Jesus could, none ever had, or ever can have, any knowledge of heavenly things, but what He has given to them; and this He went on to show to Nicodemus, explaining to him that He was far more than the teacher sent from God, which he believed him to be. Now He began to tell him of those things which were indeed full of wonder, but which nevertheless he must believe if he would enter into the kingdom of God.

Verse 13. "No man hath ascended up to heaven, but He that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven."

It is as if Christ had said to Nicodemus, "If thou dost find such difficulties when I tell thee the first simple truth of Christianity, that thou, being born in sin, must be born again, or changed from thy sinful state into a state of holiness, how canst thou possibly understand the high and wonderful things that belong to the kingdom of heaven?" Yet these are things that no man can tell thee but He that has been in heaven; and no man hath been there to see them, but He that is now come down from heaven, even that Son of man who, though He now talketh with thee on earth, still is God, and is to be thought of as God.*

Prayer.

O God, my Saviour, deeply impress upon my heart this solemn truth, that I must be born again. I am not by nature fit for thy kingdom. I remember even when I was a child, how soon I began to sin against thee; and with grief I confess that even now sin is mixed up in all I do, in all I think. I resolve to serve thee, I try to do it; but even while I try, some temptation comes, and quickly the sin of my heart is stirred, and all is wrong again. Verily, my Saviour, I must be born the kingdom of God, where all is holy

again, or I cannot enter

and pure. O give me to be truly and fully born of thy Holy Spirit, that my sins may be washed away, leaving no stain behind; that my soul may be sanctified and changed into thine image, so that by thee, my Redeemer, I may be made fit to dwell with thee for ever and for ever. Amen.

XXIX.

Nicodemus still sat and listened. Our Lord had shewed him how that he must be born again, or he could not enter the kingdom of God. He had heard that it had been wise to come to Jesus to be taught, for none but He had been in heaven, so none but He could tell him of heavenly things. And what were these heavenly things? They were even the whole of God's plan, that had been from the beginning, how to save man from the power of Satan by the seed of the woman.

The Lord Jesus went on to shew to Nicodemus that He who spoke to him was that seed, so long promised, and now at last

come.*

He went on to shew him how he was to bruise Satan's head, by destroying his power, and how his own heel, his human nature, should be hurt. Jesus said to Nicodemus :

Verses 14, 15. "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life."

The words of Jesus, "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness," must have sent back the thoughts of Nicodemus to that part of the Old Testament which tells of the wonderful way God took to cure those people among the children of Israel, who had been bitten by the fiery serpent. God had ordered

Genesis iii. 15.

+ Numbers xxi. 7-9.

Moses to make, in brass, the likeness of one of the serpents, and to hang it up in the midst of the crowds that were dying on all sides. And each one of them who looked upon that brazen serpent was cured; but each one who would not believe this, and would not look, died. "And even so," said Jesus, "must the Son of Man be lifted up," among men all dying him may be cured and live;

from sin, that those who look to "that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." The Israelites of old, who had been bitten, were saved from death by looking up to a brazen serpent, made in the likeness of the serpents that bit them, yet itself having neither sting nor venom. So all men were to be saved from everlasting death by looking to Jesus, made in the likeness of sinful man, yet himself without sin. And for what reason was this to be done? The Lord Jesus did not leave Nicodemus without telling him the reason, and it is a blessed one for us to know. It is this:

Verses 16-18. "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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 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."

If we will not believe in the Saviour God has given us, it is plain that we cannot be saved, but must remain as we were born, in a state of sin and condemnation.

19-21. "And this is the condemnation, (or the reason of the condemnation) that light is come into the world, and that men loved darkness rather than light. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the

light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God."

Jesus knew how the Pharisees would hate him and his doctrines. And he knew the reason.

They made a great pretence of holiness, but their deeds were evil. Even their dress was made a matter of religion, while their hearts were full of sin. And He was come to put an end to all this pretence. He was come to throw light upon every secret sin, and to shew to every one of them that if they would even see or understand the kingdom of God they must be born again.

It is not only the Pharisees that hate the religion of Christ, because of the light it throws upon a sinful life. We do not like to be told that our hearts are full of sin. We like to think that there is some good in us; and, unless the Spirit of God comes to teach us, we shall always feel offended and angry at being told that we deserve hell instead of heaven, just as the Pharisees were offended and angry with the Lord Jesus, because He told them that, in spite of all their outside shew of goodness, they were sinners that could not be saved without being entirely changed. Many a pool of water looks clear as crystal till the bottom is stirred, and many a man has not known the wickedness that was in him till some great temptation came; then all who knew him, even he himself, were amazed at the evil things he could do and say.

It is far better to believe the words of Christ, that we need a great change, and to fall down on our knees and ask him, since He came into the world that we might be saved, to give us this great change, and make us fit for the kingdom of heaven.

Nicodemus left the Lord Jesus. He had heard enough to fill his thoughts for many a day, and we shall see that he did become one of the kingdom that Christ was come to give; for

though at first he was timid and afraid, we shall see that he became bolder for the truth, and was even one of the very few who were faithful, after the death of Jesus upon the cross had seemed for a time to put an end to every hope. Perhaps he then remembered, and began to understand, the words that Jesus had spoken to him on this night, when he had first come to him, that He, the Son of man, "must be lifted up, as the serpent had been lifted up in the wilderness, that all who looked to him should be saved."

Prayer.

O thou our God, who hast given thy well-beloved Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life, give us a true belief. Let us not try to hide our sins, but give us grace to come to the light of truth, that we may know the wickedness of our hearts, and that we may fly to thee for help. Thou, O Jesus, Lord and Saviour, thou wert lifted up on the cross, that all who looked to thee in faith might live. It was our sins, it was thy love that nailed thee there. Oh let the thought of this make sin hateful to us, and thy name dearer to our hearts than life itself. Amen.

XXX.

The Passover was ended, and the crowds of people it had brought to Jerusalem returned to their homes. The Lord Jesus also left Jerusalem, but He did not at that time return to Galilee. He went to the villages and towns in Judea, where He preached the kingdom of God. It is written

Verse 22. "After these things (that is, after all he had done and said in Jerusalem,) came Jesus and his