Nicodemus was a Ruler of the Jews, either one of the Sanhedrin, or great Council, or one of the Rulers of their Synagogue; one that taught others, and yet was himself untaught in this rudiment, this A B C of Christianity; how childishly doth he talk of this weighty truth? vers. 4. How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mothers womb and be born? How deep may a man dive into the mysteries of Nature, how sharp-sighted may he be there, and yet as blind at a Mole in the things of Grace! Nature may in some men be dunged with industry, art, education, and example, and thereby show fair, spread far, and overtop others, but yet manured to the utmost, it is but Nature still: Its grapes will be the grapes of Sodom, and its clusters the clusters of Gomorrah. The natural man like Zacheus is too low of stature to see Jesus, he discerneth not the things of God neither indeed can he, for they are spiritually discerned, Cor. 2.14. The wisest Philosophers that could cunningly pick the lock of Natures Cabinet, and behold much of her riches and treasure, were mere Idiots and fools in the things of the Spirit, and understood no more of these mysteries of Divinity, then a Cowherd doth ⟨p. 8⟩of the darkest precepts of Astronomy. Water riseth no higher then its fountain; the light within us, or Nature, is but a rush candle, and cannot enable us to see the Sun of Righteousness: the light without us, or Scripture, is the star to the wise men leading us to the place where the Babe of Bethlehem lieth. As the eye without the optic virtue is but a dead member, so all humane wisdom without divine inspiration is but learned folly and elaborate wickedness.
Nicodemus was a Ruler of the Jews, either one of the Sanhedrim, or great Council, or one of the Rulers of their Synagogue; one that taught others, and yet was himself untaught in this rudiment, this A B C of Christianity; how childishly doth he talk of this weighty truth? vers. 4. How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mothers womb and be born? How deep may a man dive into the mysteries of Nature, how sharp-sighted may he be there, and yet as blind at a Mole in the things of Grace! Nature may in some men be dung'd with industry, art, education, and example, and thereby shew fair, spread far, and overtop others, but yet manured to the utmost, it is but Nature still: Its grapes will be the grapes of Sodom, and its clusters the clusters of Gomorrah. The natural man like Zacheus is too low of stature to see Jesus, he discerneth not the things of God neither indeed can he, for they are spiritually discerned, Cor. 2.14. The wisest Philosophers that could cunningly pick the lock of Natures Cabinet, and behold much of her riches and treasure, were meer Ideots and fools in the things of the Spirit, and understood no more of these mysteries of Divinity, then a Cowherd doth ⟨p. 8⟩of the darkest precepts of Astonomy. Water riseth no higher then its fountain; the light within us, or Nature, is but a rush candle, and cannot enable us to see the Sun of Righteousness: the light without us, or Scripture, is the star to the wise men leading us to the place where the Babe of Bethlehem lieth. As the eye without the optick vertue is but a dead member, so all humane wisdom without divine inspiration is but learned folly and elaborate wickedness.
