204

The Man is called again before the Sanhedrim,

Sect. 130. the Event, when he works with, than without Means; and that all the Creatures are only that, which his Almighty Operation makes them.

Ver. -7.

Ver. 15, 17, 18, 19.

The Blind Man believed, and received the immediate Benefit of it. Had he reasoned, like Naaman, on the Impropriety of the Means, he had justly been left in Darkness. Lord, may our proud Hearts be fubdued to the Methods of thy recovering Grace! And may we leave it to Thee to chufe, how thou wilt beftow Favours, which it is our highest Interest on any Terms to receive!

It must be a Satisfaction to every true Chriftian, to observe the Curiofity and Exactness, with which these Pharifees enquired into the Miracles of Chrift, and how thoroughly they canvaffed every Circumstance of them. A Truth like this, need not fear any Examination. Every new Witness which they heard, confirmed the Cafe, and confounded the Obftinacy of Ver. 20,-23. their Unbelief. But furely the Weakness of the Parents was very pitiable, who in the midst of the Evidence and Obligation of fuch a Miracle, were more afraid of incurring a Human Sentence, than of offending GOD, by failing to own fo great a Favour, and to confefs the blessed Perfon by whom it was wrought. The Fear of Man bringeth a Snare: (Prov. xxix. 25.) But they, whofe Eyes Christ has opened in a fpiritual Senfe, will fee a Glory and Excellence in him, which will animate them. boldly to bear their Teftimony to him, in Defiance of all the Cenfures which Men can pafs, or of all the Penalties by which they can inforce them.

The Man who was born Blind, that had received his Sight, is a fecond Time examined before the Sanhedrim, who, provoked by the Freedom of his Replies, excommunicate him; but JESUS meets him, and declares himself to be the Son of GOD. John IX. 24,----38..

N

JOHN IX. 24. i

Sect. 131.
OW as the Sanhedrim were not able to
discover any
Fraud in the Miracle mentioned
John IX. 24. in the preceding Section, by examining the Parents,
they therefore called a fecond Time for the Man
who had been Blind, and faid to him, Give Glory
to GOD, by a free Confeffion of the Fraud, if
there be any Collufion or Artifice in this Af-

JOHN IX. 24...

THEN again called they

the Man that was blind, and faid unto him, Give

GoD

fair;

who would perfuade him, JESUS was a Sinner.

205

GOD the Praife: we know fair (a); or if the Cure was really wrought in the Sect. 131.

that this Man is a Sinner.

25 He answered and faid, Whether he be a Sinner, or no, I know not: one Thing 1 know, that whereas I was

blind, now I fee.

26 Then faid they to him again, What did he to thee? how opened he thine Eyes?.

27 He answered them, I have told you already, and would ye hear it again? will

ye did not hear: wherefore

ye alfo be his Difciples?

28: Then they reviled

Manner thou affirmeft, acknowledge the Power,

Sovereignty, and Goodness of the Divine Being, in John IX. 24,
working by fo unworthy an Inftrument; for we
certainly know, that this Jefus of Nazareth, the
Man of whom thou fpeakeft, is a profligate Sin-
ner (b), and deferves publick Punishment, rather
than Efteem.

Then answered he, and faid, If he be a Sinner, 25:
I know not any thing of it, having no perfonal
Acquaintance with him; but one Thing I certainly
know, and will ftand to the Truth of it, that
whereas I was Blind even from my Birth, I now
fee perfectly well, and owe my Sight to the very
Perfon whom you condemn.

But they again faid to him, hoping that in fome 26
minute Circumftance at least he might contradict
his former Account, and give them some Advan-
tage against him, Tell us once more, as particu
larly as thou canft, what did he unto thee? and
how did he open thine Eyes?

"

And as the Man perceived that they intended 27
only to infnare him, be answered them eagerly, I
have told you already, and ye have not regarded
what I faid, nor would at all believe me: Why
would you defire to hear it again? Would you also.
become his Difciples, as many have lately done,,
and fome, perhaps, on Occafion of this Miracle:
which he has performed on me?

The Pharifees then were filled with Indignation, 28
him, and were fo greatly exafperated, at what appeared

to

(a) Give Glory to GOD, by a free Confeffion of the Fraud, &c.] As it is greatly for the Honour of the Divine Omnifcience and Providence, that Perfons who are guilty of Crimes not fully proved against them, fhould freely confess them; and not prefume, against the Dictates of Confcience, to maintain their own Innocence; there is a great Propriety in the Phrafe taken in this Senfe: (Compare Job. vii. 19. and Rev. xi. 13.) Yet fome have and I Sam. 11.5 taken it, as a general Adjuration by the glorious Name of GoD; (as 1 Kings xxii. 16.. 2 Chron. xviii. 15. and Mat. xxvi. 63:) The Words also admit another Senfe, which I have comprehended in the Paraphrafe; but I prefer the former.

1

(b) This Man is a Sinner.] I cannot, with Mr. Locke, (Reasonableness of Christianity, pag. 28.) imagine this any Proof of a Tradition among the Jews, that the Meffiah fhould! be perfectly free from Sin; but rather conclude, that Sinner here, as in ver. 16. fignifies a notoriously wicked Man. It was certain from the Principles of their Sacred Writings, that a Perfon not entirely finless, might perform very illuftrious Miracles. But how fevere an Infult was here on the Character of our Redeemer, to be pronounced a known fcandalous Sinner, by this high Court of Judicature? An Infamy, which has feldom, in any civilized. Country, fallen on any Perfon not legally convicted..

(6.). We

206

He argues from the Miracle, that he was fent of GOD.

Difciples.

Sect. 131. to them fo infolent a Speech, that they reviled him, and faid, Thou art his him in very opprobrious Language, and faid, Thou Difciple; but we are Mofes John IX. 28. art indeed this Fellow's Difciple, as many of the Herd of ignorant People are; but we would have thee to know, that we fcorn the Imputation, for we are the Difciples of Mofes (c), and are too firmly attached to that great and holy Prophet, to re29 gard fuch a Deceiver as this. We well know

30

that GOD fpake to Mofes (d), and gave the most
ample Evidence of fending him with a Divine
Commiffion; but as for this Man, we know not
from whence he is, nor can we perceive any fatis-
factory Credentials of his bringing any Meffage
from GOD to us.

And the Man replied with a becoming Free-
dom of Spirit, and faid unto them, Why, in this
Respect it is frange, that ye know not whence he
is, and yet it is plain, that he has opened my Eyes.
31 Now we all know in general, that GOD beareth
not Sinners, and that Perfons of infamous Charac-
ters and immoral Lives cannot expect the Divine
Acceptance in any common Petition which they
offer, much less for the Performance of a Miracle;
but if any Man be truly devout, and faithfully do bis
Will, him indeed be heareth with a favourable Re-
gard: When therefore Go D is found to hear a Man
in fuch an extraordinary Inftance as this, there seems
the greatest Reason to believe, he is a Person whofe
Temper and Character are approved by him.
32 And this is plainly an extraordinary Inftance; for
from the Beginning of the World it was never heard,
that Man opened the Eyes of one who, like me,
was born Blind. It is furprizing therefore, that
you, who allow that Mofes was a Prophet, on

any

the

29 We know that Gon pake unto Mofes: as for from whence he is.

this Fellow, we know not

(c) We are the Difciples of Mofes.] Hereby they craftily, but moft maliciously and falfely. infinuated, that there was fuch an Oppofition between Mofes and Jesus, that it was impoffible for the fame Perfons to be the Difciples of both.

(d) We know that GOD fpake to Mofes.] Their Partiality here was inexcufable; for if they believed the Miffion of Mofes, on the Evidence of Miracles, credibly attefted indeed, but performed Two thoufand Years before they were born; it was much more reasonable, on their own Principles, to believe the Miffion of Jefus, on at leaft equal Miracles, wrought daily among them, when they might in many Inftances have been Eye-witnesses to the Facts ; and one of which, notwithstanding all their Malice, they were here compelled to own, or at least found themfelves utterly unable to difprove.

(e) With

They are provoked at his Replies, and excommunicate him.

207
the Authority of his Miracles, fhould in this Cafe Sect. 131,
judge fo hardly of my Deliverer, whoever he be.
But every unprejudiced Perfon may eafily fee, that John IX. 33-
if this Man were not fent of GOD, he could do
nothing of this Kind.

And not being able to endure so plain and 34
forcible a Reproof, which even ftung them to
the Heart, they anfwered and faid to him, with
great Hatred and Scorn, Thou vile prefumptuous.
Wretch, thou waft entirely born in Sins, and didft
bring into the World with thee most evident
Tokens of Divine Wrath and Vengeance; and
doft thou infolently pretend to teach us, the Guides
of the National Faith, and Members of the fu-
pream Court of Ecclefiaftical Judicature? We
fhall find out a Way to correct this Arrogance..
And immediately they caft him out of the Syna-
gogue, paffing a folem Sentence of Excommu
nication upon him, tho' there was no Shadow of
Proof that he had deferved it.

Now Jefus quickly heard of their arbitrary 35
Proceedings, that they had thus paffed Sentence
on the poor Man, and had caft him out for his
Sake; and finding him foon after, he faid to him
privately, Doft thou believe on the Son of GOD,.
the great expected Meffiah?

He answered and faid, Sir, who is he, that I 36
may believe on him? I know that fuch a glorious
Perfon is expected; and if he be already come,,
tell me but who he is, and where I may meet
with him, and I am ready to exprefs a due Re-
gard to him, who fhall be pointed out to me un-
der that honourable and important Character.

Then Jefus, to encourage him under what he was 37
now suffering on his Account, faid to him, with a
Degree of Freedom which was very unusual (e),.
Thou

(e) With a Degree of Freedom very unusual.] We have formerly obferved the wife Caution of Jefus on this Head. See Sect. 29. Note (q). Vol. i. pag. 177.-The Freedom here. ufed may be accounted for, by confidering the extraordinary Circumftances of the Cafe ; this being the firft Inftance, in which any one had incurred the great Inconveniences attending a Sentence of Excommunication, out of Zeal for the Honour of Christ. No doubt, this paffed privately between our Lord and this good Man, tho' prefently after others joined. the Conversation, as we obferve in the Beginning of the next Section.

(f) More

208

Sect.

Reflections on the Force and Prevalence of Truth.
him, and it is he that talk

131. Thou haft no Need of going far to feek him; for thou hast both already feen him, and had ExpeJohn IX. 37. rience of his Power and Goodness: It was he that miraculously opened thine Eyes, and it is even he, that is now talking with thee, who is that Perfon.

38

very

And immediately yielding to that convincing Argument, which arofe from what he had himself experienced of his Almighty Power, he faid, Lord, I moft readily believe, that thou art he, and humbly proftrate my felf before thee, to render thee due Homage as fuch. And falling down at his Feet, he worshipped him.

eth with thee.

38 And he faid, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.

John ix.

24,--27.

IMPROVEMENT.

Ver. 28, 29.

Ver. 30.

Ver. 31.

O little does Truth fear repeated Examinations; and thus does it, after every Trial, come forth like pure Gold out of the Furnace. So did this Miracle of Chrift appear to thefe fubtile Adverfaries; fo will the Chriftian Caufe appear to all, who will diligently fearch into its Evidence.

Who can forbear wondering at the Obftinacy of these Pharifees, and on the fame Principles, at that of the prefent Jews, who while they acknowledge that GOD fpake by Mofes, because he wrought Miracles, will not on the Evidence of yet more various and glorious Miracles (f), and those attefted beyond all Contradiction, acknowledge the Authority of the Son of GOD himself?

But we fee, this poor illiterate Creature, (for fuch he undoubtedly was,) with the Advantage of Truth on his Side, baffles all the Sophiftry of his most learned Antagonists. Great is the Truth, and it will prevail. Great is this Truth, so fundamental to the Gofpel, that Jesus is the Son of GOD: And this alfo, which is fo important to Natural Religion and Revealed, that GOD heareth not Sinners; but if any Man be a Worshipper of GOD, and do his Will, him he hears, and moft favourably regards. May we be truly devout, and add to our Devotion an obedient Regard to the Divine Will, and the Eyes of the Lord will be upon us, and his Ears be open to our Cry! (Pfal. xxxiv. 15.) Then, being favourably owned of GOD, Ver. 35,-37. we fhall have no Reafon to fear the Cenfures of Men. If they caft us out, Chrift will receive us, and perhaps reveal himself to us with more Freedom, in Proportion to the Injuries we fuftain from them.

Ver. 34.

(f) More various and glorious Miracles.] A beautiful Parallel between the Miracles of Mofes, and Chrift, is drawn by Orobio on the one hand, and Limborch on the other. Limb. Collat. cum Judæo, Scrip. iii. Quæft. 4. No. 3. pag. 131, & feq. and Refp. ad Scrip. iii. pag. 151, & feq.

SECT.