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events in life. There is as much mystery about
the physical birth as the spiritual birth, but
the fact of mystery ought to be no barrier in
this consideration. The process may be mysterious,
but the fact is very clear. What do you
know about life? What is it? Where does it
come from ? How did you get it ? How do you
define it? It is a great mystery. What do you
know about electricity t Mr. Edison, with all
his inventive genius, cannot tell you what it is.
He only knows what it is by what it does.
But it is mysterious from the beginning to the
end. Love,?how full of mystery; and yet how
real it is, the most real force in all God's universe.
Yes, regeneration is a mystery. It is
full of mystery. I cannot tell you all about
tne divine process of regeneration. Jesus
Christ did not attempt to tell Nicodemus. He
said, "Listen, do you hear the wind?" "Yes."
"Where does it come fromT Where is it going?"
All that Nicodemus could say was: "I
hear the sound; 1 know it by its effects; but as
to the process 1 cannot tell." "So is every
one that is born of the Spirit." My friends, do
not lose the heart of this subject because it is
wrapped in mystery. You are not concerned
in the process, but witii the fact. Let the fact
burn its way into your own thought and into
your own heart. Now this is what regeneration
is,?the implantation in the human life of
the divine life by the Spirit of God. There is
no other way. It cannot ?be dona (by the
Church, or by any organization or any system
of education or any system of legislation. The
power to regenerate comes from the Regenerate?the
Spirit of God.
Now if this is what it is, 1 go on to ask:?
111. WHY KEQ1LN ERATION IS NKCESSARY.
Why is this implantation or impartation of
the new life necessary? That it is necessary,
there can be no doubt. Note that Jesus used
the word "must" in stating the condition for.
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''Nicodeinus, you may be born again; it might
be a good thifig for you to be born from
above." No, it was not a matter of choice, it
was a divine necessity,?"You must be born
again." Now why was it necessary? Well, a
man must be born to live a physical life; you
cannot live without being born. Why should
you expect to live the spiritual life without
being born? You say it would be an absurdity
for a man to talk about living without birth.
Then it is an absurdity to talk about the spiritual
life without having a spiritual birth. The
necessity grows out of two facts:?
(1) The Nature of the Kingdom of ?od. It ia
a spiritual kingdom, and to enter the kingdom
there must be a spiritual birth, just as there
must be physical birth to enter the physical
kingdom. Now, the kingdom being spiritual,
this birth must be spiritual in order to enjoy
the fellowship of the kingdom. An unregenerated
man would find heaven hell. There
could be no severer punishment inflicted upon
an unregenerated man than to have him
by accident get into heaven. Some time ago
there pulled out of the harbor at Boston two
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v?uu< bivu |/ii/iuud, vuc naa a uuuua/-BCiiuui
picnic, the other a saloon keeper's picnic. By
mistake a saloon keeper got on board the Sunday-school
boat, and after it had gone out several
miles he waked to find himself surrounded
by strange people. He rushed to the captain
and said: have made an awful mistake.
I am on the wrong boat. I am a saloon
keeper. Won't you push back to the dock
and let me get on the other boat, f I will pay
you a hundred dollars if you will do it." "It
is impossible, sir. Now, you just stay here on
board this boat; the people are nice and will
PRESBYTERIAN OF \?HE S (
treat you kindly. They are generous aud they
are Christiana." "1 know they are kind and
generous and that they are Christians, hut,
captain, listen, they are not my . kind. Therefore,
1 shall be unhappy throughout the hours
of this day." The kingdom of God is composed
of a certain kind and that kind is deHrriliMil
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the reasou why the new birth is necessary to
enjoy the fellowship of the kingdom, "to see
the kingdom." y '
(2) The condition ?/ human nature. Do you
see what Jesus said to NicodemusY "Except
a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom
of God." Certainly not. You do not expect a
blind man to see anything because he has not
the organ of sight. He is no authority on color.
Y ou do not expect a deaf man to hear anything.
WhyY He does not have the organ of hearing.
He is no authority on sound. O, do you not see
the great truthf Let me state it differently:
"Except a man have eyes, he cannot see the
kingdom of colors." "Except a man have ears,
he cannot apprehend the kingdom of sound."
You say: Certainly; how foolish it would be
to think otherwise. O, my friends, J esus Christ
is trying to-night to say to this old sin-cursed,
suffering world, "Except a man be born again,
except he have the spiritual sight, he cannot
see the kingdom of God." One is as much a
necessity as the other. Now bv nature, bv cen
eration man does not have this sight, it comes
only through regeneration. Do not think this
doctrine is laid down arbitrarily. It is binding
on the living God as well as the sinner.
God Himself cannot get away from it. It grows
out of the very nature of His kingdom, and
out of the very condition of fallen man.
IV. CAN A MAN KNOW WHETHER HE IS REGENERATED
OB NOT?
May I know whether I have been born again ?
I do not want to leave you in the dark. 1 do
not want to send you from this place with any
worries or any anxieues. liod Help me to make
it clear to you to-night, that you may know
whether you have been born again or not.
1. Let me ask first how do you know that
you were born physically? How do I know
that some thirty odd years ago 1 was born over
in Ayrshire, Scotland? Well, 1 suppose if 1
went back into my father's old family Bible 1
might find a record there. I suppose 1 might
go back to the old kirk and find the record of
my baptism there. How do I know that 1 was
born thirty odd years ago? My present life
is evidence and that is enough. 1 have desires,
I have tastes, 1 have love, I live?and I am
conscious of my life. That is the best evidence
that the world could possibly ask. How do
1 know that 1 am born again? Life, spiritual
life, is the evidence of spiritual birth. As physical
life is the evidence of physical birth, spiritnol
i. -1 l:-il j
?uai >u? in wc cviucuuc ui apiniuai uirtxi; ana
where there is no life the birth cannot have
taken place. And where the birth has taken
place there is bound to be life.
2. Then I hear you say, "How can I tell that
1 have this spiritual life?" Well, all life acts
according to its nature. The bird soars and
sings, because it is a bird. The fish swims, because
it has a fish nature. The snake crawls,
because it is a snake. Man walks, acts, works,
and thinks, because he has a human nature.
Think of that for a moment. Here is a man
who has a sensual, devilish nature. He has
affinity for those things. Here is a man who
has a generous nature, he is philanthropically inclined.
He is always at the doors of the poor,
always finding the sick and unfortunate. He
is acting according to his nature. Here are the
men or women who have spiritual natures;
) U T H [ August 21, 1912
they are seeking those things above where
Christ is sitting on the right hand of God. All
life acts according to its nature. How do 1
know that 1 have an artistic nature f I see in
the setting of the sun those colors that speak
of the. eternal city. How do 1 know that 1
have a literary nature t Go into my library
and you find me surrounded with my Browning,
Tennyson, and Carlyle, and immediately
4 i mi ?
yuu say, mere is some amnity nere lor literature."
How do I know that I have a spiritual
nature? Young women, listen. You can tell
by the things for which you have affinity. Let
me test your nature to-night. Do you have an
affinity for Jesus Christ? Is He to you the
One "altogether lovely, and the fairest among
ten thousand?" Can you say, '"For me to
live is Christ, and to die is gain?" Can you
say, "It would break my heart and my days
would end in darkness and despair if Christ
should leave me?" Have you affinity for Jesus
Christ? Let me ask you: Do you love
truth, the truth as it is found here in the Word
of God? Do you love to pray? Does prayer
mean anything more to you than saying prayers?
Is it daily communion with One Whom
you cannot see, but One Whom nevertheless
you know and love? Have you an affinity for
His service? Do you love to serve? Are you
looking for the opportunities that come from
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u ixy tu uuy in your patn 01 duty, just-to say
a kind word, to lift burdens, to wipe away tears
by some song or some suggestion? How simple
it is! I wish that tonight you might know
that you have been born again. If you have,
you have this divine nature; you will have affinities
to-night for the things I have named,?
for Jesus Christ, for the Bible, for the Church,
for prayer, for Christian work, for the coming
of that kingdom that is the kingdom of Christ.
Some years ago the Bishop of London, passing
out of the city into the country, saw by
the roadside as he went a boy sitting and
holding in his hand a string. The boy was
eagerly watching something in the air, and
the great Bishop, one of God's princes, stop
ping, said, "What have you in your hand!"
"It is up there, sir," pointing upwards.
"Where? I cannot see it. Can you?" "No,
but 1 know it is there." "How do you know
it is there?" The little fellow looked up into
the eyes of the great man and said, "I know
it is there, sir, by the pull on the string." My
friends, you may know yoii have the divine
nature in you to-night by the "pull" on your
heartstrings, that "pull" which leads you to
seek "first the kingdom of God," which constrains
you to say, as you look up into the face
of Jesus Christ, "Take my life and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to Thee."
NORTHFIELD CORRESPONDENCE.
BY REV. T. H. IjAOY, RECTOR, ST. LUKE'S P. K.
CHURCH, BliACKSTONE, VA.
The sun is bending south. August has come
again. The summer solstice is passed. The
clans are gathering, and never did a McGregor,
a Cameron or a McPherson so surely
count on the men of his clan when his bugle
call had sounded through the rnekv wilds oi
his native highlands, than does this man of God,
upon whom has fallen the. mantel of his illustrious
and now sainted father, count on the
gathering of these hosts of Jehovah who come
from many of our forty-eight states, and from
many lands far across the seas, to bear their
testimony of love to Christ their Lord, R(:*
Redeemer and Saviour, and to wait and watch
and pray and renew their strength.
Right beautifully the opening service on the
night of August second was supplied with ?