A Paraphrase on the New Testament, John · Chapter 3
CHAP. III.
THere vvas a man of the Phariſees, named Nicodemus a ruler of the Jews: 2 The ſame came to Jeſus by night, and ſaid unto him 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.
1, 2. Being a Ruler, he durſt not be ſeen to come to Chriſt by day light, but came by night, and ſaid, Rabbi. I am come to learn of thee; for I know thou art a Teacher ſent by God; for no Man can do ſuch miracles as thou doſt, but by Gods Power; and God will not lend ſuch Power to any whom he doth not approve and juſtifie.
3 Jeſus anſwered and ſaid unto him, Verily verily I ſay unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot ſee the kingdom of God.
3. As I could not do the works of God, by miracles and doctrine, unleſs God were with me, ſo neither can any Man become a ſound Believer, and do the works of Faith and be ſaved, as a true Member of the Kingdom of God, unleſs by Gods ſpirit he be begotten again, and have a new qualitative nature given him.
4 Nicodemus ſaith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the ſecond time into his mothers womb, and be born?
4. Nicodemus groſly miſunderſtanding Chriſt, ſaith How can, &c.
5 Jeſus anſvvered, Verily, verily I ſay unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of of God.
5. I tell thee moſt certainly, that unleſs a Man have as it were, a new nature, and be made a new Man, by being waſhed from his former ſin and guilt, and ſanctifyed by the renewing work of Gods Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God: N. This is all ſignified and celebrated by Baptiſm; but it is the waſhing, and ſanctifying of the Soul only, that hath the promiſe of Salvation; But the Church on Earth being as the Porch, Womb or Seminary to Heaven, it is not another kind of Faith, but that ſame which in the ſincere is ſaving, which is required to be profeſſed in Baptiſm, for admittance into the viſible Church.
6 That which is born of the fleſh is fleſh: and that which is born of the Spirit, is ſpirit
6. Men generate Men, but God maketh Saints by a ſpiritual generation: Nature begets but nature, but Gods Spirit giveth a holy and heavenly Nature or Inclination.
7 Marvel not that I ſaid unto thee, Ye muſt be born again. 8 The wind bloweth where it liſteth, and thou heareſt the ſound thereof, but canſt not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: ſo is every one that is born of the Spirit.
7, 8. Count not this an incredible thing. Thou heareſt the ſound of the wind, and knoweſt certainly by the effects, that ſuch a thing as wind there is, and that it cauſeth thoſe effects, which thy ſenſe perceiveth; but thou knoweſt not fully the nature of this wind, nor whence it cometh, nor whither it goeth; and ſo thou mayeſt know that Gods Spirit doth this ſanctifying work on Souls, though thou canſt not comprehend the nature of the Spirit, nor the way of its operation, nor why it worketh on one Soul and not on another that ſeemeth equal to it.
9 Nicodemus anſwered and ſaid unto him, How can theſe things be?
9. N. The reaſon of Man not yet illuminated is apt to be ſo confident in its ignorance, as to take thoſe ſpiritual things for incredible, which it comprehendeth not: It lifts up it ſelf againſt Chriſt's teaching with a How can theſe things be?
10 Jeſus anſwered and ſaid unto him, Art tho… a maſter of Iſrael, and knoweſt not theſe things? 11 Verily, verily, I ſay unto thee, we ſpeak that we do know, and teſtifie that we have ſeen, and ye receive not our witneſs.
10, 11. It is a ſhame to thee that art a Maſter of Iſrael to be ignorant of theſe things (without which all thy knowledge is but ſhells and ſhadows) I tell thee, we ſpake that which we certainly know, by intuition and experience on holy Souls, and yet you carnal Jews believe us not, not knowing what your own ſhadows do import.
12 If I have told you earthly things, and and ye believe not, how ſhall ye beleve if I tell you of heavenly things?
12. When I tell you but what God doth here on Earth on all that he will ſave, and illuſtrate it to you by a ſimilitude which your ſenſes do perceive and it is a thing that your Ceremonies ſignifie, how ſhall you believe, if I tell you the unſeen things of Heaven, if you believe not things ſo evident as theſe.
13 And no man hath aſcended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
13. And if you will not believe me, what ſatisfying notice can you have of the ſtate of things in Heaven: for no Man hath aſcended up into Heaven, and can tell you by ſure notice what is there, but I that came down from Heaven, and ſo came down by aſſuming fleſh, as that yet I am now in Heaven in my Godhead.
14 And as Moſes lifted up the ſerpent in the wilderneſs, even ſo muſt the ſon of man be lifted up: 15 That whoſoever believeth in him, ſhould not periſh, but have eternal life.
14, 15. And the way of Salvation which God by me revealeth to you, is this, that as Moſes in the Wilderneſs ſet up a brazen Serpent, that all that were ſtung with Serpents might be cured, if they did look up to this: So I muſt be lift up on the Croſs as a Sacrifice for ſin, that whoever truly believeth in me and truſteth me as the Redeemer and Saviour, ſhall not periſh, but have everlaſting life.
16 For God ſo loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoſoever believeth in him, ſhould not periſh, but have everlaſting life.
16. For God who is Love it ſelf, ſo far loved, lapſed and loſt mankind, as that he gave his only begotten Son to be incarnate▪ and to be their Redeemer, by his meritorious life, and death and Reſurrection, and to make them this promiſe, covenant and offer, that whoever truly believeth in him, ſhould have his ſin forgiven, and ſhould not periſh, but have everlaſting bleſſed life.
17 For God ſent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be ſaved.
17. For if the World be condemned, they ſhall never have cauſe to lay the blame on Chriſt: For it was not to condemn them that God ſent him into the World, but to be the Saviour of the World; which his Doctrine Life and Sufferings ſhew.
18 He that believeth on him, is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, becauſe he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
18. He that believeth on him, is thereupon by him delivered from the Condemnation that he was under, and ſhall be ſaved; but he that believeth not is not delivered from his Guilt and Condemnation, but is under the Guilt of a ſeverer puniſhment the Law of Grace it ſelf Condemning him, becauſe he hath rejected the Son of God, ſent from Heaven with his Doctrine, his Grace and offered Mercy; ſo that both the Law of Nature and of Grace condemn the Neglecters of ſo great Salvation.
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved, darkneſs rather then light, becauſe their deeds were evil.
19. For the true cauſe of Mens Condemnation is (not that they have no Saviour or Ranſom, being left as Devils to remidileſs deſpair, but) that a Saviour as Light is come into the World, and Men love darkneſs rather than light, and ſo reject him and his truth and grace, becauſe they love and live in that ſin which cannot endure the light.
20 For every … that doeth evil, hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, leaſt his deeds ſhould be reproved,
20. For it is the part of …ight to detect and ſhame Mens evill deeds: and there…ore Malefactors hate and avoid the Light, leſt it reprove them and condemn them.
21 But he that doeth truth, cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifeſt that they are wrought in God.
21. But Light is the honour of well doing, which is not afraid to be known; and therefore he that doth that which is truly good, loveth the Light, and cometh to it, that his deeds may appear to be as they are, the work commanded and approved by God: And therefore they will receive me that am the Light of the World.
22 After theſe things came Jeſus and his diſciples into the land of Judea, and there he tarried with them, and baptized.
22. He by his Diſciples baptized thoſe that believed and repented.
23 And John alſo was baptizing in Enon, near to Salim, becauſe there was much water there; and they came, and were baptized.
24 For John was not yet caſt into priſon.
23, 24. John ceaſed not baptizing even when Chriſt baptized, nor till he was impriſoned.
25 Then there aroſe a queſtion between ſome of Johns diſciples and the Jews, about purifying.
25. N. What the diſpute was is uncertain.
26. And they came unto John and ſaid to him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou bareſt Witneſs: Beheld the ſame baptizeth, and all Men come unto him.
26. On this occaſion they told John how the People flockt to the Baptiſm of Chriſt.
27 John anſwered and ſaid, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. 28 Ye your ſelves bear me witneſs, that I ſaid, I am not the Chriſt, but that I am ſent before him.
27. This doth but confirm what I ſaid of him: His Power is from Heaven: I pretend to none ſuch as his.
29 He that hath the bride, is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which ſtandeth and heareth him, rejoyceth greatly becauſe of the bridegrooms voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.
29. It is he that is the King and Saviour of the Church: I am but his Friend that rejoyce in his Kingdom and Succeſs.
30 He muſt increaſe, but I muſt decreaſe.
30. His Kingdom and Glory muſt increaſe to perfection, but my preparatory Miniſtry will ſoon end.
31 He that cometh, from above, is above all: he that is of the earth, is earthly, and ſpeaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven, is above all.
21. He came from Heaven, and therefore is above us all: We that are but Men, inhabitants of Earth, (though ſo far as God inſpires us we ſpeak his word) yet being of earthly mold, ſpeak and do like our ſelves, in a human earthly manner: But he that cometh from Heaven doth excel us all.
32 And what he hath ſeen and heard, that he teſtifieth; and no man receiveth his teſtimony. 33 He that hath received his teſtimony, hath ſet to his Seal that God is true.
32. Wee tell you what God teacheth us in our ſeveral meaſures; but he telleth you that which he hath ſeen and heard in Heaven: And yet the moſt reject his Teſtimony but they that truly receive it by Faith, do in believing him, believe God himſelf that cannot lie.
34. For he vvhom God hath ſent, ſpeaketh the vvords of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by meaſure unto him.
34. He that is thus ſ…nt from Heaven by God ſpeaketh Gods own Words fully and infallibly, as fully known to him, and is not like us and other Prophets, that have but our limited meaſures of the ſpirits for ſome particular revelation and uſe.
35. The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.
35. The Love of the Father to the Son is tranſcendent; and he hath delivered lapſed Man, and all this World into his hand or power, as Redeemer, Lord and Adminiſtrator of all.
36. He that believeth on the Son, hath everlaſting life, and he that believeth not the Son ſhall not ſee life; but the vvrath of God abideth on him.
36. He that believeth Chriſt to be the Son of God and Saviour of the World, and with Truſt giveth up himſelf to be taught, ruled and ſaved by him, hath a right to everlaſting Life by the Covenant of Grace, and the beginning of it, by the Holy Ghoſt in him and ſhall ſhortly have the full poſſeſſion. But he that by Unbelief rejecteth Chriſt and his offered Grace, ſhall not ſee this bleſſed Life, but the wrath of God for his unpardoned Sin and aggravated Guilt, abideth on him.