JOHN 9
LIKE to the man whom Jesus heal'd,
That from his birth was blind,
Are souls in utter darkness seal'd,
In conscience, heart, and mind.
This blindness was not loss of sight;
For he had never seen the light
Till Jesus on him shined
Nor has the soul a single beam,
Till, heav'nly light from Christ doth, gleam.
A suppliant too, as well as blind,
He begg'd his daily bread;
And as the donors were inclined,
He well or ill was fed.
And God His bounties day by day
Bestows on those who've naught to pay,
And doth their table spread:
With ready hand His gifts they take;
But who gives thanks for Jesus' sake?
Physicians' skill could not avail.
To ope his sightless eyes,
Or move from them the stony scale,
Or bid their curtain rise.
And none but Jesus can give sight,
Or turn from darkness unto light
The soul, in rapt surprise;
But when. He speaks in pow'r
Then glorious light from Him cloth shine.
Those, darkness once, now light in Him,
Are children of the day;
Nor shall His brightness e'er be dim,
But shine through all the way.
And while they in His love confide,
And, bless'd in Him, in Him abide,
His will and word obey,
Their souls will ne'er be dark or dim—
They'll spend their days in praising Him
This man, born blind, who now could see,
Was faithful to the light;
Though far, far less he had than we,
His loyalty was bright.
He boldly Jesus' name confess'd,
And, sorely tested, stood the test,
And bore the foes' despite;
And when by them he was revil'd,
He neither fear’d nor was beguil'd.
O happy man! to be cast out
For Jesus' worthy name,
To bear immoved the sneering shout
For His reproach and shame.
Did Jesus let him suffer loss?
Oh, no! He came his path across,
As well His grace became,
And taught him how, with feet unshod,
To worship Him, the Son of God.
May we who live in brighter days
Than this dear faithful man
But live as truly to the praise
Of Christ as he began;
Reflect upon this world of night,
The clear, unclouded, heav'nly light,
Throughout our little span;
And may we bend in worship too
As we in Christ God's image view.