And by the help of much prejudice, and great
unwillingness to yield, it might do so. In the mind of the poor man
restored to sight, which was under no such bias, and felt no such
reluctance, the miracle had its natural operation. "Herein," says he,
"is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, 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 were not of God, he could do nothing."
We do not find that the Jewish rulers had any other reply to make to
this defence, than that which authority is sometimes apt to make to
argument, "Dost thou teach us?"
If it shall be inquired how a turn of thought, so different from what
prevails at present, should obtain currency with the ancient Jews; the
answer is found in two opinions which are proved to have subsisted in
that age and country. The one was their expectation of a Messiah of a
kind totally contrary to what the appearance of Jesus bespoke him to be;
the other, their persuasion of the agency of demons in the production of
supernatural effects.
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