LORD and SAVIOUR, . the highefi heavens, came down into a world of labour and forrow, and went about doing good. As it was now the Sabbath-day, and our Lord was about to perform anaa of mercy and benevolence which required fome little labour, it appears, that the above decla- ration had fume references to this, and feems to intimate that as his time for fuch ails of mercy was now fovery fhort, it was not proper to defer it till the day of refs was over. But before our Saviour proceeded to the miracle of refloring fight to the man who was born blind, he took occafion to fpeak of himfelf, as a perfon appointed to illuminate the minds of men, which lay in- volved in darknefs, more deplorable than that which fo many years had beclouded the poor objet before him : As long as .I ant in the world, faid he, /am the light of the world. Hence it may be obferved, that the mi- racles wrought by our great Redeemer, were not only plain proofs of his million, and full evidences of his being the Meffiah, but had a reference to the fpiritual nature of his kingdom, and were emblems of the various parts of his divine charaier and viaorious deeds. Thus, his miraculouíly feeding the multitudes with common bread, was a plain indication, that he came into the world to feed the believers in his name with the bread of life, that all-nourifhing food for the foul. His refloring fight to the blind, was a lively emblem of the ten - dency of his doilrine, and efficacy of his power, to difpel the darknefs of the foul, and illuminate the blinded underftanding of men. His healing their, bodies, repre- fented his power to heal the foul, and was an evidence of his authority to forgive fins, as all bodily difordersarethe confequences of fin; and a removal of the punifhment, ftrongly implied a power equal to the re- moval of the guilt. His callingout devils, was an earnel of his final viElory over the .prince of darknefs, and his future triumph over all the powers of hell. His railing No. 12, JESUS CHRIST. 141 particular perfons from. the dead, was the beginning of his triumph over death, and a demonffration of his ability to accomplifh a general refurreiìon. And finally, his curing all, promifcuoufly, who applied to him, {hewed that he was the friend of fin - ners, and that none who came to himwould be rejeled, let their fins be ever fo nume- rous, or theircafe ever fo deplorable. Such are the fpiritual truths which may be collected from the miracles of the Son of. God; and, accordingly, we find, that this exalted perfon himfelf, at, or foot after the performing his miracles, while the great events were frefh on the memory, often turned his difcourfe to the fpiritual things they reprefented. Our bleffed Saviour having declared, that he was the light of the world, hefpit án the ground, and made clayof thefpittle, andanointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, and faid unto hint, Go walk in the pool of Siloam (which is by interpretation, Sent). He went his way therefore, and wafhed, and camefeeing. There is no doubt but our bleffed Savi- our could have performed this miracle without any external means ; indeed the means lie ufed on this occafion, were fo far from being likely to effel the cure, that they feemed calculated to produce a contrary effel. We mull therefore con- clude, that thefe means were defigned to dirca our attention to higher myfleries, and to Phew us, that it can be no other power than that which firít created man out of clay, that enlightens the dark mind of the dead finner, and gives fpiritual light to thole eyes which are clofed by the thick darknefs of guilt. Whether the blind man, whole cafe we are now confidering, was acquainted with the name and charaier of our Redeemer, the evangelifts have not informed us : but as his miracles had been publifhed in Jeru- falem fo often, as well as in all the country round, it cannotbe fuppofed, that this man, who refided at Jerufalem, could be totally ignorant of them ; and it feems, by his M m ready
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