shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, (Rom. ii. 16.) May we live in the daily remembrance of this truth, and be careful to do nothing in the sight of our Lord, which we should be ashamed for Him to behold. Seeing what is in us, may He trust us as His own! May He testify of our zeal for His house and worship, and own all our services as the free-will offerings of a humble and devoted heart! May He behold us walking with Him, both in soul and body, while we live and thus, in the end, as He raised up Himself from the grave, according to His word, so, according to His word, He will raise up us also from our sleep in the dust, and we shall be for ever with the Lord. (1 Thess. iv. 14-17.)

LECTURE VIII.

Almost all the Jewish rulers were so prejudiced against Jesus, that they would not hear Him, fairly or patiently; their hearts were set against Him, and they rejected Him with scorn. Nicodemus was an honourable exception; and we are now going to read of his coming to Jesus, and the gracious manner in which he was received: "them that come unto Him, He will in no wise cast out." (John vi. 37.)

CHAP. III. 1.

1. There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews a

Ch. 7. 50. &

19. 39.

ruler in their synagogue and a member of their chief council. 2. The same came to Jesus by night, probably to avoid observation, through fear of anger and hatred, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these Acts 2. 22. & miracles, that thou doest, except God be

with him.

Nicodemus might thus imply, that he believed or supposed Jesus to be the Messiah; at least he shewed a ready desire to be taught of Him. No doubt, he was expecting Jesus to appear in His kingly character, as an earthly conqueror and deliverer; our Lord therefore immediately instructs him in the real nature of His kingdom, and shews that it consisted not in worldly distinction or honour, but in an alteration of the spiritual state and condition of man the change is within.

10. 38.

Gal. 6. 15.

1 John 3. 9. & 5. 4.

3. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a Pet. 1. 23. man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God, can have no knowledge, experience, or enjoyment of it. 4. Nicodemus, not understanding this new and spiritual birth, saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born? as much as to say, you are declaring what seems to be impossible. 5. Jesus answered,

Acts 2. 38.

Tit. 3.5.

3. 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, cannot be made a partaker of His kingdom of grace, nor His kingdom of glory. 6. That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

The natural man cannot change himself, can produce only natural things, only the corrupt thoughts and desires and works of the flesh the Spirit of God, and that alone, produces a spiritual change. By speaking together of "water and the Spirit," it seems very clear that our Lord is alluding to baptism— the ordinance and means through which believers, by His own appointment, were to enter into His kingdom, and be "made the children of grace:" the purifying water being an Article 25. outward and effectual sign of the inward purify

ing of the Spirit; and the sinner being thus admitted into a new state, of pardon and actual favour, of acceptance and covenant with God. This state, if continued in, is attended and manifested by new principles, new affections, new views, a new life and character altogether, through the perpetual operation of the same Spirit, "who worketh all in all ;" for the Spirit alone can enable us to carry forward what the Spirit has begun. It is not necessary to conclude, that there can be no salvation

without baptism; the Lord's mercies are not confined: but this is the appointed means of spiritual life, which may not be knowingly neglected; from which we may not depart, though God may, if He pleases.

7. Marvel not, wonder not, that I said unto thee, ye must be born again. 8. The wind bloweth where it listeth, where it will, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the 1Cor. 2. 11. Spirit.

We cannot account for the wind, we cannot understand it; but we have no doubt of its existence, for we hear it and see its effects: so, though we understand not the hidden motions of the Spirit, we are assured of His holy working, because we see His effects and fruits. Observe from this: The birth of the Spirit must be witnessed, not merely by baptism, or by what is felt or done at any particular time, but by its continual effects upon the heart and life.

9. Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Like many others, he was not inclined to admit the truth, till he could comprehend it: he might as well have doubted of the wind, because he knew not how it was produced and regulated: divine grace, like the wind, is manifest in its con

E 2

Jer.31. 33,34.

sequences.

10. Jesus answered and said

unto him, Art thou a master, a teacher, of

ver.

Israel, and knowest not these things? “The Ezek. 18. 31. new heart and the new spirit" was no new doctrine, nor was "the pouring out of the Joel 2. 28,32. Spirit of God." The Jews also baptised their new disciples and called them new-born: and christian baptism resembled circumcision. Nicodemus therefore was remarkably "slow of heart to believe :" our Lord proceeds in the 11th 11. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Matt. 11.27. We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. 12. If I have told you earthly things, of spiritual changes and transactions upon. earth, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? of things done in heaven, or belonging only to God in heaven; of His perfections and counsels and government. 13. And no man hath Prov. 30. 4. ascended

Acts 2. 34.

up

to heaven but he that came

Eph. 4.9,10. down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. These are most important words: there is no doubt that by the "Son of man" Jesus meant Himself: then what does He say? Not only that He came down from heaven, but was actually in heaven, as God, at the very time when he was upon earth as man.