JOHN 3. 8.
OUr Saviour in these words doth further clear the Mystery of Regeneration unto Nicodemus, that so at last the scales may fall from his eyes; because this spiritual nativity was not visible, as that of the body is, Nicodemus would not believe any such thing. Now our Saviour instanceth in a very fit similitude. The wind bloweth where it listeth, thou hearest the sound of it, but thou seest it not with thy eyes, neither art thou able to tell from whence it cometh: So that this speech of our Saviour doth denote the difficulty of understanding this spiritual birth, not onely to the corrupt understanding, but also to the renewed: for this in the Text ariseth not from the imbecillity of the power or faculty to perceive, but the subtile and pure nature of the object to be understood: It is therefore the intent of our Saviour to expresse this spiritual birth, by a plain similitude. Some there are that take the greek word […], for the spirit of God: upon this rule, wheresoever it is with the greek article, there the spirit of God is understood; but that is not universal, & then it would be most improper: for it could be no illustration to manifest a thing by it self, which our Saviour should do if we take it so. Maldonate takes spirit, or breath, for the soul of a man, and makes the sense thus; As we do not know the nature of the soul, how it is infused, whence it cometh, or, whither it goeth, only we perceive the strong operations of it; so it is in the work of Grace. But there is no just reason to recede from our Translation in making it to signifie the wind, and so every thing will excellently agree.
First, The Air is necessary, so that there is no living, or breathing without it: This work of Gods Spirit, is wholly necessary for this new birth.
Secondly, Thou hearest the voice of this onely, but thou seest not the winde it self: so the godly hear the voice of Gods spirit speaking to them to live, and as to Lazarus, to come forth out of the grave; so do the Children of God.
Thirdly, As we cannot tell the begining of the winds, for although the Philosophers dispute much, some making it the flux of the Air, others exhalations from the earth, yet there is no certainty; so it is in this work of grace. The world seeth men by the word of God new changed, new enlivened; they wonder and admire to see this alteration: men are divided in their thoughts about it: some say, they are of God, others of the divel, even as they differed in their thoughts about Christ.
And then here is the liberty of Gods Spirit in Regenerating, He bloweth where he list: To whom he will he manifests himself, so that all is to be ascribed to the power of Gods spirit, not to mans ability.
Obs. Obs. The work and Grace of Regeneration, is rather felt and perceived by him that hath it, then that which can be expressed, or made known to a mans self or others, it being a wonderful hidden, and secret life.
The wind we feel and perceive in the motions of it; but the Originals of it, we are not able exactly to describe: so it is in this great work: What the wiseman speaks about the framing of the child, We are not able to describe how the bones, and all other parts of the infant are composed, Eccles. 11. 5. which made David say, He was fearfully, and wonderfully made. The like doth God do about our new birth, We are fearfully and wonderfully made again; so that the difficulty to perceive aright of this work, may arise partly from that corruption which is inbred in every one, and partly the unsearchablenesse of the thing it self; and to this latter Christ relateth: so that he onely who hath the inward power of it upon his own soul, can best discern of it: and we may say of this grace, as well as that of the Gospel, Eye hath not seen, or ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, to conceive what the work of God is herein.
For the better discovery of this, consider these things.1
First, That the understanding of a man is not onely corrupted with sin, but naturally weakned, so that it is not able to finde out natural truths, much less supernatural. The forms of things are hidden to us: Vitrum lambimus, pultem non attingimus; the fire, the water, a stone, none can have essential definitions of them: we cannot tell wherein the form or essence almost of any thing consists, onely we describe things by their effects, properties, and common accidents, and we have but the shell, not the kernel. If then the work of God in nature be so abstruse to us, and we know not what to say of it, How much rather the work of God in Grace? Basil saith, Divers questions may be made about a very fly, which no Philosopher is ever able to answer, How much rather then in the hidden operations of Gods spirit? So that although it was Nicodemus his sin, that he did not know, or believe the necessity of this new birth, yet it was a natural impotency, rather then a moral, that he could not tell how this wind did blow upon him.