John 9:39

The second ground of comfort (which, it seems, Christ spake in the audience of all that were present) relates, chiefly, to the sentence of excommunication unjustly pronounced against this man: Wherein by judgement, we are to understand, his authority to administrate the affairs of his own Church and people, as King and head thereof, leaving the judgement of compleat recompence till the great day. And the effects of the administration of this authority are expressed in tearms borrowed from the late miracle, in opening the eyes of the blind man, Such whereof as are comfortable, are the proper effects of his Ministry, and these that are sad, are but the accidental effects thereof, flowing from mens own corruption. So the meaning is; That he was come into the world to be the administrator and Ruler of his own Church, and the discerner of true members from the false, which (though he had not yet taken the external. Ecclesiastical keyes of the hands of the Rulers of the Jewish Church, yet) he did exerce in a spiritual way upon the spirits of men; by opening their eyes, who being ignorant, are humbled under the sense thereof; and by discovering their blindnesse, and giving them up judicially to be more blinded, who are puffed up with a conceit of themselves. And by this Christ would shew, that the man had no cause to be troubled at their Excommunication, since it was not ratified in heaven; but on the contrary, his eyes had been opened to know more of Christ since his excommunication: Nor had the Rulers cause to glory in their power and authority, since they were lying under so sad a sentence themselves, in their spiritual condition. Doctrine 1. Christ is supreme head and Governour of his Church, and doth administrate it justly, to the comfort of all these who are oppressed by unjust censures, and to the terrour of these who do so oppresse them: Therefore, saith he, for judgement am I come, to manage the government of my Church justly, that these who are wronged, and bound on earth when they are not bound in heaven, may appeal to me, and that these who wrong them, may expect a just recompence. 2. That which befel and followed upon the Gospel in Judea, in the dayes of Christs ministry, is the same which may be expected in all places of the world where it cometh; for, albeit it was a particular case to which Christ spake in the first place, yet, saith he, for judgement I am come into this world. 3. Mens natural blindnesse and brutishnesse in the matters of God, through a vaile lying upon their hearts, is a great and chiefe part of their spiritual misery; Therefore doth he instance his administration, in the matter of making men see, or be blinde; not only that he may allude to the late miracle, but that under that, he may print out the great misery of spiritual blindnesse, and the mercy of illumination. 4. Men that are indeed ignorant in respect of others, and who are contemned by others as ignorant, do yet lie very near Christs help, if they be sensible of their want, and come to him with it; for, he hath a promise for them, which see not, that is, such as this blinde man, who was really ignorant, and despised by the Pharisees as such, and yet sensible of it, and desiring to have it amended, as verse 37. 5. Christ hath a remedy for all the greevances of sinners; And particularly, he can open the eyes of the blind, and make them know him, and these things which tend to their salvation; for, for judgement am I come, that they which see not, might see. 6. It is a great plague on many, that they are swelled with a conceit of their own abilities, and so they are blasted to them, and do obstruct their own profiting by the Gospel; for, there are, who see, that is, who have a conceit they see, or having some common abilities, do rest upon them. 7. As the Gospel will discover much to be but real darknesse, which before seemed otherwise; So they who conceit of their own light, will, in Gods judgement, be given up to reject the light of the Gospel, and so grow more and more blinde: In both these respects it is true, They which see are made blinde, their light is discovered to be but real blindnesse, and they are given up to blinde themselves more, by opposing the light.