+ For an Angel weat down at a certain ſeaſoninto the Poo! and rroubled the water z : whoſoever firſt af. rep the rrounInNg of the water, ſtepped in, was madc who'e of whatloever Diſcaſz he had &,
; Thais water had not always in it thts healing Vertne 4 but only when + ms (7 oubied, and this was at 4 certar ſeaſon, how often, the Scrip- ture hath noL derermined, (ſome will Have it tO be only ar their great Feats of the Fajjover and FINTECOR? ;XC. but the Scripture faith no ſuch thing } Nozie mult chink that tte Angel appeared in any viſible Shape, Vu! the ro:110g anc troubling of the Water, was a Certain Sign that was the ime when alone they was Medicinal, nor were ma- ny healed at one TIME, bur only one Per'on, that could firſt ger into this Water be Was healed, let his Difeafe be whar It would, The waters not being conitantly Medicinal, burar a certain time, when wereralled ; and then, 2 Not for all, bur only to him who could {:x.t gerin. And 3 for any Diſeaſe, of what fort, or kind ſo- ever (iis Diſeale was, ſuſticiently contureth the Opinion of thoſe who fancy that the Wazers derived this healing Vertue from the Entrails of the Beaits oftered 1n Sacritice, being waſhed there ; for ( belides that this is denied by ſome, who ſay, thoſe Entrails were waſhed in a Room on purpoſe for that uſe within rhe Temple ) if they had deri- ved their healing Vertue from thence in a Natural Rational way, they w011!d have exerted their Vertue upon more than him who firlt {teppzd in, and that not at the time only when rhey were rollee, nor would their Verrue haye extended to all kind of Diſeaſes. Oi whatever uſzrh1s Pool therefore was before, certain it 1s at this time
God made uſe of the Water 1n it to heal, and fo as men might ſee] -
that it heated not by any Natural, bur a Miraculous Operation. The Scriptures of the Old Tenament make. no mention of it, And it is obſerved by thoſe who are verſed inthe Ferw:ſh Rabbins, that neither do thcy make the leatt mention of 11, watch makes 1: very probable, that they bad this Vertue, nor from the time of the Building of the Sheep- gate by Shallum, Neheme 3. 15. nor trom the time when the 4jmowean Family was extinct ; or the Rebuilding, or further building and adorning the Temple by Herod, but a little before the Birth of Christ, as a Figure of him being now coming, who, Zech, 13. 1. was a Fontan opened for the Houſe of David, and the Inha- butants of Ferujalem 3 and trom whom is both our cleanſing, and our heaing, as thele Waters, which before had a cleanſing, and now received alſo a heahng Vertue.
5 And a certain man . was there, which had an in- firmicy chirty anc! eight years /.
| What this mans Name was, or what his Circumſtances in the World, or what his particular Diſeaſe was, we are not rold ; nor is it ſaid that he bad lain there thirty eight Years, bur that he had fo long laboured under his Weaknets 3 which whether it was the Palfie or no, is uncertain; probably it was a Diſeaſe hardly curable by Hu- mane Art,and ordinary means ; for 1: cannot be thought bur in thar time he had uſed all rational means, which he finding of no value as to his Caſe, he came and lay at this Fountain, walting for a Cure in this way of Miraculous Operation.
6 When Jcſus law him ite, and knew that he had been now a iong, time 4 char caſe m, he ſaith unto him,
Wilt thou be made whole » ? m Chritt as God, knew the particular time when this Infirmiry ſeized him, which was cight Years or upward before our Savyiours
S.FOHN
v-airing for the time when
ks - > . for the reſlification of the Miracle to all rhat ſhould fee them.
L Kg. 4.» 23. 10 The Jews therefore ſaid unto him that was cured
4 That 1s, according to the letter of the Law ; not that Chriſt was the Lord of the Sabbath ;
Neighbour.
ſame ſaid unto me, Take up thy Bed and walk .
ſenfible that he was healed by a Power more than Humane.
ſaid unto thee, Take up thy Bed and walk x?
ing in that place &.
nor tind him, to ſhew them.gthe man who had ſo ſaid unto him.
more leſt a worſt thing come unto thee b.
them in this Life.
Binh, and about the time when the Temple was re-edified, or rather | Jeſus which had madehim whole c.
enlarged and further adorned by Herod, As man he pitied his Cafe 23 he asked him, 1it he was willing to be made whole? Nor that he doubred of his willingneſs: For what Sick man was ever un- viling to be healed ? Befides thar, he knew that the poor man lay there tor that very purpoſe ; bur that he mighr make him declare hismiſerable, helpleſs State and Condition, and draw our his Faith, and Hope in himſelf ; and trom his Anſwer take an occafion to heal lim, and maxe rhe Spectators more attentive to his Miracle.
- The impotent man o anſwered, (dir ) I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the Pool; but while I am coming, another ſteppeth down before me p.
0 ; har his particular Impotency was, the Scripture doth not tell vs: Some have nor umnprobably judged It the Paltie, which depri- vetathe Perſon of monon, by the iroppage of the Animal Spirits, fo that without help he cannot move irom one place to another, which It 15 manifeit rhjs poor man couid not 3 for p he complaineth for want of help, that he couid not ger into the Pool.
$ Jetus faich unto him, * Riſe, take up thy Bed and walk 9,
(e Angel, Gerived their Power from him ; and that he with a Word could coas much for him, as the Waters rolled by the Angel could tfltcCt: He theretore bids him Ariſe, and take up hs Bed and walk, tat ochers might lee, and be atlured that he was perfectly Cured.
9 And immediately the man was made whole 7,
Cay was the Sabbath 2. 7 The mas {trengrth returneth immediately ; he / is able imme- likely to a7 ife, take up bis Bed, and to waik, t All this was done 6a the $, bbath. diy, on which day it was unlawful to carry any Bur- Thens, Fer. 17.21.24» And by the Few:ſ/ Canons it was puniſhable *Y Death, or Scourging. Burt our Saviour had a mind to les the #13 know that he was Lord of the Sabbath, and what had been 1n-
of his help.
on the Sabbath-day 4.
d Bur the Fews made another uſe of it ; ſeeking from hence an ad- vantage againſt hinz, becauſe he had vzolated the Sabbath, whict they had often madea Capital Crime,
17 But Jeſus anſwered them e, * My Father work-
eth hitherto, and I work f.