är fhould have no fin: but now ye fay, WeCHAP. fee; therefore your fin remaineth.”

JI. These last words discover the whole extent of Christ's design in this miracle, in which are all the circumstances united, and which give to those that appear singular an additional beauty, as well as certainty. These instruct us, that Christ, as Eternal Wisdom, had, from the beginning of the world, made choice of the man born blind to represent all mankind, Jews as well as Gentiles, who were all blind by birth, and who could not obtain their cure either by the law, or natural philofophy, but by faith alone in the Messiah; not such a Messiah as the Jews imagine, but such as the prophets foretold: and it is for this reason that the blindness of that man, who was reduced to want (and who by this second characteristic points out the misery and indigence of all men) is not the effect of his own particular fin or of his parents, because it is a general and universal symbol.

None but the very hand which fashioned man, was capable of repairing him, and of restoring what he had lost. A new earth must , be tempered to repair the defects of the clay, and the mouth of Wisdom must join with his hand in retouching it.

But it is not by restoring to man that sublime understanding, and that exalted wisdom which he lost by fin, that the Word made flesh designed to enlighten him. On the contrary, he adds to his natural blindness a voluncary and artificial one. He demands of him E 3

the

Part the facrifice of his understanding and reason to
IV. restore him to sight, and he applied to his

eyes already closed, a remedy, which seemed
to threaten a quite contrary effect. Instead of
appearing to him in the majesty of a Cre-
ator, he conceals himself under the frailties
incident to finful man. He only shews the
weakness of an infant, the disgrace and igno-
miny of the cross, the inability of a man
dead and buried. He put the clay upon his
eyes ; he obliges him to carry it without be-
ing alhamed: and he promises him, that it
will become a principle of light to him, if he
washed himself at the pool of Siloam, and
received, with faith, the baptism, whose water
was dyed with the blood of him that was
fent.
:. In effect, the recompence of such a faith, is
in discovering the admirable riches of wisdom,
fortitude, and sanctity, in those mysteries,
which have the appearance only of imbecillity
and folly: in finding an infinite gain for the fa-
crifice of reason and human wisdom; and in
perceiving, that he would for ever have remain-
ed in darkness, had he been incredulous or
disobedient,

Those who are wise in their own eyes deny him. They value themselves on their knowledge. They dispute, they reason, they are suspicious of all the miracles, and of all the facts which establish religion. They demand reason in every thing; they would have the, mysteries labour under no obscurity: in f.ne, they say, as they have eyes, they desire

to see; and are ignorant that thus they incur Chap. the judgment, which Christ exercises on the II. proud even in this life, by delivering them up to their own darkness, which they count light; and by suffering their incredulity to render their fins irremiffible, whereas faith in their Saviour would obliterate them. "For

judgment *, says he, I am come into this “ world; that they which see not, might see; " and that they which see, might be made as blind. If ye owned yourselves blind, you

would have no fin;" as faith would have remitted it. But the presumption, which inclines you to innagine ye fee, causes you to remain in sin by concealing the remedy. It infinitely behoves those who willingly harbour doubts concerning faith, to hearken with fear, or at least with respect, to these words which so nearly concern them. · And very unhappy will they be, if they are more inclined to feel, than to believe the truth,

PART

IV.

ARTICLE V.

Resurrection of the daughter of the

ruler of the Synagogue, preceded
by the cure of a woman only by
touching the hem of Christ's gar-
ment. Certainty of both miracles.
W

HEN Jesus, after having delivered the

possessed from a legion of devils (whom we have already spoke of) passed over from the country of the Gergesenes to the other side by the sea of Tiberias. “ f A ruler of the

lynagogue, Jairus by name, fought him, . and when he saw him, he fell at his feet: ce and he befought him greatly, saying, My “ little daughter lieth at the point of death;

come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed, and she shall live. Jesus went with him and much people followed him, and thronged him. And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, and had suffered many things of ma

ny physicians, and had spent all that she " had, and. was nothing better'd, but rather

grew worse: when she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his

garment * ; for the said, If I may touch '? but his cloaths, I shall be whole ; and

straight+ Mark v. 22. *“ And touched the hem of his garment.” Matth. ix. 20.

straightways the fountain of her blood wasCHAP. “ dried up; and she felt in her body, that she II.

was healed of that plague. ' And Jesus immediately knowing in himself, that vir

tue had gone out of him, turned him about " in the press and said, Who touched my “ cloaths ? His disciples said unto him, Thou “ seest the multitude thronging thee, and " sayeft thou, who touched me? And he “ looked round about to see her that had done " this thing: but the woman fearing and trem

bling, and knowing what was done in her,

came, and fell down before him, and told " him all the truth. And he said unto her,

Daughter, thy faith hath made thee “ whole: go in peace, and be whole of thy

plague. While he yet spake, there came « from the ruler of the fynagogue's house, “ certain which faid, Thy daughter is dead,

why troublest thou the master any further? “ As soon as Jesus had heard the word that

was spoken, he faith unto the ruler of the

synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe ; " and he suffered no man to follow him, save “ Peter and James, and John the brother of

James. And he cometh to the house of " the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the “ tumult, and them that wept, and wailed

greatly. And when he was come in; he “ faith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and

weep? the damsel is not dead but sleepeth. “ And they laughed him to scorn. But when “ he had put them all out, he taketh the fa“ther and the mother of the damsel, and them

as that