Law in its utmost rigour; nay, I even go beyond it: keeping two fasts in the week, for which I have only tradition, not command ; paying, with strict regularity, "the tithes of all that I possess ;" giving even that of mint, anise, and cummin, any claim on which might be doubted'. The opposite character is then exhibited by Christ of a sincere and acceptable worshipper, the humble, self-condemning penitent spirit, which the parable is designed to commend. He is described as a publican, who was one of that order of men employed by the Roman emperors in levying the taxes, which were exacted from Judæa as a conquered nation. Whether from the particular fate of that employment, owing to the fixed aversion which men have to part with what is their own, or from whatever other causes it happened, so it was, that the whole set of these men were so odious, that the name of a publican became a term of reproach and infamy among the Jews'. He is represented in the parable as standing afar off;" keeping at a distance from the proud Pharisee, not from any feeling of scorn or ill will, but from humility. He does "not so much as lift up his eyes unto heaven," nor in any word does he resent the ignominious insinuations of his scornful companion. He "smote upon his Archbishop Sumner. "Dean Stanhope. 8 66 • Sterne. breast," as conscious of the pollutions which lodged there; seeking for no comfort, but in the mercy of a forgiving God; bringing no motive to incline that mercy, but a sorrowful sense of his own unworthiness, and an humble hope in God's unbounded goodness: God be merciful to me, a sinner'." Our Lord declares this man to be "justified," that is to say, pardoned, and approved by God', and acceptable in His sight, 66 66 rather than the other "." It is not meant to intimate that a man does wrong in being thankful for having been preserved from crime. The Pharisee is not condemned because he had been free from the vices he named, but for his pride and boasting. The publican is not justified, because of his acknowledged sinfulness, but because of his contrition. Whatever the Pharisee may not have been, he had the great crime of self-righteousness and spiritual pride. Whatever the publican may be admitted to have been, he had now that contrite spirit, which is, in the sight of God, of great price1. Our Lord draws from the parable the same moral which He had frequently impressed in His preaching; and it is worthy of observation that no one sentiment of our Lord's is so frequently repeated as this, which occurs at least ten times in the Evangelists: "Every one that exalteth 1 Dean Stanhope. 4 3 Dr. Hammond. Dr. Doddridge. himself shall be abased: and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." It is mortifying and melancholy to think how needful it is to press this sentiment on man. There are scarcely any of us, however low in power, or poor in fortune, who have not that pride of heart, which leads us to suppose that we are better than our neighbours, and consequently more in favour with our Almighty Father. We believe that our notions of religion are the only right ones, and therefore despise those who do not think of religious subjects exactly as we think ourselves. We imagine ourselves to stand high in the sight of God, and that, at the day of judgment, we shall obtain that blessed sentence, "Well done, good and faithful servant;" whilst some of those, with whom we live, will come in for the condemnation, "I know you not." Religious pride indeed abounds at the present day as much as at any former period: "Stand apart, for I am holier than thou," is the secret thought, if not the open boast, of half the Christian world o. SECT. CIII.-Christ restores the Blind, and offends the Pharisees.-John ix. 1-14. JESUS had now taken His leave of Galilee, and arrived at Jerusalem. Here He attended the Feast of Dedication. This feast was instituted by Judas Maccabæus, in memory of the restora tion of the altar and Temple, after it had been profaned by Antiochus Epiphanes'. This festival Christ honoured with His presence at Jerusalem, coming thither on purpose to bear His part in the solemnization of it, which implied His approbation of it. From this it has been justly inferred, that festival-days, in memorial of public blessings, may piously be instituted by persons in authority without a Divine command. As He now passed through the streets of the city, He beheld, with merciful regard, “a man which was blind from his birth." When the impotent man had received his cure from Jesus at the pool of Bethesda, he was dismissed with the warning, "Go and sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon thee." Perhaps this was remembered by His disciples, and led them to the question they now make to Him : Master, who did sin, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Maladies of children that were at all out of the usual course were very much ascribed to some sin of the parents by the Jews; and the Rabbins used the conceit of this to make men obedient to their traditions'. It is inferred, from the question, that the opinion propagated by the Grecian philosopher Pythagoras, that the souls of men migrate from one body to another after death, 66 was at this time current among the Jews: since the sins committed by this man, for which he was born blind, could only have been committed by him in some pre-existent state. Thus, the meaning of the question seems to be, Was it for some sin of his own, when his soul was in another body; or was it from some sin of his parents, at the time of his conception, which caused this blindness in him?? Jesus does not countenance any such absurd notion, when He replies, His blindness was not intended for any particular sin; but the infinite wisdom of God suffered this man to come into the world in this condition, that I might have an opportunity of working a notable miracle upon him, and of thus displaying the Divine power which confirms My doctrine. I came down from heaven, that I should be "the light of the world," to give sight to the blind, and to those that sit in dark"As long as I am in the world," I must take all opportunity of benefitting mankind. While it is day," I must be wholly employed in this work; but I shall shortly be taken away from the world; and then the "night cometh, when no man can work "." It would be loss of time to inquire why it pleased Jesus to "spit on the ground, and make clay of the spittle, and anoint the eyes of the blind man with the clay," instead of saying to the man at once, 2 Drs. Hammond and Whitby. ness. 66 3 Dr. S. Clarke. |
