Sidor som bilder
PDF
ePub
[ocr errors]

and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he fpeaketh a lie, he fpeaketh of his 45 own: for he is a liar, and the father of it (s). And be46 caufe I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. Which

of you convinceth me of fin? And if I fay the truth, 47 why do ye not believe me? He that is of God, hear

eth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because 48 ye are not of God. Then answered the Jews and faid unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samari49 tan (t), and haft a devil? Jefus anfwered, I have not

a devil; but I honour my Father (u), and ye do dif50 honour me. And I feek not mine own glory: there 51 is one that feeketh and judgeth (w). Verily, verily I fay unto you, If a man keep my faying, he fhall 52 never (*) fee death. Then faid the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou haft a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou fayeft, If a man 53 keep my faying, he fhall never tafte of death (y). Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead and the prophets are dead: whom makest 54 thou thyfelf? Jefus anfwered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing; it is my Father that honour55 eth me, of whom ye fay, that he is your God: Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I Thould fay, I know him not, I fhould be a liar like un36 to you: but I know him, and keep his faying. Your father Abraham rejoiced to fee my day: and he faw

(s) The first author of a lie, by which he fatally deceived Eve. Gen. iii. 4.

(t) An enemy (as the Samaritans are) to our nation. To have a devil, is to be mad. Chap. vii. 2o.

(u) i am fo far from wifhing ill to the Jews, that what I do is for the glory of God, and their benefit.

(0) It is my Father that defires my glory, and will judge them who defpife and defame me.

(x) Never fignifies not for ever. He fhall not die eternally. He fhall not be fubject to the pains of eternal death or damnation. (y) This is meant of fpiritual, eternal death, not of temporal and natural death, as the Jews understood it.

57 it, and was glad (z). Then faid the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and haft thou feen 58 Abraham? Jefus faid unto them, Verily, verily I 59 fay unto you, Before Abraham was, I am (aa). Then took they up ftones to caft at him (bb): but Jefus hid himfelf (cc), and went out of the temple, going through the midft of them, and fo paffed by.

2

CHA P. IX.

AND as Jefus paffed by, he faw a man which was blind from his birth. And his difciples afked him faying, Mafter, who did fin, this man, or his parents (a), 3 that he was born blind (b)? Jefus anfwered, Neither hath this man finned, nor his parents: but that the works of God fhould be made manifeft in him (c). I muft work the works of him that fent me, while it is day: the night cometh when no man can 5 work (d). As long as I am in the world, I am the light 6 of the world (e). When he had thus fpoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he

4

(z) The faith of Abraham was an earneft expectation of the Meffiah, which was fupported by special revelation, that filled him with joy.

(aa) You take me for a mere man; whereas I am from all eter-nity. Chap. 1..

(bb) Because he had applied to himfelf the very expreffion by which the Lord Jehovah distinguished himself to Mofes at the bush':

IAM.

(cc) Miraculously rendered himself invifible, as in Luke iv. 30. (a) It was a notion of the Pharifees, that a person might have committed fin in fome former ftate before he was born..

(b) See Luke xiii. 2.

(c). This man's blindness is appointed by God for an occafion of making his power and glory the more manifeft, by the miracle which I am now going to perform.

(d) I must make ufe of the opportunity whilft I can.. I shall not enjoy it long; for I fhall foon be put to death.

(e) By curing both bodily and fpiritual blindness.

[merged small][merged small][ocr errors]

anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, 7 And faid unto him, Go wafh in the pool of Siloam (f) (which is by interpretation, Sent). He went his way therefore, and washed, and came feeing.

8

The neighbours therefore, and they which before had feen him, that he was blind, faid, Is not this he 9 that fat and begged? Some faid, This is he: others 10 faid, He is like him: but he faid, I am he. There

fore faid they unto him, how were thine eyes open1 ed? He anfwered and faid, A man that is called Jefus, made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and faid unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash and 12 I went and wafhed, and I received fight.. Then faid. they unto him, Where is he? He faid, I know not.

13 They brought to the Pharifees him that aforetime 14 was blind. And it was the fabbath-day (g) when 15 lefus made the clay, and opened his eyes. Then again the Pharifees alfo asked him how he had received his fight. He faid unto them, He put clay 16 upon mine eyes, and I wafhed, and do fee. Therefore faid fome of the Pharifees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the fabbath-day. Others faid, How can a man that is a finner do fuch miracles? And there was a divifion among them. 17 They fay unto the blind man again, What fayeft thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes (b)? He 18 faid, He is a prophet. But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and received his fight, until they called the parents of him that had received his fight. And they afked them, faying, Is this your fon, who ye fay was born blind? 20 how then doth he now fee? His parents answered

19

(f) Siloam is the fame as Shiloh, that is fent, by which name Chrift was foretold by Jacob. Gen. xlix. 10.

(g) Obferve how frequently our Saviour performed his miracles on the fabbath-day, in order to cure the Jews of the falfe and superfitious notions they had of it. See Chap. v. 17.

(h) Because he hath opened, or for having opened, thine eyes.

them

them and faid, We know that this is our fon, and 21 and that he was born blind: By what means he now fceth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age, afk him, he shall speak 22 for himself. Thefe words fpake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confefs that he was Chrift, 23 he fhould be put out of the fynagogue. Therefore 24 faid his parents, He is of age, afk him. Then again called they the man that was blind, and faid unto him, Give God the praife (i); we know that this man 25 is a finner. He answered and faid, Whether he be a finner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that 26 whereas I was blind, now I fee. Then faid they to

him again, What did he to thee? how opened he 27 thine eyes? He answered them, I have told you al

ready, and ye did not hear (k): wherefore would ye 28 hear it again? will ye alfo be his difciples? Then

they reviled him, and faid, Thou. art his difciple; 29 but we are Mofes' difciples. We know that God fpake unto Mofes as for this fellow, we know not 30 from whence he is (1). The man anfwered and faid unto them, Why, herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened 31 mine eyes. Now we know that God heareth not finners but if any man be a worshipper of God, and 32 docth his will, him he heareth. Since the world be

gan was it not heard, that any man opened the eyes 33 of one that was born blind. If this man were not 34 of God, he could do nothing. They anfwered and

(i) They pretended to deny the fact, and called upon the man to confefs that it was a trick, the difcovering of which they intimated would be giving glory to God, from whom no fecrets are hid. The fame phrafe is ufed in the cafe of Achan; Josh. vii. 19.

(k) Ye did not attend.

(4) We know not from whom he has his commission and authority to do these things.

06

faid

[ocr errors]

faid unto him, Thou waft altogether born in fin (m), and doft thou teach us? And they caft him out. 35 Jefus heard that they had caft him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Doft thou be36 lieve on the Son of God? He answered and faid,

Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? 37 And Jefus faid unto him, Thou haft both seen him, 38 and it is he that talketh with thee. And he faid, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.

39

And Jefus faid, For judgment I am come into this world that they which fee not might fee; and that 40 they which fee, might be made blind (n). And fome of the Pharifees which were with him heard these 41 words, and faid unto him, Are we blind allo? Jefus faid unto them, If ye were blind, ye fhould have no fin but now ye fay, We fee; therefore your fin remaineth (0).

:

CHA P. X.

I VERILY, verily I fay unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the fheepfold, but climbeth up fome other way, the fame is a thief and a robber. 2 But he that entereth in by the door, is the fhepherd 3 of the fheep. To him the porter openeth; and the

(m) This is on the fame principle, on which the difciples put their queftion verfe 2d, fuppofing moft unreasonably that the infirmities of nature, or misfortunes of life, must be owing to the wickednefs of the perfon.

(n) The effect of my coming into this world is very different according to men's difpofitions: the humble and teachable receive benefit from my inftruction, whereas the felf-conceited and obflinate do but ftrengthen themfelves the more in their ignorance and perverfenefs. See Matt. xiii. 14. Note.

(0) A natural invincible defect in your understanding would be a juft excufe: but that is not your cafe; for you affect to be wifer than others, and refift all manner of inftru&tion. Your guilt therefore remains in full force upon your heads.

fheep

« FöregåendeFortsätt »