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Chapter Verfe opinion; and fo, I believe, are most men in

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this age, who examine their Sacred Hiftory.) 18 No man bath feen God at any time; the only 'begotten Son which is in the bofom of the Father, he hath declared him. If no man hath feen God at any time-what dependance have we upon the Sacred Hiftory of the Jews? Vide Exodus ch. xxiv. Exodus ch. xxxiii, v. 11. • Numbers ch. xii, v. 8. And Joshua ch. xxxiv, V. IC. And if Jefus was God, as he is faid to be in the firft verfe, God certainly hath been feen by many men, many times.' Leaving, for the prefent, this extraordinary introduction, we proceed to other matter in St. John's Gofpel, not 1 yet noticed. The third chapter introduces Nicodemus, a Pharifee, and a ruler of the Jews, 2 coming to Jefus by night, and faying-Rabbi, < we know that thou art a teacher come from 'God: for no man can do these miracles that thou 'doft, except God be with him. (By the by, John had recorded but one miracle at that time, the changing of water into wine, a tempting

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one undoubtedly it was; and much profit might have been derived from the fecret if Ni'codemus could have got at it) Jefus faid unto ' him-Except a man be born again, he cannot 4 'fee the Kingdom of God. Nicodemus asked 'how a man could be born again when old, and adds--Can he enter a fecond time into his mother's womb and be born? Jefus in reply fays

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-Except a man be born of water and of the iii. fpirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of 'God. That which is born of the flesh, is flesh;

and that which is born of the fpirit, is fpirit, • To illustrate this, he adds-The wind bloweth

where it lifteth, and thou heareft the found · thereof, but canft not tell whence it cometh

and whether it goeth: fo is every one that is 'born of the Spirit. This explanation I as little • understand as did Nicodemus who asked* How can these things be? Jefus faid-art thou a mafter of Ifrael, and knoweft not these things?' How fhould he? Nothing of this fort had ever been taught in Ifracl, and now it was taught, it was in a way that could not be understood. He added that he spoke what he knew and had feen, and afks If I have told you earthly things and ye believe not; how fhall ye believe if I tell you of heavenly things? (What earthly things had Nicodemus been told, which he believed

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not?) And no man hath afcended up into Heaven, but he that came down from Heaven, even the Son of Man which is in Heaven.' I believe it would puzzle a convocation to give this verfe even the fhadow of common fenfe; or confiftency to the tranfaction alluded to in the verfe which follows it. If no man had afcended into Heaven, himself only excepted, the Sacred Hiftory of the Jews, from whence fo many quotations are made by the evangelifts, contain untruths. They tell us plainly that Elijah afcended alive to

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Chapter Verfe Heaven; and, by implication, that Enoch did the fame. The laft is confirmed by St. Paul in his Epiftle to the Hebrews ch. xi. but when had Jefus afcended to Heaven? and how was he in Heaven at the time he was fpeaking upon earth to Nicodemus? are queftions afked by common fenfe how they can be answered fatisfactorily, 14 I know not. Jefus continued- And as Mofes lifted up the ferpent in the wildernefs, even fo 15 muft the Son of Man be lifted up: that whofoever believeth in him fhould not perifh, but have everlasting life.' Nicodemus-a ruler of the Jews-a mafter of Ifrael, undoubtedly was acquainted with the ftory of the brazen ferpent, made and erected by Mofes in obedience to the commands of God, that upon this brazen ferpent, the Ifraelites who had been bitten by living fiery ferpents were to look up and thereby preferve themselves under a difafter in which much people of Ifrael died. Numbers ch. xxi, v. 6. This furely was a very extraordinary method of reftraining the Ifraelites from the henious fin of Idolatry. A fin for which they had often been feverely punished: but fuch was their propenfity to this crime, that no threats, no promises, no punishments, could prevent their commiting it. We find, and we do not wonder at it, that they preferved this brazen ferpent, and burnt incense to it many years. Vide 2 Kings ch. xviii. Nicodemus unquestionably was acquainted with this ftory; but how was he to apply it as a fimile

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or illuftration of what had been advanced; unlefs Chapter Verfe he had likewife been acquainted with the manner in which Jefus was to die? and even had he been fo informed, I am inclined to think he would, from the comparison, have made a false inferrence. The remainder of this lecture is not very intelligent to me; and I fufpect Nicodemus profited little by the whole, as we hear very little more of him during the life of Jefus. In the fifth chapter John records a curiofity fo remarkable that even had there been no attendant miracle we must think the other three ftrangely negligent in omitting it. A pool in Jerufalem, near the Sheep Market, the waters of which, at certain seasons, were troubled by the descent of an angel. Whoever ftepped first into the water after this troubling, was healed whatever were his difeafes. Near this pool, were five porches, in which lay many miferables watching the critical minute. One of them, who had been diseased thirty eight years, and whom Jefus knew to have been a long time in that condition, was afked by Jefus-- Wilt thou be made whole? The man v. anfwered-That he had no friend to put him into the pool when the waters were troubled; and before he could accomplish it himself, fome other stepped in before him: upon which Jefus faid to him-Rife, take up thy bed and walk' this he did immediately; but being the Sabbath-day he was queftioned for it by the Jews;

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Chapter Verfe he tells them that he was commanded fo to do,

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by the person who had made him whole, but who that was he knew not. However he foon after, in the temple, difcovered that it was Jefus and immediately informed the Jews, who in confequence taxed Jefus with having broken the Sab18 bath. What he fays in reply, exasperates them the more; and it is faid they fought to kill him. He however continues a long declaration concerning his Father and himself not very intelligent to me, nor doth it appear that it made any good impreffion upon the minds of thofe to whom it was addreffed. What could they think of him, if in this very address, where he is afferting the truth of his own fupernatural power and authority, he said to them- If I bear witnefs of myfelf,

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my witness is not true? In the eighth chapter, the Pharifees to whom he was declaring himself 13 in the fame manner faid to him- Thou beareft record of thyfelf: thy record is not true. Jefus 14 here fays-Though I bear record of myself, yet record is true. He reminds them that their law fays-The teftimony of two men is true, and adds-I am one that bear witness of myself ; ' and the Father that fent me, beareth witnefs of me.' They very naturally asked- Where is thy Father?' And received this evasive answer

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Ye neither know me, nor my Father; if

ye had known me, ye fhould have known the Father alfo.' He faid to them- If ye believe

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