The arrogancy of reason against divine revelations, repressed

Fifthly, Yet was this man a Ruler of the Jews, even one of the great Sanhedrin, and one reputed skilful in the Law; one that professed himself a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of Babes, which had the form of knowledge, and of the truth in the Law; one of those that boasted of God, and of the Law, Rom. 2. 17, 18, 19, 20. Yet he that should teach others, had not learnt these Rudiments himself.

Fifthly, Yet was this man a Ruler of the Jews, even one of the great Sanedrim, and one reputed skilful in the Law; one that professed himself a guide of the blinde, a light of them which are in darkness, an instructer of the foolish, a teacher of Babes, which had the form of knowledge, and of the truth in the Law; one of those that boasted of God, and of the Law, Rom. 2. 17, 18, 19, 20. Yet he that should teach others, had not learnt these Rudiments himself.

Sixthly, And when Christ used a familiar instance, to show him that things are not therefore incredible, because invisible, or because we know not the nature, cause, and end of them. We may know that it is, when we cannot know what is it, or whence, or why it is, or whether it tends, as in the blowing of the wind is evident; yet doth not Nicodemus cease his doubting, on this account, but asketh, [How can these things be?] the spirituality, and mysteriousness of the thing, made it seem improbable to his uninformed intellect; and the seeming improbability made him doubt of the verity. Because it was past his apprehension to conceive, how it should be, therefore he doubted, whether it were true, or not: He had not so much rational consciousness of his own ignorance, or so much confidence in a Teacher sent from God, and sealing his Doctrine by Miracles, as to acquiesce as a Learner in his Teachers credit, concerning the verity of the thing, while he was seeking to get a clearer discovery of its nature, rise, and ends.

Sixthly, And when Christ used a familiar instance, to shew him that things are not therefore incredible, because invisible, or because we know not the nature, cause, and end of them. We may know that it is, when we cannot know what is it, or whence, or why it is, or whether it tends, as in the blowing of the wind is evident; yet doth not Nicodemus cease his doubting, on this account, but asketh, [How can these things be?] the spirituality, and mysteriousness of the thing, made it seem improbable to his uninformed intellect; and the seeming improbability made him doubt of the verity. Because it was past his apprehension to conceive, how it should be, therefore he doubted, whether it were true, or not: He had not so much rational consciousness of his own ignorance, or so much confidence in a Teacher sent from God, and sealing his Doctrine by Miracles, as to acquiesce as a Learner in his Teachers credit, concerning the verity of the thing, while he was seeking to get a clearer discovery of its nature, rise, and ends.