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cess and riches, by frequent and devout contemplation of the wealth of heaven, the good things which God has prepared for them that love Him, as revealed to us in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar. The eyes of our souls are to be freed from the melancholy blindness of pride and self-seeking, by constant and loving worship of our Master Christ as He declares Himself to us in the devout life through all the ineffable condescensions of His love.

LXXX.

"Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is He, Lord, that I might believe on Him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen Him, and it is He That talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped Him."-St. John ix. 35-38.

Exposition.-St. Augustine says: "Now He is washing the face of the heart. He answered and said, as one at present anointed Who is He Lord, that I might believe on Him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen Him, and He That talketh with thee is He. He is that Sent, even He here That washeth the face in Siloam, which is by interpretation Sent. In having now the face of the heart washed and the conscience cleansed, acknowledging Him to be not only Son of man, which thing he before believed, but now Son of God Who had taken flesh, he said, I believe Lord. It is a small matter to say, I believe; wouldest thou see what

manner of person he believeth? Falling down he worshipped Him."

Isaac Williams says: "It is the great confession of St. Peter himself, which is required of him, that, cast out of the synagogue, he may enter into the true Church of God; it is the gate of the kingdom; the opening of the everlasting doors; by this confession He is taking up one that was shipwrecked and placing him on the Rock; of which it is said, He set my feet upon the rock, and ordered my goings. It is that confession of the Son of God which flesh and blood cannot reveal, but the Father only; and what but the drawing and secret revelation of the Father was that fearless testimony which he had borne before the Council; wherein it shone forth as a light in a dark place? And how simple was this faith and the evidence of it. He instinctively argued that He Who can perform such a miracle must necessarily be of God; and if He be of God, then His testimony must be true. So simple is the teaching of God; so tortuous and circuitous the wisdom of the wise. His reasoning was so plain and easy that it was like that of a child; yet so vast and sublime that it could comprehend the throne of God; so humble, that it could worship at the feet of One rejected of men; so great, that it was united unto God; so slow to comprehend,

that it understood not the learning of the scribes; so rapid in the intuitive perception of truth, that he passed before all prophets and wise men and scribes into the kingdom of God."

Trench comments as follows; "The man knows what this title Son of God means, that it is equivalent to Messiah, but he knows of none with right to claim it for his own. Such trust, however, has he in his Healer, that whomsoever He will point out to him as such, he will recognize. He answered and said, Who is He, Lord, that I might believe on Him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen Him, and it is He That talketh with thee. This Thou hast seen Him, refers to no anterior seeing; for, so far as we know, the man, after his eyes were opened at the pool, had not returned to the Lord, nor enjoyed any opportunity of seeing Him since. It is rather a reply to the question, Who is He, Lord, that I might believe on Him? He is One Whom thou hast seen already; thou askest to see Him, but this seeing is not still to do; ever since thou hast been speaking with me thine eyes have beheld Him, for He is no other than this Son of man That talketh with thee."

The same commentator adds: "Godet has a fine remark on these words; The words Thou

hast seen Him emphatically recall the miracle by which He gave the man the power to contemplate Him Who is speaking to him."

Stier says: "The man naturally recognized Jesus at once, though he had not seen Him when he was healed, by His never-to-be-forgotten voice; and it was impossible for him to think that He would refer him to any other than Himself. He feels the meaning of the question. But because Son of God is a word which goes beyond his previous knowledge, he remains true to his incomparably self-possessed and tranquil character. He does not think, however, or ask about this new term, but proceeds at once to ask, Who is He? His reply is affirmative and believing by anticipation; it promises faith so soon as Jesus shall say Who He is. It means as much as, Art Thou Thyself He?"

First Thought.-The great peril of our life in these days is not any lack of belief in our Lord as in very truth the Son of God, but the failure to make that belief a power in our daily walk. Were we asked whether we believed on the Son of God or not, we certainly should not have to answer as the man who had been blind, "Who is He, Lord, that I might believe on Him?" Nevertheless there are some very im

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