Part 3 (1/2)
In our next, we shall notice the change we experience in this life, called in scripture the new birth, and explain the term, ”kingdom of G.o.d.”
SERMON IX
”Jesus answered and said unto him, verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of G.o.d.” John iii. 3.
In our last, we have shown, that the _spiritual_ birth bears some resemblance to a natural birth with which Jesus compared it--and as the _first_ introduces us into this world, so the _second_ will introduce us into the future and immortal world at the resurrection, where we shall be as the angels of G.o.d in heaven, and ”be the _children_ of G.o.d _being the children of the resurrection_.” There we shall be completely free from sin and pain. There the gus.h.i.+ng tear of sorrow shall cease to flow, and the brow of disconsolate humanity be ruffled no more.
We will now attend to the present effects that the truth of this birth has upon us here, and notice at the same the phrase, ”_kingdom of G.o.d_.”
The question now arises; do not some experience the new birth in this life? They do. But in what sense do they experience it? Ans. By _faith_. In this world we pa.s.s from death to life: not that we have actually been in the grave and brought to life beyond it; but the believer experiences this by faith. And _this faith_ has a most powerful and happifying influence on his affections, and consequently on his life and conduct. All, that G.o.d has revealed for the salvation of the world--our justification, our sanctification, our new birth, our heaven, our all--yes, all these important and heavenly changes are summed up, and embraced in our immortal resurrection, will actually take place through death; and while in this world we can embrace them, _only by faith_.
The scriptures declare that ”we walk by faith and, not by sight.” Paul says, ”the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of G.o.d, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Paul knew that he had eternal life given him in Christ, before the world began, and faith in that glorious truth produced a happiness--a divine life in his heart, called the kingdom of G.o.d within. Let us notice these several points.
1. First; ”Christ rose again for our justification.” Our justification then exists in our resurrection state, and will _there_ in all its reality take place. But cannot a man be justified _here_? Yes; he can be justified _through faith_ in that truth.
2. Second; ”By the which will, we are _sanctified_ through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Our _sanctification_ then, by the will of G.o.d, will take place through death. But cannot a man be _sanctified_ while _here_? Yes; he can be sanctified _through faith in that truth!_
3. Third; Christ was ”put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the spirit.” So in his resurrection he pa.s.sed from death to life, and thus revealed the truth that we shall also pa.s.s from death to life by the power of G.o.d, and be like him who is the ”first fruits.” But cannot a man pa.s.s from death to life while on earth? Yes; he can pa.s.s from death to life _through faith in that truth_. Jesus says--”He that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is pa.s.sed from death unto life.”
4. Fourth; our eternal life will be realized beyond death. ”The things that are not seen are spiritual and eternal.” But can we not enjoy it _here_? Yes; ”He that believeth on the Son _hath_ everlasting life;”-- that is, he enjoys it faith.
5. Fifth; Christ was the ”first born from the dead.” So we also shall pa.s.s the reality of the new birth by faith. But can we not enjoy it here? John says--”For whatsoever is born of G.o.d overcometh the world, and this is the victory that overcometh world _even our faith_.”
Thus it is evident that a man may in this life be _justified, sanctified_, pa.s.s from _death to life, may enjoy eternal life_, and be _born again_ through faith in _these several correspondent facts_. His faith, however, can make them no more _certain_; because they _must exist_, and be solemn and unalterable facts before he can be called upon to believe them. The truth of the above _five facts_, we perceive, are embraced in our resurrection. If we are not, in our resurrection, to be _justified, sanctified, born again_, and obtain eternal life, then we cannot be _justified, sanctified or born again here_ through faith in those truths;--because there would be no such truths in existence for us to exercise faith in. If the objector will not allow these facts unalterably to exist _previous_ to believing, what then will he call upon us to believe? Will he call upon us to believe that we have an eternal life in Christ when no such fact exists, and contend that our believing this lie will create the fact?
This would be the most ridiculous absurdity.
But the truth exists, and the believer by faith enjoys it before hand.
He enjoys it by antic.i.p.ation, not in _reality_. It can be brought to his understanding or experience no other way, only through the gospel medium of faith. I challenge the objector to show me between the lids of the new Testament, any regeneration, new birth, justification, or sanctification, that has already taken place in any other sense than through faith. All these things in their _reality_ are to take place in our resurrection, when we shall be like the angels of G.o.d and by faith we bring them present to our minds and enjoy them _here_. Dr.
Watts says--”Faith brings distant prospects home, Of things a thousand years ago, Or thousand years to come.” Paul, therefore, exhorts us to forget the things that are behind, and reach forward to those that are before--to press to the mark &c. because the reality--the object of our faith lies before us. But persons, who do not understand the operations of faith on the mind in view of its correspondent truth, and who honestly believe that the new birth has in reality already taken place with them, are always looking back to the time they were born again, and telling over their ”old experiences” Now this is right in them, if they have pa.s.sed through the _reality_; for every man ought to look to the substance in which he exercises faith and hope.
But certainly the scriptures exhort us to look forward, and anchor our faith and hope within the vail, where our forerunner hath for us entered. It is therefore certain that the reality exists there, and is yet to come. Such persons then, in looking back to their experience, are mistaking the birth produced by faith for the real birth itself.
This is just as unreasonable as it would be to suppose that the foretaste, we sometimes enjoy of immortal life, was that life itself.
It is true we at times enjoy a heaven on earth. But as it respects the kingdom of immortal glory, ”eye hath not seen, ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive the glory that shall be revealed in us.” The reality is therefore yet to come, and by faith we receive only an antepast of its joys.
From the above observation we infer that, the resurrection is the only gospel faith and hope of a future, happy conscious state of being.
When our minds are enlightened to see the mighty changes, that we mortals are represented, in the scriptures of truth, as destined to experience by being raised in a holy and deathless const.i.tution, we are then led to consider the resurrection of embracing all those realities that we are called upon by Jesus Christ and his apostles to embrace by faith and enjoy in this life. So great and sublime is the gift of G.o.d, and so far surpa.s.sing thought does it magnify the perfections of the divine character, and in so amiable a light does it manifest his love to the children of men, that a living faith in its reality cannot but obtain a salutary influence on our life and conversation. So much stress did the apostles lay upon its importance, that they went every where preaching the resurrection of the dead, as the gospel of Christ.
There is one point we will here notice. All denominations acknowledge that for any man _by faith_ to pa.s.s from death to life is a change for the better. If so, then the _reality_, namely to pa.s.s from the sleep of death to an immortal existence, must be a change for the better.
Because it is by believing that future reality we are said to have pa.s.sed from death to life here. The conclusion is unavoidable that the _reality_ must correspond with its antepast _by faith_. To understand this let us reverse it. Suppose it should be an established law in the nature and const.i.tution of things that all mankind should pa.s.s from death to immortal misery in the future world. Let this be revealed and proclaimed as an unchanging truth. As many as believed it would of course pa.s.s from death to immortal misery in _faith_, which would lead them to curse the being who made them, and destined them to this unhappy end. It would be a change for the worse.
Our subject is now so far plain (according to our views) that the phrase ”_kingdom of G.o.d_” will be readily understood. Though it has, by different writers, been made to bear many different significations, yet we shall take the liberty to contend that it simply means as follows--1. First an immortal existence beyond the grave brought to light by the resurrection of Christ;--and 2. Second a belief in _that reality_ is the kingdom of G.o.d we here enter and enjoy _by faith_.
Into this kingdom, infants, idiots and heathen and unbelievers do not enter, because faith is the only condition. This is the kingdom of heaven that men, blind leaders of the blind, shut up. They neither enter themselves, nor suffer those that would enter to go in. They keep the evidence of the reality out of sight so that men cannot look beyond the vail to its brighter glories and enjoy its peaceful reign in their hearts by faith. When faith is lost in certainty, _then_ this kingdom will be delivered up, and to know shall be life eternal. This definition we believe will hold good, and apply to any pa.s.sage in the New Testament where it may occur. Though some contend that it very seldom has reference to an immortal existence, yet we strenuously contend that there is no propriety in the phrase only in connexion with such an existence. We cannot enter or be born into the kingdom of G.o.d by faith, unless we admit the reality in the first place to have an existence, any more than we could, by faith, enjoy eternal life unless there is such a reality as eternal life beyond the grave. The above, the reader will please to fix in his mind.
We now perceive that man drops into the sleep of death, and that the resurrection, or new birth is his only hope of a future happy state of existence, and is the only change that can free him from imperfection, and sin, and make him a new creature in a new and immortal existence beyond the grave.
We will here introduce an example to make our argument so far plain.
Suppose you were now in ignorance respecting the doctrine of life and immortality through a resurrection. You know you must die, and sincerely think that death will terminate your existence forever. You see your children one after another laid upon their dying bed, and with distraction shake the farewell hand of eternal separation, and with the most solemn melancholy and wo, look forward to the period when you must follow them down to the chambers of eternal silence, and cease to be.
In this moment of dread solemnity and gloom, suppose some kind angel should appear at the bed-side of your expiring child, and kindly inquire, why are you troubled? You answer, because my children have fallen!--the last of my infant train lies panting for breath, and the dreadful hour has come when all those silken affections, that build our hearts love, must be rent a.s.sunder, and in the awful bosom of death, be extinguished forever!--Suppose your guardian angel smiling over the ruins of death, should point you far beyond these changing scenes, and with rapture exclaim, you shall meet this darling child again and commingle with your little fallen flock in glory! You and they and all mankind shall be born from the dead into the kingdom of G.o.d, and be new creatures free from sin and pain, and ”be the children of G.o.d being the children of the resurrection.” Jesus your Lord ”was the first born from the dead,” and you shall pa.s.s from death to life and live forever.