sidering what they had said. When they urged him for a reply, he lifted up his head, and said, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." He then returned to his employment. The accusers were confounded. They felt conscience-stricken. And having nothing to say, they stole away one after another, and left the woman alone. When our Lord perceived this, his gentleness and compassion were displayed in his treatment of the woman, as remarkably as his skill had been in baffling her accusers. would not assume the authority of the law to condemn her, and dismissed her with an admonition to sin no more. 'Hath no man condemned thee?" he asked." No man, Lord."-" Neither do I condemn thee. Go, and sin no more.

He

He then continued his conversation in the temple, with the Pharisees and other Jews; replying to their questions, vindicating his character, expostulating with them because of their sins, and asserting his own high dignity and authority. Some believed on him, many cavilled; and finally, on their threatening to stone him, he hid himself and went out of the temple, and escaped from their hands.

It is not perfectly clear whether the incident next recorded by the Evangelist, occurred on the same day with what we have just related. It probably did. As he passed through the streets of

the city after leaving the temple, he fell in with a man blind from his birth; and, nothing deterred by the dangers he had just escaped, he exerted his miraculous power to give him sight. This was

a miracle particularly adapted to excite attention, because none similar had ever been wrought. It was without example in the whole history of the nation. From this circumstance, as well as from its taking place just at this time, it immediately underwent a strict scrutiny. It was an open, wonderful, unexampled display of power. The enemies of Jesus saw that it was likely to produce a great effect. They therefore made it their object to discredit it, if possible.

They first tried to make it appear that no miracle had been wrought. But the neighbors of the man testified that he had been blind, and his parents confirmed the testimony. "We know," said they, "that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but by what means he now seeth, we know not, or who hath opened his eyes, we know not; he is of age, ask him." Thus there was no

doubt of the fact, though the parents dared not say, as their son boldly did, that Jesus was a prophet.

The Pharisees next tried to prove, that, notwithstanding this miracle, he was no prophet.

John ix.

He had broken the Sabbath.

He was a sinner.

They knew nothing about him; they knew that God spoke by Moses, but as knew not whence he was.

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for this man, they

It was a bold and

generous reply of the poor man who had been healed, Why, herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not whence he is, and yet he hath openIf this man were not of God, he

ed mine eyes. could do nothing." At this the Pharisees were irritated; "Thou wast altogether born in sin, and dost thou teach us?" And then, finding that they could neither prove the falsehood of the miracle, nor persuade the people that it was not done by divine power, they cast him out of the synagogue; that is, they excommunicated him;—a severe punishment, and the highest in their power to inflict. They had already threatened it to all who should confess Jesus to be the Messiah, and it was the only answer they could make to the reasoning of this poor beggar.

But the blind man was not wholly forsaken. Jesus sought him in his trouble, and cheered him by a kind word;—nay, did him the honor of acknowledging to him, as he had yet done only to the Samaritan woman, that he was truly the Christ. So condescending and kind was our gracious Master; and so, to the present day, does his gospel stoop to the forsaken and lowly, and whisper words of cheerful peace to their spirits.

From speaking to this humble and grateful individual, our Lord turned to address a word of admonition to the people who stood by. "For judgment I am come into this world," said he, "that they which see not might see, and that they which see might be made blind." This brought him once more into collision with the Pharisees, who ceased not to follow and persecute him. He still answered them as before, boldly yet prudently, and closed his address with the beautiful and affecting parable, in which he speaks of himself as the good shepherd, who lays down his life for the sheep. This parable, it is said, was not fully comprehended by those who heard it; but it has been full of a delightful meaning to believers in all ages since, and, like several of our Lord's discourses, was designed less for those around him, than for those who should afterward believe in him. As regards the immediate effect, St. John says again, as he had said on other occasions, that there was a division among the hearers. Some cried out," He has a demon and is mad; why do you listen to him?” Others insisted, that his giving sight to the blind was a proof to the contrary, for demons could not cure blindness.

Here closes the account of those memorable scenes which took place at Jerusalem during his visit at the feast of Tabernacles. They are full of the deepest interest and instruction, and should

be studied diligently in the chapters of John's Gospel, in which they are recorded at length. It is impossible, in a work like the present, to elucidate them more particularly. I have only been able to go into them so far as might disclose the exact posture of affairs, the state of the public mind respecting our Lord's character and claims, the increasing interest with which his teaching was attended, the industry and malice of his enemies, and the way which was thus opened for the greater activity of his ministry in time to come, as well as the sufferings and violence with which it closed.

It will be perceived that, thus far, the history has been drawn almost exclusively from the Gospel of John. We find nothing, since the baptism and temptation, recorded by the other Evangelists. The cause is plain. John was attached to our Saviour from the first; he probably accompanied him on his visits to Jerusalem at the several festivals, and was personally knowing to the scenes which he describes there. Matthew was called later; and he, therefore, as well as Luke and Mark, relates little till after the appointment of the twelve apostles, because until about that time he was not an eye-witness. We learn, also, why John relates little except what occurred at the festivals. During those periods he was in his Master's company; but in the intervals he return

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