John 3:1-8

There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: (2) The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. (3) 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. (4) Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? (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. (6) That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (7) Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. (8) The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou heareth the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is everyone that is born of the Spirit.

We can never be sufficiently thankful to our adorable Lord, for this blessed discourse of his, upon the important doctrine of regeneration, or the new birth; neither to the person and grace of God the Holy Ghost, in causing it to be so circumstantially recorded. Lord! give to thy people a clear apprehension of the precious truth itself and of their personal interest in it.

I not only admire the very sweet and engaging manner in which the Lord hath explained the subject; but that he should make choice of a Pharisee to explain it, by way of conveying it to his Church. A Pharisee, had all the high notions of self-righteousness; and considering himself as a true descendant of Abraham after the flesh, he concluded, that this gave a legal right to all the promises of God. And in the case of Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, one of the Sanhedrim, and a master in Israel, no doubt he stood among the highest Order of that leading class of people.

Jesus, hath so very plainly stated, both the principles of the new birth, and the effects which follow; that there can need, when taught of God, nothing more than an attention to our Lord's own words, to enter into a full apprehension of the subject. By the birth of nature, involved in the Adam-fall of sin and transgression, the, Church of Christ, as well as the whole world at large, is born in a polluted, carnal, and ungodly state. So that there must be a new birth by grace, and which the glorious Covenant of Redemption hath secured for the whole seed of Christ, to bring forth into a new and spiritual life. Without this saving change passing upon the sinner, there can be no possibility of entering the kingdom of God. From a grace-union with Christ, given by God the Father, before all worlds, to the Church, (Ephesians 1:4) this interest in the adoption-character of children is secured; and by the act of regeneration, wrought by God the Holy Ghost upon the soul, a meekness for grace here, and glory hereafter, is accomplished.

But plain as this statement is, to every truly regenerated child of God, who is himself an happy partaker of the unspeakable mercy; every carnal man, like this Pharisee, with whom our Lord conversed on the subject, will cry out, how can these things be? But so hath the Holy Ghost taught us to expect. 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. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things. 1 Corinthians 2:14. Reader! this is a blessed reality, to which the whole Church of God, in heaven and earth, can and do bear witness. There is not one now among the spirits of just men made perfect in heaven, but what was once in the Adam-nature of an unawakened, carnal state: and out of which he was brought, by this sovereign work of God the Holy Ghost upon his soul. Neither is there one among the children of God in the Church upon earth, when regenerated, but what hath by the same distinguishing mercy, passed from death to life; and been translated from the power of darkness, into the kingdom of God's dear Son. John 3:14; Colossians 1:13

I must request the Reader not to overlook the beautiful similitude which the Lord made use of, for illustrating this sovereign work of God the Holy Ghost. The source of the air in nature, is altogether unknown. We see, and feel, the powerful effects of it; and that is all we know of it. The greatest philosopher, and the poorest peasant, are here upon a level. Neither of them can explain, how storms are gendered; where winds are first raised; what keep them up, and carry them on; where they retire when the blast is over; and what becomes of them when gone. Now (saith Jesus), so is everyone that is born of the Spirit. And the figure is beautiful also on another account, in respect to the free agency of the air: The wind bloweth where it listeth. So God the Spirit displays the sovereignty of his Almighty Power, in coming; when, and where, and how; as seemeth good to his holy will and pleasure. But how is everyone who is made the happy partaker of such distinguishing mercy constrained to join the Apostle's hymn of praise, and say with him, Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. 2 Corinthians 9:15. On the subject of Regeneration, see Titus 3:4

If I detain the Reader one moment longer on this blessed discourse of the Lord Jesus, it shall be only to call his attention to what the Lord hath said, when declaring that, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. But what water are we to suppose that our Lord meant? Not surely the common elementary water of the earth! Would Jesus have classed this upon a level with God the Holy Ghost? Yea, have put the water in precedency before Him! One of the creatures of God before the Infinite Creator? Moreover, how can a man be said to he born of water? Born of the Spirit every new-born child of G o d is said to be: (John 1:12.) but is there a possibility of what is Spiritual, being born of what is wholly natural? Can any man for a moment suppose, that such was our Lord's meaning?

Though in this, and all other questionable points, I beg to be understood as never speaking decidedly; yet I think, if the Reader will call to mind the record of John, when at the foot of the cross, he tells the Church, that he saw blood and water streaming from the body of Christ, when his sacred side was pierced by the soldier's spear; (see John 19:34) and if to this view he will add the further testimony of John which he hath given in one of his Epistles, that Christ came, by water and blood; (1 John 5:6) perhaps he will be inclined to think with me, that it is Christ himself, and not the elementary water of nature, which he hath joined together in his blessed scripture, of being born of water, and of the Spirit. Certain it is, that the blood of Christ is sometimes in scripture spoken of by the name of water; as in that memorable passage of Ezekiel 36:25 and that it is blood, and not water, which is intended by the expression, is evident; because, God promiseth to sprinkle it upon the people. Water is never said to be sprinkled, nor put upon the people: but Christ's blood in justification, is said to be sprinkled; and the Church is said to be come to the blood of sprinkling. Hebrews 12:24. But when water is at any time spoken of in allusion to God the Holy Ghost, it is as a spring, not without us but within us. Hence Christ, giving this promise, saith; The water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water, springing up to everlasting life. John 4:14

Neither can the term, of being born of water and of the Spirit, be in the smallest degree connected with the idea of water baptism. That man must be very weak in understanding, or very strong in prejudice, who for a moment can suppose, that water baptism, either in children or in adults, hath any regenerating efficacy. Surely common sense must know, that the baptism of the Holy Ghost is wholly unconnected with anything and everything, of a material nature. When the Apostles were baptised with the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost, agreeably to our Lord's most sure promise, (See Acts 1:5.) we read of no water-baptism accompanying that divine out-pouring. And we nowhere before in the history of those men, trace the shadow of their being baptised after Jesus called them. If it be said, yes! it is probable that some of them were disciples of John the Baptist before that they followed Christ; and therefore might have been baptised by him. To which I answer: this would only tend to strengthen what I have said. For Paul, when taught of God the Holy Ghost, was instructed to inform the Church, that John's baptism never was intended to set forth more than the doctrine of repentance. It was designed, Paul saith, to lead them to Christ. For John saith, that they should believe on him, which should come after him, that is on Christ Jesus. (See Acts 19:1.) Hence it must undeniably follow, that water-baptism of every kind, could not be what Jesus insisted upon, for an entrance into the kingdom of God. And, indeed, the thing itself is fully proved. For baptism by water was altogether a novel service in the Church of God, until introduced by John the Baptist. And if this became so essentially necessary, that without it there could be no entrance into God's kingdom; what became of the whole body of Old Testament saints, which never heard of it?

Is it not (for I simply ask the question) to be apprehended by what we see in life, that many, whether men or children, may be baptized with water-baptism, and yet remain everlasting strangers to the gift of the Holy Ghost. While on the other hand, others, who never knew, either of the infant or adult baptism by water; have enjoyed the blessing of regeneration, and been truly baptized with the Holy Ghost? No one I presume will venture to doubt but that the dying Thief on the cross, was made a rich partaker of the Holy Ghost, and had the baptisms of the Spirit: and yet no elementary water accompanied the blessing. But (awful to relate) Simon Magus was fully baptizsed in the due form of the Apostles' baptism, with water of the earth; and no saving work of God the Spirit was wrought in his heart: for he continued in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity. Acts 8:9. But I add no more. The Lord himself be the teacher, both of the Writer and Reader, to the right apprehension of those words of Jesus.