The arrogancy of reason against divine revelations, repressed

Having seen what Christ teacheth Nicodemus first, let us next see the success of his doctrine. Nicodemus fastening too much upon the Metaphorical term of being [born again,] and withal not understanding the meaning of it, nor the scope of Christ, he presently expresseth his ignorance and unbelief by this question, [How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mothers womb, and be born?] Hereupon Christ returning an Explicatory Answer, telling him not only the nature of the new birth, but also the mysteriousness of its causes in the effecting of it, and showing a plain reason from Natural Agents, Why the mysteriousness of this should not make it seem incredible; yet doth Nicodemus return a second Answer like the first [How can these things be?] Which words do import not an absolute unbelief of the truth of what Christ had said, but a great ignorance of his meaning, and a not discerning of that evidence fully, which should have caused full belief; but a strong apprehension of the improbability of the thing affirmed, and thereupon a great doubting of the truth of the affirmation.

Having seen what Christ teacheth Nicodemus first, let us next see the success of his doctrine. Nicodemus fastening too much upon the Metaphorical term of being [born again,] and withal not understanding the meaning of it, nor the scope of Christ, he presently expresseth his ignorance and unbelief by this question, [How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mothers womb, and be born?] Hereupon Christ returning an Explicatory Answer, telling him not onely the nature of the new birth, but also the mysteriousness of its causes in the effecting of it, and shewing a plain reason from Natural Agents, Why the mysteriousness of this should not make it seem incredible; yet doth Nicodemus return a second Answer like the first [How can these things be?] Which words do import not an absolute unbelief of the truth of what Christ had said, but a great ignorance of his meaning, and a not discerning of that evidence fully, which should have caused full belief; but a strong apprehension of the improbability of the thing affirmed, and thereupon a great doubting of the truth of the affirmation.

And note here the aggravations of Nicodemus his fault, first, They were the words of one that he himself confessed to be a teacher come from