Now suppose that some of had said—the Son of God has declared "except we are born of the flesh, we cannot see the natural world." This must mean some great change we are to experience in the womb—we must be born some number of days before we enter the natural world, as a preparation, otherwise we can never see it.
We now ask the reader, whether it would not be folly to give to the word birth such an explanation? The Conclusion is unavoidable. We then ask, whether it does not involve the same folly to contend, in view of our text, ("except a man be born again, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God") that it means, he must be born again in this world, as a preparation for another? It certainly does.
We once more repeat it—that as natural birth was the very thing that introduced us all into this world of imperfection, sorrow and pain; so the spiritual birth will be the very thing, that shall introduce us all into another, where, imperfection, sorrow and pain shall be no more.
The poor heathen, and infants, and all, will therefore be born again into the kingdom of God, and "be equal unto the angels, die no more, and be the children of God, being the children of the resurrection." The only advantage we enjoy above them is, that we have heard the good news, believed it, are "born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God which liveth and abideth forever," and "have entered into rest." We are rejoicing in hope of the glory of God to be revealed in us, while they are groping in darkness, inasmuch, as they cannot believe in him of whom they have not heard.
In our next, we shall close this subject by urging the importance of the new birth through faith in the truth.
SERMON XI
"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." John iii. 3.
In our last three discourses we have endeavoured to lay our views of the new birth thus far plainly before the reader, and wish him to bear in mind that the three sermons, preceding those on the new birth, are also to be read, and carefully kept in view, so that, from the whole connexion, the gospel doctrine of salvation by faith may be made clear to his understanding. We dwelt so long, and laid so much stress upon faith, because it is the first christian grace, we are exhorted to put on, and is the first assent of the mind to the great and interesting truth revealed in the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is life and immortality for the human family.
We have shown that the new birth has a higher signification than simply to be converted from the evil of our doings, as was required under the first dispensation. The new birth, so far as it concerns the present existence, embraces not only conversion, but the whole spiritual life of the christian's soul, denominated the kingdom of heaven within. This mental felicity—this "weight of glory," cannot be enjoyed, but by the exercise of a living faith in Christ. Such a faith begets a sincere obedience in our life and conversation. It is a faith "that works by love, purifies the heart and overcomes the world." The great apostle to the Gentiles exclaims—"the life that I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." We therefore "walk by faith, not by sight."
We have shown that Christ was the "first born from the dead" to show light to the people and to the Gentiles, and that the whole creation is groaning in travail-pains, and that it shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God, and that we shall then be as the angels of God in heaven. We have shown that all mankind—infants, idiots and heathen, shall be brought to realize this birth, and that the believer, only, can only enjoy it in this state of existence through faith in the truth, and that this faith has a most powerful influence on his life and conversation, "being born of incorruptible seed by the word of God that liveth and abideth forever." We have shown that neither this birth, nor any of the spiritual changes, can be experienced in this life only through faith in their correspondent truths, even as they are revealed to us in the gospel of Christ. We have shown that by the phrase, "kingdom of heaven" we were to understand, first, a holy, happy and immortal existence "beyond the grave, incorruptible, undefiled and that fadeth not away, reserved for us in heaven," and which, with all its perfections and joys, was revealed to us by Jesus Christ; and second, a sincere and living faith in this interesting reality, produced that divine enjoyment, called "the kingdom of heaven within us," the kingdom of heaven among men, &c. This kingdom the Pharisees "shut up"—they "neither entered it themselves, nor suffered those that were entering to go in." That is—they prevented the people from believing those interesting realities—those sublime doctrines of a future world that their Messiah had brought to light through the gospel for the present happiness of men.