Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say. unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. THE INTRODUCTION. HE condition on which minifters of the gospel hold their office, is extremely awful. "They muft ren"der an account unto God" of their fidelity to the fouls committed to their charge. Their duty and danger, as fervants of God, are jointly and ftrongly expreffed in the commiffion given to the prophet Ezekiel. "Son of man, "I have made thee a watchman unto the houfe of Ifracl, "therefore hear the word of my mouth, and give them "warning from me. When I fay unto the wicked, thou "fhalt furely die; and thou giveft him not warning, nor speakeft to warn the wicked from his wicked way to fave "his life; the fame wicked man fhall die in his iniquity, "but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet, if thou "warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickednefs, "nor from his wicked way, he fhall die in his iniquity: "but thou haft delivered thy foul."* It is natural for us, in fuch a fituation, to be often retolving in our minds this great and weighty truft. It is * Ezck. iii. 17, 18, 19. 1 at once our duty and intereft, to confider with all poffible care, in what way we may have the easiest and most effectual access to the hearts of finners: what views of divine truth will be most convincing; what forms of addrefs will make the strongest and most lafting impreffion; in one word, how we may acquit ourselves of our ministry, so as to be a "favour of life unto life," to many of those who hear us, and to "deliver our own fouls" from the blood of those that perish. Such, indeed, is the undeniable moment and importance of the truths of the gofpel, that I am often ready to think, it will be eafy to fet them in fo clear and convincing a light, as no perfon of common understanding fhall be able to refift. I am often ready to fay within myself, Surely, if they be warned, they will no more dare to rush on the thick boffes of the Almighty's buckler; furely, the boldeft finner must tremble at the thoughts of death, judgment and eternity, fast approaching, and from which it is impoffible to fly. But, when we fee, how many are able to fit unmoved under the most awful threatnings from the word of God, how many continue unchanged under the moft alarming difpenfations of Providence, our thoughts are immediately carried to the unfearchable depth of divine counfels; and we muft fay with our blefled Saviour, "Even fo, Father, for fo it feemed good in thy fight;"* or with the apostle Paul, “But if our gofpel be hid, it is "hid to them that are loft: in whom the god of this world "hath blinded the minds of them that believe not, left the light of the glorious gofpel of Chrift, who is the image of "God, fhould fhine unto them."† The fecret counsel of the most High, however, though we must adore with reverence, it is impoffible for us to comprehend. What influence this has upon the final ftate of particular perfons, no man in the prefent life is, and probably no created being fhall ever be able fully to explain. This only we know, that it is not fuch as to take away the guilt of fin, or deftroy the efficacy of means. A sense of duty therefore constrains us to resume the ardu * Luke x. 21. † 2 Cor. iv. 3, 4. bus and difficult task, intreating the affistance and bleffing of God, under a firm perfuafion that he will hear the prayer of faith, and make his own word "quick and powerful, "fharper than any two-edged fword, piercing even to the "dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and "the marrow, and a difcerner of the thoughts and intents "of the heart." The fubject I have made choice of, and intend to handle in the enfuing treatise, immediately regards the fubftance of religion, and is happily as little entangled in controversy as any that could be named. We are told that "except a man be born again, he cannot fee the kingdom "of God." In this all parties, every profeffion and denomination of Chriftians, do or ought to agree. By whatever name you are called, whatsoever leader you profefs to follow, whatever ordinances you enjoy, if you are not “born again," you fhall not enter into the kingdom of God. That manner of preaching the gofpel, explaining or recommending divine truth, appears to me most profitable, which brings ofteneft into view, or, rather, never lofes view of the great and effential difference between believers and unbelievers, faints and finners, heirs of glory and heirs of hell. These are mixed together on earth. They have common privileges as men and citizens. They cannot be certainly diftinguished by human obfervation; for though the image of God fhines in a bright and fenfible manner in fome on the one hand, and fome bear very plain and deadly symptoms on the other, whofe ftate may be determined with little hazard of mistake; yet, in the intermediate degrees, there are multitudes whofe real character is known only to God. What then can be faid more awakening, and at the fame time, more certainly true, than that every hearer of the gospel, and every reader of fuch a treatise as this, is either reconciled to God, and the object of his love, or at enmity with God, having" nei"ther part nor portion" in his favor; and as many as die in this laft condition, fhall be the everlasting monuments of divine wrath. How important a distinction! and can any man refrain from faying, "Lord! thou knoweft l things-to which of thefe claffes do I belong?" But there is fomething, if poflible, ftill more preffing in the paffage of fcripture which I have placed at the head of this difcourfe. Not only are all men of two different and opposite characters now, but all men are originally of one character, unfit for the kingdom of God; unless a change has paft upon them they continue fo; and, unlefs a change do pafs upon them hereafter, they must be for ever excluded. This our Lord introduces with a ftrong affeveration, and fignal note of importance: "Verily, verily, I fay un"to you, Except a man be born again, he cannot fee the "kingdom of God." Thefe words were spoken to Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This "mafter in Ifrael" came to Jefus by night. Convinced he feems to have been of the power which attended his miniftry, but, under a ftill ftronger attachment to his worldly intereft, he durft not openly avow his conviction. Our Lord, at once to enlighten his mind with the most falutary of all truths, and level his pride of understanding by the manner of conveying it, faith to him, "Except a man be born again, he "cannot fee the kingdom of God." This appears to have been extremely aftonishing, by his anfwer in the following verfe; "Nicodemus faith unto him, How can a man "be born when he is old? Can he enter the fecond time "into his mother's womb and be born?" It is not my purpofe to give a tedious explication of the paffage, or entertain the reader with a profufion of criticifm upon the words. This expreffion, the kingdom of God, hath various fignifications in fcripture, but chiefly two in the New Teftament, (1.) The gospel difpenfation, or government of the Meffiah, as diftinguifhed from the preceding periods; (2.) The kingdom of heaven, where the fincere difciples of Chrift fhall be put in full poffeffion of the bleffings of his purchafe. I take it to be the laft of thefe, that is, either only, or chiefly intended in this place. Both of them, indeed, may be meant in their proper order, and for their different purposes. An open profeffion and receiving the external badge, was neceflary to a con cealed friend and cowardly difciple; but a right to the Ipiritual privileges of the gospel, and the promise of eternal life, was the only thing that could make the profession valuable or desirable. Accordingly our Saviour feems to speak of both in his reply to Nicodemus's admission into the visible church by baptifin, and renovation by the Holy Ghoft. Jefus anfwered, Verily I fay unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he "cannot enter into the kingdom of God." I am fenfible that regeneration or the new-birth is a fubject, at prefent, very unfashionable; or, at least, a stile of language which hath gone very much into defuetude. It is, however, a fubject of unspeakable moment, or, rather, it is the one fubject in which all others meet as in a centre. The grand enquiry, in comparison of which every thing elfe, how excellent foever, is but fpecious trifling. What doth it fignify, though you have food to eat in plenty, and variety of raiment to put on, if you are not born again: if after a few mornings and evenings fpent in unthinking mirth, fenfuality and riot, you die in your fins and lie down in forrow? What doth it fignify, though you are well accomplished in every other refpect, to act your part in life, if you meet at laft with this repulfe from the Supreme Judge, Depart from me, I know you not, ye workers of iniquity." If this fubject is, indeed, unfashionable and neglected, we are miferably deceiving ourfelves. If a new nature is neceflary, to attempt to repair and new model the old will be found to be loft labor. If the fpring is polluted and continues fo, what a vain and fruitlefs attempt is it to endeavor, by addition, or by foreign mixture, to purify the freams. Juft fo it is by no means fufficient, or, to fpeak more properly, it is altogether impoffible, to reform the irregularities and vicious lives of finners, and bring them to a real conformity to the law of God, till their hearts are renewed and changed. It is like rearing up an old fabric, adding to its towers, and painting it walls, while the foundation is gone. See what the prophet Ezekiel fays of fuch foolish builders, "Wo to the foolish prophets-becaufe, “even because they have feduced my people, faying, Peace, "and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and VOL. I M |