The learned and wise may consider him too dull and ignorant to be suited for their instructions; but when CHRIST HIMSELF was on earth, with HIM it was far otherwise. If God and man judge thus differently, shall we take no pains to come to the mind of GOD?

Men ought all to be dear to us for the same reasons that they are to Almighty GoD,-not because we may gain from them any favour or outward advantages-not on account of any outward gifts with which God hath adorned them, for if this were all, when they cease to have these advantages our love for them would cease also, but because they are dear to Almighty God, and are made partakers of HIM. And for this reason our great concern must needs be for their spiritual and eternal welfare; not to hinder it in any way by occasioning any temptation, but to lose no opportunity of promoting it. The greatest temptations which men meet with in the world are from each other; the examples of others around, and allurements to evil, and even their continual conversation, which judges of all things in a manner different from what God judges. Now nothing of this kind could be if they loved themselves, and loved each other, as GoD loves them. We are all bound up together so closely by Almighty God, that no one can go to Heaven, or be departing from it, but he must needs do much to take others in the same direction. There is not a day that passes but what has some effect for good or evil on our own souls and those of others. 'Increase and multiply," is the Law of GOD, in redemption as well as in creation: and wherever spiritual life is, it will increase and multiply, and with itself will bring other souls also unto God.

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But the love which God has for us, is not shown only in matters which appear to belong directly to the soul, but also in the least concerns of the body, and in all temporal wants. This must be the case likewise in our love for others. If nothing is beneath the care and protection of GOD, surely it cannot be beneath our notice, if it belongs to the wishes or desires of others. A good and tender parent, however much he may think of the everlasting interests of his children, is not on that account indifferent to their lesser needs, but is the rather the more tenderly alive to

them. Our LORD has HIMSELF told us, that His Image which is stamped on the souls of others is a reason for our attending to all their bodily wants: " Inasmuch," He says, "as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me"." It is HIMSELF in them-it is the unspeakable value which He has for them—as created in His own image—that sanctifies all our conduct to others. Of what very little difference is every outward distinction of age, or condition, or of relationship compared with this,-being made anew in the likeness of GOD!

6 Matt. xxv. 40.

SERMON XVIII.

THE NEW BIRTH.

JOHN iii. 5.

"JESUS answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."

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We find in the writings of the Apostles in the New Testament, that all the Christians to whom they write are spoken of as having been made sons of GOD; and all other expressions which signify the same thing are applied to them. This is so clear throughout, that it will hardly be worth while to prove it by examples. Look any where into St. Paul's Epistles, and you will find this runs through the whole, sometimes expressed, always implied. Thus in writing to the Corinthians, he speaks of them as 66 sanctified in CHRIST JESUS," as 'called," and as "saints," as being "in CHRIST JESUS'." To the Romans, as "called of JESUS CHRIST," as "beloved of GOD 2." To the Philippians, as saints." To the Galatians, as sons of God," and having received "the adoption of sons"." To the Colossians, as "the elect or chosen of GoD," and " "holy." "Seeing," he says, "that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new man.' 1." In like manner, St. Peter speaks of those to whom he writes, as "elect, according to the foreknowledge of GOD the FATHER, through sanctification of the Spirit." He adds, the "FATHER of our LORD JEsus Christ,

1 1 Cor. i. 2. 30.

3 Gal. iv. 5, 6.

2 Rom. i. 6, 7; ix. 24.

4 Col. iii. 9, 10. 12.

according to His abundant mercy, hath begotten us again"." St. John also, throughout his Epistles, takes it for granted that those to whom he writes have been regenerated, or born anew of GOD. Beloved," he says, now are we the sons of GOD "." St. Jude speaks of those to whom he writes, as Gon the FATHER." And St. James says, begat HE us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first-fruits of His creatures."

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'sanctified by

Of His own will

But although this be the case that the Apostles always thus speak, yet we do not, of course, suppose that those to whom they write as regenerate, and sons of GOD, and chosen, are considered by them as safe; on the contrary, the object of their writing to them is to warn them of their danger of falling, and to point out the manifold perils which beset their Christian course. They describe many whom they thus address as very imperfect; many as falling back; and lament over them sometimes in such terms as one would apply to modern congregations of Christians. For instance, there is no Church to whom St. Paul writes with so much affection as to the Philippians, yet in this very Epistle he says, "Many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the Cross of CHRIST: Whose end is destruction"." St. Jude gives a very fearful description of those who had crept into the Church, but it is to be observed, that he likens them to those who of old had been saved out of Egypt, and afterwards fell away; and to the state of those angels in Heaven which kept not their first estate-that of happiness in glory, in which they had been placed.

Another point to be observed is, that the sacred writers do never call upon the Christians to become sons of GoD, or to labour after the new birth, but always imply that they have become children of GoD already. The Scriptures do, indeed, throughout use all these words in another sense also, as of a condition from which there can be no falling away whatever; but this is always applied to the next life, and the coming in of the last day, when there will be another new birth or regeneration, another calling, another election, another sense in which

5 1 Pet. i. 2, 3.

6 1 John iii. 2.

7 Phil. iii. 18.

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men will be saved and made sons of GoD, be found in CHRIST, and sanctified and sealed; so that they can never fall away any more, or lose that inheritance. And sometimes persons get bewildered on this subject, by confounding together these two senses. But it is very evident that the kingdom of God, and the kingdom of Heaven, with all expressions appertaining to it, is often spoken of as established on earth, although in another sense it comes not till the last day.

But now, if in Holy Scripture all Christians are said to be sons of GOD, and born again, when is it that this great change takes place? For we are by nature "the children of wrath," as St. Paul says, "at enmity with God," corrupt and unclean before HIM at our very birth; and " they that are in the flesh cannot please" HIM. Of the time at which this takes place-this new birth unto righteousness-there is not much said in the Apostles' writings, for this reason, that it was a matter so well known, and never once doubted by any of those to whom they wrote: it is always taken for granted, and implied that it was by their becoming Christians at Baptism. Persons are not in the habit of dwelling on any great truth, which lies at the foundation of all that they say and do, because it is always supposed and accepted; and therefore their allusions to it are just what we should have expected, only now and then occurring by the way, and as it were, by accident introduced, and never maintained or proved, or held out as any doctrine that was new, or had been questioned. Thus St. Paul says, "For as many of you as have been baptized into CHRIST, have put on CHRIST ;" and in his Epistle to Titus, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy HE saved us, by the washing of regeneration," i. e. of the new birth," and renewing of the HOLY GHOST ;" and to the Romans, "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into JESUS CHRIST were baptized into His death? Therefore we are buried with HIM by Baptism into death;" and to the Colossians, Buried with HIм in Baptism, wherein ye are risen with HIM;" and again to the Corinthians, whom he had at first addressed as persons sanctified, he says, "Such were some of you: but ye are washed, but

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8 Gal. iii. 27.

9 Tit. iii. 5.

1 Rom. vi. 3, 4.