LORD and SAVIOUR, JESUS CHRIST. 135 C H A P T E R XXI. CHRIST deelareth himfelf to be the Light of the World; and juflfeth his Docirine againft the Pharifees : He promifcth Freedom, through Knowledge of the Truth, to. thofe Jews who believed on him : Confuted' their vain Boajt of being Abraham's Seed, and the Children of God : Anfwereth their Reviling, by (hewing his Autho- rity and Dignity; and, by Miracle, refcueth himfelffrom their Attempts to flone him: He rforeth to Sight, a Man that was born blind, who relateth to his Neighbours the Means of his Cure; and he is brought to the Pharifees, who exa- mine ftri£tly into the Fait, and are offended with his Acknowledgment of the divine Mi ion of the Author; they excommunicate him; he is received of JESUS, and con- feth him. CHRIST taxeth the Pharifees with fpiritual Blindnf : He declareth himfelf to be the Door, and the good Shepherd : Divers Opinions concerning him. CHRIST reproved' the fiery Zeal of James and John againfi the Samaritans, who would not receive him, . and propofeth Terms to three Perlons, who offer tofollow him: He fendeth out the feventy Difciples, a fecond Time, to work Miracles and to preach : He pronounçeth;a Woe againft 'Chorazin, Bethfaida, and Capernaum Thefeventy returnwith Joy; CHRtsTfheweth them wherein to rejoice : He thanketh his Father for having revealed his Gofpel to the Simple only : He teacheth a Lawyer how to attain eternal Life; and, by the Parable of the good Samaritan, fheweth whom we are to confider as our Neighbour. JE SUS having, by an amazing dill play- of his wifdom and penetration, defeated the malice, and mortified the pride of the Scribes and Pharifees, and they being fent away afhamed, under a full conviaion that he knew the fecrets of their hearts and lives ; our Lord having, by his fuperior wifdom, made ufe of their own confciences to defeat their cruel and villainous defigns, he turned to the people, and, with the utmofl propriety declared, that he was the light of the world; that light whichcould penetrate through the dark- nefs of the human heart, and difcover and bring to light the dark defigns and wicked devices of the fons of men; that light which could pierce through the outfide (hew of fanaity and holinefs, and difcover the fecret 3 abominations ofthe mots proud and accom- plifhed hypocrite ; and that light which could difcover the paths of darknefs and error, and lead thofe who are enabled to follow our Redeemer, in the road to eter- nal bleffednefs and real. Hence, our blef- fed Saviour declared, I am the light of the world : he that followeth me, fhall not walk in darknefs, but fhall have the light of life. John viii. 12. Some of the enemies of our Lord were amongst the people who heard this decla- ration, and they were fo highly provoked, that they told him, he muff be a deceiver, becaufe he boafted of himfelf t Thou beareft record of thyfelf, faid they ; thy record isnot true. To this, the great Saviour offittners replied, that he did not call himfelf the light
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