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MATTHEW.

MARK.

LUKE.

JOHN.

CHA P. III.

9 Nicodemus answered and faid unto him, How can these things be?

10 Jefus anfwered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Ifrael and knoweft not these things.

11 Verily verily I fay un to thee, We speak that we do know, and teftify that we have feen; and ye receive not our witness.

12 If I have told you earthly things and ye believe not, how fhall ye believe if I tell you of heavenly things?

13 And no man hath afcended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

14 And as Mofes lifted up the ferpent in the wilderness, even fo muft the Son of man be lifted up:

15 That whofoever believ eth in him, fhould not perish, 'but have eternal life.

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Nicodemus ftill was in the dark, which made Jefus tell him he wondered that a man skill'd in the Jewish Law, like him, fhould not understand these things, or fhould hefitate about them; but, faid he, affure your felf I tell you nothing, the truth of which is not moft certainly known to me, altho the generality of the Jews dif truft and disbelieve my Sayings. But if you believe not what I have spoke to you concerning what is done by men here on Earth, you will much lefs believe me if I. relate what is done above in Heaven, which no man is acquainted with but him whom God hath fent down to men, and whom alone he has made partaker of his fecret Purpofes, whereas what paffes here on Earth is for the moft part vifible to. But as Mofes fet up a Serpent of Bra's in the Defert of Arabia, that all who look'd up to it might be cur'd of their bitings by the Serpents; in like mannermuft that Man be lifted up upon a Stake, that he may give eternal Blifs to fuch as.. fhall believe on him, and are by him reduced from deftruction. For fo great is.

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MATTHEW.

MARK.

LUKE.

JOHN.

CHA P. III.

16 For God fo loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whofoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17 For God fent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be faved.

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.

19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world,and men loved darknefs rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

20 For every one that doeth evil, hateth the light; neither cometh to the light, left his deeds fhould be reproved.

the Love of God to Man, that he has fent his only begotten Son into the World, to lead those to everlasting Happiness who believe in him, who otherwife must have perish'd to all eternity; God being fo far from exacting the punishments their Crimes have juftly deferv'd, that he has fent his Son on purpose to fet them free, unless they themselves obftinately reject his Goodnefs. Whofoever will believe on him fhall not be punish'd; but whofoever fhall deny him fhall be fubject to the punishments he has voluntarily brought upon himself, by not giving credit to the only begotten Son of God, who came on purpofe to deliver him. For God having reveal'd a moft holy Doctrine which might direct men in the way to everlafting Salvation, they fhall therefore fuffer punishment who reject this heavenly Light, and continue pertinaciously fix'd in those deadly principles which extinguifh all knowledg of Virtue, by allowing and encouraging them in their Vices.

For whoever cherishes his Vices mult needs hate that Doctrine which inculcates the neceffity of a Reformation, and the parting with them; and confequently refufes his Affent to it, being already determin'd not to forfake his Vices, left thereby they fhould be manifeft to all, and he himself be rendred infamous. On the con

trary,

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trary, whoever fincerely follows after Virtue, having been always to the utmost of his knowledg obedient to the divine Commands, or is refolv'd to be fo for the future, does readily embrace this Doctrine of Reformation, not being conscious to himself. of any Crime, the difcovery of which might impair his Reputation.

CHAP. XII.

Jefus departs from Jerufalem, and goes to another part of Judea, where he baptizes fuch as refort unto him, while John the Baptift continues to do the like in Samaria about Jordan, where he gives a remarkable Teftimony concerning Jefus. Not long after John is imprifon'd by Herod Tetrarch of Galilee.

Fter the holy days of the Paffover were ended, Jefus, together with fome of his Difciples, went into another tract of Judea, where he continued fome time, and by the Miniftry of his Difciples baptiz'd the Jews that offer'd themselves, asJohn was wont to do. But John himfelf remain'd at Anon in that part of Samaria that is near Jordan, not far from Scythopolis and Salamis, where he wafh'd the Penitents according to his Inftitution; for he was not as yet caft into Prilon when Jefus began to publish his Gofpel to the World. About this time there arofe a

Debate

MATTHEW.

MARK.

LUKE.

JOHN.

CHA P. III.

25 Then there arose a queftion between fome of Johns difciples and the Jews, about purifying.

26 And they came unto John, and faid unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou bareft witnefs, behold, the fame baptizeth, and all men come to him.

27 John anfwered and faid, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.

28 Ye your felves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Chrift, but that I am fent before him.

29 He that hath the bride, is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which ftandeth and heareth him, rejoyceth greatly because of the bridegrooms voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.

Debate between the Pharifees and fome of John's Difciples, concerning the Baptifm that was us'd by him and Jefus, John's Difciples being unwilling that Jefus fhould be equal'd with their Mafter (as he was by the Pharifees in their difpute with them, who believed on neither) repair'd to John as it were complaining, that Jefus drew many alfo to his washing, and thereby hindred them from reforting to him at Jordan. How comes it to pass, faid they, that he who was with thee the other day beyond Jordan, to whom thou gaveft fo clear a Teftimony, fhould himself alfo baptize and draw fo many to him? Seeft thou not that the number of thy Difciples, and thy Fame will be hereby leffen'd? But John told them, it was not the part of a Religious man to affume greater Authority to himself than he had been invested with by God; and you, faid he, your felves can bear me witness that I ingenuously own'd I was not the Meffiah, but only fent by God before him to prepare the minds of the Jews for his reception. A Bridegroom enjoys his Bride alone; and a Friend that perceives his kindness to her will be fo far from envying his happiness, that he will rather congratulate him, and rejoice with him. Thus alfo am I pleas'd to hear that he to whom I bore that publick Teftimony does fo chearfully execute his

Office,

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30 He muft increase, but I must decrease.

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.

32 And what he hath feen and heard, that he teftifieth, and no man receiveth his teftimony.

33 He that hath received his teftimony, hath fet to his feal that God is true.

34 For he whom God hath , fent, fpeaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.

35 The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.

36 He that believeth on the Son, hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son fhall not fee life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Office, and that fo many repair unto him. I very well know that his Reputation and Authority muft increase, while mine will daily leffen. He whofe Birth and Authority are Divine, is above the condition of mortal Man; but he who is born like other men, takes his Rife from the Earth, and is a Meffenger of fuch Truths as the Inhabitants of the Earth are able and are wont to deliver. He, I fay, who derives his Origin from Heaven, may juftly place himself above all other Men. He commemorates thofe things that he has feen and heard with his Celeftial Father; nor are they the lefs true because they are embrac'd as they ought to be but by a few. Whoever receives his Doctrine, does thereby actually profefs he takes for truth whatever doth proceed from God. For what that Man declares whom God has endued with fo extraordinary a Power, are rather Divine Oracles than expreffions of his own Thoughts, fince he is continually, and in all things divinely Infpir'd. His Heavenly Father loves him in fo peculiar a manner, and has given him fo large a Power as to be able to do whatever he has a mind to. He that believes on this Son of God fhall obtain eternal Life; as on the contrary, whoever shall reject him shall be excluded, and most defervedly punish'd by God himself. K

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