82 The NEW and COMPLETE LIFE of our BLESSED of his compaffion ; and accofled him with this queflion, Wilt thou be made whole ? This queflion feemed defigned to excite the attention of the people around, and to give the impotent man an opportunity of relating the malignant nature, and long continuance of his difeafe, and, of confe- quence, making manifefl that divine power, which could inflantaneou[ly remove it. The infirm perfon, thinking the queftion of our Lord had an immediate reference to the waters of the pool, replied, Sir, I have no man, when the water is trou- bled, to put me into the pool ; but while I am coming, anotherJleppeth down before, me. But our great Redeemer foon convinced him, that hewas not to receive his cure from the healing virtue of the waters, nor to wait till the angel came down to trouble them; but would receive imme- diate relief, by the mighty power of the Son of God, and, accordingly, bid him arife, take up his bed, and walk. The powerful words had no fooner fallen from the lips of this divine perfon, than the great event took place. The impotent man felt a fudden warmth and vigour run through his relaxed nerves, and his feeble limbs affumed their youthful flrength ; when, finding himfelf able to perform the command of his great benefaélor, he made no fcruple of taking up his bed, and carrying it along the flreets, though it was the Sabbath-day. So great amiracle couldnot fail exciting the wonder of the fpeilators ; and the new cured man, carrying his bed through the city on the Sabbath -day, which was' a thing not prafifed by the Jews, and mull have a ftrange appearance to the beholders, would not fail to fpread the account of this furprifing event through the whole city. The man, who had fo wonderfully recovered the ufe of his limbs, did not fcruple to obey the commands of the Divine Phyfician, though they were con- trary to the cullom of his country, and would be likely to expofe him to the blame of the Jews ; he . well knew, that a perfon who could perform fuels won- derful works, mull be a great prophet ; and he fuppofed, that fuch a perfon would not order him to perform any a&ion which was finful, and therefore, regard- lets of the reproaches he met with from the Jews, he carried his bed through the fireets of the city. The Jews beheld him with a mixture of indignation and con- tempt, and angrily told him, that it was not lawful for him to carry his bed on the Sabbath-day. But the man, elated by his happy deliverance, and holding his great benefaaor in the highefl efleem, thought it fufficient to anfwer, He that made me whole, the fame faid unto me, Take up thy bed and walk, John v. s The Jews, not fatisfied with this anfwer, fharply inquired, who it was that had made him whole ; which queftion the man was not able to anfwer, as Jesus, as foon as he had performed the " miracle, had mixed with the crowd, and was imper- ceivably departed from them. Some time after this, the perfon who had thus been miraculoufly refiored, met with the Divine Phyfician in the temple, who took the opportunity to imprefs on his mind, a fente of the great benefit he had received, and the obligations he lay under to amendment of life : Behold, thou art made whole, faid our great Redeemer fin no more, lef a worfe thing come unto thee. The evangelifi has not informed us what effect this admonition had on the perfon who had been healed; but having, by this event, found out his great bene- faétor, he, no doubt, expefing the whole nation would revere fo extraordinary a perfon, went to the rulers of the Jews, and told them, that it was 7efus who had made himwhole. This information had a very different effeil than what might be expeEted ; the pride and obfiinacy of the, rulers of Ifrael, prevented their conviaion, and their
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=