know not whence He is. The man anfwered and faid to them, Why, herein is a marvellous thing, that you know not whence Heis, and yet He has opened my Eyes. We know God hears not finners: but, if any be a Worshiper of God and do His Will, him He hears. Since the World began it was not heard, that any man opened the Eyes of one born blind. If this man were not of God, He could do nothing. They answered and faid to him, Thou waft altogether born in fins, and doft thou teach us? And, they caft him out. JESUS heard that they had caft him out; and, when He had found him, He faid to him, Doft thou believe in the Son of God? He answered and faid, Who is He, Lord; that I may bclieve in Him? And JESUS faid to Him, Thou haft both feen Him, and 'tis He that talks with thee. And he faid, Lord, I believe, and falling down, adored Him. Refp. See how a fpiteful meaning corrupts an excellent action! Again they defire to hear what JESUS had done, again the blind man must tell them the manner of the Miracle; and all with intention to cavil at fome Circumstance, and deny. the the Substance. O strange perverfness of Man! O wonderful Goodness of God! They with a haughty scorn difparage and revile him, and caft him out, as a reprobate, from among them: but, our mer ciful JESUS goes immediately to feek bim, and comfort him in his forrows, and with a fecond more precious Mi racle, open the Eyes of his mind. *0 Strange Leffon 157. And JESUS faid, for judgment fam come into this World: that they who fee not may fee, and they who feemay be made blind. And fome of the Pha rifees, who were with Him, heard, and faid to Him, Are we blind alfo? JESUS faid to them, if you were blind you should have no fin, but, now you fay, We fee, Your fin remains. Verily ve rily, I fay to you, He that enters not by the dore into the Sheep-fold, but climbs up fome other way, is a Thief and a Robber: But, he that enters in by the dore is the Shepherd of the Sheep. To him the Porter opens; and the Sheep hear his Voice; and he calls his own Sheep by name, and leads them out. And And, when he puts forth his own Sheep, he goes before them, and the Sheep folBlow him; for, they know his Voice. And a ftranger they follow not, but fly from him: for, they know not the Voice of frangers. This Proverb faid JESUS to them, but they knew not what He fpake. JESUS, therefore, faid to them again, Verily, verily, I fay to you, I am the door of the Sheep. All that have ever come are thieves and robbers; and the Sheep heard them not. I am the door by Me if any enter, he fhalk be faved, and go in and out, and find Pafures. The thief comes not but to fteal and kill and deftroy: I am come, that they may have Life; and that they may have it more abundantly, * Refp. Lord, either make us think our felves blind enough to need the guidance of the wife, or be indeed wife enough to guid our felves: That we may enter at laft by Thee, the door of Life, and feed our Souls on thy Foys for ever. Deliver us, O Levd, from encreafing our guilt by fining against our knowledge, or boping in our ignorance to excufe our guilt. Call us after Thee, who art gone before before, and make us bear thy Voice, and *That we. I am the good Shepherd. The good Shepherd gives life to the Sheep: but the hireling, and he that is not the Shepherd, whofe own the Sheep are not, fees the Wolfe coning, and leaves the Sheep, and flys; and the Wolfe catches and scatters the Sheep. The hireling flies, because he is a hireling, and is not concerned in the Sheep. I am the good Shepherd; and I know mine, and mine know Me As the Father knows Me, I alfo know the Father and lay down my life for My Sheep. And, other Sheep I have, which are not of this Fold: them alfol muft bring, and they fhall hear my Voice, and there fhall he one Fold and one Shepherd. Therefore my Father loves Me, because I lay down my life that! might take it again." No man takes it from Me, but I lay it down of my felf: I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This Commandment have I received of My Again there arofe a diffenfion among Jews, for thefe words. And, many Father. the of them them faid, He has a Devil, and is mad; why hear you Him? Others faid, Thefe are not the words of one that has a Devil: can a Devil open the eyes of the blind?.. Refp. Lord, Thou abundantly haft done for us all the Offices of a faithful Paftor:· Thou haft laid down Thy life to Redeem us, and taken it up again to comfort us: * But we, dull Sheep, what have we done for Thee? Have we obeyed Thy Voice, and not murmured at the Pafture Thou art pleased to affign us? have we been ready still to part with our Fleece and even life it felf, if Thou shouldft command us? All this, and infinitely' more Thou hast done for us, * But we Lesson 159. After this, our Lord defigned alfo other feventy two; and fent them two and two before His face, into every City and Place whither Himfelf was to come. And He faid to them, The Harvest truly is great, but the Workmen few: pray therefore the Lord of the Harvest, that he would fend Workmen into his Harveft, Go: behold, I fend you as Lambs |