Selected quad for the lemma: sin_n
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A67398
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The necessity of regeneration in two sermons to the University of Oxford / by John Wallis ...
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Wallis, John, 1616-1703.
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1682
(1682)
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Wing W595; ESTC R12565
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29,011
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54
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Fruit may be so also There must be a New Nature to bring forth a New Life I have now done with the Explication of the Text and Doctrine There be two things yet remaining which if there had been time for it were proper enough to have been here discussed 1. From whence it is that this necessity of a New Birth proceeds 2. By what Power it must be wrought The first of them we have touched by the way in shewing It is not Humane Nature as God made it but Corrupt Nature that makes this work necessary For if we had not Degenerated from what God at first made us there would not have been that need of being Regenerated which now there is The latter is intimated partly by the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Text and partly in Christ's further Explication ver 5. Except a man be born of Water and of the Spirit For that which is born of the Flesh is but Flesh 'T is that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit But these the time not permitting I must either Omit altogether or at least reserve till another season The Necessity of REGENERATION A SERMON Preached before the UNIVERSITY of OXFORD AT St. Mary's Oxon. October 9th 1681. JOHN iij. 3. Jesus answered and said unto him Verily verily I say unto thee Except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdome of God I Have heretofore begun the handling of this Text and through God's assistance hope now to finish it By the Kingdome of God is meant all that happy estate which the Children of God those that are born of him do enjoy as well here as hereafter This the Scripture doth usually set forth by Metaphors taken from all those things which amongst men are accounted excellent or desirable either as Necessary as Pleasant as Profitable as Glorious or on what other consideration soever as being much more desirable than all these put together and amongst the rest by that of a Kingdome 'T is called here the Kingdome of God and the Kingdome of Heaven elsewhere by way of Eminence and of Contradistinction to those on Earth those of Men as much surpassing them as Heaven is high above the Earth This Kingdome is commonly distinguished into that of Grace and that of Glory And they are both here intended in the word Kingdome But especially the latter Those of Grace being included in the former words Except a man be born again except he do here attain the Kingdome of Grace he cannot hope hereafter to see that of Glory To see this Kingdome is not so to see it as the Rich Glutton saw Lazarus in Abraham's bosome Luke 16.23 to see it a far off without being the better for it But so as when Christ says Mat. 5.8 Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God and Saint Paul Heb. 12.14 Without Holiness no man shall see the Lord That is to see it as to Enjoy it and have a share in it And he that would thus See the Kingdome of God must the Text tells us be born again That is he must have a New Nature a new Nativity He must by Regeneration or his First Birth or a Second Birth become a Child of God a Child of Grace as by Generation or his First Birth he is a Child of Man a Child of Sin Now we are in Scripture called the Children of God in a double sense Children of God by Adoption and Children of God by Regeneration Which though they both belong to the same Persons yet in a very different Notion The one implies a change of State or Condition As when a Person who by nature is not a Son is by Adoption put into such a condition as if he were a Son and intituled to the Inheritance The other implies a change of Nature or Disposition As when a Lion becomes as a Lamb when a Fierce nature becomes Meek and Gentle when a Wicked man becomes Holy Like as 't is one thing for a Prince to Pardon a Malefactour and put him into a condition of Not-guilty Another thing to make him an Honest man and not inclinable to the like offence again The former of these relates to Justification the other to Sanctification Adoption being the compleating of Justification as Regeneration is the beginning of Sanctification And 't is the latter of these that the Text means in being born again But though the Notions be different the Things do alway go both together And so the Text tells us Except a man be Born again he cannot See the Kingdome of God We cannot expect to be the Sons of God by Adoption and so intituled to the Kingdome of God unless we be first the Sons of God by Regeneration and so made partakers of the Divine Nature And this is the Result of what we discoursed more fully the last time To shew the necessity of this Change of Nature in those who shall see the Kingdome of God There remain yet two things to be as we then said considered 1. From whence it is that this Necessity of a new Birth proceeds And 2. By what Power it must be wrought And after that to make Application As to the First of these the Ground of this Necessity We are to consider of Man in a double capacity First as God made him and secondly as he made himself God made man upright saith Solomon but he hath found out many Inventions Eccles. 7.29 God at first created man after his own Image Gen. 1.26 27. In Knowledge Righteousness and true Holiness Eph. 4.24 Col. 3.10 Void of all Sin Habitual or Actual And had we continued in such a state as wherein God made us there would have been no necessity of this change of Nature We had then without it continued Holy and Happy Had there been no Sin there had been no need of a New-birth Had there not been a Degeneration from what God made us at first there had been no need of a Regeneration to reestate us in it But Man by Sin having lost his Holyness lost his Happiness also As by One man Sin came upon All So Death or Misery the Effect of Sin Rom. 5.12 By one man Sin entered into the World and Death by Sin And Death passed upon all men for that all have sinned Or as the Margin reads it in whom all have sinned And so Grotius renders it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 per quem By whom Ver. 14. Even upon them who had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression That is as it is commonly understood even on Children who had not sinned by imitation or as Adam did And so Grotius etiam pueros nullius commissi reos v. 13. From whence St. Paul there infers that there is Sin even in such As without which they would not been subject to Death And David tells us of himself Psal. 51.5 I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me And St. Paul likewise Rom. 7.18 I know that
from Above And it is not much material which way we read it For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is properly enough rendered Born again And answers to that of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 T it 3.5 which is there rendered Regeneration The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in composition importing the same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and answering to the Latine Re. As in that place just now cited Tit. 3.5 where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is Renovatio 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 By the washing of Regeneration and Renewing of the Holy Ghost Or if we please to put a greater Emphasis on the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as signifying from above like as also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in composition oft times signifies Vp as when 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifie Ascension and Descension 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in composition answering to the Adverbs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The meaning will be still the same Save that here will be further imported the Principle whence this New Birth proceeds The former of these seems to be favoured in the 4 th verse where it is explained by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and so it seems Nicodemus understood it can a man enter a second time into his Mothers Womb and be Born The Latter in 5 th verse where what was before said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is now expressed by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Except a man be born of Water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdome of God But either way the thing will be the same For there must be a Second Birth and it must be by a Power from Above For the better understanding of which we are to consider that what was before said of the word Kingdome is here applicable to this of being Born again That is that Spiritual things are Figuratively expressed by words importing things Natural Now for as much as our first Birth or Generation is the Rise or Origine of our Natural Being as Reasonable Creatures and the Children of Men That therefore which gives us our Spiritual Being as New Creatures and the Children of God is by Analogy thereunto stiled Regeneration our second Birth or being Born again If any would be so nice as to object That a Child before it be Born is indued with a Reasonable Soul and therefore his Birth not the first Origine of his Rational Nature This alters not the case at all For we are not here to take the word Birth so strictly as respecting that Moment only of coming into the world as we use to speak But with a Retrospection as far backward as to the first Conception as being of the same import with Generation and might have been so rendered answering to the Greek words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 As in Matth. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Book of the Generation of Jesus Christ. And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we render Abraham begat Isaac And in Tit. 3.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is as well rendered by Regeneration as if it had been rendered a New Birth or being Born again And 1 Pet. 1.3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is rendered Who hath begotten us again unto a lively hope Yet of the same import with that of the Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we here render Born again but may as fitly be rendered by Regenitus as by Renatus And both words are indifferently used as relating to the whole time from the Conception to the Birth To be Regenerated therefore or Born again take which word you please is to have a New Nature wrought in us whereby we become New Creatures and have a Spiritual Being as by our Generation or first Birth we become Reasonable Creatures and have our Natural Being This being called Flesh and that Spirit in the following Explication ver 6. That which is born of the Flesh is Flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit That is Like as by our Fleshly Carnal or Natural Generation or first Birth from our Natural Parents we are made Flesh and Bloud indued with a Reasonable Soul and Natural Life as Humane Creatures and the Children of Men So by our Regeneration or being Born again by the Spirit we become Spiritual or New Creatures endued with a Spiritual Life and Vigour are made Partakers of the Divine Nature and become the Sons of God 2 Pet. 1.4 But as to this Antithesis of Flesh and Spirit we are to consider further That the term Flesh as it is here called or Flesh and Bloud as elsewhere are words of a middle Signification but Sonantia in malum Words not evil in themselves but most frequently used in the worst sense And therefore though Flesh and Bloud as it importeth only Humane Nature and what appertains to Man as Man imply nothing Evil in it self Yet since the Pollution of our Nature by the Fall of Adam there is not only a Guilt derived to us from him But a Depravation of Nature which I will not take upon me to describe otherwise than in the words of our Church in her ninth Art This our Church there calls Original Sin and declares it to be the Fault and Corruption of the Nature of every man that naturally is engendred of the Off-spring of Adam Whereby man is far gone from Original Righteousness and is of his own nature inclined to evil So that the Flesh lusteth always contrary to the Spirit And therefore in every person born into this world it deserveth God's Wrath and Damnation And though this Infection of Nature as our Church calls it be indeed Proeternatural as to the Essentials of Humane Nature Yet being so far spread over all as to become Universal we now by Nature do commonly mean Corrupt Nature not as God made it but as we have made it And by Flesh or Flesh and Bloud especially when contradistinguished to the Spirit is commonly meant not humane Nature simply considered but Humane Nature thus Corrupted or sinfull Flesh. And in this sense it is that flesh and bloud cannot inherit the Kingdome of God 1 Cor. 15.50 That is not while it remains Sinfull Flesh and Bloud But when it shall be purged from Sin Flesh and Bloud thus purged from Corruption the Essentials of Humane Nature remaining shall after the Resurrection of the Body inherit this Kingdome of God The meaning therefore of the Text and Doctrine is this The nature of Man though at first made Pure and Righteous and thereby fitted for communion with God is by the Fall so depraved as that he is now become naturally prone to Sin and averse to Righteousness and this natural Propension is further improved by Sinfull Practices and so more and more daily while this Propension lasts which doth unfit us for such Communion So that before we can be in a capacity