h They cannot frown him into a denial of the Miracte wrougt. . he ftocd ftoutly ro affirm, That be was born Blind, and that bs cured by Chriit z row rhey put nin to tell the ſtory over azain P ther hoping they ſhould entrap him, contradicting himſelf *s bi "ory, or at lea, find fometiing, upon his repeating the (t«,.. for th-m to take advantage trom, to perſuade the People. Thar ir y.! but a Chear, and indeed there was no fuch Miracle wrought wi [1217s ai 27 He anſwered them, I have told you already a; y2 did not hear, wherefore would you hear z aan p will ye allo- be his diſciples :* Fort 7 Ir is wonderful ro fee, how the boldneſs and confidence o x: poor man increafed,God giving him that wiſdom and courage yi. chey were not able to refift. He refuſerh ro repeat the (4ory them, telling them, He had once a!rcady told it them : But they way! 10t give credit to him ; and ro what purpoſe was it tor hi wi it over again, unleſs they were inclined to be his Ditcipies? for (;.. think the form of Speech implieth a hearty wiſting and gefire., that they wonld be ſo; bur others think, he ſpeaks Ironically 4, he had (aid, 1 know my repeating az41n the ſtory will nct mduce 3;y i be his Diſciples; you are reſolved againſt that, "and therefore w/., c, you put me ufim a needleſs trouble ? And this feemeth to have he@. his {enſe by what followeth in the P ariſees reply, full of indipr4. tions ID Y 23 Then they reviled him, and ſaid, Thou art hj;; diſciple, but we are Moſes his diſciples &.
k Tf this were all their reviling, for rhem to tell this poor m7 thar he. was Chrilts Diſciple, it was a very tolerable impuration.ang wharz the blind man had reaſon to glory in. Their guilt in reyilng is to be judged not ſo much from what they ſpake, (for there wi; nothing of greater honour) as from what heart and ſpirit they {pk it. A Diſcifie ſignifies, One thar followeth another, and learnety of him. To be a Diſciple of Chrilt indeed, was the greate{ thin, that ay could glory in ; yet, the impuration of it to-this blind (q,41, is here called a Reviling: Whence we may obſerve, That the puile of Reviling, is to be adjudged nor ſo much from the Words which ; man ſpeaketh, as from the frame of his Spirir, and delign of that in the ſpeaking of them. If a man ſpeakerh that of another which i; 200d and true, Yet it he doth ir our of a defign to expoſe him, tg do him miſchief, and ro make him odious unto others, God 06th 1c, count this Revi/ing, becauſe it proceedeth from the hatred of cy; Brother, in our Hearr, and a deſign to do hin harm. Az.in, the? indeed it was no reproach to be called Chriit's Diſciple, yer they affixed this term upon this poor man, ont of a defign to reproacy him, and to expoſe him to the hatred of others: we are in the 20. vernmentof our Tongues,not orly vbliged re rake heed what weliy, bur with what hearr,and out of whar deſign we ſpeak it. A malicious deſign turns terms of the greateit Honour, into rerms of Revilins, / Betides, they here oppoſe Ch:i and Moſes ; whereas, Mes was
A
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war by i,
The reaſon why his Parents anſwered fo very warily, and a- voided ſaying any thing to the Phariſees Third Queſtion, which probibly they could ner do of their particular perſonal knowledge was, That they were :fraid of the Rulers of the Fes. Solomon ſ-irh, Th: the fear of Man bizrgeth a Snare ; 1t 1s often a tempra- ton to wer: to Ceny the Troth, or at leaſt, notro own, and conteſs
it when GE calls ro them for a publick owning and confeflion of
ir: bur nothing of that nature appeareth in this caſe; for it doth not 1p per that his Parents were preſerr when Chriſt wrought this great Muacle, which if they were nor, they were not obliged to tell te Phatſees wh t themſelves had only received by ramor and hear- ſ;y ; fo that their Anſwer fees bur a prudential Anſwer, ro avoid an Eminent danger. & For they were not 1gnorant of a Decree made by the Jewiſh Sarbedrim, That if any did publickly fay, or declare. Thar Feſnus gp is Corift, he ſhould be Excommunicated: for that is eant by being put cut of the Sz7agopre, 2 Theretors ſaid his Parents, He is oÞ age, ask him : 4 Then again called they the man that was blind and ſaid unto him, Give God the praiſe, e we know chat this man is a ſinner f.
e They were not able to obtain their defign from the Parents of
tw 2:0 Goa the Gloryz by whoſe Power alone, exerted by his Son Carnitt Jeſus, he had received his fight. But Moral Actions are 2/'e good or bad by their ends ; and if we conſider the End of "e's wretched men in this action of theirs, wherein they perſuaded :& poor man to his Duty, the words will appear to have been ſpo- en from bears minding nothing If than the glory of God, and car Gf 2 Grlign to vility and depretiate his Son ; whereas Ga} hath et vÞ is Relt in his Son, and cannot be glorified with, in, and toroveh bm 3 wrom In The next Words, they malicioufly defame, Fn only fp-aking or him conempraofly.calling him 2-75 99, bur enmity bro e&:2Joa%5 not a inner only, Eut a notorious, ſean- Calous Sinnfr ; as twat Word imnorts.
25 ticanwered, and faid, Whether he be a ſinner, o as, (S209 avg One thing I know, that, whereas
tay no P -y vYW ctyY0 1913.1,
now I fee o: 7 112 p30r 47 Heibg of no higher quality than a Begger, can be
bur a Type, Chriſt the Anticype, Moſes Prophefied of Clr:#: C:riF was that Propher which God had promiſed to raiſe uplike unto him. Moſes bur the Schoolmaſter, who led them unto Chriſt,
29 We know that God ſpake unto Moles, as tot this fellow * we know not whence he is m7,