tions: I mean, the doctrine of our regeneration, or new birth in Christ Jesus. And to do it in order, I shall consider,

First, On what occasion, and to whom our blessed Lord, spoke the words of the text, "Except a man be born again, he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven." In the

Second place. I shall shew the absolute necessity of a new birth to enter into life eternal. And,

Thirdly, I shall conclude by pointing out the way to that regeneration, without which no man can see the kingdom of heaven. And may the Lord, who has promised to be with his servants to the end of the world, manifest his presence among us, and apply by his Spirit to all our hearts the important doctrine of the text which he taught himself in the days of his flesh.

And first, I am to consider on what occasion, and to whom our blessed Lord spoke of regeneration.

1. Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, and no doubt one of the best of them, having heard of the miracles of Jesus, concluded that he was no mere man, but a teacher sent from God: therefore he came by night to ask him some questions concerning the kingdom of God, which every sincere Jew expected at that time. Our Lord, knowing that he (as well as the rest of the nation) entertained wrong notions of his kingdom, which is wholly spiritual, began by assuring him that no one unconverted could see that kingdom:-much less enter into it-" Verily, verily I say unto thee, that, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

2. As if he had said, Be not mistaken, Nicodemus, my kingdom is not such as thou thinkest, nor can all men enter therein, since thou art yet unprepared for it thyself. Neither thy honesty, nor sobriety, nor all thy zeal for the religion of thy fathers, with thy great profession of all the external duties of it, can fit thee for the presence of God. If thou restest there, know that thy soul will remain in as thick darkness as that which surrounds a child yet unborn. For though thou enjoyest an animal life, as other creatures on earth, yet hast thou lost in Adam a spiritual life; the life of angels in thy soul; and thou must receive it again by a new and spiritual birth; or else thou shalt be as little capable of seeing and enjoying God, as a child unborn is to see and enjoy the light of the sun.

3. Though this doctrine of the new birth surprises every natural man, and seems foolishness to him, our blessed Lord did not first deliver it: Moses had said two thousand years before him, "The Lord your God shall circumcise," or so change "your heart, that you shall be enabled to love him with all your soul. The Lord will take away your heart of stone, and give you an heart of flesh." David had prayed, "Create in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me." Ezekiel had cried aloud to all the people of God, "Cast away from you all your transgressions, and make yourselves new hearts and new spirits, for why will ye die, O house of Israel?" As if he had said, "In vain do you boast of being the house of Israel, and God's chosen people; unless you get new hearts and new spir. its, you shall surely die."

4. These, and many more passages of the Old Testament, should make us think that no sincere Jew could be a stranger to the doctrine of the new birth. But as there are now many serious people who have a great form of religion, and notwithstanding know nothing of regeneration experimentally, supposing themselves to be of those just men who need no repentance, and consequently no spiritual change; so it was in the days of our Lord; and Nicodemus with all his profession of religion, zeal, morality, and desire of being instructed, was one of the number.

5. Accordingly, struck with amazement at the saying of our Lord, and mistaking quite the meaning of his words, "How can a man be born" (cried he) "when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" Our Lord told him, if a man could enter into his mother's womb and be born again, that would not help him, for he would still be sinful flesh, and of the same corrupted nature as that from which he was born. But to enter into his kingdom, which is spiritual, he must be born of water and of the Holy Ghost, he must have a spiritual birth, be begotten of incorruptible seed, and become an adopted son of God.

6. Then, to prevent all doubts of the absolute necessity of submitting to this doctrine, as if it were not enough to have affirmed it necessary twice, and to have enforced it by the solemn word indeed, indeed; lest any one, like Nicodemus, should question the truth of it, because he never experienced it, our Saviour added for the third time, (turning himself, no doubt, to all that were present) Ye must be born again. As if he had said, "What I say to Nicodemus, I say unto all, Except a man be born again, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."

7. Here the Jewish ruler, not daring to object any more to the truth of our Lord's doctrine, only expressed his wonder at hearing it. Our Lord, who (if we are sincere before him) always removes rather than punishes our stupidity in the things of God, would not discourage him; but, with an admirable patience endeavoured to make him understand the impossibility of explaining by what operation of God's grace a man is born again.

8. How short, and yet how powerful was his argument! "When the wind bloweth," saith he, "thou canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth. So is every one that is born of the Spirit." As if he had said, "How can one describe the

wind to him who has not felt or heard it? or how account whence it cometh? yet we know and feel there is such a thing as wind. So one that is born again, into whose soul the Lord has breathed the breath of spiritual life, knows that the Holy Ghost has dispelled the darkness of his soul, and made him pass from death unto life; he feels in his heart the happy change; he experiences that he is a child of God, because God has given him of his Spirit, and refreshes him with the spiritual breezes of his consolations. Though he is conscious of all this, yet he cannot reveal or describe it to another; nor can he make one whose eyes the Lord has not yet opened, see the kingdom and taste the happiness to which he is restored, because it is what no man knows but he that receiveth it: here every one must experience for himself."

9. This plain answer should have satisfied Nicodemus, but unbelief made him cry out again, "How can these things be?" Then did our Lord silence him. "What. (said he,) art thou a master in Israel, and knowest not these things? If I have told you of earthly things," of the wind which is earthly, and you are not able to comprehend or account for its blowing, how can you pretend to understand spiritual and heavenly things, which are past finding out. Thus did our Lord reprove the ignorance and incredulity of that master in Israel, who had not learned himself what he should have taught others long before: and at the same time gave him and us to understand that this mystery of the new birth is not to be defined or described, but felt, experienced, and enjoyed in the heart; and that every one who believes the word of God to be true, instead of inquiring, How can this be? must immediately beg of God to make him feel in his heart the want of a new birth; and then he will receive power to seek it with tears, prayer, and repentance, till he find it for himself. This was the case of Nicodemus: for notwithstanding the unwillingness he shewed at first to believe the doctrine of regeneration true, he was convinced by the words of our Lord: and we hear that he proved at last a bold confessor of Christ and his doctrine. Would to God we were as ready to imitate him in his faith as worldly Christians are ready to imitate his crying out, How can it be?

10. Having thus explained how and to whom our Saviour preached regeneration, I proceed now to shew the absolute necessity of a new birth. And in order to this, it seems that, in addressing Christians, it should be sufficient to say, that Christ has solemnly declared it necessary; for besides what he said to Nicodemus, he told his disciples that "unless they were converted, and became as little children, they could not enter into the kingdom of heaven," which was enforced atter his death by the Apostles, when they said, "Put on the new man which, after God, is created in righteousness and true holiness-and be ye renewed in the spirit of your minds; for in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision, but a new creature." And to add the last degree of evidence to these Scripture proofs, I could bring in the testimony of our Church, which declares in her Catechism, "A death unto sin, and a new birth unto righteousness necessary to salvation," and is so far from supposing, (as some would have it,) that we are all born again in baptism, that she directs us in her Collects to pray that God by "his Holy Spirit would create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we may obtain perfect remission of our sins." Whence it appears clearly, that she exhorts every baptized person to seek this renewal of the heart, and that no one can be a faithful member of Christ and the Church of England; who does not receive the doctrine of regeneration.

(To be concluded in the next.)

*

Biography.

For the Methodist Magazine.

MEMOIR OF REV. SAMUEL PARKER.

SAMUEL PARKER was a native of the state of New-Jersey, and born about the year 1774. His parents were pious and respectable. He was put to a trade young, and became a proficient in his business. At the age of fourteen, he was awakened under the preaching of the gospel; and soon after, forsaking the scenes of gay and fashionable dissipation, in which, owing to the suavity of his manners, the gentleness of his disposition, and his uncommonly fine voice in singing, he was a great favourite, he attached himself to the Methodist Society, then very generally held in contempt by the world. He became eminent for his devotion to God, and to the cause of piety. He continued to occupy a private station in the church for twelve years; not, however, without being often warned that a dispensation of the gospel was committed him, and that he must expect the Divine displeasure if he persisted in burying the talent entrusted to him for improvement. But such was his unaffected modesty, that it was long ere he could be prevailed upon to take upon himself the character of an ambassador for Christ.

At length, in the year 1800, he received license as a local preacher, in the Methodist Episcopal Church; and continued to sustain that relation, with usefulness, till the Conference of 1805, when, giving himself up to the work of the ministry, he became a travelling preacher. He was that year appointed to Hinkstone circuit-1806 Lexington circuit-1807 Limestone circuit-1808 Miami circuit. At the Conference for 1809, he graduated to Elder's orders, having stood his probation and used the office of a Deacon well, and was, the same year, appointed to preside in the Indiana district, at that time one of the most difficult and important stations in the Conference. Here he continued four years; and so mightily grew the word of God and prevailed, that it was found necessary to divide the district, and call more labourers to cultivate the extensive field that had been opened under his superintendence. Thus abundantly did he justify the confidence reposed in him, by the Superintendents. 1813 he rode the Deer-Creek circuit, and was blessed in his labours, and honoured by those to whom he ministered-1814 he was appointed presiding elder in the Miami district-1815 presiding elder in the Kentucky district; where he continued four years, blessing and being blessed in all his intercourse with mankind. During his presidency on this district, he was married to Oletha Tilton, who enjoyed his society long enough to be sensible, that there is no affliction incident to suffering humanity so exquisite as the loss of a companion, who united all the endearing qualities which nature and grace can combine in the character of a husband.

A situation of the greatest importance, in the Mississippi Conference, required to be provided for. The Superintendent felt the utmost solicitude on the subject. He saw in Brother Parker whatever he wished in the person to be selected: but there were great difficulties to be surmounted, and great privations to be endured. His health was very delicate: his wife must be torn from her friends and a comfortable home, to wander among strangers: the distance was great, and the country very unfavourable to health. Yet, when the Bishop intimated the demands which the Church had to make upon his labours and sufferings, he was ready, in the true spirit of St. Paul, to say, "I count not my life dear unto me, that I may finish my course with joy, and the ministry which I have received-I will go." He accordingly went. But, alas! the sanguine hopes of the Bishop, and of those in Mississippi who knew him, were rendered abortive by the state of his health. Nearly the only advantage resulting from his emigration to that country, was the lesson his example afforded, on the spirit and peace in which a Christian can suffer and die. He was in very ill health when he arrived at his place of destination, and continued gradually to decline, till some time in November, when his disease assumed so malignant a character, as to excite fearful apprehensions in his friends that they were soon to be deprived of him. At the time when the Conference met he was considered slightly amended, and hopes were entertained by some that he would