which I find laid down in scripture. Thus doth God himself answer that
weighty question, What it is to be born of God? Such, if the appeal be
made to the oracles of God, is _every one that is born of the Spirit_.
This it is, in the judgment of the Spirit of God, to be a son or a
child of God. It is, so to believe in God thro’ _Christ_, as _not to
commit sin_, and to enjoy at all times and in all places, that _peace
of_ God _which passeth all understanding_. It is, so to _hope_ in God
♦through the Son of his love, as to have not only the _testimony of a
good conscience_, but also the Spirit of God _bearing witness with your
spirits, that ye are the children of_ God; whence cannot but spring,
the _rejoicing in him through whom ye have received the atonement_.
It is so to _love_ God, who hath thus loved you, as you never did love
any creature: so that ye are constrained to love all men as yourselves;
with a love not only ever burning in your hearts, but flaming out in
all your actions and conversations, and making your whole life one
_labour of love_, one continued obedience to those commands, _Be ye
merciful, as_ God _is merciful; Be ye holy, as I the_ Lord _am holy;
Be ye perfect, as your Father which is in heaven is perfect_.
2. Who then are ye that are thus born of God? Ye _know the things which
are given to you of_ God. Ye well know, that ye are the children of
God, and _can assure your hearts before him_. And every one of you who
has observed these words, cannot but feel and know of a truth, whether
at this hour, (answer to God and not to man!) you are thus a child
of God or no? The question is not, what you was made in baptism: (do
not evade:) but, what you are now? Is the Spirit of adoption now in
your heart? To your own heart let the appeal ♦be made. I ask not,
whether you _was_ born of water and of the Spirit. *But _are_ you
_now_ the temple of the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in you? I allow
you _was circumcised with the circumcision of_ Christ, (as St. _Paul_
emphatically terms baptism) but does the Spirit of _Christ_ and of
glory _now_ rest upon you? Else _your circumcision is become
uncircumcision_.
3. Say not then in your heart, I _was once_ baptized, therefore I _am
now_ a child of God? Alas, that consequence will by no means hold. How
many are the baptized gluttons and drunkards, the baptized liars and
common swearers, the baptized railers and evil-speakers, the baptized
whoremongers, thieves, extortioners? What think you? Are these now the
children of God? Verily I say unto you, whosoever you are, unto whom
any one of the preceding characters belong, _ye are of your father the
devil, and the works of your father ye do_. Unto you I call in the name
of him whom you crucify afresh, and in his words to your circumcised
predecessors, _Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape
the damnation of hell_?
4. How indeed, except ye be born again! For ye are now dead in
trespasses and sins. To say then, that ye cannot be born again,
that there is no new-birth but in baptism, is to seal you all under
damnation, to consign you to hell, without help, without hope. And
perhaps some may think this just and right. In their zeal for the Lord
of Hosts, they may say, “Yea, cut off the sinners, the _Amalekites_!
Let these _Gibeonites_ be utterly destroyed! They deserve no less.”――No;
nor I: nor you.――Mine and your desert, as well as theirs, is hell.
And it is mere mercy, free undeserved mercy, that _we_ are not now in
unquenchable fire. You will say, “But we are washed, we were born again
of water and of the Spirit.” So _were_ they. This therefore hinders not
at all, but that ye may _now_ be even as they. Know ye not, that _what
is highly esteemed of men is an abomination in the sight of_ God? Come
forth, ye “saints of the world,” ye that are honoured of men, and see
who will cast the first stone at them, at these wretches, not fit to
live upon the earth, these common harlots, adulterers, murderers. Only
learn ye first what that meaneth, [32]_He that hateth his brother is
a murderer_.――[33]_He that looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath
committed adultery with her already in his heart._――[34]_Ye adulterers
and adulteresses, know ye not, that the friendship of the world, is
enmity with_ God?
5. _Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye_ also _must be born again.
Except_ ye also _be born again, ye cannot see the kingdom of_ God. Lean
no more on the staff of that broken reed, that ye _were_ born again
in baptism. Who denies that ye were then made “children of God, and
heirs of the kingdom of heaven?” But notwithstanding this, ye are now
children of the devil. Therefore ye must be born again. And let not
_Satan_ put it into your heart, to cavil at a word, when the thing is
clear. Ye have heard, what are the marks of the children of God: all
ye who have them not on your souls, baptized or unbaptized, must needs
receive them, or without doubt ye will perish everlastingly. And if ye
have been baptized, your only hope is this, that those who were made
the children of God by baptism, but are now the children of the devil,
may yet again receive _power, to become the sons of_ God: that they may
receive again what they have lost, even the _Spirit of adoption, crying
in their hearts, Abba, Father_!
6. Amen, Lord Jesus! May every one who prepareth his heart yet again
to seek thy face, receive again that Spirit of adoption, and cry out,
Abba, Father! Let him now again have power, so to believe in thy name,
as to become a child of God; as to know and feel he hath _redemption
in thy blood even the forgiveness of sins_, and that he _cannot commit
sin, because he is born of_ God. Let him be now _begotten again unto a
living hope_, so as to _purify himself, as thou art pure_! And _because
he is a son_, let the Spirit of love and of glory rest upon him,
cleansing him _from all filthiness of flesh and spirit_, and teaching
him _to perfect holiness in the fear of_ God!
SERMON XIX.
THE GREAT PRIVILEGE OF THOSE THAT ARE BORN OF GOD.
1 JOHN iii. 9.
_Whosoever is born of God, doth not commit sin._
1. IT has been frequently supposed, that the being born of God was all
one with the being justified; that the new birth and justification were
only different expressions, denoting the same thing: it being certain
on the one hand, that whoever is justified, is also born of God; and
on the other, that whoever is born of God, is also justified: yea, that
both these gifts of God are given to every believer in one and the same
moment. In one point of time his sins are blotted out, and he is born
again of God.
2. But though it be allowed, that justification and the new birth
are in point of time inseparable from each other, yet are they easily
distinguished, as being not the same, but things of a widely different
nature. Justification implies only a relative, the new birth a real
change. God in justifying us, does something _for_ us: in begetting
us again, he does the work _in_ us. The former changes our outward
relation to God, so that of enemies we become children. By the latter,
our inmost souls are changed, so that of sinners we become saints. The
one restores us to the favour, the other to the image of God. The one
is, the taking away the guilt, the other, the taking away the power of
sin. So that although they are joined together in point of time, yet
are they of wholly distinct natures.
3. The not discerning this, the not observing the wide difference
there is, between being justified and being born again, has occasioned
exceeding great confusion of thought, in many who have treated on this
subject: particularly when they have attempted to explain this great
privilege of the children of God; to shew how _whosoever is born of_
God, _doth not commit sin_.
4. In order to apprehend this clearly, it may be necessary, first, to
consider what is the proper meaning of that expression, _Whosoever is
born of_ God; and, secondly, to enquire, in what sense he _doth not
commit sin_.
I. 1. First, we are to consider, what is the proper meaning of that
expression, _Whosoever is born of_ God. And in general, from all the
passages of holy writ, wherein this expression the being _born of_ God,
occurs, we may learn that it implies not barely the being baptized, or
any outward change whatever; but a vast inward change, a change wrought
in the soul, by the operation of the Holy Ghost: a change in the whole
manner of our existence; for from the moment we are _born of_ God, we
live in quite another manner than we did before; we are, as it were, in
another world.
2. The ground and reason of the expression, is easy to be understood.
When we undergo this great change, we may with much propriety be said
_to be born again_, because there is so near a resemblance between the
circumstances of the natural and of the spiritual birth: so that to
consider the circumstances of the natural birth, is the most easy way
to understand the spiritual.
3. The child which is not yet born, subsists indeed by the air, as does
every thing which has life; but _feels_ it not, nor any thing else,
unless in a very dull and imperfect manner. It _hears_ little, if at
all, the organs of hearing being as yet closed up. It _sees_ nothing,
having its eyes fast shut, and being surrounded with utter darkness.
There are, it may be, some faint beginnings of life, when the time of
its birth draws nigh; and some motion consequent thereon, whereby it is
distinguished from a mere mass of matter. But it has no _senses_; all
these avenues of the soul are hitherto quite shut up. Of consequence,
it has scarce any intercourse with this visible world; nor any
knowledge, conception or idea, of the things that occur therein.
4. The reason why he that is not yet born, is wholly a stranger to
the visible world, is, not because it is afar off. It is very nigh.
It surrounds him on every side. But partly, because he has not those
senses, they are not yet opened in his soul, whereby alone it is
possible to hold commerce with the material world; and partly because
so thick a veil is cast between, through which he can discern nothing.
5. But no sooner is the child born into the world, than he exists
in a quite different manner. He now _feels_ the air with which he is
surrounded, and which pours into him from every side, as fast as he
alternately breathes it back, to sustain the flame of life. And hence
springs a continual increase of strength, of motion and of sensation:
all the bodily senses being now awakened, and furnished with their
proper objects.
*His eyes are now opened to perceive the light, which silently flowing
in upon them, discovers not only itself, but an infinite variety of
things, with which before he was wholly unacquainted. His ears are
unclosed, and sounds rush in, with endless diversity. Every sense is
employed upon such objects as are peculiarly suitable to it. And by
these inlets, the soul having an open intercourse with the visible
world, acquires more and more knowledge of sensible things, of all the
things which are under the sun.
6. *So it is with him that is born of God. Before that great change
is wrought, although he subsists by him, in whom all that have life
_live and move and have their being_, yet he is not _sensible_ of God;
he does not _feel_, he has no inward consciousness of his presence. He
does not perceive that divine breath of life, without which he cannot
subsist a moment. Nor is he sensible of any of the things of God. They
make no impression upon his soul. God is continually calling to him
from on high, but he heareth not; his ears are shut; so that _the voice
of the charmer_ is lost to him, _charm he never so wisely_. He seeth
not the things of the Spirit of God, the eyes of his understanding
being closed, and utter darkness covering his whole soul, surrounding
him on every side. It is true, he may have some faint dawnings of
life, some small beginnings of spiritual motion; but as yet he has no
spiritual senses, capable of discerning spiritual objects. Consequently
he _discerneth not the things of the Spirit of_ God. _He cannot know
them; because they are spiritually discerned._
7. *Hence he has scarce any knowledge of the invisible world, as he
has scarce any intercourse with it. Not that it is afar off. No: he is
in the midst of it: it incompasses him round about. The _other world_,
as we usually term it, is not far from every one of us. It is above,
and beneath, and on every side. Only the natural man discerneth it
not; partly, because he has no spiritual senses, whereby alone we
can discern the things of God; partly, because so thick a veil is
interposed, as he knows not how to penetrate.
8. *But when he is born of God, born of the Spirit, how is the manner
of his existence changed? His whole soul is now sensible of God, and he
can say by sure experience, _Thou art about my bed, and about my path_;
I feel thee _in all my ways_. Thou _besettest me behind and before, and
layest thy hand upon me_. The Spirit or breath of God is immediately
inspired, breathed into the new-born soul. And the same breath, which
comes from, returns to God: as it is continually received by faith,
so it is continually rendered back by love, by prayer, and praise,
and thanksgiving: love and praise and prayer being the breath of every
soul which is truly born of God. And by this new kind of spiritual
respiration, spiritual life is not only sustained, but increased day
by day; together with spiritual strength and motion and sensation. All
the senses of the soul being now awake, and capable of _discerning_
spiritual _good and evil_.
9. *_The eyes of his understanding_ are now _open_, and he _seeth him
that is invisible_. He sees what is _the exceeding greatness of his
power_, and of his love toward them that believe. He sees that God is
merciful to him a sinner; that he is reconciled through the Son of his
love. He clearly perceives both the pardoning love of God, and all his
_exceeding great and precious promises_. God _who commanded the light
to shine out of darkness, hath shined_, and doth shine, _in_ his _heart,
to enlighten him with the knowledge of the glory of_ God, _in the face
of_ Jesus Christ. All the darkness is now passed away, and he abides in
the light of God’s countenance.
10. *His ears are now opened, and the voice of God no longer calls in
vain. He hears and obeys the heavenly calling: he _knows the voice of
his Shepherd_. All his spiritual senses being now awakened, he has a
clear intercourse with the invisible world. And hence he knows more and
more of the things which before _it could not enter into his heart to
conceive_. He now knows what the peace of God is: what is joy in the
Holy Ghost: what the love of God which is shed abroad in the hearts of
them that believe in him through _Christ Jesus_. Thus the veil being
removed, which before intercepted the light and voice, the knowledge
and love of God, he who is born of the Spirit, _dwelleth in love,
dwelleth in_ God, _and_ God _in him_.
II. 1. Having considered the meaning of that expression, _whosoever is
born of_ God, it remains in the second place to enquire, in what sense
he _doth not commit sin_.
*Now one who is so born of God as hath been above described, who
continually receives into his soul the breath of life from God, the
gracious influence of his Spirit, and continually renders it back:
one who thus believes and loves; who by faith perceives the continual
actings of God upon his spirit; and by a kind of spiritual re-action,
returns the grace he receives in unceasing love, and praise, and prayer;
not only _doth not commit sin_, while _he_ thus _keepeth himself_; but
so long as this _seed remaineth in him_, he _cannot sin_, because he is
born of God.
2. *By _sin_, I here understand, outward sin, according to the plain,
common acceptation of the word: an actual, voluntary _transgression
of the law_; of the revealed, written law of God, of any commandment
of God, acknowledged to be such, at the time that it is transgressed.
But _whosoever is born of God_, while he abideth in faith and love,
and in the spirit of prayer and thanksgiving, not only _doth not_, but
_cannot_ thus _commit sin_. So long as he thus believeth in God through
_Christ_, and loves him, and is pouring out his heart before him, he
cannot voluntarily transgress any command of God, either by speaking
or acting what he knows God hath forbidden. So long that _seed_ which
_remaineth in him_, that loving, praying thankful faith, compels him to
refrain from whatsoever he knows to be an abomination in the sight of
God.
3. But here a difficulty will immediately occur; and one, that to many
has appeared insuperable, and induced them to deny the plain assertion
of the apostle, and give up the privilege of the children of God.
It is plain in fact, that those whom we cannot deny to have been truly
_born of_ God (the Spirit of God having given us in his word, this
infallible testimony concerning them) nevertheless not only could, but
did commit sin, even gross, outward sin. They did transgress the plain,
known laws of God, speaking or acting what they knew he had forbidden.
4. Thus _David_ was unquestionably born of God, or ever he was anointed
king over _Israel_. He knew in whom he had believed; he was strong in
faith, giving glory to God. [35]_The_ Lord, saith he, _is my shepherd;
therefore can I lack nothing. He shall feed me in green pastures,
and lead me forth beside the waters of comfort._ Yea, _though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for
thou art with me_. He was filled with love; such as often constrained
him to cry, out, [36]_I will love thee_, O Lord, _my_ God: _the_ Lord
_is my stony rock, and my defence, the horn also of my salvation, and
my refuge_. He was a man of prayer, pouring out his soul before God,
in all circumstances of life; and abundant in praises and thanksgiving;
[37]_Thy praise_, saith he, _shall be ever in my mouth_. [38]_Thou art
my_ God, _and I will thank thee; thou art my_ God _and I will praise
thee_. And yet such a child of God could and did commit sin; yea, the
horrid sins of adultery and murder.
5. And even after the Holy Ghost was more largely given, after
_life and immortality_ were _brought to light by the gospel_, we
want not instances of the same melancholy kind, which were also
doubtless written for our instruction. Thus he who (probably from his
[39]_selling_ all that he had, and _bringing the price_ for the relief
of his poor brethren) was _by the apostles_ themselves _sirnamed_
Barnabas, that is, _the son of consolation_; who was so honoured at
_Antioch_, as to be selected with _Saul_ out of all _the disciples_, to
carry their [40]_relief unto the brethren in_ Judea: this _Barnabas_,
who at his return from _Judea_, was by the peculiar direction of the
Holy Ghost, solemnly [41]_separated from the_ other _prophets and
teachers, for the work whereunto God had called him_, even to accompany
the great apostle among the Gentiles, and to be his fellow-labourer
in every place; nevertheless was afterward so [42]_sharp_ in his
_contention_ with St. _Paul_ (because he _thought it not good to take
with them_ John, in his _visiting the brethren_, a second time, _who
had departed from them from_ Pamphylia, _and went not with them to
the work_) that he himself also departed from the work; that he _took_
John, _and sailed unto_ Cyprus; forsaking him to whom he had been in so
immediate a manner joined by the Holy Ghost.
6. An instance more astonishing than both these is given by St. _Paul_
in his epistle to the _Galatians_. _When_ Peter, the zealous, the first
of the apostles; one of the three most highly favoured by his Lord;
_was come to_ Antioch, _I withstood him to the face, because he was
to be blamed. For before that certain came from_ James, _he did eat
with the Gentiles_, the Heathens converted to the Christian faith,
as having been peculiarly taught of God, that [43]he _should not call
any man common or unclean_. But [44]_when they were come, he separated
himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. And the other
Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that_ Barnabas _also was
carried away with their dissimulation. But when I saw that they walked
not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto_ Peter
_before them all, If thou being a Jew, livest after the manner of the
Gentiles_, not regarding the ceremonial law of _Moses, why compellest
thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews_? Here is also plain,
undeniable sin, committed by one who was undoubtedly _born of God_. But
how can this be reconciled with the assertion of St. _John_, if taken
in the obvious literal meaning, that _whosoever is born of God, doth
not commit sin_?
7. I answer, what has been long observed is this: so long as _he that
is born of God keepeth himself_ (which he is able to do by the grace of
God) _the wicked one toucheth him not_. But if he keepeth not himself,
if he abideth not in the faith, he may commit sin even as another man.
It is easy therefore to understand, how any of these children of God
might be moved from his own stedfastness, and yet the great truth of
God, declared, by the apostle, remain stedfast and unshaken. He did
not _keep himself_, by that grace of God which was sufficient for him.
He fell, step by step, first into negative, inward sin, not _stirring
up the gift of God_ which was in him, not _watching unto prayer_, not
_pressing on to the mark of the prize of his high calling_: then into
positive inward sin, inclining to wickedness with his heart, giving way
to some evil desire or temper. Next, he lost his faith, his sight of
a pardoning God, and consequently his love of God. And being then weak
and like another man, he was capable of committing even outward sin.
8. To explain this by a particular instance: _David_ was born of God,
and saw God by faith. He loved God in sincerity. He could truly say,
_Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth_ (neither
person, nor thing) _that I desire in comparison of thee_! But still
there remained in his heart that corruption of nature, which is the
seed of all evil.
He was [45]_walking upon the roof of his house_, probably praising the
God whom his soul loved, when he looked down and saw _Bathsheba_. He
felt a temptation, a thought which tended to evil. The Spirit of God
did not fail to convince him of this. He doubtless heard and knew the
warning voice. But he yielded in some measure to the thought, and the
temptation began to prevail over him. Hereby his spirit was sullied; he
saw God still; but it was more dimly than before. He loved God still;
but not in the same degree, not with the same strength and ardor of
affection. Yet God checked him again, though his Spirit was grieved;
and his voice, though fainter and fainter, still whispered, “Sin lieth
at the door; look unto me, and be thou saved.” But he would not hear.
He looked again, not unto God, but unto the forbidden object, ’till
nature was superior to grace, and kindled lust in his soul.
*The eye of his mind was now closed again, and God vanished out of
his sight. Faith, the divine, supernatural intercourse with God, and
the love of God ceased together. He then rushed on as a horse into the
battle, and knowingly committed the outward sin.
9. *You see the unquestionable progress from grace to sin. Thus it goes
on, from step to step. 1. The divine seed of loving, conquering faith,
remains in him that is _born of God. He keepeth himself_, by the grace
of God, and _cannot commit sin_. 2. A temptation arises, whether from
the world, the flesh, or the devil, it matters not. 3. The Spirit of
God gives him warning that sin is near, and bids him more abundantly
watch unto prayer. 4. He gives way in some degree to the temptation,
which now begins to grow pleasing to him. 5. The Holy Spirit is grieved;
his faith is weakened, and his love of God grows cold. 6. The Spirit
reproves him more sharply, and saith, “This is the way; walk thou in
it.” 7. He turns away from the painful voice of God, and listens to
the pleasing voice of the tempter. 8. Evil desire begins and spreads
in his soul, ’till faith and love vanish away. He is then capable of
committing outward sin, the power of the Lord being departed from him.
10. To explain this by another instance. The apostle _Peter_ was full
of faith and of the Holy Ghost; and hereby keeping himself, he had a
conscience void of offence toward God and toward man.
Walking thus in simplicity and godly sincerity, _before that certain
came from_ James, _he did eat with the Gentiles_, knowing that what God
had cleansed, was not common or unclean.
But _when they were come_, a temptation arose in his heart, _to fear
those of the circumcision_, (the _Jewish_ converts, who were zealous
for circumcision and the other rites of the _Mosaic_ law) and regard
the favour and praise of these men, more than the praise of God.
He was warned by the Spirit that sin was near. Nevertheless he yielded
to it in some degree, even to sinful fear of man, and his faith and
love were proportionably weakened.