The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1912-02-21
Eye MUST BE BORN AGAIN"
Text Of Sermon the New Birth, Preached by Rev
w. H. Selleck at the First Methodist Episcopal
Church, Sunday, February IL.

Join o. Io must NC noi l.
again"
These are the words of Jesus to
Nicodemus, jewish rabbi schol-
arly, moral churchman, a good ex-
ample Of religious development un-
der the most favorable circumstances
He came to Jesus by night that he
might quietly interview this new
Teacher come from God" He COM
menced talking in roundabout man.
ner complimenting him by saying
I'VE know, we learned doctors of the
law, that your works show you as
being more than man, hence we are
inclined to think you are rabbi like
ourselves, a teacher come from Cod
Jesus without delay showed him his
ignorance of spiritual things by his
declaration that what Nicodemus
needed, what the world needed, was
not another teacher, but life-giver
All the schools could do, in the Gull
ture of thought, the development OF
the emotional or aesthetic nature, all
that good morals and refinem ent
could do would not produce spiritual
life. Except you be born again you
cannot see the kingdom of God
"Nicodemus, you are an upright,
amiable, cultivated man, but you
cannot see, less enter. the kingdom of
God" You must be born once to
enter the world. You must be twice
born to enter the spiritual world.
That which is born of the flesh is
flesh, that which is born of the spirit
is spirit. Except a man be born OF
water and the spirit he cannot enter
the kingdom of God. Our subject
indicates two kingdoms; two heredi-
ties; two gates into the spiritual life.
to be born of water and of the spirit.
The Two Kingdoms
eye must be born again. because
there are two worlds, the natural anc
the spiritual, neither of which can
be entered without the mystery OF
birth 1t is imperative to have a nat
ural birth to enter the natural world;
it is equally imperative to have a Sec
ond birth to enter the spiritual world.
A spiritual kingdom requires spir'
itual man The spiritual man must
have a spiritual sight or he cannot
see spiritual things. Nicodemus WITH
real or feigned surprise said, now
can man be born when he is old;
can he enter his mothers womb and
b re-born?'' Jesus answered, mo,
sir; If a man had a hundred heshly
births, they would do him no good.
That which is born of the flesh is
flesh. and nothing more Nicodemus
said, chow can these things be-"
Note here the plain, unequivocal
statement of Jesus There is no way
of getting around this absolute re-
ouirement. Native endowment will
not do. Cultural or social advantages
will not obviate the necessity or d
spiritual birth or open the door into
the kingdom of heaven.
This may be illustrated in the
kingdom of nature. There are two
natural kingdoms on this globe en-
tirely different in character. They are
the real of air and the realm of wa
ter. Can the inha bitant of one OF
these realms pass to the other? Take
a bird or beast from the realm OF
air, and put him into the realm OF
water and death by drowning speed
ily ensues. Take fish from the
realm of water and introduce 1t into
the realm of air, and sunocauon
follows and it dies Immediately. Now
these realms are not more widely
separated from each other than the
world of the natural man and the
realm of the spiritual man.
To apply the illustration. Do you
know why a thoroughly worldly man
is ill at ease, even wretched. in a
fervent and spiritual prayer meeting
Because he has not the spiritual or
gans by which to apprehend spiritual
things He is like a fish out of wa
ter. He suffocates in the atmosphere
of faith and love and divine COM
munion.
Do you know why thoroughly
consecrated Christian is unhappy in a
ball room lat the theatre or card
party? Because he is like a bird in
water. He is out of his element
Everything must be adapted to its
environment, a gill for the water a
lung for the air. Therefore, Christ
requirement is sane and scientific
Put an unregenerate man into heaven
and he could not live there because
he could not breathe the air OF
heaven. He has not the organs that
are adapted to live the very life OF
God and holy saints. There the saints
rest not day nor night but cry con-
tinually, Holy. holy! holy! Lord God
Almighty What would an unre-
generate man do who will not bow
the knee to God, or speak his praise
here? He can do many excellent and
noble things here, but he cannot truly
pray or praise God. st. Paul plainly
declares g. Cor. 11:14) that the nat
ural may receive not the things OF
the spirit of God, for they are fool
ishness unto him, neither can He
know them, for they are spiritually
discerned. Separated from the saints
by a character wholly unlike theirs
in affections, tastes and feelings. en-
tirely different from them of thu
heavenly city, the natural man woul,
be only pitied for his misery Like
Lucifer quitting heaven, he woul(
eXclaim, I'VE lose nothing by leaving
heaven; we are the gamers. 1t il
hell here-all around is hell Mysel
am hell; farthest from God is bes
for me-" The unregenerate man i'm
| agines if he could go to heaven whel
he dies he would be happy but un
| less he is born again heaven would b.
the most undesirable place in tn
| universe There no plaHa wh ar