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ways of speaking, may not poffibly be explain'd to a critical Satisfation; yet will it not therefore follow, either that St. John's whole Account of this Pool of Bethesda is an incredible Romance, or that our Saviour's Cure of the Impotent Man, at that Place, was not a real Miracle.

'Tis true indeed, Place, as well as Time, is a Circumftance unavoidably attending Matters of Fact; but, in the Account of Matters of Fact, the Circumftance of the particular Place may oftentimes be indifferent, and infignificant; i. e. when it adds no new Confirmation, or Illuftration to the Tranfaction itself. Nay, a narrative of Tranfactions may be really true, when the Scene of them is mistaken, mifcalled, or even quite forgotten. However, 'tis certain, that the Account of fuch a mere Circumftance is no farther material, nor does it properly affect the Story itself, but only as it ferves to give fome new Light or corroberating Evidence to it.

*We muft obferve then, that, in . this Narration of St. John, there are two diftinct Miracles to be feparately confider'd; that which was wrought by the Pool, after its Water was troubled,

Dr. Pearce's Vind. Part 4. p. 6.

and

and that, which our Saviour wrought upon the Impotent Man. The Miracle upon the Impotent Man, is what St. John primarily intended to relate; and his mention of the Pool of Bethesda is only introductory to it. To fhew indeed how this Man became the Object of our Saviour's Notice and Compaffion, he speaks of him, as among a Multitude of People, that were diseased ; and to fhew, for what Reafon fuch a Multitude of diseased People were met together, he makes mention of the fanative Virtue of the Pool; but the Pool was not his principal Subject; it is only mention'd for the fake of fomething that follows: nor is the Miracle, he was concern'd to establish, that of the Pool, but that of our Saviour's curing the Man, without any use of the Pool at all. And therefore whatever Difficulties attend our accounting for the Miracles of the Pool, the Cure of the Man ftands good, nor is it at all affected by them.

this Pool.

But instead of evading, let us fee Some Acwhat account may be given of this Pool, count of At Jerufalem, not far from the Place called the Sheep-Market, (or rather the Sheep-Gate) there was a Bath, (for fo the Word Koλμßnepa fignifies) built for

the

Dr. Pearce's Vind. Part 4. p. 7. Neh. xxxi. xii. 39.

the ufe of fuch of the common People, as lov'd to fwim, and bathe themselves in the Water; which, in those warm Climates, was both a pleasant and healthful Exercife. Around this Bath were built five Porches, or rather Portico's (for fo the Word soul fignifies) which were defign'd, as Places for the People to walk in, under covert, in the heat of the Day, if they had no mind to bathe; and for the Conveniency of dreffing and undreffing in the Shade, for those that had: For which Reason, both the Bath and Portico's were call'd ⚫ by the Name of Bethesda, i. e. the Houfe of Mercy or Kindness, because the erecting them was a great Act of Kindnefs to the common People, whose Indifpofitions in hot Countries requir'd frequent Bathing; tho' others fuppose that the Pool receiv'd that Name from the miraculous Cures, which were perform'd there.

At this Bath, about the Time of the Feaft, (moft probably the Feast of the Paffover) a great Multitude of impotent Folk, of blind, balt, and wither'd, lay in the Portico's, waiting for the moving of the Waters. For (as St. John fays) an Angel went down Kara Karpov at the Seafon (i. e. of the Paffover) and troubled the Water, and whosoever then first, af

ter

ter the troubling of the Water, Stepped in, was made whole of what foever Dif eafe he had. This is St. John's account of the Matter: And from hence it does not appear, that the Waters of this Pool or Bath, had ever received this miraculously healing Virtue, before the Time of this Feaft.

Virtue

Now it is well known, that the Feast When its of the Paffover lafted eight or nine Sanative Days, including the Days of unleavened began,and Bread, and poffibly this miraculous how long Quality of the Bath might have begun it lafted. on the firft Day, or perhaps fome few Days before; but how it came to be discover'd at firft, we have no Intelligence from Scripture, only we may suppose, that fome Jew, of an Infirm, or otherwise diseased Conftitution, bathing one Day for his Pleafure and Recreation, might find himself furprizingly cur'd, upon a preternatural Motion of the Water, and that other infirm People, hearing thereof, might likewise repair to the Pool, in hopes of finding the fame Benefit, and fo by degrees the Place be crowded with Multitudes, expecting the troubling of the Water.

Why, at the Time of this Feaft only, the Waters of this Bath had a fanative

Quality imparted to them, the learned

and

and ingenious Author, from whom I have borrow'd this Account, has this not improbable Conjecture.That our Saviour, having gone through all the Cities of Galilee, and moft of the other Parts of the Country of Judea, preaching and healing Diseases, came up to Ferufalem at this Paffover (which was the fecond, fince the Commencement of his publick Miniftry) with an Intent to fix his Abode there; and that, to prepare the Way before, him, God might give this Pool an healing Quality, thereby to fhew the Jews, that the divine Power in Jefus was coming among them, and, what they faw miraculously done by its Waters, was but an Earneft and Emblem of what this great Messenger of the Covenant was going to do for them; but that they, inftead of giving him a kind Reception, took Council together how to take away his Life, which made him withdraw himself from them, and thereupon the miraculous Virtue of the Water ceas'd.

However this be, 'tis certain that the preceding Account has this Advantage in it, that it clears the Story from feveral Difficulties, and efpecially from what may be fuppos'd to arife from the Silence of Jewish Writers. For if this Miracle was but of a Week or ten Days

Con

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