recourse to him but to the light he was to point with the finger at Christ and to send men thither And hee gives a reason why Iohn could not bee this light vers. 9. because he wanted the property of this light This light is the originall light as it was described before who hath all light in him who giveth out all light who is the very light The true light that lightneth every man that commeth into the world It is he gives the light of reason to every man that comes into this outward world it is he gives the light of the spirit to every man that enters by faith into the inner world Now Iohn was not this true light this very light but only had his candlelighted by it Vers. 10. The Evangelist proceeds further to describe this light He was in the world and the world was made by him and the world know him not He did not only enlighten the world from the beginning of it but at length he himselfe came into the world and the world had a neere relation to him for hee gave it its being it was the workmanship of his hands and yet the world knew him not though he had not foâ—gotten the world but came in due time to look after it yet the world had forgotten him and knew not who he was Yea he came to his owne vers. 11. his own people the Iewes whom he had selected out of the world whom he had alwayes cherished to whom hee had promised this comming of his and who had long expected it and yet they received him not All this seemeth to be the Answer of an Objection such an Objection as this Object If Christ was the light what need he have such an one as Iohn to goe and proclaime it what need Iohn come to beare witnesse of him light discovers it selfe The Sun needs none to goe and proclaime that there is light in it If this were the fountaine of light the very light indeed what need hath he of Iohn's testimony of Iohn's finger to point at him Answ. Yes saith he need enough for though he was in the world yea and was the great Architect of the world yet the world knew him not and though he came to his own people who had all the light of God that was in the world yet they received him not The world they did not know him the Iewes they would not own him though they did partly know him yet they did not like him Surely he who was thus unknown who lay hid in the field of the world to the world who was thus rejected by his own had great need of a witnesse to declare to the world who he was and to testifie to the stubborn Jewes their rebellion against the light But then it may further be demanded what did the Iewes loose by not receiving or what should the world gaine by comming to this light when they were pointed to it by Iohn Why very much as verse the 12th holds out But as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sonnes of God They should gaine this great dignity to be the sons of God comming into Union and Fellowship with him they should partake of his honour from and interest in the Father Christ would give them this priviledge to become the sonnes of the most High to go and call him Father and desire any fatherly act of him and if he be questioned for it tell him Christ bid him doe so hee gave him this right and priviledge to bee a sonne What meanes that what is it to have a Father what is it to be a sonne It includes these three things in it 1. Carefull education by the Father 2. A sonlike spirit in himself from the Father 3. A sonlike inheritance for himself with the Father Each of these is included in this prerogative of being a sonne 1. Carefull education by the Father The Father is to nurture and bring up his child sutable to his own state and degree This is an universall law of nature and universally observed by every creature every creature brings up what it brings forth and doubtlesse the substance of this law is written on Goâ—s heart who hath written the image of it on every thing that comes from him Now Education hath these three things in it First Instruction in such literature as becomes such a sonne Thou maist goe to God for such knowledge as becomes a sonne of God thou art to bee brought up in the knowledge of the most High this is thy right It is written in the Prophets And they shall be all taught of God they shall all know me from the least to the greatest The least of them shall not want sutable knowledge They shall all know God who is the greatest thing to be known and whom it requires the highest life to know This is life eternall to know thee the only true God Secondly Preservation from dangers The Father is to provide Tutors and Governours to look to the child that he doe not wrong himselfe nor that any else wrong him When thou passest through the waters I will be with thee and thorow the rivers they shall not overflow thee when thou walkest through the fire thou shalt not be burnt neither shall the flame kindle upon thee All things shall work together for good to them that love God The stones of the field shall be at peace with thee Creatures men devils temtations sins corruption nothing shall hurt them nor they shall not hurt themselves nothing can hurt them but departing from God and their Father will look to that too I will put my feare in their hearts that they shall not depart from me Ier. 32. 40. Thirdly Provision of meat drink cloathes recreations and whatsoever else is needfull for him sutable to his degree This God wil take care for too he will take care of this for the body Hee that feeds the Ravens and cloathes the Lillies shall he not much more feed and cloath you but it is their spirit heâ—â—s specially the Father of that is his child and spirituall meat drink cloathes recreations c. hee will not faile to provide for it He will give grace and glory and no good thing will he withhold The Lions may suffer hunger and want food for their bodies but none of his shall want food for their spirits as he promiseth the poore captive exile who is banished from his presence and in captivity under Satan bound in his pit he promiseth him that he shall not die there nor his bread faile there Esay 51. 14. The words in the Hebrew are in the future tense He shall not die in the Pit and his bread shall not faile 2. A sonlike spirit It is naturall to the sonne to be like the father but why because he hath it from his father God also will put his Spirit into his Sonnes I will put my Spirit within you Indeed it is the spirit of a son
makes a sonne and therefore those that want the spirit of sonnes we say they are unnaturall God should beget unnaturall children if he should not endue them with a sonlike Spirit He could not be a true Father beget a true child unlesse he begat his own spirit in him There can be no life of a sonne no voyce of a sonne no motion of a sonne without the spirit Rom. 8. 9 26. Sonship and the spirit are knit together Gal. 4. 6. Because yee are Sonnes God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Sonne into your hearts crying Abba Father It belongs to the Father both to beget and cherish a sonlike spirit in his son God hath undertaken for his as well that they shall be sons and daughters as to be a Father to them 2 Cor. 6. 18. He will beget in them and poure out upon them such a sonlike spirit that neither he nor they shall be ashamed of the relation 3. A sonlike inheritance Such an one as becomes such an heir what God now possesses he must inherit if he be his son his heir it is his priviledge what power wisdome goodnesse glory c. God now enjoyes he must have when he is grown up to it Rom. 8. 17. This all that receive Chriâ—t must have from and with Christ all this God hath given unto Christ and he giveth it all with himselfe so that take him and take all Quest But what is this same receiving of Christ who are those persons that receive him how may we know them Answ. The next words tell you It is them that believe on his Name The name of Christ is his power to save to bring men out of their misery and wretchednesse unto this This light comes to lighten men out of their darknesse into it selfe and who ever lay hold on him he fetcheth them out who ever is fastened unto him cannot abide in darknesse but must come out with him Now to believe on his name is to fasten on this power of his faith is that glue which makes the soule in whom it is stick and cleave to Christ and any such soules he fetcheth them out of the clutches of the Devill presently and from amiddest that power of darknesse under which they lay and giveth them this priviledge to become sons of God Act. 26. 18. Quest But how may we know those who believe or how come these persons to believe and receive him before others his own they receive him not how comes it about that these receive him Answ. That is resolved in the following verse vers. 13. they have a new principle of life put into them which inclines them so to doe Which were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God These persons come to it by a new birth they come not to faith by the powers of nature but they are new born before they believe They have a new seed of a new life put into them out of which faith growes and from which it fetcheth its ability to act Now concerning this birth that we may not be deceived about it he shewes first what it is not whence it doth not proceed and then what it is whence it doth proceed It is not a birth of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God 1. Not of blood Blood may import that instruction in Religion and disposition towards Religion which a man receiveth from his Parents There is a veine of Religon runnes along with the blood and there is a kind of naturall inclination in all persons towards Religion both which meeting together with some addition of instruction will carry a person very farre in Religious practises This was the Religion of the Iewes generally what they drank in from their parents and were accustomed to by their education that they were very strict in the observation of And this is the root of most of the Religion at this day in the Word Turkes Papists yea Protestants generally suck in their Religion with their blood indeed they all pretend to a power of God and strive to make up a kind of satisfaction to themselves one way or other whereas the ground-work whereupon they build is rotten But this is not the true birth man in the naturall way of generation cannot convey it Abraham did not thus convey it to Isaac but he was a sonne by Promise it is not the blood of Abraham through which the Faith of Abraham runnes 2. Nor of the will of the flesh The will of the flesh being distinguished from the will of man denoteth the corrupt part with the desires thereof which also doth operate and has a power to produce a birth in Religion though not the true birth This will of the flesh may work a twofold way either in ones selfe or in others and either way may effect a great change in the person in the reference to Religion though not the true one First There is the will of the flesh working in a mans selfe when a man for by-ends as vaine-glory profit quietnesse sake or any such like thing taketh up the profession and practice of Religion this is from the flesh from a corrupt principle when a man takes up Religion not from a pure conviction of conscience not for Religions sake but because it suites with such and such by-ends of his tends to advantage him in this or that respect Thus the Pharisees took up most of their practises out of a desire of honour and gaine and it hath beene observed and known of many in former times that they have been Puritanes on such termes as these to obtaine a wife to please their friends to encrease their custome and the like And thus are many things maintained among us at this day which the light that is abroad would quickly and clearly dispell only corrupt ends keep them alive And thus a man may be born anew as it were a great change may be made in him and he appeare a new man to all that behold him when as it is indeed but the working of the flesh his prosecuting some corrupt ends of his own which maketh him thus forward and zealous in Religion Secondly There is this corrupt part or will of the flesh not only working in a mans selfe but in others also and that is when other men for corrupt ends of their own strive to bring on persons specially such as may be more easily led to such and such practises in Religion and to zeale in such and such particular things Thus the Pharisees did bring the people into many practises for their own corrupt ends and thus were the poore Proselytes born they were brought into a way of Religion by the Iewes who took great paines to effect it but made them ten times more the children of hell then they were before And this we shall see will be the case of many poore soules at last who have followed
our sinfulnesse from our filthinesse by the same blood Eph. 1. 17. Secondly we are made sonnes and have a sonne-like inheritance we are made Gods portion and God is made our portion vers. 5. 11. Thirdly we have all we can desire in this life we have accesse to God for any thing Chap. 2. 18. Chap. 3. 12. who will bee sure to doe every thing for us we need freely and to put us upon praying for every thing wee need and also upon believing and waiting that we may misse of no mercy his grace hath designed us God will take care of us as of his own houshold Chap. 2. 19. He will be as sure of our growing up as he is of the foundation he has laid to bottome us upon vers. 20. 21. II. We further suck in and better rellish the sweetnesse of the Gospel by comparing our present state with our former We were dead but are alive We were darknesse but now are light We were cursed with all spirituall curses in Adam but now are blessed with all spirituall blessings in Christ Wee were without God without hope strangers to life and blessednesse but now wee are in God and full of hope and every way nigh unto him and every excellency in him Chap. 2. 1. 2 3. vers. 6. 12. 13. and Chap. 1. 3. 2. To admire that God and that Christ who have done this for us who have made such a sweet change in our condition 1 Admire that great love wherewith they loved us which was working from all eternity to effect that for us which now they are carrying on amaine Chap. 2. 4. Chap. 3. 19. 2 Admire that abundant free-grace that has made no spare of any thing for us but has acted fully according to the strength of love Chap. 1. 7. Chap. 2. 5. 7. There were but two pretious lives The life of God and the life of Christ and grace hath given us them both To recover us from death the life of Christ was given for us and to keep us in life the life of God is given to us 3 Admire that rich mercy wherein all our former sinnes and every dayes unkindnesses even against Christ and his pretious Gospel and God our Father and the sweet Spirit are continually buried Chap. 2. 4. 4 Admire that various that manifold that {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Chap. 3. 10. which laid all the plot of love and which worketh us up daily more and more into the heart of God and nearer and nearer to our happinesse notwithstanding all the pull backs in our selves in the world in our spirituall enemies in the varieties of our conditions which all almost distemper us that though we are untoward under every thing and in danger by every thing yet we lose nothing 5 Admire the mighty power which hath thus translated us from darknesse to light which daily preserves us from â—â—lling back againe and is often mightily working in us to raise us up to further degrees of perfection Chap. 1. 19. 20. Chap. 3. â—0 3. To walk worthy of this blessed Gospel state Chap. 4. 1. wherein God is our Father and Christ our head wherein we have so many pretious priviledges at present and hopes for the future wherein we professe our selves broken to the world and to all the powers of nature in our selves too to live like men that live upon a new principle from God and in God and to God Walking it notes our whole course all the service wee are now to perform to Christ whose we are and whom alone we are now to serve in care over our own hearts in all duties of worship in our callings in our converse in every thing This walking worthy principally appeares in our manner of acting towards men whereof there are three sorts 1 Our fellow-Christians 2 the World and 3 Persons that stand in outward relations to us First Our fellow-Christians and specially those in Church-Communion with us for they are those God hath more specially set us to walk with they are those with whom we are chiefly to worship and whom we must especiall love and of whom wee must especiall take care and watch over Now the manner of our acting towards them must bee 1. With all humblenesse and meeknesse with low thoughts of our selves and in a meet manner Chap. 4. 2. 2. With long-suffering forbearing one another in love vers. 2. We must not be apt to apprehend injuries or seek recompence for injuries but suffer long and forbeare one another and not simply because it is the will of Christ who hath forborn us much and forgiven us much that wee should so doe but from the love we beare one to another from a tender brotherly affection and in a tender brotherly manner 3. The Apostle tells us what should be our great aime and endeavour in our actings one towards another vers. 3. To keep up unity the unity of the spirit to keep it in the bond of peace endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace we must not keep a sinfull unity a carnall unity in the bond of peace no the bond of peace must bind up no such unity in it but there must be warre with and opposition against all such unity but the unity of the spirit that unity the foundation whereof God hath laid among us who hath made us perfectly one in spirituals being all of the same body having all the same spirit of life running in us having all the same hope to attaine the same end all the same Lord to serve all the same way of union with him subjection to him and owning of him all the same God and Father who begate us all vers. 4. 5 6. to which might bee added wee have all also the same enemies and the same dangers Now God having laid such a foundation of unity in all our spirits we must endeavour to keep up unity so farre as it is spirituall and not to rent one from another in that wherein God hath made us one Humblenesse takes away the root of contention which is the bane of all societies quickly eating out both the sweetnesse and benefit of them for that still flowes from pride pride begets pride feeds contention A man that has low thoughts of himselfe has little minde to contend It is height of spirit that blowes up the fire of contention Meeknesse takes away the occasion of contention which arises much from a rough harsh manner of expression a meek spirit as it seldome takes occasion of contention but quietly lets it passe so it seldomes gives others occasion to contend with it Long-suffering and forbearance puts a stop to the breaking forth of contention when occasions are given But besides all these there must be an endeavour an industry used to keep up true and spirituall unity 4. The Apostle directs us how to make use of our severall gifts profitably according to the end for which they were given which is
heart by the power of the truths of Christ conveyed thither and working there There are three great effects of this water It begets it washeth it nourisheth It begets a dead man to life it begets a man unto God for it is a living and active water or rather it is the seed whereof a man is begotten and born or at least the vessel that living vessel which containes it It is that also wherewith he is washed after hee is born though there be a washing with blood too And it nourisheth him after hee is both borne and washed hee lives upon the very same water that he was borne of and with It is the first of these effects that is here spoken of that stroke that water hath in the generation and birth of the new creature He is born of it It is by letting in these waters upon the soule and into the soule that God changeth it and maketh it a new Our change in our spirits and our conversion to God proceedeth from and is to be attributed to that power of truth that God lets in upon us and to that the Apostle ascribeth it as in many other places Rom. 6. 17. Iam. 1. 1â— As our first change from God was by drinking of the Devils waters which were waters of darknesse and death waters of errour and deceit so this great change to God againe is wrought by drinking of Gods waters his spirituall waters of life which are his truths which hee holds out unto us wherein there is no darknesse nor deceit at all but they are cleare living and substantiall 3. What is it to be born of the Spirit It is to have this change from these waters wrought in us by the spirit A man can never change his own heart by any of the truths of God but it must be the spirit that must doe it This water is too spirituall a seed for any man to sow in his own heart No man no creature can sow anothers seed this is the spirits seed and hee must sow it if it be sown Christ himselfe openeth and illustrateth this further in the eigth verse of the third Chapter The winde bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest the sound thereof but canst not tell whence it commeth nor whither it goeth So is every one that is borne of the Spirit The Spirit breathes his own breath blowes his own blast makes his own sound of life himselfe in our spirits and thus are wee born of him It is not all the changes a man can make by the light of naturall truths nay by the light of spirituall truths working them upon his heart with never so much paines that will amount to a new birth but it must be the spirit of Christ breathing this seed into him and forming him into a new creature by this seed As it is water or the word of truth whereby we are begotten So it is God alone who begets and that hee doth of his own inclination too Iam. 1. 18. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth 4. What is it to enter into the Kingdome of God The Kingdome of God is his spirituall dominion in Christ to which every spirituall thing belongs and in which all spirituall excellencies and blessednesses are laid up To enter into this Kingdome is by a spirituall act of the soule to come within the verge and bounds of it even that very act which Nicodemus was speaking of vers. 3. namely an act of true saith by laying hold on Iesus Christ and becomming one with him a man presently hath right unto and entrance into this Kingdome Now saith Christ it is impossible for any man to doe this who is not first new borne hee can never truly mount upward whose earthly nature is not first changed A man may talk of spirituall glories and his right unto them but of a truth he is not entred into the Kingdome nor cannot by true Faith who is not born againe and that both of water and the spirit To partake of the priviledges of Christ to have life and blessednesse from him requires a birth of water and of the spirit There must a new birth of water and the spirit precede there without which the person is not in a capacity of it he must bee made up againe of water and that not of his own forming neither but of the spirits forming and then by Faith he enters into the Kingdome and becomes entituled to all the priviledges of the Kingdome which without this birth fore-going cannot be done Vers. 6. In this verse Christ layeth down a position to confirme the truth he had spoken in the former verse There is a necessity of being born of water and the spirit or else a man cannot enter into the Kingdome for that is a spirituall act and a man can act no higher then hee is and hee is not spirituall he is but flesh if hee be borne but of flesh That which is borne of flesh is flesh Flesh here is not to be taken in its latitude but for that part of it which is powerfull in spirituall generation and production for that power of man together with the meanes and engines that hee can come by whether naturall or spirituall whereby he works a change in his own heart or upon others in imitation of that change which God alone doth and can work by his Spirit Nature Reason Art with all the advantages they can possibly desire or have Nature enlightened and purified by reason and art Nature furnished as much as may bee with the knowledge of God with desires to be like God to recover his image to obey him c. This is here meant by flesh and doth more directly thus reach the state of Nicodemus to whom Christ spake whose present conviction was wrought by Christs Miracles meeting with his reason and ingenuity then if it were understood in a more grosse ence To bee borne of the flesh denotes the greatest change that possibly can be made in a man by this power with all the meanes that it can use The change is so great that a man is new born becomes a new man is changed inside and outside both to his own appearance and in the thoughts of others It is an imitation of that work whereby God brings a man forth a new man The flesh will take his tooles set about his work and seem to produce the same effect bring forth the New Birth but in truth and substance it fals short of it for it is but flesh This birth when a man hath done all he can used all the spirituall meanes hee can yet it is but flesh The fruit can have no more vertue or strength and spirituality then the root had from whence it did proceed which was but flesh and though there were never so many spirituall engines in the hand of flesh yet this will not alter the case for those engines cannot work of themselves and the flesh cannot make them work
spiritually So that all the births produced by man are but fleshly all the changes man can make in his own heart or any else is but from flesh to flesh from grosser flesh to flesh somewhat more refined Conversion by Miracles and strong arguments is but a fleshly conversion all the wayes that man can take to bring his owne heart to believe to close in with Christ to love Christ can produce but a fleshly Faith a fleshly love all the wayes man can take to kill and subdue sinne in him it is but a fleshly mortifying of sinne sinne is truly alive for all this and will discover its life again when it sees its time Christ doth especially allude to the Miracles that were in Nicodemus his eye wer 't thou born of these thy birth is but fleshly how spirituall soever such a person may seeme how spiritually soever he may seem to act yet at the root he is but fleshly The change is made but by flesh and the thing changed is still but flesh how glorious soever the change may seeme Think well of it it cannot be said too often all the wayes and meanes man can use to bring up his heart to God they are but fleshly and can produce but fleshly operations in him all this Faith and holinesse though raised to never so great an height it is but that his heart must bee mortified to if ever he live spiritually Oh! it would be sweet and profitable to consider the abundance of fleshly changes wherewith the Devill cozens men They see a reall change in themselves and so think they are sure whereas it is but a reall fleshly change not a reall spirituall change and so indeed not reall in the true sence a change from naturall unbeliefe to naturall Faith for there is a power in nature to believe which may either bee afrighted or perswaded to put forth it selfe for its own preservation Nature being convinced of its present danger and that there is no way of safety but by believing on Christ which Faith must bee accompanied with love to Christ the truths of Christ the people of Christ and that this love must shew it selfe in obedience Nature I say being convinced of this does presently muster up all its forces of Faith love obedience laying them at Christs feet to dispose of it will trust him love what he will have it love obey what he will command it hate what he will have it hate deny it selfe its own ends interests c. there is nothing so spirituall but it will undertake and goe thorough after its manner rather then perish and alas what is this All this is but nature working from its own principle with its own power to its own end There is no new birth necessary to all this though all this doth also proceed from a new birth where it is after more a excellent manner then nature can attaine to But now that which is borne or begotten of the Spirit is Spirit that which the spirit begets which the spirit produceth is spirit That Faith that love to God which hee breathes into a man that is truly spirituall If a mans heart bee changed not by reason not by the power of Miracles but by him by his immediate power then the change is true and sound As it is the spirit who begets so that which is begotten by him with that water which he useth in his act of generation is a true and spirituall birth There are three particulars which discover the reality of spirituall things as well as of other things 1 The originall from whence they come 2 the nature whereof they are and 3 the effects which they produce Every spirituall thing it commeth from the spirit it is spirituall it selfe and it worketh spiritually there is a true tincture of its nature and of its originall in every effect it produceth As every naturall man is begotten by a man hath the nature of a man in himselfe and acteth like a man worketh the operations of a man So every new man every spirituall man is begotten by the spirit hath the nature of the spirit in him and discovereth his nature and originall in every one of his spirituall motions and actions His Faith his love every thing in him proceeds from the spirit partakes of the nature of the spirit moveth and acteth spiritually The former of these Christ argues the truth of the new birth from in this place its comming from the spirit that which is born of the spirit is spirit What ever the spirit worketh in a man is truly spirituall that light he shews is true spirituall light that grace he gives is true spirituall grace that change hee makes is a true spirituall change but all other changes are but countersets of that true spirituall one which he alone can make And this may shew us the reason why there are so many changes in this flitting age it is because most men are changed by the flesh the greatest power of flesh still changeth them A strong Objection which they cannot answer will startle any man that is changed by a power of flesh Hence men take up one practise to day another to morrow now acknowledge this or that for a truth by and by it is false then true againe why because they see not things by the light of the spirit which never varies but by a force of argument by a power of reason which sometimes appeares stronger sometimes weaker sometimes greater sometimes lesser but a soule whose light is changed whose practises are changed by the spirit that change remaineth good let all the winds and gusts of arguments blow never so strongly Take heed therefore of changing your apprehensions or practises about any thing till you can say the spirit changeth them else it will be but a fleshly change What further remaines but that every one that loveth his soule should lay this to heart and consider thoroughly according to the weightinesse and importance of it how it is with him what that religion is whereupon he groundeth his hopes what oyl feeds his lamp whence his Faith his love came and of what rank and kind they are And not to doe this slightly or determine suddenly as is most usuall with men in matters of Religion but as on the one hand to be thankfull unto God for and make much of the least hope which is not every ones lot so on the other hand not to rest satisfied or let God alone till he hath brought us to an absolute certainty then and not till then we may safely without hazard give over the debate of this question And though we may perhaps be a long while before we attaine it yet if God carry on our hearts in the pursuite we may meet with sweet pledges and refreshings in the way as may much mitigate Gods seeming tediousnesse in deferring our full satisfaction herein And indeed though God leads his people in such harsh and difficult wayes to the eye of