SERMON II.

JOHN ix. 39.

And Jesus said; For judgement I am come into this world: that they which see not, might see; and that they which see, might be made blind.

THIS reflection and declaration of our Saviour's is full of serious and important instruction; but to have a full comprehension of it, it will be proper to take a view of the preceding history, which gave occasion to it, which is related in the chapter from which it is taken.

It contains a recital of a very signal cure wrought by him upon a blind beggar, who had been such from his birth; ascertained by a series of most undeniable evidence, and told in so natural and artless a way, as alone of itself to carry conviction along with it to the most incredulous, that it is a real representation of facts; it could be nothing but a representation of what really happened.

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We have then, first, a relation of the scruples of the persons in the neighbourhood, hesitating whether it was really the blind man that was wont to beg at their doors, on account of so unheard of and astonishing a thing as sight being given to one born blind; which shows that they did not lightly or hastily give credit to it.

The alarm that would naturally be raised about a thing so very extraordinary drew the attention of the Pharisees, the rulers of the country, to it, men at all events bent to decry Jesus and the divine power by which he acted, and who used every effort to prevent the people from believing in him. They therefore had the man brought before their council, ordering him to give a particular account of the manner and circumstances, how and by whom he had been cured.

Upon examination of him, not being able to deny the truth of the fact, so fully was it made out to them; some of them gave this turn to it, that Jesus could not be a good man, or have any power from God, because he had healed the man upon the sabbath day. But others among them alleged that, if they granted the truth of the miracle, it would be impossi

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ble to set aside the divine authority of him who wrought it, and who asserted that he came from God.

Upon the man's frankly telling them, that he was persuaded that the person who had healed him, whoever otherwise he might be, was a prophet of God, they began to suspect him also, as if he had not been really born blind, but, being secretly a disciple of Jesus, had only pretended blindness for some time, to bring honour to his master for the reputation of healing him.

They therefore send for his parents, who, by the especial providence of God, to give undeniable evidence of the truth of the miracle, and to take away all excuse of the malicious unbelief of the Pharisees, were yet alive. But being able to learn nothing from them but what confirmed the reality and greatness of the miraculous cure; resolved not to believe any testimony whatsoever in favour of it; they ordered the man to be called in before them the second time; and quite infatuated with their prejudices, they try to infuse the same into him against Jesus, as if he was a sabbath-breaker and a deceiver, and therefore no true prophet. But his plain good sense and honest mind

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led him to see their weakness and malice, and he quite confounded them by the pertinency and acuteness of his answers and the strength of his arguments. And when they alleged that they were persuaded that Moses was a prophet sent from God; as for this fellow, we know not whence he is, or that he can pretend to any divine authority at all:

The man replied, that it was a strange thing that a man should have a power to work such an extraordinary miracle, as giving sight to one born blind, and yet that they who were great and learned of the nation should not be able to judge by what authority he acted!

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That if they knew any thing, they must certainly know that God would not give such a power to a bad man to deceive others.

That of all the miracles that were recorded, even of those done by Moses himself, there is no example of sight being given to one that was born blind. That it was impossible, therefore, but this man must be a prophet sent from God, since he did as great or greater miracles than those whom they themselves acknowledged to have a commission from him.

"The man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know

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not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes. Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God and doer of his will, him he heareth. Since the world began, it was not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind. If this man were not of God, he could do nothing.”

One cannot help observing here, in how small a compass does the proper evidence for Christianity, and the divine mission of Christ, lie; and the unlearned as capable judges of it, as the most learned! But not to dwell upon this. The Pharisees enraged that the man should presume to argue and dispute with them, and having no other way to evade or refute the force of his reasoning, they immediately pronounced against him their sentence of excommunication.

After which our Saviour meeting with him, asked him if he believed on the Son of God, or the Messiah. And when he replied, intimating that he expected and hoped for his coming, and that, if he was already come, he begged to know who and where he was; Jesus thereupon discovered himself to him. And the man, conscious of his power and divine authority,