called to suffer for him, will take up his cross with cheerful resignation, yea, and rejoice that he is counted worthy to bear it.
Our blessed Lord soon found his faithful confessor, and amply rewarded his fidelity by a fuller manifestation of himself, and a more abundant communication of grace to his soul. And thus will he recompense all who suffer for his sake: they shall have a hundredfold now in this present life, and " in the world to come life everlasting1'."]
Forbearing to notice the more minute incidents, we pass on to,
II. The typical interpretation —
We cannot conceive why the Evangelist should give the typical import of the word Siloam, unless to intimate, that the whole miracle had a typical re- ference. The word Siloam means, Sent ; and was intended to prefigure the true " Shilohc," " the mes- senger of the covenant1'," the sent of Gode, the Messiah that should come into the world ; and the miracle wrought there typically represents,
1. The state of mankind by nature —
[The man by the special providence of God was born blind, in order that he might more fitly characterize the state and condition of unregenerate men. They are universally blind by nature, and as blind with respect to spiritual things as this poor man was with respect to all the objects around him. He could form some crude notions about them by means of feeling; but he could discern no one thing aright : so the men of this world may, by reading, obtain some faint idea of spiritual things; but they have no just apprehension of them at all. To prove that all natural men are blind, we need not descend to particulars, or shew that they cannot discern this and that particular truth ; there is one question that may determine the point at once ; Do all, or do any of those who are in the broad road, see whither they are going ? do they not universally think, or hope at least, that notwithstanding all which God has spoken f, they shall go to heaven when they die ? If further proof be wanted, let an appeal be made to Scripture, and God himself will put the matter beyond disputed Nothing can more justly represent our state than the man on whom this miracle was wrought.]
h Mark x. 29, 30. c Gen. xlix. 10. d Mai. iii. 1.
e John x. 36. ' Matt. vii. 13, 14.
s Rev. iii. 1G, 17. 1 Cor. ii. 14.