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know him not, I should be a liar like unto you: 56 but I know him, and obey his words. Your father Abraham greatly desired to see my day: 57 and he saw it, and was glad.* Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years 58 old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily I say unto you, be59 fore Abraham was, I am. Then they took up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

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CHAP. IX.

AND as he passed on, he saw a man who 2 was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? 3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents :† but that the works of God 4 should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the 6 world. When he had thus spoken, he spat

on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and anointed the eyes of the blind man with the

* Saw it in vision, or prophetically, on mount Moriah, when he was about to offer up his son Isaac. See Gen. chap. xxii. 1, 2.

Not sinned remarkably; but his blindness was inflicted for the purpose of furnishing an occasion to display the power of God by me, his Son and Messenger.

7 clay. And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is, by interpretation, Sent.) Then he went his way and washed, and came seeing.

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The neighbors therefore, and they who before had seen him when he was blind, said, Is 9 not this he who sat and begged? Some said,

This is he. Others said, He is like him. But 10 he said, I am he. Then they said unto 11 him, How were thine eyes opened? He answered and said, A man who is called Jesus, made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash : and I went and washed, and I received sight. 12 Then they said unto him, Where is he? He replied, I know not.

13 Then they brought to the Pharisees him 14 who was formerly blind. And it was the sab

bath-day, when Jesus made the clay, and open15 ed his eyes. Then the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I 16 washed, and do see. Then some of the Pharisees said, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath-day. Others said, How can a man who is a sinner, do such miracles? And there was a division among them. 17 They again addressed the blind man, What sayest thou of him? That he hath opened 18 thine eyes? He said, He is a prophet. But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received 19 his sight. And they asked them, saying, Is

this your son, who ye say was born blind? how 20 then doth he now see? His parents answered

them, and said, We know that this is our son, 21 and that he was born blind: But by what means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not. He is of age; ask him; he shall speak for himself. 22 (His parents said this, because they feared the Jews: For the Jews had decreed already, that if any man should confess that he was Christ, 23 he should be put out of the synagogue. There-fore his parents said, He is of age; ask him.) 24 Then they again called the man who was blind,

and said unto him, Give God the praise; we 25 know that this man is a sinner. He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner, I know not of one thing I am certain, that having been 26 blind, now I see. Then they said to him again,

What did he to thee? how opened he thine 27 eyes ?* He answered them, I have told you already; did ye not hear? wherefore would ye have it repeated? will ye also be his disciples? 28 Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art his 29 disciple; but we are Moses' disciples. We

know that God spake unto Moses: as for this 30 fellow, we know not whence he is. The man answered and said unto them, Why this is a wonderful thing indeed, that ye know not whence he is, though he hath opened mine

* The Jews wished, if possible, by their cavils and questions, to make the man contradict himself. They could not deny the miracle; but wished to find some sort of inconsistency in the account, as an apology for their objections. But it was in vain. The relation of the man is simple, plain and convincing.

31 eyes.* We all know that God heareth not sinners but if any man feareth God, and doeth 32 his will, him he heareth. It was never before

heard that any man opened the eyes of one who 33 was born blind. If this man were not of God, 34 he could do nothing. They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him 35 out of the synagogue. Jesus heard that they had cast him out: and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on 36 the Son of God? He answered and said, Who 37 is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, 38 and it is he who talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him. And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world; that they who see not, might see; and that they who see, might be made 40 blind. And some of the Pharisees who were

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with him heard these words, and said unto 41 him, Are we blind also? Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin : but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.+

*You pretend to be wise men, and yet know not whether a man is assisted by God, who performs such miracles.

That they who feel their need of instruction, may be enlightened by coming to me: And that the vain and conceited, who reject my doctrine, may be given up to error on account of their pride and obstinacy.

If ye were really ignorant, and without the means of light, ye would be comparatively blameless; Eut as you think you have light and knowledge sufficient, you will of course reject me, and remain in error and sin.

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CHAP. X.

VERILY, verily I say unto you, he who entereth not by the door into the sheep-fold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a 2 thief and a robber. But he who entereth in 3 by the door, is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, 4 and leadeth them out. And when he leadeth out his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know 5. his voice. And a stranger they will not follow,

but will flee from him: for they know not the 6 voice of strangers. This parable spake Jesus

unto them, but they understood not what things 7 they were which he spake unto them. Then

Jesus said unto them again, Verily, verily, I 8 say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All

who ever came before me* are thieves and 9 robbers; but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved; and shall go in and out, and 10 find pasture. The thief cometh not but to steal, and to kill, and to destroy; I am come that they might have life, and that they might 11 have it more abundantly. I am the good

Shepherd the good Shepherd giveth his life 12 for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the Shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the

* All who had pretended to be the Messiah.

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