whyGod in curing theeye,vfed thefourthSonday inLent. Ser.z8 morepains,than in creatingit. Y ther menby abarewordonely , fodidit thou reuiue thewidowes forme lying on the beere ; andfodidit thou raife vp Lazarus from the graue , thy voice alone was fufficient. In thecreation of man,thou didft onelyvfe theduff ofthe earth , and thereforeman is faid tobemade de limo terra. And albeit flamedoe affirme, that mnwasmade deiNto, of thedutt, or mouldof the earth , yet the Hebrewword, cxpreflès itonoother fulneffe,than that man was madeofduft. And our vulgar tranflationfaith,Puluisef. But how is it that thefe eyesmuff coft a littlemore labour thanall the othereyes befides, and all thofe otherhues that God bathgiuen man t' Thereare three reafons rendred. . The firftof Saint Cyprian, who faith, That this blind man hadnot only ¿e- finnpotentiam,the facultiedisinabled where the fight did refide as many, blind men,whohauing theorgans oftheir eyes whole, and the apples cleare, fee no- thing atall 5 But this man had otherwife the organsof his eyes wanting veto him,the hollow placesthereunto belonging , beefing like fhopwindowes chafe fhut vp,and skinnedouer as the rent of the face, and thatour Sauiour didfili vp thole cmptiehole; withduct which hehadmbulded and kncdded together into a maffeor lumps ofclay,with thehelpe ofhis fpittle. And this was the reafon, why theyafterwards faid vnto him How were shine eyesopened? But to giue a man anarme; ahand,or afoote, it may fooner be imagined , than made by any but byour SauiorChrift,who was God.Whence I infer,That becaufe God had breathed thefpirit ofLife into Man,there werecertain Hereticks that fticktnot to fay,that theSoule ofttdamwasofthe fubftance of God;they might better haue1iy4 that itwasmadeof the fubl'canee ofthe eyesof this blind man. The lecond, For thatthe Pharifeesdid attribute thefe our Sauiours Miracles to the Dkuill,he didproue in this blind man,that onely the vertueof Godwas powerfull to worke this wonder. Firft, Becaufe no naturalivertuecan giue fight to the blind. And therefore by confequ-nce theDeuill could not doe it, whofemiracles arewrought by apply-, ing thenaturall vertueofthe Creatures,as Saint L4uften teacheth. Secondly, Hemadegood this hismiracle, by curing himwith this clay, or duff, whichwasverie goodmeans rather tdput our, thandoe anygood to the eyes. Whereasifthe Deuill fliould haue cured him,heemuff hauedone ir, by applyingTome helpfull verrue that had been accommodated and fitted for the fight. Onely it is God that canworke thefe ftrangeeffetsbycontrarie caufes. Thethird, is ofSaint vtmbrofe. Our Savior Chrift -was willing to aduantage this mans fight bothin bodieand in foule: And therefore it isa farre greatermi- racletocreate the eys,thanto raife vp thedead to life.Thisblindman was tobe thebattalion thatwas to withftand manygreatincounters, and contradictions,. As theftril examination of hisblindneffe, what Were his parents, what his birth,what his breeding : Andtherefore itwas requifit that he íhould be armed witha great dealeof light,with agreat deale of courage,conftaricie, and refo- lurion,not on slyto anfwere . the arguments, whichthe paffionandhard-hear- tednesof the Iudges were topreffe himwithall,but tofuffer bani(hmenr,&ex- trufionfrom their Synagogue, which fentenceofexcommunication theywere topronounceagainit him. [ mullwoeke the worker ofhim thatlent mee,while it id day,&c. I muff notletflip the (horttimeofmy li fe,death drawes neere,and itbehoouesmee tomakehaft. TheHusbandman when hec fees the ground is throughly fokedwith raine, he haftensto thefowing.Saint t lufien cals goodWorkes, the Seedes of blef- f a fedneffe, 483 Reafm. a. Keafon. 3. Reafon, Wee mutt makehay while the Sun thinrs.
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