John i. 13. Which toere born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
IT is obvious, that there is at this day, even as there was in the days of Christ himself, a most essen- tial difference between persons enjoying the same privileges and making the same professions. All the Jews professed themselves to be the people of the Lord ; and Christ came to them, as bearing that relation to him. But they did not all receive him. The great majority of the Jewish nation rejected him : as it is said, " He came unto his own, and his own received him not : but to as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even
to them that believed on his name." Now, whence arose the difference between those widely-different persons ? or from whence arises a similar difference amongst ourselves ? The answer is given us in the words of my text : from whence I shall take occasion to shew,
I. To whom Believers are indebted for all that they possess —
This is marked with very peculiar precision :
It is not from any creature whatever that they receive one spiritual blessing —
[It is " not from blood," or from natm-al descent, that they obtain any thing. Ishmael was as much the child of Abraham as Isaac was ; and Esau was the son of Isaac as much as Jacob : but their descent from holy parents was of no avail to transmit to them the grace of God. So, in after-ages, we are told, that " all were not Israel who were of Israel ; neither because all were the seed of Abraham were they all children ; that is, they who were the children of the flesh were not therefore the children of God ; the children of promise alone being counted for the seed a." So neither at this day does holiness flow in the blood of any person ; nor can we become the Lord's people by virtue of our descent from the holiest of men.
" Nor is it of the will of the flesh," or by virtue of any power inherent in us, that we are made the Lord's people. All are equally " dead in trespasses and sins;" " nor can any man quicken his own soul."
" Nor is it of the will of man," or by any efforts of our friends, that we are made holy. We may adopt any person, whom we will, into our own family ; but we cannot bring him into the family of God. Samuel, David, Hezekiah, would never have left their own children to perish, if they could, by any efforts of their own, have saved them : nor would Paul, who " had continual heaviness and sorrow in his heart for his brethren's sake," have failed to communicate to them effectual aid, if he had had it at his own disposal.]
It is " of God alone" that any true Believer " is born"—
[" From God alone comes every good and perfect giftV If saving grace be imparted to any of us, it is owing to the exercise of his sovereign will, and the operation of his effectual grace. To this the whole Scriptures bear witness. " Of his
a Rom. ix. 7, 8. i> Jam. i. 17.