burdens on the sabbath-day for profit, in
way of trade: but this man's carrying his
bed, was a testimony of God's goodness
and mercy towards him,and of his gratitude
and thankfulness towards God. Hypocri-
tical and superstitious persons oftentimes
pretend much zeal for observing the letter
of the law; little respecting the moral
sense and signification of it. Besides,
our Saviour has a mind to let the Jews
know that he was Lord of the sabbath,
that he had power over it, and could dis-
pense with it as he thought good. Ob-
serve lastly, The great modesty and hu-
mility of our blessed Saviour; how hate-
ful all ostentation and vain-glory was
unto him; for having wrought this fa-
mous miracle before the people at a
public time, the feast of the passover, to
shun all applause from the multitude he
conveys himself privately away from
them: Jesus conveyed himself away, a mul-
titude being in that place. Our Saviour's
business was to do much good, and make
but little noise: he sought not his own
glory.

14 Afterward Jesus findeth him in
the temple, and said unto him, Be-
hold, thou art made whole: sin no
more,lest a worse thing come unto thee.

men did not engross this pool, and the
benefit of it, to themselves, but suffered
poor people to come to it. In this college
of cripples, a poor man, who had been
lame thirty-eight years, was found, who
wanted strength to himself, wanting mo-
ney to hire others, and others wanting
mercy to help him; Christ takes pity on
him, and because he could not go to
health, health is graciously brought to
him, and that by the hand of the great
Physician, Christ Jesus. Observe here,
1. That not only are men's bodies subject
to innumerable infirmities and diseases,
but it pleases God for wise ends to con-
tinue some of his servants labouring un-
der bodily weakness for many years to-
gether, yea, even all the days of their life.
Here is a poor man for eight and thirty
years together under the discipline of
God's rod by bodily weakness. Observe,
2. That it is the duty of the afflicted to
wait upon God in a diligent use of all
means which God has appointed for their
help and healing: as to trust to means, is
to neglect God; so to neglect the means
is to tempt God. This poor man, no
doubt, had made use of the means before,
yet waits at the pool now. Observe, 3.
Though Christ well knew the case of
this afflicted person, and wanted no infor-
mation, yet he asks him, if he were willing These words are our Saviour's season-
to be made whole? To make him sensible able advice and council to the poor impo-
of his misery, to quicken his desires after tent cripple, whom he had miraculously
healing, and to raise his expectation of restored to health and soundness. Whence
help from him. Though Christ knows observe, 1. The person admonishing, Je-
our wants, yet he takes no notice of them, sus; he that had been his physician be-
till we make them known to him by fore, is his monitor and teacher now:
prayer. Observe, 4. The time when Behold, thou art made whole; sin no more.
Christ wrought this miracle of healing O how much it is the duty, but seldom the
upon the impotent man, it was on the sab- practice, of those whom God makes in-
bath-day; and as an evidence of the cer- struments for recovering bodily health, to
tainty of the cure, Christ bids him, take up put their patients in mind of their obliga-
his bed and walk. Our Saviour's miracles tions to thankfulness and new obedience!
were real and beneficial, they were obvi- Thus did our Saviour here. The reco-
ous to sense, and would bear the exami-vered man's physician gave him instruc-
nation of all persons. The miracles tion; his healer became his monitor:
which the church of Rome boast of will Sin no more. Observe, 2. The person
not bear the examination of our senses; admonished, the recovered cripple: Thou
their great miracle, Transubstantiation, is art made whole. But what was he? not a
so far from being obvious to sense, that it disciple, not a believer; for he that was
contradicts the sense and reason of man-healed, wist not who Jesus was, ver. 13. he
kind, and is the greatest affront to human knew not Christ, therefore believed not on
nature that ever the world was acquaint- him, and yet was healed by him. Thence
ed with. And our Saviour's working this learn, That there are many outward mer-
and many other miracles on the sabbath-cies and common blessings, which Christ
day, was for the testification of the mira- bestows upon those that have no spiritual
cles to all persons that would take notice knowledge of him, or saving acquaint-
of them. Observe, 5. How unjustly the ance with him. The man that was healed,
Jews tax the cripple that was healed with wist not who he was that healed him. Ob-
the breach of the sabbath, for taking up serve, 3. The place where Christ meets
on the sabbath-day; this his recovered patient; not at the
whereas the law only forbade carrying

his bed and walking

tavern, but in the temple, returning thanks

to God for his recovered health: when | ing from him. This seems to be the poor God sends forth his word and healeth us, it man's design: but behold the blindness, is our duty to make our first visit to God's obstinacy, and malice of the Jews, who house, and to pay our vows in the great persecuted Christ, and sought to kill him congregation, and sound forth the praises for doing good, and healing a cripple that of our great and gracious Deliverer. Ob- had been thirty-eight years so: Therefore serve, 4. The circumstance of time when did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to Christ found him in the temple; soon slay him. Yet observe the cloak and preafter his recovery. Afterward Jesus find- tence they have for their malicious per eth him in the temple. We must not be secution of our Saviour; namely, the clamorous and importunate to receive supposed violation of the sabbath-day: mercies, and dumb and tongue-tied in They sought to slay him, because he had returning thanks; but make haste, and done these things on the sabbath-day. Learn not delay the time to pay our acknow- hence, That great cruelty against Christ ledgments to him that healeth us. Ob- and his members has always been, and serve, 5. The admonition itself: Behold, still is, masked and disguised with a fair thou art made whole; sin no more, lest a pretence of zeal for God and his com worse thing come unto thee; where our mands. The Pharisees mortally hated Saviour admonishes him of the greatness our Saviour; therefore they cover their of the mercy, Behold, thou art made whole; || malice, and traduce him as a profaner and subjoins a cautionary direction; Sin of the sabbath, and seek to take away his no more. Where it is necessarily implied,|| life. that sin is always the deserving, and ofttimes the procuring, cause of a person's affliction and calamities; and that the best and surest way to prevent the return of judgment and calamities to a person, is for a person to return no more to sin; Sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee: where it is farther implied, that Almighty God has sorer plagues and severer judgments in store for those sinners who go on obstinately in a course of sin and rebellion against God, notwithstanding all the signal rebukes of his avenging anger. From the whole, note, That when the Lord doth graciously heal a person or a people, it is a mercy to be much observed, and thankfully acknowledged.

15 The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus which had made him whole. 16 And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbathday.

After the man understood who his healer and benefactor was, he went and told the Jewish magistrates it was Christ that had healed him. This he did, not with any evil design, no doubt, to inform against him, and stir up the Jews to persecute him; but desirous to publish what Christ had done, to his honour, and to direct others to make use of him. Learn thence, That it is the duty of all those who have experienced the power and pity of Christ themselves, to proclaim and publish it to others, to the intent that all that need him may experience help and heal

17 But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.

From this verse to the end of the chap ter, we have our Saviour's apology for his working the foregoing cure on the impotent man on the sabbath-day. And the chief argument he insists upon, is drawn from his unity and equality in nature and operation with his Father: As the Father worketh, says he, so I work. Here he speaks of himself not as a servant, or instrument in the Father's hand, but as the fellow-worker with the Father, both in the works of creation, and in the works of providence and preservation also. Learn hence, 1. That though Almighty God has long since ceased from the work of crea tion. My Father worketh hitherto, not by tion, yet not from the work of preserva creating two kinds of creatures, but by upholding and preserving what he has already created. Learn, 2. That Christ the Son of God, is joined with and undivided from the Father in working. As the Father created all things by him, (not as a man, and as an instrument in his Father's hand; for then he was not such,) but as his fellow-worker, being equal in nature and power with the Father; in like manner as the Father preserveth, sustaineth, governeth, and upholdeth all things, so doth Christ; the Father's ac tions and his being the same. My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.

18 Therefore the Jews sought the had broken the sabbath, but said also, more to kill him, because he not only that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. 19 Then

the Son, honoureth not the Father) which hath sent him.

Here we have a fifth evidence of Christ's godhead, and equality with the A fourth instance of Christ's godhead, Father, namely, that he is the author of and proof of his equality with the Father, spiritual and eternal life to all that believe is, that it is his work to judge the world on him. He that hath a fountain of life The Father, says Christ, judgeth no man; equal with the Father, and communicated to him from the Father, is God: but Christ that is, no man without me, but all men by me, to this intent, that all men should hath this, ver. 26. For as the Father hath honour the Son, even as they honour the life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself. Again, he that hath Father; i. e. honour him with the same faith, love, fear, worship, that is due and authority to execute judgment upon anpayable to God the Father. Hence learn, gels and men, is God; and Christ hath 1. That Christ, as God, hath the absolute such authority, ver. 27. He hath given him power of life and death, of absolution and authority to execute judgment. Farther, he that with his voice quickeneth and condemnation, which he executes in con- maketh them alive that hear it, is God; junction with his Father. 2. That havand Christ doth this, ver. 25. The dead ing this power of judging the world with shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and the Father, doth show that the same glory live. The dead; that is, 1. The spiritually is due to him which is due unto the Fa- dead; such as are dead in trespasses and ther. All men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. 3. That sins: these, hearing the voice of Christ in the ministry of the word, shall live a such as pretend to honour Christ, but deny him to be God, equal with the Fa-life of grace on earth, and a life of glory in ther, withdraw the highest honour from him; and such as withdraw the honour from the Son, deny it to the Father, who will not be honoured but in and through honouring of the Son. This text speaks dread and terror to the Socinians, who pretend to honour Christ, but not with the same honour with which they pretend to honour the Father. In God's account they honour him not at all: For he that honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father. True, they pray to Christ, and give him divine worship, though they believe him to be a creature; but what this but idolatry, to worship that which by nature is not God, and to do that to a creature which God requires to be given to himself, having said, My glory will not give to another? Isa. xlviii. 2. Divine honour can be only due to a divine person; that is, to him that is God blessed for ever.

is

24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and be lieveth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. 25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. 26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the son to have life in himself: 27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, be cause he is the Son of man.

heaven. 2. Such as are corporally dead also; these are likewise quickened and raised by Christ as God. Learn hence, l. That God the Father hath communicated to Christ his Son a power to quicken and enliven such as are spiritually and cor porally dead. 2. That the Father's com municating this power to the Son argues no inequality or inferiority in the Son, but he hath the same life infinitely, indepen dently, and equally with the Father; As the Father hath it, so hath the Son; the Fa ther hath it in himself, and so hath the Father, is essentially and truly God. 3. Son also: therefore the Son as well as the Others, by the dead, understand those whom Christ raised from the dead, when he himself arose. When many of the bodies of the saints arose with him, Matt. xxvii. it being said, The hour now is, &c. Dr. Whitby.

28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

and astonished at his declaring his sove Our Saviour finding the Jews amazed reign and supreme authority and power to quicken and raise whom he pleased from the dead, doth in these verses assure them, that there should be a general resurrec tion, and an universal day of judgment, both of the righteous and the wicked, and a future distribution of rewards and punnishments in another life, according to