Receive thy sight. When outward means were employed by our Lord in performing His mighty works, they were not designed to have any operation of themselves, being wholly inadequate to the effects which followed. In the present instance, He probably had a view to try the man's faith, as Elisha did that of Naaman. This man might have found much to say, why the water of Siloam could never give sight to a man, who had been blind from his birth. But he did not argue; he obeyed. "He went his way,"-and his faith was rewarded, -"he came seeing"." This account of the miraculous cure is admired for its remarkable and energetic brevity'. The miracle was manifest to all at Jerusalem; for "he that sat and begged" was generally known. It, therefore, so much engaged the public attention, that the Sanhedrim thought it necessary to take the matter up; and, accordingly, "they brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind." The chief council of the Jews consisted chiefly of that sect, and is therefore frequently called by St. John by the name of it. The providence of God so ordered on this occasion the course of things, that the members of it might hear from the mouth of the blind man a testimony, which would either produce conviction in them, or would render their unbelief without excuse. There would appear to have been a division of opinion in the chief council: some being constrained to acknowledge, from the evidence which the poor beggar gave to them with the most artless simplicity, that He who worked such miracles must be a Prophet; others pretending, with hypocritical sanctity, that because He had performed the miracle on the Sabbathday, He could not be a Prophet sent of God'. We may observe, in passing, how frequently our Saviour performed His miracles on the Sabbath-day, in order to cure the Jews, as well as His disciples in all time, of the false and superstitious notions concerning its observance and its profanement'. Some collusion being now suspected between Jesus and the beggar, the man's parents were sent for, and strictly examined. The fact, indeed, they admitted: "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but by what means he now seeth, we know not he is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself." It was at no small risk that any man ventured to declare his belief in Jesus s; "for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that He was the Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue." The blind man was therefore again interrogated by Bishop Mann. 8 Dr. Whitby. Dr. Robinson. 1 the rulers; but this poor beggar, though he had laboured under the disadvantage of blindness, had been endued by God with qualities more valuable than that of which he was deprived. The eyes of his understanding, as well as those of his body, had been opened; he perceived the evident truth that, "if this Man were not of God, He could do nothing;" but, he justly observed, it was vain to speak this to men who would not hear. However clear the argument, or evident the fact, they would not be His disciples. They cannot reply to his plain reasoning; but they can persecute. "Thou wast altogether born in sin;" thy misfortune proves thee to have been accursed of God from thy birth and dost thou teach us?" and they cast him out"." The margin of our Bibles reads it "excommunicated him." The Jews had three different sorts of excommunication. The first is that which is meant by being "put out of the synagogue:" the effect of this was to exclude men from the Church and people of God, and from His service; after which no Jew would hold intercourse with them. The second sort included the first; but extended further, to the confiscation of goods into the sacred treasury, and devoting them to God. In the third, according to the Law, he was to be put to death; but some think he was still to be 2 Archbishop Sumner. left to the judgment of God, to be cut off out of the congregation of Israel'. The poor beggar-man, however, who had lost the favour of his countrymen, received an ample recompence. Jesus searched him out, and found him, and revealed Himself to him as the Son of God, of whose power the man had already seen such undoubted evidence. It should be well observed how severe and strict a scrutiny the miracle of the cure of the blind man underwent from the enemies of our Lord. If a modern unbeliever had drawn up the interrogatories, they could scarcely have been more critical or searching. The whole passage is, indeed, deserving of particular attention. The striking simplicity of the narrative, the natural conduct of all the parties, and the very scrutiny the miracle sustained, cannot fail of making a deep impression on every candid mind 5. SECT. CIV.-Christ the Good Shepherd.-John x. 1-18. JESUS, observing how much the Chief Priests and Pharisees grew every day more and more enraged at seeing so many of the people following Him, and embracing His doctrine; and knowing, on the contrary, how ready they would be to encourage the people to follow any such false teachers as would flatter them in their vices, and spread doctrines fitted to promote Abp. Tillotson. Archdeacon Paley. 3 Dr. Graves. the worldly designs and temporal grandeur of their Rabbies and elders; and how these men themselves, without any regard to the true design of their office, did, with only covetous and ambitious intentions, affect to be looked upon as the guides and leaders, the shepherds and pastors of the flock of God, proceeds to describe the character and office of the Good Shepherd. It was not unusual, throughout the Scriptures, to speak of the true Church as "sheep of the Lord's pasture;" and David, whose natural office was a shepherd, is named by the Prophet Ezekiel as "the shepherd of His flock." The Scriptures call David the shepherd; but Christ says, "I am the Good Shepherd," born of David after the flesh, and possessing in reality and eminently all those qualities which the Scriptures give to David under the figure of the Messiah. The Lord here speaks of sheep that are folded. And He speaks of the fold as having a door of entrance: and He describes Himself as that door, through which, whoever has a real claim to lead or guide the sheep, must enter in 8. He that God calls to the office, and is diligent and conscientious in the discharge of his duty, him his faithful servants will obey; he is "the shepherd of the sheep'." Whoever pretends to feed and guide the flock 8 Dr. S. Clarke. Archbishop Sumner. 'Bishop Hall. |