hearing this, Pilate asked, " What is truthd?" But he waited not for an answer ; and thereby discovered that he had no de- sire to be informed. Not so the man before us : he really wished to be informed, that he might conduct himself as it became him towards the person after whom he inquired.
Contrast it with scepticism. Of the great mass of the Jews who had followed Jesus, it is said, that, " though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on hime." Not contented with such miracles as he saw fit to work, and which left no room for doubt, they would have signs of their own choosing f. Even Thomas, one of his own Disciples, (when he had the fullest testimony of all the other Apostles, who had themselves been by no means forward to believe, and had yielded only to evidence that was irresistible,) declared, that, unless he should put his fingers into the very print of the nails in his Saviour's hands, and thrust his hand into his side, he would not believe e. This was decidedly wrong. We are bound to yield to evidence, provided that evidence be sufficient to convince us on ordinary occasions : and a readiness to act upon the testimony of him who had opened his eyes was a very commendable trait in the character before us.
Contrast it, lastly, with credulity. This is an error on the contrary side; but extremely common, when falsehood is pro- posed for our belief. In every age, the Jews were prone to it. Whatever impostor arose, professing himself to be the Christ, he was sure enough to find many followers. He needed only to " come in his own name," and very little would suffice to satisfy the minds of the deluded multitude11. Against this we should be on our guard, no less than against excessive incredu- lity : for St. John says, " Believe not every spirit ; but try the spirits, whether they are of GodV But of this there was no trace in the spirit of this man : for, though he expressed a readiness to believe, he had abundant reason to rely on the testimony of Him who had so miraculously opened his eyes : in him, therefore, this readiness was not credulity, but piety.]
This is the precise disposition which becomes us all—
[In a matter purely speculative, the mind should have no bias at all ; no leaning towards one side of the question, any more than towards the other. But the Gospel is not a specu- lative doctrine ; nor are we in a condition to speculate upon it. We have an interest in believing it : and we act most irra- tionally if we do not feel a wish that the evidences for it may be found true. We are sinners ; and, as sinners, under the
«* John xviii. 38. e John xii. 37. , ' Matt. xii. 38, 39.
e John xx. 25. h John v. 43. ' 1 John iv. 1.