THE NECESSITY OF REGENERATION In Two SERMONS To the UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD By JOHN WALLIS D.D. Professor of Geometry in that University One of His MAJESTY'S Chaplaines in Ordinary and a Member of the Royal Society LONDON Printed for Will. Rogers at the Sign of the Sun in Fleet-street over against St. Dunstan's Church 1682. To the Right Honourable JOHN Lord ROBERTS Earl of RADNOR Lord President of His MAJESTY'S most Honourable Privy Council May it please Your Lordship THE ensuing Sermons Preached in my ordinary turns to the Vniversity were not intended to be more publick than that Auditory But being made acquainted that they would not be unacceptable to your Lordship I have presumed to Publish them under your Lordships Patronage I have therein purposely waved as I alwaies do all nice disputes of Speculative Subtilties in Controversal Points wherein those may possibly differ who yet agree in the setled Doctrine of the Church of England as more tending to disturb the peace of the Church than to promote Piety The design of them is to shew the Necessity of Habitual Grace in our Hearts with the Practice of it in our Lives and the need we have of God's Assistance to both And I therein keep close to the Doctrine of our own Church which I judge in the whole to be Sound and Orthodox and as near as may be in her own Words If any shall please themselves with thoughts of Doing good without Being so or contrariwise of a good Heart without a good Life or that he is of himself sufficient for One or Both of these so as to please God without the Divine Assistance I am sure he is therein no true Son of the Church of England Thus far I hope we do all agree And being to speak to many of those whose Function calls them to speak to others I thought it seasonable to inculcate these Necessary Truths Whereof they cannot be Ignorant and of which I would not have them Vnmindfull in their great Work of saving Souls And I heartily wish there were more Zeal for these Great Truths and less Animosities about little things which unhappily Divide good Men Break our Peace and Gratifie those who seek our Ruine I am My LORD Your Honours very humble Servant JOHN WALLIS The Necessity of REGENERATION A SERMON Preached before the UNIVERSITY of OXFORD AT CHRIST CHURCH September 10th 1676. 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 THE words are Christ's to Nicodemus a great man among the Jews A Pharisee a Ruler of the Jews a Master in Israel for so we find him stiled ver 1. 10. Yet did not understand the Doctrine of Regeneration As appears by his questions ver 4 9. How can these things be How can a man be born when he is old Can he enter a second time into his Mothers womb c. And by Christ's Expostulation ver 10. Art thou a Master in Israel and knowest not these things Much like that of the Apostle to those Heb. 5.12 who when for the time they ought to be Teachers had need themselves to be taught again the first principles of the oracles of God and had need of Milk not of strong Meat The Pharisees we know though great pretenders to Religion and a strain of Devotion beyond others and to a great exactness to the modes and formalities of the Jewish Worship then in practice yet were no great friends to Christ or to his Doctrine This made Nicodemus being one of them not willing at first to own it openly that he might not give a publick scandal to those of his own party till he should be better informed of the truth of it And therefore in a private way to avoid offence came to Jesus by night For being an inquisitive person willing to satisfie himself and not relying only upon others judgements to go blindfold as the crowd carried him and suspecting there might be somewhat more than men were commonly aware of in this despised Doctrine He resolved first to know what it was before he would condemn it And therefore made this address to Christ as best able to inform him And he came not as at some other times the Pharisees did to Tempt him to Deride him to Cavil at him to Blaspheme him to Insnare him seeking how they might Destroy him But with an honest intention to be Informed As appears by that his respectfull address ver 2. Rabbi we know that thou art a Teacher come from God for no man can doe those miracles that thou dost except God be with him And Christ being as willing to Teach as he was to Learn sets him first this Lesson Except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdome of God Not as being the most Easie to learn for we see to Nicodemus it seemed at first very strange But as being one of the most Necessary and Fundamental Doctrines in Religion And that which is Christ's Doctrine in the Text shall be my Doctrine at present whereof through God's assistance I now purpose to speak The Necessity of Regeneration or a New Birth Except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdome of God It is a Doctrine which perhaps may seem as strange to some in this age as it did to Nicodemus then There being those who do not only as perhaps at first he did Doubt of it but Scoff and Reproch it who make but a Jest of it at the best if not a subject of Burlesk and Drollery and such like unsavoury discourse unbeseeming a Christians Mouth and Ears But we shall find it first or last to be a Serious thing Not so Needless nor yet so very Easie as prophane persons perswade themselves As to the truth of this Doctrine it will need no great Proof being the very words of the Text. And those who upon the evidence of this one Text will not believe it would perhaps as little believe it if I should produce many more It will rather need Explication than Confirmation And two things there are to be explained What is here meant by seeing the Kingdome of God and what by being born again First What is meant by seeing the Kingdome of God The word Kingdome in its first and proper signification imports that State Dignity and Power which Earthly Kings and Princes have over their People and Subjects with the Greatness Splendour and other Appurtenances to such Dominion But is here to be understood in a Figurative sense for something Great Splendid and Excellent as Kingdomes are or be thought to be For it is not meant that those who are here said to be born again shall be Kings and Princes such as on Earth are so called But that they shall injoy a condition as Great as Glorious as Excellent as that of Kings and Princes Yea much more than so And thus much is implyed in that Addition when it is called the
Kingdome of God Which is partly a Note of Distinction partly a Note of Eminence 'T is usual in Scripture when a word of ordinary use for Natural and Earthly things is Metaphorically applied to signifie somewhat that is Spiritual to add some Epithete for Distinction As when Christ is called the True Vine the True Shepheard the Bread of Life the Bread that came down from Heaven the Spiritual Rock c. by way of distinction from Bread a Rock a Vine a Shepheard in the proper acceptation of the words But they do withall imply an Eminency or Greater Excellency of the things so Metaphorically described then of that which the words in their proper sense do signifie For the meaning is not that Christ is Truly a Vine or Truly a Shepheard c. in the proper sense of those words But somewhat that is thereby resembled more Excellent than it That he is so Fruitfull so Pleasant so Comfortable as that the Fruitfulness of the Vine the Pleasantness of the Grape the Comfortableness of the Wine which makes glad the heart of man is but a faint Shadow and Resemblance of what he is in Truth That he is so Kind so Tender so Carefull of his as that the Kindness the Tenderness the Care of a Shepheard towards his Flock doth but faintly Resemble what he is in Truth So here The Kingdom of God or as elsewhere the Kingdome of Heaven the Heavenly Kingdome with the like expressions do import not such as what Men on Earth call a Kingdome But somewhat else thereby resembled and somewhat more Excellent which God vouchsafes to call by that name as much surpassing that of Men as Heaven is above the Earth Heb. 12.28 A Kingdome that cannot be shaken 1 Pet. 1.4 An Inheritance Incorruptible and Vndefiled and which fadeth not away reserved in Heaven for us 1 Pet. 5.4 A Crown of Righteousness which fadeth not away 2 Tim. 4.8 A Crown of Righteousness laid up for us which God the Righteous Judge shall give us in that day Mat. 25.34 A Kingdome prepared for us from the beginning of the world By the Kingdome of God therefore we are to understand that Glory that Happiness that Blessed Condition whatever it is which the Children of God those that are born again do seek after and shall enjoy Partly in this life where it is called the Kingdome of Grace and partly hereafter which is the Kingdome of Glory And thus we are to understand it in Mat. 6.33 Seek first the Kingdome of God and his righteousness And 1. Cor. 6.9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdome of God Gal. 5.19 21. The works of the flesh are manifest adultery fornication uncleanness c. with a large Catalogue of such others which concludes with this They which doe such things shall not inherit the Kingdome of God But Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdome of God Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the Kingdome of God Mat. 5.3 10. Now this Blessedness of the Children of God here and hereafter is called by the name of a Kingdome Not as if this did fully express the nature of it But because as the saying is Nihil est in intellectu quod non fuit prius in sensu We cannot easily apprehend Intellectual objects otherwise than by some resemblance of things to Sense And therefore there being a want of Words and of Notions too which might adequately express the nature of this Spiritual and Heavenly Happiness we are fain to make use of sensible things some way to Resemble them though not perfectly to Express them by And all those things which are looked upon here as the most Excellent the most Desirable in any kind are made use of to this purpose 'T is called Life and Life Eternal 'T is called a Treasure laid up in Heaven and Durable Riches 'T is called Fulness of Joy and Pleasures for evermore 'T is called a Royal Feast a Marriage Supper a Feast of fat things 'T is called a Reward a glorious Inheritance Everlasting Mansions an House not made with hands and the like 'T is called a Crown of Glory a Crown of Righteousness a Heavenly Kingdome the Kingdome of Heaven and as here the Kingdome of God Not as if any or all of those did adequately express its worth But these being the great Desirable things of the World and which our Senses are carried away with They are all made use of to represent a Condition which hath as much and more of Happiness than all that of Riches and Honours Profits and Pleasures Gladness and Feasting Houses and Lands Treasures and Inheritances Crowns and Kingdoms yea and Life it self And when we have fancy'd all that is Great and Glorious in all these Sensible Objects we must then conceive there is somewhat yet more Excellent than all that we can fancy 1 Cor. 2.9 For Eye hath not seen nor hath Ear heard nor hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive what God hath prepared for them that love him And such is that Kingdome of God which the Text speaks of Now what it is to see this Kingdome of God is not hard to understand It is not to see it afar off so as to have no concernment in it as the Rich Glutton Luk. 16.23 in the Parable might See Lazarus in Abrahams bosome but without any possibility of coming there But so to see as to Enjoy it and bear a part in it So to see as when Christ saith Mat. 5.8 Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God Or as Saint Paul 2 Cor. 3.18 So to see the Glory of God as to be changed into the same image from glory to glory Or as St. John 1 Joh. 3.2 Behold we are now the Sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be But when he shall appear or as the words may as well be rendered when it shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is An Operative sight not meerly Speculative So here To see it is To enjoy it or as Christ explains himself ver 5. To enter into it For what is here said He cannot See the Kingdome of God is there He cannot Enter into the Kingdome of God Or to Inherit it As 1 Cor. 15.50 Flesh and bloud cannot Inherit the Kingdome of God To See the Kingdome of God therefore is to Enjoy to Enter into and to Inherit that Glory that Happy and Blessed Condition which God hath designed for those that he makes his Children But those who are to Enjoy this Happiness must first be Born again For so we heard but now Flesh and Bloud cannot inherit the Kingdome of God And as the Text hath it Except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdome of God We are therefore in the second place to consider what it is To be Born again or as the Margin reads it To be Born
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