by whom he has been quickened from a death in trespasses and sins, and been made a partaker of a new principle of life, whereby he is enabled to live to God. This new principle is distinct from any thing which man, by any powers of his own, can acquire, and from any thing which can by any means be derived from man. It is a sovereign gift of God, as much as the natural life is : and they who have received it, are said to have " been born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." They who have expe- rienced this heavenly birth, have the Spirit of God dwelling and abiding in them ; enlightening their minds, directing their steps, sanctifying their hearts, and " fulfilling in them all the good pleasure of their God" ]
2. The truth of this assumption —
[It is taken for granted by the Apostle, as an unques- tionable truth, that every real Christian " lives in, and by, the Spirit." And well may this be taken for granted ; since the Spirit of God is to the soul of man, what the soul itself is to the body. Without the soul, the body is dead ; and the body, when bereft of it, is no more a man, but a mere corpse. So the soul without the Spirit of God is dead ; and the person destitute of the Spirit, is not a Christian, but a mere man, like any heathen man. This is expressly asserted by the Apostle Paul : " If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of hish." To the same effect, also, our blessed Lord most solemnly affirms, " Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of Godc." The point, then, is clear and indis- putable : a Christian is one who is born of the Spirit, and who lives under the Spirit's influence : and if any person would estimate his own character aright, he must inquire into these two points. It is not sufficient that he has been baptized into the faith of Christ, or that he gives a speculative assent to all the truths of Christianity; he must possess a principle which none but God can give him, and which regulates all his views, desires, and pursuits. I pray you, brethren, before you go any further, examine yourselves in relation to this matter : for I must declare to you before God, that if Jesus Christ dwell not in you in this manner, you are not Christians, but mere baptized heathens : and so unquestionable is this truth, that St. Paul makes it a matter of appeal, to be decided by your ownselves : " Know ye not your ownselves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates'1?"]
Answerable to this high character are,
b Rom. viii. 9. c John iii. 3, 5. (1 2 Cor. xiii. 5.