CHAPTER II: Exposition of John 3:5
and conversion is it that must make Christians in this age, as in all the ages afore us. As take the whole generation of mankind, though mankind in one age hath grown up in stature, and in duration of years of life (as afore the flood), more than in another, and may be more civilised in manners, more raised in parts and abilities in one above another; yet the propagation of the race of men on earth is one and the same in all, by being born, begotten, formed in the womb, in all substantiate of being. If they be men they must be born. So in the church: of whatever progress in truths or holiness one age may excel in above another, yet if regeneration, the thing itself, and the doctrine of it, goes not on, the church is not increased, nor is there a multiplication of inhabitants of the other world.
CHAPTER II
That by spirit, John 3:5, is not meant the indwelling of the Spirit.—Nor that, in the new birth, the Holy Ghost produceth in us the same nature which himself hath.
That which is born of the Spirit is spirit.—JOHN 3:6.
You have here the thing begotten in us by the Spirit of God at the new birth, set forth in the whole and the general nature of it, expressing what is most sublime in it. It is spirit, which denotes the supremest kind of being. I say in the whole nature of it, that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. It is all, and the whole of it, spiritual, and this gives us a general nature common to all the parts of the new birth. All, and every grace, though diversified by the special objects they are exercised about, yet agree in this common and general nature that they are spirit, or spiritual graces. Sorrow for sin, and humiliation, is such a sight and sense of sin as is spiritual. And thus justifying faith is a spiritual faith in all the acts of it.
1. Let us inquire what is meant by spirit here, by considering what it is not.
(1.) It is not the communication of the Holy Spirit himself which is here meant, for though, indeed, he himself is given to us as the author of our regeneration, and though himself dwelleth in us immediately, and not by his graces only (as I have before proved), yet the giving of and the indwelling of the Holy Ghost in us, is in no wise to be termed our being born of the Spirit, nor is it anywhere in Scripture so styled. Our being born of the Spirit notes out an effect or work of the Spirit in us, as that which is born of another is, and as the conception of the human nature of Christ is said to be of the Holy
Ghost, Mat. 1:18, 19.
(2.) It is not the begetting of a nature or being, the same that the Spirit himself is of. It is not a communication of the Godhead to us, making us 'God of God' (as some have blasphemed), nor 'Spirit of Spirit'; in which sense Christ's Godhead is termed Spirit (Heb. 9:14), and 'very God of very God.' But this spiritual nature in us is not a spark of the divine nature struck or shot forth unto our souls. But it is, for the kind of it, a creature which is for ever distinct from the Deity, as the apostle severs them, Rom. 9:5, when he speaks of God as 'blessed for evermore.' And indeed the Godhead in the indivisible whole of it is eternal, Rom. 1:20, but this spirit, or spiritual nature (of which we are now speaking), is born in time, for it is produced after a man's having been first born flesh. And besides, it is not only styled a creature, but the new creature; and therefore if it were the divine nature, or God, there would be as many new gods as there are men regenerate.
2. We are now to consider what this spirit, which is born of the Spirit, is.
One way and a sure one is to conceive of it by the opposite to it, and which is set by it on purpose to explain it: 'That which is born of the flesh is flesh,' saith Christ.
Now, what is flesh in Scripture sense, as it is opposed unto the new creature? It is plainly not the substance of a man's nature, or any other substance a man is transformed into, but the corruption, the natural sinfulness and defilement of man's nature. And therefore 'the spirit,' or that which is born of the Spirit, is in its kind and proportion to be understood in like manner. I shall not name many places, but only one which is apposite: in Gal. 5:17, 'The flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so as you cannot do the things you would.' That by flesh here, he means not the essence or substance of man's nature, much less as created by God, is evident; because, in ver. 19–21, he says, 'The works of the flesh are manifest; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, wantonness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, and such like: whereof I tell you,' says he, 'that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.' What is meant therefore, is man's corrupt, degenerate nature: the 'old man' which is said to be 'corrupt through deceitful lusts,' Eph. 4:22. And as all men are born flesh, they are in the flesh (Rom. 8:8) until born again.
Now together with this he represents the contrary principle of spirit in a regenerate man, whereof the one lusting after the spirit, the other after the contrary, even before the consent of man's will, they distract the will of a man, so as he 'cannot do what he would.' Now then hereby two inherent principles in a regenerate man's nature must necessarily be denoted.
(1.) For as the flesh (which all acknowledge to be man's nature by birth) 'lusts against the spirit;' so the spirit is in like manner said to 'lust against the flesh.' And this naturally, for it is before a consent of the will one way or other, as well as after such consent. Now to lust
(one way or other) is the proper and immediate product of the inward inclinations of a man's heart and nature. And from these principles, as inherent in our nature, each of these lustings draw the will several, yea, contrary ways. They work a contrariety of will in us also: 'You cannot do what you would.' And therefore spirit must be
understood to be a principle in man's nature, as well as flesh or corruption is.
Neither must it be said that the Holy Ghost is that spirit that lusts in us, in the like manner as the flesh doth lust against the spirit. He may be said to work in us indeed this lusting against the flesh, as he is said to make intercession for us in stirring up groans in us, &c., Rom.
8:27, yet so as we are said to groan and pray. So here to lust against the flesh is our act, and not the Holy Ghost's; and therefore is from a principle opposite to flesh in our souls, and inherent in us as flesh is, and so made a contrary nature in us unto that flesh.
(2.) These two are said to be contrary, and therefore are as two contrary qualities' in man's nature. For qualities only, not substances, are contrary. And if then flesh be such that lusts after evil, then spirit is also such that lusteth after good. These are as heat and cold, sickness and health, in the same subject, stirring and acting one against the other.
(3.) They are to this purpose compared unto two roots or seminal principles seated in the soul, producing contrary effects and fruits.
For he says, ver. 22, 'But the fruit of the Spirit' (mark that allusion) 'is love, peace, joy, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance;' whenas he says on the contrary, 'The works of the flesh,' the fruits of the flesh, 'are envyings, murders, wrath, strife,' &c. And this place alone is sufficient to confute those that would have the Holy Ghost's indwelling only, without his working, an inherent root or principle of grace, by which all acts of holiness should become properly ours subjectively, as well as his sufficiently,* as he alone acteth that grace in us to bring forth every good work.
Obj. Those of the forementioned high-flown persuasion will interpose here, that flesh in Scripture is put for the whole of man's nature, substance, and excellencies of any kind; yea, and the whole creation is denominated flesh, and so even man's pure nature, as it was at first created in Adam, and all the glories of it are termed flesh.
He was a fleshly, earthly man. And therefore not only corrupt nature, but all those holy qualities created in Adam at first, or that is of the like created nature or rank, though never so excellent above them, are here to be understood by spirit. For else that which you call spirit
(say they) is still indeed but flesh, as the whole creation, whether new or old, is to be accounted.
I thus answer the objection.
Ans. 1. Be it so, that flesh imports in some scriptures all created excellencies in their utmost perfection; yet in this text, and multitudes of others throughout the New Testament, it is taken not in that general notion, but strictly for the degeneration of man's nature by the fall, conveyed by generation fleshly; out of which, if man's nature be not restored by a new birth spiritual, he is eternally lost. Well then in this place, and the other places now cited, flesh is strictly taken for that corruption of man's nature, and spirit likewise oppositely for the principle restored in it, contrary thereunto. For it is that flesh that is destroyed by this spirit, as it is contrary.
Ans. 2. It is true that the best and highest excellencies of Adam's nature were but flesh, taken as compared with the nature of God himself. I can give you scriptures that even the human nature of Christ, which was the glory, the head, the sum of the whole creation, old and new, is but flesh, with all its prerogatives; yea, and profits nothing, as in opposition to the Godhead in him. What else is the meaning of John 6:63, 'The flesh profiteth nothing, it is the Spirit that quickeneth'? And further, that in respect of glorying in God's presence, all the grace in a renewed man, termed spirit here, is but flesh in that respect, and comes within the compass of that saying, 1
Cor. 1:29, 'That no flesh should glory in his presence.' For when he adds, 'For of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who is made wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, redemption,' he there instancing not only in all the glorious graces that are wrought in us, as wisdom and sanctification, but also all the benefits bestowed upon us, as justification and the glory of heaven itself, expressed by redemption,
he doth thereby plainly call all these flesh, as in themselves considered, and as they are excellencies for us to glory in; the glory of which God hath in that respect robbed them of and deflowered, forasmuch as God hath made Christ all these to us, which otherwise in themselves would be but flesh in us, as the old creation at first was. And God doth this that so we might in all these glory in the Lord only, and not so much in them thus given us.
Our souls, by Christ's restauration of them, do remain created substances still. He doth not transubstantiate them into the being of the divine nature. And when it is said, 'He brings things that are unto nought,' or nothing, his meaning is not that God destroys them in respect of their being or existence; they must have that still. For if by flesh were meant all that is created by God, differing from himself, then the substance of the soul, yea, the whole of the man, would be destroyed by grace, so there would be no subject left capable of having this spirit begotten in it; no, nor would salvation be the salvation of our souls. If they say there is some new thing created in the room thereof, which they would call spirit, yet still concerning that new thing I ask (1.), Either it is a creature made by God, and distinct from him, and then I urge upon them it is flesh, even as well as the former soul; for in comparison unto God, so it is, and still within the same sphere and rank of beings that are created. Or (2.) it is God and the Godhead. If that be their meaning, let them but say so; but then I will not argue it, but rend my garments. And the truth is, they can mean no other thing, if they will speak otherwise, of these things than we do.
Ans. 3. The third answer to the objection made is this. I grant that this new spirit, begotten of the Spirit, is of a more divine temper, genius, and aspirement than the image of God in Adam was, which though holy, yet but in a natural way; in knowing God in and by the creatures, and by the covenant of works, and so only according unto what is naturally due unto a creature reasonable, as he first falls out of the hands of his maker. And I should not only grant that this new divine nature, born of the Spirit, is supernatural, in comparison to
corrupt nature and the dispositions thereof, but also in comparison of pure nature. Insomuch as Adam was but an earthly, natural man, comparatively to that which is born of the Spirit, which is the image of the heavenly, and is ordained in the end to see God in himself, and will be raised up thereto; and at present hath such a way of knowing and enjoying God, and such objects spiritual suited to it, as Adam's state was not capable of. Now therefore, although all the old and new creation are flesh to God, as was said, yet the new being of our highest aspirement may be termed spirit in comparison of its fellowcreatures; and so this new creature, in regeneration wrought, may perhaps be styled, in comparison of Adam's image.
The use of all in brief is this, that men should take heed of being seduced and drawn into opinions, under the pretence and allurement of still more spiritualness, and spiritualising still all that the Scripture says, or can be said of true spiritualness, till they lose all spiritualness. It may be truly said that many that seemed to begin soberly in the Spirit, whilst they have affected to go still a note higher than the gospel allots unto the creature, as the portion of it, intruding into things they have not seen, they have in the end come round, and ended in the flesh, even where they were before they did begin. You must not think to spiritualise the soul of man beyond what can consist with its being a creature, and beyond what, in a lower rank of union with God, than Christ hath, it can bear. The nature of things must not be destroyed, God must alone be God, and that eternal
Spirit. The soul must be the soul, enjoying God as such, remaining distinct from him; then attribute what spiritualness you can, lower than what Christ and the eternal Spirit is said to have, as being God, and the Son of God. And also withal stay but a while to have that addition of grace and glory, which our doctrine gives and proclaims to spirits made perfect in heaven, where God is all in all; and yet still he and the creature are distinct, though the glorified creature enjoys a fulness and immediateness of knowledge in him, as in himself, face to face, and in a love raised up and proportioned thereto. These distances being kept, let men urge what spiritualness they can, and our doctrine will rise as high as they can do; yea (which is the glory of