Matthew Poole and continuators on John 9:16

16 Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the Sabbath-day ; Others said , How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles ? And there was a division among them .

They are so far from owning Christ as God, the Eternal Son of God, and equal with his Father, that they will not allow him to have any relation to God as one sent of him. It is true, the Sanctification of the Sabbath is so great a piece of Religion (the whole of which is sometimes expressed by it, Isa. 56.4, 6.) That whoso maketh no conscience of it, may reasonably be concluded to have little or [illegible: 1 letter]othing of God in him: but we must rightly understand what the Will of God is as to that Sanctification, and not think that it lyeth in a performance of some Ritual Services▪ while in the mean time we neglect moral Duties: Christ had kept the Sabbath, though not in that Superstitious sense they thought it was to be observed, keeping to all their Traditions about it.

Others of the Pharises had a something better Opinion of Christ by reason of the miracles he had wrought; concluding, that if he had been so bad a man, as some of their Brethren would have him taken to be, God would not have assisted him to the doing of such miraculous Works as he had done▪

Thus the wise God made a division amongst the Counsels of Christ's Enemies, his Work being not yet finished, nor the time come when he was to dye for the Redemption of man.

Marginal references: Chap 3.2. ver. 33.; Chap 7.1[illegible: 1 letter] 43, & 10.1[illegible: 1 letter]