of God. Perhaps, too, here may be a tacit reproof of Nicodemus, and others, for fearing men, when they know the truth.

22. After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judæa; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.

This is mentioned by St. John to connect the narrative. -Edit.

23. And John also was baptizing in Ænon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.

24. For John was not yet cast into prison.

Nothing can be gathered from the Evangelist's remark, that "there was much water there," as to the exclusive mode of immersion, in baptism. The more useful remark will be, that so long as John had his liberty he was indefatigable in preaching repentance, baptizing, and preparing the way to Jesus, whom he pointed out as the "Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world."-Edit.