The Pharisees strove to confute and disprove the testimony of the man that was blind by an appeal to his parents. They supposed that the fear of excommunication and of incuring the anger of the rulers, would induce them to deny the circumstance of their son's being born blind, and thus it would follow that no miracle had been performed. Being disappointed in this, and finding it impossible to deny the fact, they next try to suppress it; and, by reviling the man who had been cured, to make him ashamed of confessing Jesus. But neither did this succeed. The man, far from being ashamed to own himself a disciple of Jesus, endeavours to persuade them also to become such, and argues with them upon the subject of this miracle with a simplicity, but at the same time with an ingenuity and force of reasoning, which cannot be surpassed even by the most acute disputants.

Miracles have ever been esteemed an undeniable proof of a divine mission. Our Lord himself appeals to those works which he wrought as the best argument which he could employ in support of his pretensions as the son of God.

When John sent two of his disciples to in

quire whether Jesus was the Messiah, our Lord gave no other answer than this, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see, inform him of my works, and let him judge if they can be performed by any other than the sent of God. The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up.

The argument derived from miracles being the main pillar of the Christian faith, much has been said and written concerning their nature, possibility, credibility, and tendency, to prove the truth of Christianity. But the argument was perhaps never more forcibly and concisely stated than in the simple and ingenious discourse of this poor man, who had himself been the subject of so striking a miracle: 66 Why, herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he ❝is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes. "Now we know that God heareth not sinners; "but if any man be a worshipper of God, "and doeth his will, him he heareth. Since "the world began was it not heard that any "man opened the eyes of one that was born "blind. If this man was not of God, he ❝ could do nothing."

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To alter, suspend, or reverse the laws of nature, must require the same infinite power which first established them. In the words of the man who was once blind, " Since the "world began was it not heard that any man "opened the eyes of one that was born blind." Whoever alters, suspends, or reverses the laws of nature, must either be a divine person, or must be invested with divine power; in the language of the person who had been blind, "if this man was not of God he could "do nothing." From the nature of the Supreme Being we may with absolute certainty infer, that he will not countenance an impostor, that he will not alter or suspend the laws of nature but for wise and important purposes, that they who are endowed with the power of working miracles are approved and sent by him, and are worthy of credit in all they say, and of obedience in all they command; in the words of scripture, "We know "that God heareth not sinners; but if any "man be a worshipper of God and doeth his

will, him he heareth." The general inference from these points is evident, since Jesus Christ wrought miracles, he was sent by God, and since he was sent by God, his

religion is true and of divine authority. We are as much bound to believe and obey it, as to obey the voice of conscience, which is the natural vicegerent of God in the soul of man. But how are we certain that Jesus Christ did work miracles? Of this we are equally cer tain as of his existence. For both are declared by the same persons and rest upon the same authority. And of the existence of Jesus Christ we are as certain as that there was such a person as Julius Cæsar, who was dead more than 1800 years ago, or that there is such an island as Japan which none of us perhaps ever saw. Our knowledge in both cases rests on the testimony of credible witnesses; and, perhaps, the historians of our Saviour's life and miracles are more worthy of credit than any others, because by affirming what they did, they exposed themselves to loss and persecution; and some of them moreover sealed their testimony with their blood. They must have been well assured of the truth of facts which they would die rather than bear witness against.

The reasoning of the poor man, whose natural and spiritual eyes had both so lately been opened, was so convincing and powerful

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that even the subtle and ingenious Pharisees could make no reply. But, instead of yielding to his arguments, such was their perverseness and pride, that they determined to get rid of him whose presence and discourse were equally galling to them; and they cast him out of the Synagogue. As light is painful to a diseased eye, so truth is unpleasant to a mind entangled by prejudice and errour. Fools despise wisdom and instruction. A scorner hateth rebuke and shutteth his ear to those friendly admonitions which open to him his faults. The wicked cannot bear the presence and example of wise and good men. Their own vices and defects appear then in a clearer light.

The poor man that was once blind, though cast out, was not forsaken. Though ejected from the Synagogue, he was admitted into the kingdom of Heaven : And wherever the gospel of Jesus is preached, he will be remembered and spoken of to the end of the world as the first confessor and martyr to the Christian cause. No sacrifice made for the sake of Christ shall be in vain. He is faithful who hath promised, and he is not unjust to forget our work of faith and labour of love.