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    down from heaven , even the Son of man which is . in heaven . " That the first clause of this verse , c no man hath ascended up to hea-• tfen , * cahoot be understood literally , of a local ascent to heaven , is evident from

    this consideration , that it is not true : for it is generally supposed that Enoch , the seventh from Adam , when he disappeared from the world , was taken up tfrere ; and it is certain that Elijah was carried thither in a whirlwind . Neither

    i $ it true , as this clause seems to insinuate , in connection with the rest of the verse that Jesus Christ had ascended to heaven : for we have no account of any such event in the history of his life , excep . t when he took leave of his disciples , after his resurrection . We must have recourse , therefore , to some other method of explaining the words .

    ** Now , according to our way of conceiving of things , a man , in order to become acquainted with the divine counsels , ought to ascend to heaven , and converse with God ; hence it is that ta as-+ endlo bea * osn ^ or , io b * in heaven ^ comes to signify being admitted to the knowledge of the divine counsels . Thus Moses , when informing the Jews how clearly

    God had revealed his will to them , E > e lit . atxx , la , tefls them , * It is not * n heaven that thou should ** st say , who s ^ all go up for us to heaven , and bring it unto us that we may hear it and < Jo it I * Now if ascending up to heaven is not to be understood literally of a local ascent , neither is coming down from heaven to be understood of a local descent from

    heaven , where Christ , ot the son of man had never been . What then is the meaning of coming down from heaven ? Nothing more than being of divine origin ^ or coming from God , in opposition to coming from men . It is in this sense that Christ uses the phrase , when he says

    to the Jews , Matt . xxi . z $ y * The baptism of John , was it from heaven , or of men ? ' that is , was it instituted by God , or by men ? As the baptism of John , then , was from heaven , because of divine appointment , so Christ may be said to come down from heaven , because he

    had a commission from God to teach . The - language which is in $ fris passage applied to a person , is on other occasions , applied to things , where no one can suppose there is a local descent . Thus % ht * aj > ostle J twnefe says , < Every good gift and every perfect , gift isfro ^ abo ve , and

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    cometh down torn the Either of KgftW Men are furnished with food and rai * merit from the earth , on . which thfey live ; yet these blessings at * e here sagtd % & come down from God in heaven , bfecause they are his gifts . c « We now com ^ to the last clause of the verse , * The Son of man , which is in heaven . * The son of man could not *

    at this time , be in heaven ; for he was in the world conversing with Nicode * mut : but in a figurative sense he might be said to be in heaven , because he was acquainted with the divine counsels . ' * The following " Reflections , ** suggested by John iii . 1—13 . are worthy of particular attention . We . recognize in them a conspicuous feature of Mr , Kenrick ' s

    character . * In the conduct of Nicodeirms tve see the influence o £ rank and v ^ orldly prudence , in perverting men from their du «* ty . Those persons resemble him , who , in the present day , decline the open acknowledgment of important truth , and

    satisfy themselves with the profession of it in private ; the language of prudence aod of a concern to retain the power of doing good , is upon their lips , / while a selfish concern for themselves is at their hearts . LtCt us not follow the example of such men , but remember that where

    error has been publicly supported , it ought to be as publicly renounced ; mot in one instance only , but on every occasion ; not in words only , but by our actions also ; for these often speak a more decisive language than any words . In this manner only can we expect to ob «

    tain the approbation of a master who knew no disguise himself , and could not countenance it in any of hi » disciples . "When Nathaniel came tot him in open day , he ie welcomed as an Israelite in whom there isno guile ; but wjien Nicodemus comes to him by hS g ht , he is received with coldness , and rebuked for

    his timidity ; and every method retaken to discourage a proselyte who appeareel to be actuated by worldly prudence . " As Uxr as we have been able to inform ourselves , the foliojying very ingenious criticism is original . John iv . Ste . 4 i The woman saiih unto him , I know tha ^ t " Jffrs *

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    744 Review . — KenrzcPs Exposition *

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Dec. 2, 1809, page 744, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1707/page/38/