Wong meant the Elementary Water of Baptiſm ; rhe Words of our —_ directly contrary ro what they aflert ; for neither the '"wod ©
Was, Martyrs, nor the dehire and vow of receiving Bapriſm,are the Apts * Baptiſin, which they pretend is properly and literally named , Tvaviour, And cercanly, if, as the Apoſtle Peter inftrutts us,
Us tn L © » P - PRYTT I cleanſing of the fleſh in the Water of Baptiſt that ſa
aiul neglect, that condemneth. By Water, then we arc 16
S. ZOHAN.
underſtand the Grace of 13s boſy Spirit in purifying rhe Sor
fion of Water, :
on h;m that i thirſty, an floods upon the dry Ground. Ih. 44. 3. And this is imediately explain'd, I mall forr my Spirit 719 ty Seed ; and the Divine Birth follows, ther ſoa? fpreng np as ans 72 zraſi, In the ſame manner the effects of rhe Holy Sjrir are expreit by Ez:kiel, I will pour clean water upon you, and you ſhall be ciean, Exeh. 35. 25. 27. and preſently after, [ wii! put my Stiri: within yore Our Saviour initructing a Phariſee,to whom the p:ophetical wri:tn.'s were known, expreſly uſes theſe two words, and in ihe ſane order as they are ſer down there ; firſt, Water, and then the Spzir7, that t! e latrer might Interpret the former ; for Water and the Spirir, by ar aſual Figure when two Words are employed to iignitic the fame thing, fignitie ſpiritual Water, that is, his Divine Grace in renew- ing rhe Soul ; as when the Apoſtle ſays, iz demonſtration of thr Spi. rit and of the Power, to ſignifie the powerful Spirir, Thus F921 the Baptiit forerold of Chritt, That he ſhould Baptize with the Holy Gyoft and Fire, that is, with the Spirit, that has the force and effica- cy of Fire to refine us from our Drofs and Corruptions. Thus our: Saviour plainly inſtructs N:codemnus of the abſolute nece:liry of an inward ſpiritual Change and Renovation, and. thereby ſhewing the inefficacy of all the legal Waſhings and Sprinklings, thateould nor purifie and make white one Soul, which were of tigh valuation a- mong the Fews. Entring into the Kingdom of God, 1s of the ſame unportance, and ſenſe with the ſeeing the Kingdom of God, in tlic third verſe. That 18, without Regeneration no man can truly he joyned with the Society of the Church of God, nor partake of ch» Cceleſtial Priviledges and Benefits belonging to 1t, kere and hercatter.
G That which is Þorn of che fleſh o, is fleth p ; and that which is born of the Spirit, is ſpirit 4.
o That which was born of natural Fleſh ; for fleſh ſometimes fig- nifies rhe Man. So the Propher faith, 42 fleſh 5 graſi; fo Ger. 6. 12» Al fleſh, that is, all men had corrnpe-d their way, Or, thar which is born of corryption, from vitiated and corrupe:d Nature ; (fa fleſh is often raken in Scripture, Rom. 8. 4. 5. 8, c.) p s fl/#, chat is, it bringeth forth ettects proportionab!e ro the cauſe ; a man purely natural, brings forth natural Operations. Man,as man,n:oveth, and eateth, and drinkerh, and fleeperh. Corrupred man bt:ngs forth vitious and corrnpr Frait, which often are called the We-;s of the Fleſh, Gal. 5.19. Fleſh here Ggnifieth the whole Man,whether conf1Jer'd abſtractly from the adventitious corruption of his Nature, or as fallen in A4am,vitiated and debauched through Luſt, q Bur riar Man or Woman who is regenerated by the Spiric of Grace, is ſpiritual ; he 18 after the Spirit, Rom.$.5. he is one Spirze with God, 1Cor.6 17 he-1s made partaker of rhe Divine Nature, 2Pet. 1. 4. he doth not commit ſin. 1 Fohn 3. 9. Nothing in Operation exceedeth the vertue of that cauſe which influenceth it ; fo as no man from a meer natu- ral Principle, can perform a truly ſpiritual Operation ; and frem hence "tis abſolutely neceſſary rhat man mult be born of the Spirit, chat he may be qualifhed for the Kingdom of Heaven.
7 Marvel not that I ſaid unto thez, Ye muſt be born || again 7,
fidelity; and rhat which is the effect of Fairh. Our Saviour forbic's Nicodemus to marvel at the Doctrine of Regeneration, as ſtrange and incredible, upon an imaginary impeiſibiliry ſuppoſed by him of the thing it ſelf, Bur he thar believes, will judge that ſupernatural work of the Spirj., whereby a finful man is made a partaker of the Divine Nature, worthy of the highe!t Admiration. And what our 'Sayiour had ſaid in the general before, That a man muſt he horn again ; he now particularly applies ro N:icodemrs, with thoſe of |.is order, Te must be born again. For Ntcodemus would eafily conſent, that the Pagans, and poliibly the vulgar Fews had need of Regenera- tion, to partake of the Kingdom of God ; bur that the Doctors of the Law, (of which number himſclt was ) eſteemed the Lights of the World, ſhould be under the ſame neceflity,” was aſtoniſhing ro him. Therefore, our Saviour to undeceive and humble him, faith, 7+ mit be born again, for that all are defiled with the corruption that is univerſal to mankind.
it cometh, and whither it goeth r : that is born of the Spirit «.
{ The Word which is Tranſtated, 3/7, being the fame which both here, and ordinarily in Scriprure is Tranifated $parze, hath pi- ven Interpreters a great hberty to abound in their (cveral ſenſes. Sorne thinking that it ſhould be Tranſlated, The $p#r:e, tat is, the Spirir of a man breateth where ir liiteth ; and that our Saviours fenſe was, Nicodemus, thou needeſt not to wonder that thou canit nor wit thy ſenſes perceive the ſpiritual New Birth,for thou canſt not underitand the Natural Birth. Otbers think it (ho111d be Tranſlated, The Sprr:c, that is, the Spirit of God bloweth where it liſteth ; bur that feemeth not probable, becauſe of theſe words, So z5 every one chat y born of the Sprrit ; which will hardly be ſenſe if we underſtani) the fr:t part of the Verſe, concerning the fame Spiritz and ver. 12. Our Saviour faith, If 1 have told ye earchly thinss, and ye believe not, they ſeem therefore beſt 10 nederſtand ir, who Interpret it of a cer- rene Spirit, paticularly, the Wind which is of a ſpiritual nature ; and thus by their Tranſlation, it is apparent that our Interpreters underitood ir. So as, tho' our Saviour fpeaketh of the motions o: the Ble{ed Spirit ; yer he ſpeaketh of them by way of Compariſon,
SO 15 Every ons
comparing it to tne motion of the Wind, of which he ſad, That 27, bloweth where it liſteth; not that it is its own mover, and under no government of the firſt cauſe ; for rhe P/almF tells us, Pſal.148, $. That the ſtormy winds fulfi! Gods word ; nor is any ſuch thng con-