Then faid the Jews to Him, Now we know Thou haft a Devil. Abraham is dead and the Prophets, and thou say'ît, If any man keep my Word he fhall never taft of death.. Art Thou greater then our Father Abraham, who is dead? and the Prophets are dead: Whom makest Thou Thy felf? JESUS anfwered, IfI Glorifie My felf, My Glory is nothing: 'tis My Father that Glorifies Me, of whom you fay, He is your God. Yet, you have not known Him; but I know Him, and if I fhould fay I know Him. not I should be a lyer like you: but I know Him and keep His Word. Your Father Abraham rejoyc'd that he might fee My day he faw it, and was glad. Then faid the Jews to Him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and haft Thou feen Abraham? JESUS faid to them, Verily, verily, I fay to you, Before Abraham was I am. Then took they up ftones to caft at Him: but JESUS hid Himself, and went out of the Temple. Refp. Lord, how mysteriously deft Thou How difcourfe, who form rly Sakit So plain then their perverfeness wou'd not understand, and now their dulaejsca

not.

* He that keeps Thy Words fhall never fee death; but, be that wants Thy Grace hall never keep Thy Words. Send down Thy Light into our Souls, O Lord, left we ignorantly mistake Thee, and vern our stubborn Nature, left we wilfully offend Thee. He that

Leffon 154

go

And JESUS, paffing by, faw a man who was blind from his birth. And His Difciples askt Him, faying, Mafter, who find, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? JESUS answered, neither he nor his parents fin'd; but, that the Works of God may be made manifeft in him. I must work the Works of him that fent Me, while it is day: The night comes when no man can work. As long as I am in the World, I am the Light of the World. When He had thus fpoken, He fpat on the ground, and made Clay of the Spittle, and fpread the Clay upon his Eyes: And faid to Him, Go wafh in the Pool of Siloe (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went, therefore, and wafh'd, and came feeing. The Neighbours therefore, and they who before had feen him (for he was a Beggar)

faid, Is not this he that fat and begg’d• Some faid, this is he : others faid, No but he is like him: but, he said, I am he Then faid they to him, How were thine Eyes open'd? He answered and faid, That man, who is called JESUS, made Clay and anointed my Eyes, and faid to me, Go to the Pool of Siloe, and wash: and I went and washed, and now I fee. Then faid they to him Where is He? He said,

I know not.

*

Refp. We need not go to thy fecret Councels, O Lord, to find the fourse of our Calamities: alas! our own ingratitude is too plain areafon, and our great and many fins too vifible a caufe. But, 0, do Thou relieve us for thine own Glory, that the Works of thy Mercy may be manifeft in us. We are the Beggars, who are born blind, and our own miscarriages have encreased our darkness. We are the Beggars who idly fit by the way, and make not one step of progress towards our Eternal end. But O, do Thou

Lefon 155.

They bring him that had been blind to the Pharifces and it was the Sabbath, when Jefus made the Clay and

opened

opened his Eyes. Again, therefore the Pharifees askt him, how he had receiv'd his fight. Who faid to them, He put Clay upon my Eyes, and I wafht and do fee. Then faid fome of the Pharifees, This Man is not of God, because He keeps not the Sabbath: Others faid, How can a man that is a finner do fuch miracles. And there was a divifion among them. They fay to the blind man again, What fay't thou of Him that has opened thy Eyes? He said, He is a Prophct. But, the Jews believed not concerning him, that he had been blind and received his fight; till they called his Parents. And they asked them, saying, Is this your Son who you fay was born blind how then does he now fee? His Parents anfwered, We know this is our Son, and that he was born blind; but by what means he now fees we know not, or who has opened his Eyes we know not: ask him, he is of age, let him fpeak for himself. These words fpake hisParents: because they fear'd the Jews. for, the Jews had now confpired, that if any man fhould confefs Him to be the Christ, he should be put out of the Synagogue.

There

Therefore said his Parents, He is of age, ask him.

Refp. This is the unhappy cause of all our divifions; while I with paffion espouse on: argument, and you prefer another; and neither of us calmly confider Both, Cleanfe us, O Lord from our corrupt affections, and we soon shall fee and love thy truth. Never let us longer difpute, when we feel our felves con vindt, nor fear to own our Faith, when we are called to confefs it.* Cleanfe us—-—-—-—

Lesson 156.

Then again called they the man that was blind, and faid to him; Give Glory to God; we know this man is a finner, He faid therefore to them, Whether he be a finner or no I know pot: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I fee. Then faid they to him again, What did He to thee? How opened He thine Eyes? He answered them, I have told you already, and you have heard; why would you hear it again? Will you alfo be his Difciples? Then they reviled him and faid, Be thou His Difciple; but we are Mofes's Difciples. We know God fpake to Mofes, as for this Man we

know