and necessity of the purity of the heart. And this he did in the solemn and striking words of our text, "Verily, verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

For the more orderly explanation of our subject, I shall arrange this discourse on the new birth, under four particular heads :

I. The NATURE of the new birth.

II. The DESIGN or USE of the new birth. III. The NECESSITY of the new birth. And, IV. The MEANS or MANNER of obtaining the new birth.

Brethren! Before I proceed with the particulars proposed for our consideration, let me endeavour to engage your attention by a word on the vast importance of the subject before us. Of all the varieties of knowledge which can engage the attention of a rational and responsible being, this is one of the chief. For it is a matter of life and death. Yea, it is more; because on our personal knowledge or experience of the change to which our text refers, will depend the eternal happiness or misery of our souls.

In philosophy, or in art, we may hold ten thousand errors, and yet be neither less happy, nor less religious; but so supremely important is the

present subject, that one fundamental error here will be the ruin of the soul. A ship, as you well know, may have a thousand defects in her upper works without particularly endangering her safety, whilst one single defect below-a bad plank, or an open seam, or a started butt-may produce a leak that will be fatal. So, my brethren, whilst errors in opinion as to many of the matters of life, of morals, or even as to the minor points of religion are, comparatively, of little importance, one material error, in the matter of regeneration, will sink both body and soul into eternal perdition!

Need I say more, then, on the importance of a right understanding of the doctrine set forth in the text? This word of warning only shall I add. It may be, my brethren, that according to the manner of your improvement of the present opportunity of instruction, in one of the fundamental doctrines of the gospel, will be the condition of some of this congregation in an eternal world. May the Lord, therefore, enable me to speak and you to hear for eternity!

I. We now proceed to the consideration of THE NATURE OF THE NEW BIRTH; OR WHAT WE ARE TO UNDERSTAND BY BEING BORN AGAIN.

Though there is no subject on which the scriptures treat, that is more distinctly and unequivocally brought forward than that before us; yet,

from our natural ignorance of spiritual things, men, in general, are as little acquainted with what is meant by the new-birth, as Nicodemus evidently was, when he said, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born?"

Notwithstanding this great ignorance and want of comprehension of a Jewish ruler on so essential a doctrine of religion, the mode of expression used by our Lord is most strikingly descriptive of that state or condition of soul to which he referred. For regeneration is, simply, the newbirth of the soul;-the soul which was born originally in sin, being now born of God. "Born," as saith St. John, "not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." And thus our Lord explains his own words— "that which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." That is the natural product of sinful, corrupt, and mortal parents is, like themselves, sinful, corrupt, and perishing; but the natural product of the Holy Ghost is, like its divine original, spiritual, pure, immortal.

It was of this state of existence respecting which St. Paul spake, when he said, "the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God.". Before his conversion, he had lived to himself, and to the world; but now he lives by faith unto God.

Again. In explanation of this doctrine, our Lord solemnly assured Nicodemus, that "except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God;" that is, by water, to represent perhaps the cleansing of our sins, and by the Spirit, to indicate the work of sanctification on the heart. And this is equivalent to what the apostle Paul expresses, under the terms-"the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost."

Now consider, brethren, the change that takes place at the new birth, that you may the better comprehend its real nature. By our first, or natural generation, we are "dead in trespasses and sins;" but by regeneration, as described by St. Paul, we reckon ourselves "to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God, through Jesus Christ our Lord." By our birth of the flesh we do mind the things of the flesh; but by being born of the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. By our natural birth we are prone to sin, and averse to righteousness; but this is "a death unto sin, a new birth unto righteousness." Naturally we do the works of the flesh, which the Scripture declares to be these "adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like;" but when born of the Spirit, we

C

bring forth the fruits of the Spirit, which are these -"love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance;" thus,

they that are Christ's crucify the flesh, with the affections and lusts." And finally, we are, by natural birth, forgetful of God, indifferent about Christ, unconscious of our depravity and danger, careless about a future state, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God; but by regeneration we become thoughtful and meditative about our heavenly Father, who hath begotten us again by his Spirit, and anxious about Christ, that we may be found in him; we are made sensible of our desperate wickedness, and of the danger of being at enmity with God, so that we smite upon our breasts, like the publican, crying, "God be merciful to us, sinners;" a future state becomes then the object of our constant contemplation and ardent hopes, and the pleasures of the world, which used to be so delightful to us, cease to be engaging, insomuch, that we prefer the enjoyments of that blessed religion, "whose ways are pleasantness, and all whose paths are peace."

From this description of the change that takes place in the soul at the new birth, judge ye, my brethren, of the nature and greatness of the work. It is nothing less than the life of God in the heart. It is a new creation in Christ Jesus. It is the same work as conversion; for by it we become