sense of the terms, be born again. "Nicodemus 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?"1

It is not at all necessary that we should suppose Nicodemus to have been so stupid as to apprehend our Lord's obviously figurative language literally, or so profane as to attempt to turn into ridicule the words of one whom he acknowledged to be a "teacher come from God." It was customary among the Jews, as has been already hinted, when a heathen proselyte was admitted into "the commonwealth of Israel," to term the change he underwent a new-birth. In Nicodemus' estimation he, and all Israelites, being the children of Abraham, were also "children of the kingdom." "The kingdom of heaven" was, in their reckoning, merely the more complete development of the theocratic system under which they already were; and he could not conceive what change was necessary to pass on them, to secure their sharing in its immunities and privileges. Had Jesus said, unless a Gentile be born again, "he cannot see the kingdom of heaven," this could have been understood. But the general declaration, "except a man," very probably so uttered as to convey the idea, except you, be born again (for it is plainly to this saying, and the equally indefinite one in the 7th verse, that our Lord refers, when he says, "marvel not that I said to thee" a councillor, a master in Israel, "ye" Jews "must be born again"), was so utterly incongruous with all his notions, that he in effect says, 'This new birth on the part of Jews, in order to their becoming participants of the honours and blessings of the Messiah's reign, seems to me as strange and incredible, and useless a thing, as a grown-up man being again born of his mother.'

Jesus repeated the statement, adding some circumstances fitted to lead Nicodemus into correct views with regard to the nature of that change which he had represented as

1 John iii. 4.

2

3

necessary for the enjoyment of the advantages of the Messiah's reign:-" 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. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind' bloweth where it listeth, 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 Spirit," 5-q. d., 'Strange as my statement may appear to you, it is indubitably true. The change I refer to is not one of external profession merely, but of inward character. Except a man not only make a profession of a change of mind, such as that made by those who submitted to John's baptism; but actually undergo that change of mind which is produced by the operation of the Holy Ghost, he cannot be a participant of the blessings of the Messiah's reign.' 6 b

6

human nature apart from first case it is, q. d., 'De

"That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." "Flesh" may here mean, 'human nature as depraved,' or supernatural influence.' In the praved man can have a son only in his own likeness. Man must become God's son to become fit for His holy kingdom.' In the second case it is, q. d., ' As the natural descendants of Abraham, you may be, you are, possessors of external privileges; but you must be spiritually born, that is, in your inward views and feelings you must be radically changed, in order to your being fitted to enjoy spiritual privileges.

1 Aqua denotat Baptismum Joannis in Christum Jesum, v. 23, 24.-BENGEL. 2 Crescit severitas. Non potest intrare nedum videre. Quod non natum est neque oculis, neque pedibus utitur.-BENGEL.

3 Caro vera, sed et caro mera, spiritus expers, spiritui adversa. —BENGel. Spiritus, proprie, nam huic non vento voluntas et vox est; et ex hoc nascimur, et qui ex hoc nascitur est, ut hic. Cum vento non immediate compararetur renatus, sed spiritus ipse.-BENGEL. 5 John iii. 5, 6.

6 From the fact that Jesus says nothing more of the water, but proceeds to explain the operations of the Spirit, it is plain that the former was merely a point of departure to lead to the latter.-NEANDER.

b See Note B.

1

The Jewish people are born of the flesh,-" of blood, of the will of the flesh, of the will of man," they are men, and may enjoy those external privileges, which it is competent for you as men to enjoy ; but the kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom, none but those who are spiritual can enjoy its privileges, and none can be spiritual without a thorough change being produced on their spiritual nature by "the Spirit," plainly the Spirit of God. This seems wonderful to you; but that is no reason why you should not believe it.'

The words that follow have been usually thus interpreted :—' You have had no experience of this spiritual change, and you have no distinct notion of how it is to be produced, or why it is necessary; but you never think of denying the existence of wind, which indeed proves itself by its effects, though it is invisible, and though its movements are regulated by laws over which you have no control, and of which you have little knowledge.'

This interpretation does not seem to be satisfactory, as it obliges us to give to the word which occurs so often in the passage, properly rendered "Spirit," an unusual sense, that of "wind." I am therefore inclined to keep to the ordinary sense of the word, Spirit, retaining the same meaning throughout, and to consider our Lord as saying, 'This spiritual new birth which you find it so difficult to understand and believe, has the common character of spiritual operations. For example, in inspiration (with which the Jews were familiar,) "The Spirit breathes where he pleases :" you do not know the reason or manner of his commencing, or the reason or manner of his terminating, his operations on the inspired person, but you observe its effects, "you hear his voice," you have the revelation. "Thus it is with every one born of the Spirit." It is not a comparison of the operation of the wind and that of the Spirit. It is not a com

1 John i. 13.

2

See Note C.

parison at all. It is a statement of a general law, and an assertion that the case referred to is an exemplification of it. The change is an internal spiritual change. It is the work of the Spirit, who, in this case, as usually, does not unfold the reason and manner of his operations, but manifests their effects. 1

Nicodemus, more and more perplexed, utterly incapable of reconciling these statements, as to complete internal change being necessary even on a Jew, in order to his being a sharer of the privileges of the Messiah's kingdom, with the notions he had from his infancy entertained respecting the design of the appearance of that long promised Prince, exclaimed, "How can these things be?" "And no wonder," as Neander says, "a dead, contracted, arrogant, scribe-theology, is always amazed at the mysteries of inward spiritual experience." Our Lord replied, " Art thou a master in Israel, and knowest not these things?"5

4

These words seem to imply, that if he had studied the Old Testament Scriptures he might have known, that an internal change was necessary for enjoying the blessings of the Messiah's kingdom. Had you understood those Scriptures, with the letter of which, as "a master in Israel," you are so familiar, you must have known that that kingdom is to be spiritual in its nature, and that no man with the carnal conceptions common among the Jews, can understand its nature or enjoy its blessings.' Our Lord probably refers to such passages as the following: "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you." "Behold, the days come, saith the

This is the view taken by Bengel and Schoettgen, among others. 2 John iii. 9.

3 "The teacher of Israel."-CAMPBELL.

Est emphasis in voce rara.--CALVIN.

5 John iii. 10.

Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah; not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts, and will be their God, and they shall be my people.” 1

Our Lord proceeded to assert the truth and importance of the statement he had made: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen, and 2 receive not our witness. ye "We" not improbably includes John the Baptist, whose doctrine of repentance or change of mind, is entirely coincident with our Lord's doctrine of the new birth. Our Lord thus gently, but powerfully, exposed Nicodemus' inconsistency, q. d., 'You say that you know that I am a teacher sent from God, and you admit John to be a prophet; and yet when we tell you what we know to be true, instead of readily receiving it, you doubt, and hesitate, and object, and cavil. You are come to inquire of me concerning the nature of the Messiah's kingdom, but how will you ever receive the truth respecting it, so widely different from what you as a Jew expect, when you discover so much backwardness to receive the doctrine comparatively level to your comprehension, that a great inward change, to be effected by the Spirit of God, is necessary to the enjoyment of its blessings, and indeed to the understanding of its nature?'

"If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I tell you of heavenly things?" 3 q.d., 'Your behaviour gives me little encouragement to go forward and unfold to you the truth about that kingdom of God, to inquire about which was the great purpose of your visit. For if you find so much difficulty in receiving what is comparatively an earthly thing, a doctrine respecting things level to ordinary apprehensions-the doctrine that carnal men-men occupied with sensible and present things, must 1 Ezek. xxxvi. 25-27. Jer. xxxi. 31-33. 2 John iii. 11. 3 John iii. 12.