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persevering, is absolutely nothing here; a new nature must be infused or nothing is gained-even a holy loving life from above, which would do these acts spontaneously. To the paramount importance of acquiring this life, Nicodemus's attention was thus directed by our Lord's answer; but still the question remained, how it was to be acquired; and so he replied, "How can a man be born when he is old, can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born ?" How is this new life to be had?"Jesus answered, verily I say unto thee, except a man be born of water, and or rather even the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God; that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee ye must be born again; the Spirit breatheth where he will, and thou hearest his voice, but canst not tell whence he cometh nor whither he goeth, so is every one that is born of the Spirit." Nicodemus was hereby informed that this new life is no modification of that fleshly life which we have by our natural birth, but an entirely different subsistence; that it is a spiritual life and as the source of fleshly life is the flesh, and every stream from that source partakes of its nature, so the source of this new life is the Spirit, and every stream from that source, in like manner, will partake of its nature.* This information did not throw any light on the

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I may just observe that the word translated wind in the 8th verse, is the word translated Spirit, through the rest of the chapter, and indeed through the rest of the New Testament. The only reason that can be given for this translation here is, that the translators supposed that there was a reference in the passage to the sovereign election of God in the regeneration of sinners. But the real reference is to that which is said in the third verse. "Except a man be born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God." The life

way of obtaining the life from above, it only shut up Nicodemus more absolutely to the conclusion, that as he then stood, he knew nothing about the kingdom of

and movement of the kingdom of God is the Spirit; and no one can see or comprehend the actings of the Spirit, except he have the Spirit in him. No one can understand or sympathize with human things, except he have a human spirit in him, and no one can understand or sympathize with divine things, except he have a divine spirit in him. There are three aspects in which every thing on this earth may be regarded; first, the way in which it strikes the outward senses, viz. its outward form; second, the way in which it strikes the intellect, viz. its place in that system of things which our reason apprehends. Now these are two aspects under which we all naturally regard the objects and events about us; for we have two orders of faculties just suited to these two aspects. But there is a third element in every thing, which is neither discernible to our outward senses nor our intellect, and that is God,-His power in making and sustaining the thing, and his purpose in placing it where it is. This is the kingdom or reign of God in the affairs of this world; and as this reign is the acting of the Spirit of God, it cannot be seen or comprehended by any one who has not the Spirit of God in him, who is not born of the Spirit. The Spirit of God in a man therefore, is the power in him, which corresponds to, and is necessary for the understanding of, the kingdom of God in the universe that third and chief element in every thing. The time is approaching when that kingdom will make itself most palpable and visible even to the outward senses and intellect. It is at present working under ground, so to speak, but it is soon to explode, and then all the kingdoms of the earth will become before it like chaff, on the summer threshing floor. Now it cometh not with observation, but soon it will come even as the lightning, which makes itself awfully visible over the whole earth.

"The Spirit breatheth where he will." In him we live, and move, and have our being. He is about us like the air we breathe; nothing excludes His presence, but He is not discernible, except by His own indwelling power. "And thou hearest His voice." Nicodemus had heard the word of the kingdom,-but he understood it not, he knew not whence it came, nor whither it went. as the Spirit is, so is every one that is born of the Spirit-he is not understood by the world, but he sees and understands the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God in a man, is the life of God, or the

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God, and was entirely unqualified either for its duties or its blessedness. My dear reader, be honest with yourself on this matter. Have you peace and joy in God? Do you love God and man-yea your enemies? If you say, "I endeavour to have peace and joy in God, and I endeavour to love God and man as far as I can." If you say, "I know that I have not these fruits, but I have done all that I can to have them. I am sure that my efforts have been sincere and persevering." I answer-listen to what our Lord saith, "Except a man be born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God." You are making your ef forts at the wrong place, for instead of endeavouring to get the right sap, you are endeavouring to bring forth the right fruit without the right sap. "Verily I say unto thee, ye must get a life from above." And marvel not that it should be so.-If blessedness evidently consists in peace, joy, love, and if you find that you cannot acquire these things by any efforts of that life which you have at present-it is quite reasonable to conclude, that in order to acquire them, you must first have another life, a new principle of life. Reader, let me press it on you-you must have a spiritual life in you, before you can do a single action which is not rebellion against the kingdom of God. And don't deceive yourself, by thinking that that life can be in you without your being well aware of its presence—as

Spirit of God in him; and the possession of this life constitutes him a part of the glorious kingdom which is to be revealed at the appearing of Jesus Christ. The not having this life, prevents him from seeing the kingdom now, and excludes him from it, and exposes him to be dashed in pieces by it, which is the wrath to be revealed at the appearing of Jesus Christ. Whilst, therefore, a man is without this life, there is nothing between him and the coming wrath but time.

well might a lighted candle be unrecognised in a dark room. That new life is light and the old life is darkness. If you don't know that the life is there, it is because it is not there. And if it is not there, you are yet without God, without Christ, without hope.

Thus shut up to the necessity of having this new life, but not knowing wherein it consisted, nor how it was to be obtained, Nicodemus demanded, "How can these things be ?" The answer to this question must necessarily be the gospel or good news to man, for the possession of the life is a participation of the blessedness and character of the kingdom of God-as the want of it excludes from that blessedness and character.

Had our Lord said no more to Nicodemus, had he not explained to him how he was to get this new life, he would have left him, if possible, in a worse state than he found him. But he did say more-he explained the mystery-he told what the life was, and how it was to be acquired. He answered the all-important question, "how can these things be?"-but not till he had blamed this master in Israel for his ignorance on a subject, of which God had already spoken, through the law and the prophets. "If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I tell you of heavenly things ?" And yet unless I tell you of them you can never know themno one else can tell you, "for no man hath ascended up to heaven save the Son of Man who is in heaven." The earthly things, of which he had already spoken, related to the absolute necessity of a man's being born from above, or getting a life from above, before he was capable of seeing the kingdom of God, or of being an heir of that kingdom. The heavenly things of

which he had yet to speak related to the fountain of that new life in the heart of God, and to the channel through which it was conveyed to the soul of man. The answer to the question,-how can these things be, must therefore contain the heavenly things. And these are accordingly set forth in the fourteenth and four following verses.

Our Lord begins his explanation of the nature of the life, and of the mode of its communication, by referring to a fact in the Jewish history, which, like many other facts in that history, was typical of good things to come. "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him might not perish, but. might have eternal life”—the life from above. Let us shortly consider the circumstances of the fact referred to, as they are narrated in Numbers xxi. 5, &c. "And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, and much people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole; and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent

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