from some of our Lord's earliest discourses, the several views in which he places his character, and office.

We are informed, by the Evangelist, immediately afterwards, that "there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, who came to Jesus by night," and made the following profession of his own belief, and probably that of some others; together with the reasons upon which it was founded. "Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God; for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him." This was a declaration, which implied his full conviction of the reality of those miracles; and which shews that he drew from them that inference, in the propriety of which the records of the Old Testament would abundantly instruct him; which must ever be drawn by every unprejudiced inquirer from an evident and well-attested miracle; and which, indeed, cannot consistently be set aside, except by subverting all reliance on human senses and human testimony, or by proving that there is no God to reveal his will to man. It was not upon such grounds that the rulers and people of the Jews ever hesitated to admit the authority of Jesus; but because their prejudices, and fondly cherished expectations, were painfully counteracted and disappointed. The miracles, and some parts of our

Lord's teaching, frequently operated to produce a conviction in his favour, and that apparently deep, decided, and vehement in its character. But the current was always arrested in its course, and ultimately seemed to be wholly diverted in another direction, by his faithful and precise annunciation at such times of the mysterious and unwelcome truths, which must be received by all that would be his disciples. "Some even of the rulers believed on him;" but the temporal penalties which the power and unbelief of their brethren would draw down upon them, deterred them even from advancing so far as Nicodemus. In him our Lord had a candid judge, and a willing disciple; one impeded, as much as his fellow countrymen, by the peculiar prejudices of a Jew and a Pharisee; but who, amidst all the doubts and difficulties which perplexed his mind, and amidst all the weakness and fear which, in some measure, kept him back from an open acknowledgement of his faith, still retained that hardihood of a candid and reasonable mind, which resolves, and which sooner or later acts upon the resolution, to abide by truth, however unwelcome, which is evidenced to be such by undeniable and sufficient proofs. He comes to our Lord with a conviction, and in a temper, which he seems to have ever retained. He comes with all his prejudices strong, and with his mind imperfectly

apprehending the office of him, whom he respected as "a teacher come from God." But believing him to be such, he is willing to learn from him "the way of God more perfectly." Jesus, therefore, knowing both his imperfect knowledge, and his desire of instruction; and that he would never employ it to further the hasty and malignant opposition of his brother Pharisees, gives to such a one an early, and comprehensive, though at that period to him a difficult, statement respecting "the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven." But Nicodemus adopted, in all its bearings, the principle which he afterwards recommended to the Jewish council, and which it becomes us also to adopt, as claiming the assent of every impartial judge in this matter. " Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doetha?" He observed the works and conduct of Jesus, and attentively considered his instructions. By proceeding in the same way, we can judge upon grounds as reasonable as he did; and shall doubtless, come to the same conclusion respecting "Jesus, who is called Christ."

The instructions, which our Lord gave in answer to the profession of Nicodemus, connect themselves immediately with the previous decla

a See John vii. 51.

rations of the Baptist respecting the near approach of the kingdom of heaven, the baptism with water unto repentance, and the predicted baptism of the Spirit. And we may be well assured, that one who was a member of that council, which sent an official deputation to John to inquire who he was, and why he baptized, was well aware of the tenor and purport of the Baptist's instructions. We cannot, indeed, at all doubt it, when we consider the publicity of his labours, and the inquiring temper of Nicodemus. And we may, with great probability, suppose, that the authoritative act of Jesus in the temple, connected with his miracles, disposed this ruler to suppose, that he was the mightier one of whom John spoke; and either that he was the Christ, or that Prophet whom they expected. If he had also been informed that John had borne witness personally to Jesus, he might have already come to the conclusion, which others afterwards expressed; "John did no miracle, but all things that John spake of this man were true "." In some such frame of mind, however, he came to Jesus, and Jesus meets his implied desire of instruction from a divine teacher, by unfolding to him more fully and definitely than John had taught it:

* John x. 41.

1. The necessity of baptismal and spiritual regeneration, in order to see and enter into the kingdom of God; either to understand its nature and provisions, or to enter upon the possession of its privileges.

2. The certainty of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, as taught by the Son of man, who came down from heaven.

3. The great and crowning event, which would lead to the setting up of that kingdom, with a statement of its origin and design; and the necessity of faith in the Son of God in order to partake of the blessings thereby procured. 4. The condemnation of those, who disbelieve, and its justice evinced by the motives which give rise to such a rejection.

I. The answer which Jesus gives to the declaration with which Nicodemus accosted him, appears, at first sight, abrupt; and it is, in fact, an answer to something implied, rather than expressed, in the words of Nicodemus. But if we bear in mind the observation which the Evangelist has premised, that Jesus "needed not that any should testify of man, because he knew what was in man;" and if we remember also, that Nicodemus declared his confidence in Jesus as a divine teacher, at a time when the Jews were expecting the establishment of the kingdom of God, and after the approach of that kingdom had already

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