The works of the Reverend and learned John Lightfoot D. D., late Master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge such as were, and such as never before were printed : in two volumes : with the authors life and large and useful tables to each volume : also three maps : one of the temple drawn by the author himself, the others of Jervsalem and the Holy Land drawn according to the author's chorography, with a description collected out of his writings.

SECTION XIV.

JOHN Chap. III. All the Chapter.

Nicodemus. The Disciples baptize in the Name of Iesus.

BEfore our Saviours departure from Jerusalem, Nicodemus one of the Judges of the great Sanhedrin cometh to him, and becometh his Disciple: for we cannot so pro∣perly look for a Member of that great Council in any place as at Jerusalem. He had ob∣served in his Miracles, the dawning of the days of Messias, or the Kingdom of Heaven, but having but gross and erronious apprehensions concerning the Kingdom of Heaven, or of the state of those days [as was the general mistake of the Nation,] he is rectified about that matter, and is taught the great Doctrines of regeneration and believing in Christ: Christ teaching regeneration by the Spirit and Water, exalteth Baptism, and closely calleth to Nicodemus to be baptized. The Talmudick Records make mention of a Nicode∣mus in these times, who had to do about waters, to provide sufficient for the People to drink at the Festivals.

He is taught, [against the great misprision of the Nation] that Messias should be a redeemer of the Gentiles as well as the Jews. The Jews in their common language, did title the Gentiles 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, The Nations of the World. The Earth they divided into 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, The Land of Israel, and out of the Land: and the People they parted into 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Israel and the Nations of the World: The New Testa∣ment which follows their common Language exceeding much, useth both these expres∣sions

very often; whereby to signifie the Gentiles: sometimes calling them those that are without, and sometimes the world. Nicodemus very readily understood the word in this common sense, when Christ says, God so loved the world, that he gave his Son. And he very well perceived that Christ contradicted in these his words, their common and un∣charitable error, which held, that the Messias should be a redeemer only to Israel [and those Gentiles only, that should be proselyted to their Judaisme,] but as for the rest of the Heathen he should confound and destroy them: Examples of this their proud and un∣charitableness might be produced by multitudes: let these two or three suffice. The Jerus. Talm. in Taanith fol. 64. col. 1. speaking of the coming of Messias saith, and produceth these words, Isa. 21. 12. The morning cometh and also the night, It shall be the morning to Israel, but night to the Nations of the world. Midr. Till. on Psal. 2. The threshing is come, the straw they cast into the fire, the chaff into the wind, but preserve the wheat in the floor; and every one that sees it, takes it and kisses it: 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 So the Nations of the world say, the world was made for our sakes, but Israel say to them, Is it not written, But the people shall be as the burning of the Lime-kilne, but Israel in the time to come [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 an ex∣pression whereby they commonly mean the times of the Messias] shall be left only, as it is said, The Lord shall lead him alone, and there shall be with him no strange god. Baal turim on Num 24. 8. on those words, He shall eat up the Nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, observeth the letter 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 in one of the words to have a special mark upon it, signify∣ing, saith he, that he should root out the seven Nations [of the Canaanites] and in time to come [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉] the other sixty three Nations, that is all the seventy Nations of the world. No, saith our Saviour, God loved the world or the Gentiles, and God sent not his Son Messias to condemn the world or the Gentiles, but that the world through him should be saved.

After this transaction with Nicodemus, Jesus departeth from Jerusalem into Judea, and there he setteth his Disciples to baptize in his Name: that whereas John had only baptized in the name of Christ, and his baptized ones did not know who Christ was, now the Dis∣ciples baptize in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, to evidence him to be the Christ into whose Name John had baptized.

John himself was baptizing still in Aenon in Galilee, having traversed Judea upon the coasts of Jordan; and Peraea or beyond Jordan; and now come thither where presently his sun is to set.

This Chapter contains the story of half a year and somewhat more, namely from the Passover [if the conference with Nichodemus were at that time] till after the feast of Ta∣barnacles: at which time it was a whole year since Christ was baptized, and a year and an half since John began to baptize.