3 This is as muchas, Tam he. Thou haſt not only ſeen him with the Eyes of thy Body, but thon haſt had experience of his Di- vine Virtue and Power, 1n giving thee Sight who wert horn Blind : Thus ſeeing alſo figmheth, Fob. 14. 9. It is very obſ-ryable here, Thar Miracles do not work Faith, bur confirm it : The Blind man had experienced here a Miracle wrought upon himſelf, but yet he is an Unbcliever, until the Lord cometh to give him the Revelation of his Word. Faith cometh by hearing ; bur together with this Word, we mult alſo conceive a mighty Power to have fowed from Chritt, inwardly enlightening him, and enabling him to diſcern the Truth of what he told him, and making him yer further willin> to receive him, and cloſe with him. F
35 And he ſaid, Lord I believe, a and he worſhip- ped him 6,
a Now is the work of Faith with power wrought in his Soul ; he faith, Lord, I do 2cknowledge and receive thee as the Son of God, 1 am fully perſwaded, that thou art more than what thou art in thy external Form and Appearance, more than a meer man, and I give ; up my felt ro thee, ro be Ruled and Guided by thee. 6 And as a Te!timony of this, he performed ſome Acts of external Adoration tc him. The Word figntties Proſtratzon: He kneeled down to him, or he fell upon his Face before him ; we are not able to Cetermine what particular Act or Poſture of Adoration he uſed, but there is nothing plainer, than that it is to be underſtood of ſuch a Divine Adoration and Homage as 1s due unto God alone, for it was fuck as teltrfied his Faith in him, as the Son of God, whom he had Pro- retied that he believed him to be, in the words immediately pre ceeding, altho' therefore the word in the Greek, be a word uſed ſome- times to ſignifie that civil Reſpect which men ſhew to their Supe- riors ; Yet it cannot be fo Interprered in this place, conſidering whar went before. _ ;
39 And Jeſus ſaid *, For judgment am I come into, this Worl-1 c. * that they which ſee not, might ſee d,,,. and that they which ſe, might be made blind e. # Mat. 13:
c There is a great variety in Interpreters Notions, about the Jdg- | 3 ment here mentioned. Some think that by it is meant the Divine Council and Decree: Iam come into the World ro execute the juit Will, and Counſels, and Pleaſure of my Father ; and the event of 1t 1s this, That ſome who ſaw not fee, and ſome who ſee, in a ſenſe are made Blind. Others underi*and it of Condemnation ; 1 ain come to execute the Judgment of Condemnation : Bur thus it is hardly reconciieable ro Fohn 3. 17. where it is ſaid, That God ſent not hy ſon to condemn che Ford. The beit Notion of it is theirs who Interpret it of the ſpiritual Government of the World, com- mitred ro Chriſt, and managed by him with a pertect rectirude ant equity : One eminent part of this, was his Publiſhing the Goſpe!, the Law of Faith, the event of which is, Th:t many Spiritually blind, and utjerly unable to ſes the way that leadsro eternal Life, might ( as this Perſon that was born Blind, is now clear ſighted ) bez enlighrned with the ſaving knowledge of the Truth ; «22d many thar think they fee, ſhould by their obitinare Infideliry, be more Blind than they were from their Birth. Nor that I calt any ſuch i influ- ence upon them ; bur this happneth through their own fore Eyes : Tam the Light of the World, and it 1 of the Narure of Light, to
Ch. 5 22,
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make orher things viſible ro men, and it hath irs Etiect, and dot lo where mens Eyes are not ill-effected with Humours and the 1:ke ; ſo the Lizht of my Goſpel by which I ſhine tn the World, m:kes the way of Salvation by me, ordained by my Father,* As 3. 22. evident aug clear to many Sovls who are indarknefs, and the ihadow of Death: But ic fo happneth through the Prejudices that others are pre-Poijetied with againit me, and the Doctrine of my Gulpel, by which I ſhine 10 the World, and their Iznorance, Malice, and Hared againit me, and the DoCtrine witca I bring, tat :hto' their own Perverſeneſs, and the nghteous Judoment of God, at laſt givinz men over io their own Delutions, tizey are mae
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Chap. X.
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more blind. In this Senſe, this Scripture agreeth with what was os phecied by 1{a*2b, Ch. 8. 14- And he ſhali be for a omg epgs - for a ſtone of ſtumbling, and for a Rock of offence to both the Toy by ef IFacl, for again, and for a ſnare to he Inhabitants of Feruſa- /2-m. And the words of Simcon.,in Luxe2. 34:
Pau', Rom. 9. 73+
4. fthe Phaiiſees that were with him, of x peek Are we blind
keard theſe words, and faid unto him, op F- Phariſe2s attended our Saviour, almoſt in all Places where he went. to catch ſomething from him, whereof they mizhr Accuſe him. They could nor but underitand, thar the import of oor Savi- ours lai Words was, Thar this poor blind Wan, now not only re ceiving bodily Sight, (tho' born Blind) bur a ſpiritual Ian, by which he diſcerned, that Chriit was the Son of 99 Sg rue Meſſiah, 2514 Saviour of the World ; was an Inſfance of rho - men zioned, who not ſeeing before, upon Chri't coming ſw; an Roan themſelves, and rheir Malters, were a1 In{tance of rhoſe _ & 111 tended by ſuch as ſaw, and by his co-ning was "made Blind, for =—_ Saviour had often called them - Blind, and fo repreſentrd _ ” rhe People to whom he Preached, Mat. 15 « 14. Luke $+ 39+ TTY : ew: fore grew very Angry, being very Proud, and not or O - thoughr, or called Blind, looking upon themſelves as the greatel Ltzhts of the Few:i/Þ Church.
ar Jeſus ſaid unro them, it ye we' ſhould have no fin þ, but now ye lay, fore your fin remaineth &- ;
g It your Ignorance were fimple, and not affected, and you were ſenſible of ir, then your Blindneſs were not incurable, 224 your >1N mighr be pardoned. This appeareth to be the Senſe, from the oppo fition of it ; ſo ye ſay, we ſee, in the larter parr of the Verlc 3 they were indeed Blind, :is to any true and faving Sight of Chritt, and of the true way of Salvation, by believing in him ſeeing, ( as they ap- prehended } a way of Salvation withour Chriit, by tne works of thc Law, and wilfnlly ſhutting rheir Eyes again(t rhe glorious Ligut of
e blind g, ye We ice z, there
the Goſpel ſhining on them. þ You ſhould not have ſo much 31n, fo