By John Wesley (1703 – 1791)

"Ye must be built-in again." John 3:7.

ane. If any doctrines within the whole compass of Christianity may be properly termed fundamental, they are doubtless these 2, — the doctrine of justification, and that of the new birth: The former relating to that great work which God does for us, in forgiving our sins; the latter, to the great work which God does in us, in renewing our fallen nature. In order of fourth dimension, neither of these is before the other: in the moment we are justified past the grace of God, through the redemption that is in Jesus, we are as well "born of the Spirit;" merely in order of thinking, as it is termed, justification precedes the new birth. We first conceive his wrath to be turned abroad, and then his Spirit to work in our hearts.

2. How great importance then must it be of, to every child of human being, thoroughly to empathize these primal doctrines! From a full conviction of this, many excellent men have wrote very largely apropos justification, explaining every point relating thereto, and opening the Scriptures which care for upon it. Many likewise have wrote on the new birth: And some of them largely enough; merely yet not so clearly as might have been desired, nor so securely and accurately; having either given a night, abstract account of it, or a slight and superficial ane. Therefore a full, and at the same time a clear, business relationship of the new birth, seems to be wanting still; such as may enable us to give a satisfactory answer to these iii questions: Beginning, Why must we exist born over again? What is the foundation of this doctrine of the new birth? Secondly, How must we be built-in again? What is the nature of the new birth? And, Thirdly, Wherefore must we be born again? To what terminate is it necessary? These questions, by the help of God, I shall briefly and plainly answer; and and then subjoin a few inferences which volition naturally follow.

I. 1. And, First, Why must we be born again? What is the foundation of this doctrine? The foundation of it lies near as deep as the creation of the world; in the scriptural account whereof we read, "And God," the three-ane God, "said, Let usa make man in our prototype, afterwards our likeness. So God created human being in his own paradigm, in the image of God created he him:" (Gen. ane:26, 27:) — Not barely in his natural image, a picture show of his own immortality; a spiritual existence, endued with understanding, freedom of will, and various affections; — nor merely in his political image, the governor of this lower world, having "dominion over the fishes of the bounding main, and over all the earth;" — but chiefly in his moral image; which, co-ordinate to the Campaigner, is "righteousness and true holiness." (Ephesians iv:24) in this image of God was man made. "God is beloved:" Appropriately, human at his cosmos was total of love; which was the sole principle of all his tempers, thoughts, words, and actions. God is full of justice, mercy, and truth; so was man as he came from the hands of his Creator. God is spotless purity; and so human was in the beginning pure from every sinful blot; otherwise God could not have pronounced him, too as all the other work of his hands, "very practiced" (Genesis 1:31) This he could not have been, had he not been pure from sin, and filled with righteousness and true holiness. For there is no medium: If we suppose and intelligent animate being not to honey God, not to be righteous and holy, we necessarily suppose him not to be good at all; much less to exist "very good."

2. Simply, although man was made in the image of God, yet he was non made immutable. This would have been inconsistent with the country of trial in which God was pleased to place him. He was therefore created able to stand, and yet liable to autumn. And this God himself apprised him of, and gave him a solemn warning against it. Nevertheless, human being did not abide in award: He brutal from his high manor. He "ate of the tree whereof the Lord had commanded him, Thou shalt non eat thereof." By this willful human action of disobedience to his Creator, this flat rebellion against his Sovereign, he openly declared that he would no longer take God to dominion over him; That he would be governed by his own volition, and not the volition of Him that created him; and that he would non seek his happiness in God, but in the earth, in the works of his easily. At present, God had told him earlier, "In the 24-hour interval that thou eatest" of that fruit, "thousand shalt surely die." And the word of the Lord cannot be cleaved. Appropriately, in that twenty-four hour period he did die: He died to God, — the most dreadful of all deaths. He lost the life of God: He was separated from Him, in matrimony with whom his spiritual life consisted. The body dies when information technology is separated from the soul; the soul, when it is separated from God. But this separation from God, Adam sustained in the day, the hour, he ate of the forbidden fruit. And of this he gave immediate proof; presently showing by his behavior, that the beloved of God was extinguished in his soul, which was now "alienated from the life of God." Instead of this, he was at present under the ability of servile fear, so that he fled from the presence of the Lord. Yea, so picayune did he retain even of the knowledge of Him who filleth sky and earth, that he endeavored to "hide himself from the Lord God among the copse of the garden:" (Gen. three:8:) And then had he lost both the knowledge and the love of God, without which the image of God could non subsist. Of this, therefore, he was deprived at the same time, and became unholy also as unhappy. In the room of this, he had sunk into pride and self-will, the very image of the devil; and into sensual appetites and desires, the paradigm of the beasts that perish.

iii. If information technology be said, "Nay, merely that threatening, ' In the day that thou eatest thereof, k shalt surely die,' refers to temporal expiry, and that alone, to the decease of the body merely;" the answer is plain: To affirm this is flatly and palpably to make God a liar; to aver that the God of truth positively affirmed a thing contrary to truth. For it is evident, Adam did not die in this sense, "in the day that he ate thereof." He lived, in the sense opposite to this decease, higher up 9 hundred years after. So that this cannot maybe be understood of the death of the body, without impeaching the veracity of God. It must therefore be understood of spiritual death, the loss of the life and paradigm of God.

4. And in Adam all died, all human kind, all the children of men who were so in Adam'south loins. The natural issue of this is, that every one descended from him comes into the world spiritually dead, expressionless to God, wholly dead in sin; entirely void of the life of God; void of the image of God, of all that righteousness and holiness wherein Adam was created. Instead of this, every man built-in into the globe now bears the image of the devil in pride and self-volition; the image of the beast, in sensual appetites and desires. This, so, is the foundation of the new birth, — the unabridged corruption of our nature. Hence it is, that, existence born in sin, we must exist "born again." Hence every 1 that is built-in of a woman must be born of the Spirit of God.

II. ane. Only how must a man be built-in over again? What is the nature of the new birth? This is the 2nd question. And a question it is of the highest moment that can be conceived. We ought not, therefore, in so weighty a concern, to exist content with a slight inquiry; but to examine information technology with all possible intendance, and to ponder information technology in our hearts, till nosotros fully understand this important point, and clearly see how we are to be built-in once more.

2. Non that we are to expect any minute, philosophical business relationship of the manner how this is done. Our Lord sufficiently guards us against any such expectation, by the words immediately post-obit the text; wherein he reminds Nicodemus of as indisputable a fact as any in the whole compass of nature, which, all the same, the wisest man nether the lord's day is not able fully to explain. "The wind bloweth where information technology listeth," — not by thy power or wisdom; "and thou hearest the sound thereof;" — thou art absolutely assured, beyond all doubtfulness, that information technology doth blow; "but chiliad canst not tell whence it cometh, nor whither it goeth;" — the precise manner how it begins and ends, rises and falls, no man can tell. "So is every one that is born of the Spirit:" — Thou mayest be as absolutely assured of the fact, as of the blowing of the wind; but the precise manner how it is done, how the Holy Spirit works this in the soul, neither thou nor the wisest of the children of men is able to explain.

iii. However, it suffices for every rational and Christian purpose, that, without descending into curious, disquisitional inquiries, nosotros can give a apparently scriptural account of the nature of the new nativity. This will satisfy every reasonable homo, who desires only the salvation of his soul. The expression, "being born again," was not first used by our Lord in his conversation with Nicodemus: Information technology was well known before that time, and was in common use among the Jews when our Savior appeared among them. When an adult Heathen was convinced that the Jewish religion was of God, and desired to join therein, it was the custom to baptize him outset, before he was admitted to circumcision. And when he was baptized, he was said to exist born again; by which they meant, that he who was earlier a kid of the devil was now adopted into the family of God, and deemed one of his children. This expression, therefore, which Nicodemus, being "a Teacher in State of israel," ought to have understood well, our Lord uses in conversing with him; but in a stronger sense than he was accustomed to. And this might exist the reason of his asking, "How tin can these things be?" They cannot be literally: — A man cannot "enter a second time into his mother'due south womb, and exist born:" — But they may spiritually: A man may be born from to a higher place, born of God, born of the Spirit, in a style which bears a very near analogy to the natural birth.

4. Before a kid is built-in into the world he has eyes, but sees non; he has ears, but does not hear. He has a very imperfect apply of any other sense. He has no cognition of any of the things of the world, or any natural understanding. To that manner of existence which he so has, we practise not even give the name of life. It is then but when a man is born, that we say he begins to live. For as before long as he is born, be begins to run across the light, and the various objects with which he is encompassed. His ears are then opened, and he hears the sounds which successively strike upon them. At the same time, all the other organs of sense begin to be exercised upon their proper objects. He likewise breathes, and lives in a fashion wholly different from what he did before. How exactly doth the parallel hold in all these instances! While a human is in a mere natural land, before he is born of God, he has, in a spiritual sense, eyes and sees not; a thick bulletproof veil lies upon them; he has ears, but hears not; he is utterly deaf to what he is most of all concerned to hear. His other spiritual senses are all locked up: He is in the same condition as if he had them not. Hence he has no knowledge of God; no intercourse with him; he is not at all acquainted with him. He has no truthful knowledge of the things of God, either of spiritual or eternal things; therefore, though he is a living human, he is a dead Christian. Just equally presently as he is born of God, at that place is a full modify in all these particulars. The "eyes of his understanding are opened;" (such is the language of the great Apostle;) and, He who of erstwhile "allowable light to smoothen out of darkness shining on his heart, he sees the low-cal of the glory of God," his glorious dear, "in the face of Jesus Christ." His ears being opened, he is now capable of hearing the inward vox of God, maxim, "Exist of good cheer; thy sins are forgiven thee;" "go and sin no more than." This is the purport of what God speaks to his heart; although perhaps not in these very words. He is now fix to hear whatsoever "He that teacheth man cognition" is pleased, from time to fourth dimension, to reveal to him. He "feels in his heart," to use the language of our Church, "the mighty working of the Spirit of God;" not in a gross, carnal sense as the men of the earth stupidly and willfully misunderstand the expression; though they accept been told over again and once more, we mean thereby neither more than nor less than this: He feels, is inwardly sensible of, the graces which the Spirit of god works in his heart. He feels, he is witting of, a "peace which passeth all understanding." He many times feels such a joy in God as is "unspeakable, and full of glory." He feels "the beloved of God shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Ghost which is given unto him;" and all his spiritual senses are so exercised to discern spiritual expert and evil. By the utilise of these, he is daily increasing in the knowledge of God, of Jesus Christ whom he hath sent and to all the things pertaining to his inward kingdom. And at present he may be properly said to live: God having quickened him past his Spirit, he is alive to God through Jesus Christ. He lives a life which the world knoweth not of, a "life which is hid with Christ in God." God is continually breathing, as it were, upon the soul; and his soul is breathing unto God. Grace is descending into his heart; and prayer and praise ascending to sky: And past this intercourse between God and man, this fellowship with the Male parent and the Son, as past a kind of spiritual respiration, the life of God in the soul is sustained; and the child of God grows up, till he comes to the "full measure of the stature of Christ."

five. From hence it plain appears, what is the nature of the new nascency. It is that great change which God works in the soul when he brings it into life; when he raises it from the death of sin to the life of righteousness. It is the change wrought in the whole soul by the almighty Spirit of God when it is "created afresh in Christ Jesus;" when information technology is "renewed subsequently the prototype of God, in righteousness and true holiness;" when the love of the world is changed into the love of God; pride into humility; passion into meekness; hatred, envy, malice, into a sincere, tender, disinterested beloved for all flesh. In a word, it is that change whereby the earthly, sensual, devilish heed is turned into the "listen which was in Christ Jesus." This is the nature of the new birth: "So is every ane that is built-in of the Spirit."

III. 1. It is not difficult for whatsoever who has considered these things, to come across the necessity of the new nativity, and to answer the Third question, Wherefore, to what finish, is it necessary that nosotros should exist born once again? It is very easily discerned, that this is necessary, Outset, in order to holiness. For what is holiness according to the oracles of God? Not a bare external religion, a round of outward duties, how many soever they be, and how exactly soever performed. No: Gospel holiness is no less than the image of God stamped upon the heart; information technology is no other than the whole mind which was in Christ Jesus; information technology consists of all heavenly affections and tempers mingled together in i. It implies such a continual, thankful love to Him who hath not withheld from us his Son, his but son, as makes it natural, and in a manner necessary to u.s., to dear every child of man; as fills us "with bowels of mercies, kindness, gentleness, long-suffering:" Information technology is such a honey of God equally teaches us to be clean-living in all way of chat; equally enables us to nowadays our souls and bodies, all we are and all we have, all our thoughts, words, and actions, a continual cede to God, acceptable through Christ Jesus. Now, this holiness can have no existence till nosotros are renewed in the image of our listen. It cannot commence in the soul till that change be wrought; till, by the power of the Highest overshadowing us, we are "brought from darkness to light, from the power of Satan unto God;" that is, till we are born once again; which, therefore, is admittedly necessary in order to holiness.

two. Merely "without holiness no man shall see the Lord," shall see the face of God in glory. Of event, the new nascency is absolutely necessary in order to eternal salvation. Men may indeed flatter themselves (so desperately wicked and and then deceitful is the eye of man!) that they may live in their sins till they come to the final gasp, and however afterwards live with God; and thousands do really believe, that they have plant a broad fashion which leadeth not to devastation. "What danger," say they, "can a woman be in that is and so harmless so virtuous? What fear is there that and then honest a man, one of so strict morality, should miss of heaven; especially if, over and above all this, they constantly nourish on church and sacrament?" One of these volition enquire with all assurance, "What! Shall not I do as well as my neighbors?" Aye as well as your unholy neighbors; as well equally your neighbors that dice in their sins! For y'all will all driblet into the pit together, into the nethermost hell! Y'all will all lie together in the lake of burn down; "the lake of fire called-for with brimstone." Then, at length, y'all will come across (but God grant you may see it earlier!) the necessity of holiness in order to glory; and, consequently, of the new birth, since none tin can exist holy, except he exist born again.

3. For the aforementioned reason, except he be born over again, none can be happy fifty-fifty in this world. For information technology is not possible, in the nature of things, that a man should be happy who is not holy. Even the poor, ungodly poet could tell us, _Nemo malus felix_: "no wicked man is happy." The reason is plain: All unholy tempers are uneasy tempers: Not but malice, hatred, green-eyed jealousy, revenge, create a present hell in the breast; merely even the softer passions, if not kept inside due bounds, give a thousand times more pain than pleasure. Even "hope," when "deferred," (and how often must this be the case!) "maketh the centre ill;" and every desire which is non co-ordinate to the volition of God is liable to "pierce" u.s. "through with many sorrows:" And all those general sources of sin — pride, self-will, and idolatry — are, in the aforementioned proportion every bit they prevail, general sources of misery. Therefore, as long as these reign in any soul, happiness has no place in that location. Just they must reign till the bent of our nature is changed, that is, till we are born again; consequently, the new birth is absolutely necessary in social club to happiness in this globe, as well as in the globe to come.

IV. I proposed in the Terminal place to subjoin a few inferences, which naturally follow from the preceding observations.

1. And, Offset, it follows, that baptism is not the new nascency: They are not one and the same matter. Many indeed seem to imagine that they are but the same; at least, they speak equally if they thought then; merely I do not know that this opinion is publicly avowed past whatsoever denomination of Christians whatever. Certainly information technology is not by whatsoever within these kingdoms, whether of the established Church, or dissenting from it. The judgment of the latter is conspicuously declared in the large Catechism: [Q. 163, 165. — Ed.] — Q. "What are the parts of a sacrament? A. The parts of a sacrament are two: The one an outward and sensible sign; the other, and inward and spiritual grace, thereby signified. — Q. What is baptism? A. Baptism is a sacrament, wherein Christ hath ordained the washing with h2o, to exist a sign and seal of regeneration past his Spirit." Here it is manifest, baptism, the sign, is spoken of equally distinct from regeneration, the thing signified.

In the Church Catechism likewise, the judgment of our Church is declared with the utmost clearness: "What meanest thou by this word, sacrament? A. I mean an outward and visible sign of an in and spiritual grace. Q. What is the outward part or grade in baptism? A. H2o, wherein the person is baptized, in the name of the Male parent, Son, and Holy Ghost. Q. What is the inward part, or thing signified? A. A death unto sin, and a new birth unto righteousness." Nothing, therefore, is plainer than that, according to the Church of England, baptism is not the new birth.

Just indeed the reason of the thing is so clear and evident, as not to need any other say-so. For what can be more plain, than the 1 is a visible, the and invisible affair, and therefore wholly different from each other? — the 1 beingness an deed of man, purifying the torso; the other a change wrought past God in the soul: So that the former is just every bit distinguishable from the latter, as the soul from the trunk, or water from the Holy Ghost.

two. From the preceding reflections we may, Secondly, discover, that as the new nativity is not the same matter with baptism, so information technology does non always accompany baptism: They do not constantly become together. A human being my maybe be "born of water," and yet not be "born of the Spirit." There may sometimes be the outward sign, where there is non the inward grace. I exercise not at present speak with regard to infants: It is certain our Church supposes that all who are baptized in their infancy are at the same time born again; and it is immune that the whole Part for the Baptism of Infants proceeds upon this supposition. Nor is it an objection of any weight against this, that we cannot comprehend how this work can be wrought I infants. For neither can we comprehend how it is wrought in a person of riper years. Merely whatever exist the case with infants, information technology is sure all of riper years who are baptized are not at the same time born again. "The tree is known by its fruits:" And hereby it appears too plain to exist denied, that divers of those who were children of the devil earlier they were baptized continue the same after baptism: "for the works of their father they do:" They keep servants of sin, without whatever pretense either to inward or outward holiness.

three. A Third inference which nosotros may draw from what has been observed, is, that the new birth is not the same with sanctification. This is indeed taken for granted by many; particularly by an eminent writer, in his belatedly treatise on "The Nature and Grounds of Christian Regeneration." To wave several other weighty objections which might exist fabricated to that tract, this is a palpable one: Information technology all along speaks of regeneration as a progressive work, carried on in the soul by tiresome degrees, from the fourth dimension of our first turning to God. This is undeniably true of sanctification; but of regeneration, the new nascence, it is not truthful. This is a part of sanctification, not the whole; information technology is the gate to it, the entrance into it. When we are born again, then our sanctification, our inward and outward holiness, begins; and thenceforward nosotros are gradually to "grow up in Him who is our Head." This expression of the Apostle admirably illustrates the difference between one and the other, and farther points out the verbal analogy there is betwixt natural and spiritual things. A kid is born of a woman in a moment, or at least in a very curt fourth dimension: Later he gradually and slowly grows, till he attains to the stature of a human. In similar fashion, a child is born of God in a short time, if not in a moment. Just information technology is by slow degrees that he subsequently grows up to the measure of the full stature of Christ. The same relation, therefore, which in that location is between our natural nascence and our growth, there is also betwixt our new nascency and our sanctification.

4. 1 point more than we may learn from the preceding observations. But it is a indicate of so swell importance, as my excuse the considering information technology the more carefully, and prosecuting it at some length. What must one who loves the souls of men, and is grieved that whatsoever of them should perish, say to ane whom he sees living in sabbath-breaking, drunkenness, or any other willful sin? What can he say, if the foregoing observations are true, but, "You must be born again?" "No," says a zealous man, "that cannot be. How can yous talk so uncharitably to the man? Has he not been baptized already? He cannot be born once again now." Tin he not be built-in again? Do you lot affirm this? And then he cannot exist saved. Though he be as old as Nicodemus was, notwithstanding "except he be built-in over again, he cannot run across the kingdom of God." Therefore in saying, "He cannot be built-in once again," you in consequence deliver him over to damnation. And where lies the uncharitableness at present? — on my side, or on yours? I say, he may exist built-in once more, and so become an heir of conservancy. You say, "He cannot be born over again:" And if so, he must inevitably perish! So yous utterly block up his mode to salvation, and send him to hell, out of mere clemency!

Only mayhap the sinner himself, to whom in real clemency nosotros say, "You must be born over again," has been taught to say, "I defy your new doctrine; I demand non be built-in over again: I was born again when I was baptized. What! Would you have me deny my baptism?" I answer, First, There is zip under heaven which can alibi a lie; otherwise I should say to an open up sinner, If yous have been baptized, do non own it. For how highly does this aggravate your guilt! How volition information technology increase your damnation! Was you lot devoted to God at eight days one-time, and have you been all these years devoting yourself to the devil? Was you, even before you lot had the use of reason, consecrated to God the Father, the son, and the Holy Ghost? And have you, ever since yous had the apply of it, been flying in the face of God, and consecrating yourself to Satan? Does the abomination of desolation — the love of the word, pride, anger, lust, foolish desire, and a whole train of vile angel — stand where it ought non? Have you lot fix up all the accursed things in that soul which was once a temple of the Holy Ghost; gear up apart for an "habitation of God, through the Spirit;" yea, solemnly given up to him? And exercise you glory in this, that you once belonged to God? O be ashamed ! chroma ! hibernate yourself in the earth ! Never boast more of what ought to fill up y'all with confusion, to make you ashamed before God and man! I answer, Secondly, You have already denied your baptism; and that in the most effectual style. You have denied information technology a thousand and a k times; and you do so notwithstanding, day past day. For in your baptism you renounced the devil and all his works. Whenever, therefore, you give place to him once again, whenever you exercise any of the works of the devil, so you lot deny your baptism. Therefore you lot deny it by every willful sin; past every act of uncleanness, drunkenness, or revenge; by every obscene or profane word; by every oath that comes out of your mouth. Every fourth dimension you profane the day of the Lord, y'all thereby deny your baptism; yea, every fourth dimension y'all do any thing to another which you would not he should do to you. I respond, Thirdly, Be you baptized or unbaptized, "you must exist born again;" otherwise it is not possible you should be inwardly holy; and without inward equally well as outward holiness, you cannot be happy, fifty-fifty in this world, much less in the earth to come. Practice you say, "Nay, only I exercise no harm to any homo; I am honest and just in all my dealings; I do not curse, or take the Lord's proper name in vain; I do not profane the Lord'due south solar day; I am no drunk; I practice non slander my neighbour, nor live in any willful sin?" If this be and so, it were much to be wished that all men went equally far as you practice. Only you lot must go farther even so, or y'all cannot be saved: Even so, "you lot must exist born again." Do yous add, "I practice go farther yet; for I not only do no impairment, only do all the good I tin?" I doubtfulness that fact; I fearfulness you have had a thousand opportunities of doing practiced which you lot have suffered to pass by unimproved, and for which therefore you lot are accountable to God. Just if you had improved them all, if you really had done all the good you lot possibly could to all men, withal this does not at all modify the case; still, "you must be built-in once more." Without this nothing volition do whatever practiced to your poor, sinful, polluted soul. "Nay, merely I constantly nourish all the ordinances of God: I keep to my church and sacrament." It is well you practise: Just all this will non keep you lot from hell, except you be born again. Go to church twice a day; become to the Lord's table every week; say ever so many prayers in private; hear ever and then many expert sermons; read ever so many good books; yet, "you must be born again:" None of these things will stand in the place of the new nascency; no, nor whatsoever thing under heaven. Allow this therefore, if you have non already experienced this inward piece of work of God, be your continual prayer: "Lord, add this to all thy blessings, — let me exist born once more! Deny whatever thou pleasest, just deny non this; let me be 'born from above!' Take away whatsoever seemeth thee good, — reputation, fortune, friends, health, — simply give me this, to be born of the Spirit, to be received among the children of God! Let me exist built-in, 'not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever;' and then let be daily 'abound in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!'"