Wesley Corpus

It pollutes the whole man, and renders him as an ‘unclean thing’ in the sight of God. When, therefore, the Spirit of God removes this, he is said to “create a clean heart, to “purify the heart, to ‘sprinkle clean water upon us, to wash us ‘from our ‘filthiness.’ And this cleansing efficacy is in the text expressed by being ‘born of water and of the Spirit.” “When, therefore, our Lord speaks of being ‘born of the Spirit, his plain meaning is, there is a spiritual cleansing you must partake of, mentioned in those promises: ‘I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean; from all your filthiness and from all your idols will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you. And I will take away the stony heart, and I will give you a heart of flesh.” These promises give us a plain description of the Spirit's regenerating work; without experiencing which, our state is miserable now, and will be much more so hereafter. “II. For this spiritual renovation of the soul is indispens ably necessary. Without it none can ‘enter the kingdom of heaven, either the kingdom of grace or of glory. “1. ‘Except a man be born of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of grace; he cannot be a loyal subject of Jesus Christ. By nature we are subjects of Satan; and such we must remain, unless renewing grace ‘translate us into the kingdom of God’s dear Son.” “2. Consequently, ‘except we are born again, we cannot “enter into the kingdom of glory. Indeed, supposing he could be admitted there, what could an unregenerate sinner do in heaven? He could not possibly have any relish either for the business, the company, or the enjoyments of that world. “III. Our Lord, having asserted the absolute necessity of the new birth, to show the ground of this necessity, adds, ‘That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” Here observe,-- “l. Our Lord opposes ‘flesh” and ‘spirit” to each other; which opposition we often meet with. Whatever, therefore, is meant by these two, they denote things opposite. “2. He speaks here of two several births, which are dis tinctly mentioned. “3.