The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1891-09-10
CHRIST AND THE BLIND MAN.

GOLDEN TExT.-One thing i know, thea
whereas / was blind, now I see.-John o:e8
CENTRAL TRUTH.-Jesus Christ Is thu
Light of the world.
TIME.-Octobcr, A. d. 20. Probably the n exs
Sabbath after the feast Of tabernacles our last
lesson.
the temple.
JEsus.-Nearly thirty three years old, about
six months before his crucifxion.
RuLERs.-Tiberius Cesar, emperor Of Rome
CGth); Pontius PLATE, governor of Judea (4th).
Herod Autipas over Galilee t3Jd).
CIRCUMsTANCEs.--In our last lesson Jesus
was discoursng with the Pharisccs in the
temple, and they had taken up stones to kill
him, when he passed quietly out among the
throngs. The events Of this lesson took place
soon after, probably on tho Sabbath following
". 14.
passed by" not tho same verb as the one
translated passed by" in the last verse Of tho
last chapter Hence it need not refer to tlla
same occasion. "Blind from his biryhi" auA
therefore more difficult to cure. 9. who did
sin?' Whose sin was the occasion Of this
great sorow' The Pharisees tau yht thot zach
trouble was the punishment Of some particular
sin. This man." of course blindness from
birth could not be tho punishment for the
mans own sin. Therefore, was 1t IN conse-
quence OF his parents Sinf Neither hath
this man sinned:" this was not on account of
any sin of either the man his paSents. Il
does not mean that they never had dono
wrong. Such evils as blindness are the results
Of sin in general, but you cannot always trace
o trouble to a particular sin nor judge OF char,
acter by tho amount OF trouble. works of
God:'' His works Of love, goodness, salyationi
that these might be shown in the mans spir-
itual good and thus also be revealed to others.
4. while 1t is days" while the opportunity
lasts. s. II am the light OF the world:" what
ever darkness is in the world, OF that Christ rs
tI,, 1trxv Iif-l,t ho41 41,or In f,,a
darkness Of sorrow. or Of ignorance, or Of dsz
pravity or spiritual death 8. made clay9
used some means to awaken the mans faith
and test bis obedience 2, "S2l1c sG!l ThM
Is he:" ''the opening Of tie eyes would nat
uraly change the whole countenancc." II wo
are truly changed By grace, our friends and
neigbbors will remark tho difference In US.
II. "Siloam:" pool probably south OF th0
temple mount. 35. Cast him outs" excom-,
municated him. 80. "Who Is hc;" He had not
seen Jesus before this, but only heard HIS
voice. as. ''Worshiped HIM" as God. So John
always uses this word
LESSON COMMENTS.
John tells of the miracles of the Mas
ter chiefly for the sake Of their spiritual
teachings. We must bear this In mind
a. we study this Gospel This is trua
with regard to the story Of to-day.
That which characterizes this miracle
above all others is the persistent adhe-
sion of the blind man to one expert
mental fact. To all objections and ev1
suggestions of the Phapisees, he has but
one final answer, and that is: "Where-
as was blind, now ] sse." No argur
ment could make him abandon this po~
sition. In encountcYing the Phariseess
this man was pitted against the shrewd
est men of his day. His-scholastic prep
aration for such an encounter was Of
the poorest kind. They could have
asked him thousand questions 70
which he could have given no reply.
They could have perplexed him with
subtle reasonings and casuistries, that
he could not have rebutted. But there
was one point on which all their argue
ments were vain. However they might
talk, they could never beat him from
this one position, that once he was
blind, and now he could see. There he
was impregnable. Experience of tia
power of Jesus was something about
which there was no possibility of de-
ception. 70 the question: ~How Do
you reconcile Divine sovereignty and
human free will?" he could have given
no answer. Had they asked him about
the ''origin of evil" he would have been
powerless to reply. The question OF
the perseverance of the saints would
have been a conundrum to him. But
when the question turned on his own
IDENTITY: "One thing l know. Whereas
l was blind, now l see."
This is most instructive. For there
are many in our times who are in the
same position with this man. Just
imagine Jerry Macauley, or Bendigo
the prize fighter, called up before such
men as Tyndall or Darwin or Huxley,
and questioned about their theological
speculations. 1 hear Tyndall say:
Jcrry, how can you reconcile prayer
with natural law?" Poor Macauley
would have to reply: II cannot recon
cile it." ''Well," says Darwin, show
can you explain Genesis in the light Of
modern science?" Again Jerry would
be at his wits end Come now," says
Spencer, "tell us what you know about
Jesus" Now Jerry's lips open. II
was once q river thief, and q drunkard.
and a fighter, but now am On honest,
sober man, changed in character from
the crown of my head to the soles OF
my feet. Jesus wrought this change in
me, in answer to prayer" "Well, Ben
digo," says Huxley, ''what have you to
say about this matter?'' al have much
the same testimony as Nacauley.
was prize fighter, and had fought
twenty-four regular battles was in
Jail at one time, and then by Coda
power was made new man, and
have been so ever since. I now hate
the things that l once loved, and love
those that once hated.
Such testimony as this is of far moss
value than the ability to answer all the
purely theological problems that Were
verpropounded.- A. r. Schaufaer
D. d.
| PRACTICAL sUGGEsTIoNs.
/. The blindness Of the body, of sin
of ignorance. OF sossow; because thu
light is absent