beneath his notice? no; for, fays St. Mark,, ver. 49. " And JESUS ftood ftill," though he was on a journey, and it may be in hafte (for it is not lofing time to stop now and then on a journey to do a good office by the way) and commanded him to be called:" why fo? to teach us to be condefcending and kind even to poor, if real beggars, and tacitly to reprove the blind, misguided zeal of those who had charged him to hold his peace. By this alfo our LORD prepares the multitude the better to take the more notice of the blind man's faith, and of his own mercy and power exerted in the healing of him. For there are times and feafons when we are called to perform acts of charity in the most public manner, and that too very confiftently with the injunction of our Saviour," not to let our right hand know what our left hand doth." For there is a great deal of difference between giving alms, and exercifing acts of charity, that are seen of men, and doing them, that they may be feen; the one is always finful, the other often becomes our duty. JESUS commanded Bartimeus to be called," and they called him." Who called him? it may be, those who a little before charged him to hold his peace. For it often happens, that our oppofers and difcouragers, afterwards become our friends. "When a man's ways please the LORD, he makes his enemies be at peace with him," And it is to be wifhed, that all who have charged poor fouls, that are crying after JESUS, to hold their peace, and to spare themfelves, and not be righteous over-much, would imitate the people here, and encourage those they once perfecuted and maligned, "They call the blind man, faying unto him, Be of good comfort, rife, he calleth thee." The words, and manner of fpeaking them, implies hafte, and a kind of folicitude for the blind man's relief. O! that we might hereby learn to be patient, and long-fuffering, towards oppofers. For it may be, that many may oppofe awakened fouls, not out of enmity, but through prejudice and mifinformation, through ignorance and unbelief, and a real, though perhaps falfe, perfuafion, that their relations are going in a wrong way. By and by they be convinced, that CHRIST is indeed calling them, and then they may become real and open friends to the cause and work of GOD; if not, it is our duty to behave with meekness. towards all, and not to render railing for railing, but contrary

may

wife bleffing, knowing that we are thereunto called, that we may inherit a bleffing; JESUS did not break out into harsh language against these oppofers, neither did Bartimeus. Our LORD stood still, and commanded him to be called; and they call the blind man, faying unto him, Be of good comfort, rife, he calleth thee; and he, cafting away his garment, rofe and came to JESUS." Had Bartimeus not been in earnest when he cried, "JESUS, thou Son of David, have mercy upon me,' he might have faid, why do you mock me? why bid ye me arife; rife indeed I can, but after I am rifen, how can I, being blind, find my way unto him? If he will come to me, it is well; if not, all your calling availeth nothing, it being impoffible for me to find my way. Thus thousands now-adays object to evangelical preachers, faying, Why do you bid us come to, and believe on JESUS CHRIST, when you tell us it is impoffible of ourselves to turn to GOD, or to do good works; and that no one can come unto him, unless the Father draw him, Is not this like the people's calling upon Bartimeus, to arife and come to JESUS, when he could not poffibly fee his way before him? true, it is fo; and would to GOD that *all who make this objection, would imitate Bartimeus, and put forth the ftrength they have! What if we do call you to come, and to believe on the LORD JESUS CHRIST, that you may be faved? does this imply, that you have a power in yourfelves to do fo? no, in no wife, no more than JESUS faying unto Lazarus's dead and ftinking carcafe," Come forth," implied, that Lazarus had a power to raise himself from the grave. We call to you, being commanded to preach the gofpel to every creature, hoping and praying, that CHRIST'S power may accompany the word, and make it effectual to the quickening and raifing of your dead fouls. We also call to you to believe, upon the fame account as JESUS faid unto the lawyer, do this, and thou fhalt live" that you feeing your utter inability to come, might thereby be convinced of your unbelief, and be led to afk for faith of him, whofe gift it is, and who is therefore in fcripture emphatically ftiled the Author, as well as Finisher, of our faith. Add to this, that it is your duty to wait at the pool, or to make use of the strength you have, in the earneft and steady performance of all commanded duty. For though you cannot do what is fpiritually

good,

good, because you want spiritual principles of action, yet ye may do what is morally and materially good, inasmuch as ye are reasonable creatures; and though doing your duty as you can, no ways deferves mercy, or entitles you to it, yet it is the way in which you are required to walk, and the way in which God is ufually found. While you are attempting to ftretch out your withered arm, peradventure it may be reftored; and who knows but JESUS may work faith in you, by his almighty power ?

Bartimeus has fet before fuch objectors an example; Ọ that they would once fubmit to be taught by a poor blind beggar! For he, cafting away his garment, rofe, and blind as he was, came to JESUS; "cafting away his garment." This feams to be a large coat or cloak, that he wore to fcreen himself from the rain and cold; undoubtedly, it was the most neceffary and valuable vestment he had, and one would have thought, that he should have taken this along with him; but he knew very well, that if he did fo, it might hang about his heels, and thereby his reaching JESUS be retarded at least, if not prevented entirely. Valuable therefore as it was to him, he caft it away. The word implies, that he threw it from off his fhoulders, with great precipitancy and refolution, knowing that if he got a cure, which he now hoped for, by CHRIST'S calling him, he fhould never want his garment again. And thus will all do that are in earnest about coming to JESUS here, or feeing and enjoying him in his kingdom eternally hereafter. They will cut off a right-hand, they will pluck out a right-eye, they will leave father and mother, hufband and wife, yea, and their own lives alfo, rather than not be his difciples. The apostle Paul, therefore, exhorts chriftians, to lay afide every weight, and the fin that doth most eafily befet them," or hang about their heels, as the word in the original imports; alluding to the custom of the Romans, who wore long garments. Such a one was this, which Bartimeus had wrapped round him. But he, to fhew that he fincerely defired to recover his fight, casting it away, arose and came to JESUS. And what treatment did JESUS give him? did he fay, come not nigh me, thou impudent noisy beggar? No," he answered and faid unto him, What wilt thou, that I should do unto thee?" an odd question this, feemingly. For

did not our LORD know what he wanted? yes, he did; but the LORD JESUS dealt with him, as he deals with us. He will make us acknowledge our wants ourfelves, that we thereby may confefs our dependance upon him, and be made more fenfible of the need we ftand in, of his divine afliftance. The blind man immediately replies, "LORD, (thereby intimating his belief of CHRIST's divinity) that I might receive my fight." Methinks, I fee the poor creature liftening to the voice of our Saviour, and with looks and gestures bespeaking the inward earneftnefs of his foul, he cries out, "LORD, that I may receive my fight." As though he had faid, I believe thou art that Meffiah who was to come into the world. I have heard of thy fame, O JESUS! and hearing the long-wifhed-for gladtidings of thy coming this way, I cry unto thee, asking not for filver and gold, but what thou, thou alone canft give me, LORD, that I might receive my fight. No fooner does he afk, but he receives. For, verfe 52, "JESUS faid unto him, Go thy way, thy faith hath made thee whole; and immedi ately he received his fight." With the word there went a power; and he that spake light out of darkness, faying, "Let there be light, and there was light," commanded light into this poor blind beggar's eyes, and behold there was light. The miracle was instantaneous; immediately he received his fight. And next to a miracle it was, that by breaking into open light. all at once, he was not ftruck blind again; but he that gave the fight, preferved it when given. O! happy Bartimeus! thy eyes are now opened, and the very firft object thou doft behold, is the ever-loving, altogether-lovely JESUS. Methinks I fee thee tranfported with wonder and admiration, and all the difciples, and the multitude, gazing around thee! And now, - having received thy fight, why doft thou not obey the LORD's command, and go thy way? why doft thou not hafte to fetch thy garment, that thou juft now in a hurry didst cast away ? No, no! with his bodily eyes, I believe he received alfo a fresh addition of fpiritual fight, and though others faw no form or comelinefs in the bleffed JESUS, that they should defire him; yet he by an eye of faith difcovered fuch transcendent excellencies in his royal perfon, and felt at the fame time fuch a divine attraction towards his all-bountiful benefactor, that inftead of going his way to fetch his garment, "he followed

JESUS

JESUS in the way;" and by his actions, fays with faithful, honeft-hearted Ruth, "entreat me not to leave thee; for whither thou goeft, I will go; where thou lodgeft, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people; and thy God, my GOD." He followed JESUS in the way; the narrow way, the way of the crofs; and I doubt not but long fince he has followed him to his crown, and is at this time fitting with him at the right hand of his Father.

And now, my dear hearers, how find you your hearts affected at the relation of this notable miracle which JESUS wrought? are you not ready to break out into the language of the fong of Mafes, and to fay, "Who is like unto thee, O LORD, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, continually doing wonders!" Marvellous are thy works, O JESUS, and that our fouls know right well! But we must not ftop here, in admiring what the LORD did for Bartimeus; this, no doubt, as well as other parts of Scripture, was written for our learning, upon whom the ends of the world are come; confequently, as was propofed in the

Second place, we should fee what spiritual improvement can be made of this hiftory, upon which we have already been making fome remarks.

A natural man, indeed, goes no further than the outward court of the Scripture, and reads this, and the other miracles of our bleffed Saviour, juft in the fame manner as he reads Homer's battles, or the exploits of Alexander. But God for bid, that we should reft in only hearing this matter of fact. For I tell thee, O man, I tell thee, O woman, whoever thou art, that fittest this day under a preached gospel, that if thou art in a natural ftate, thou art as blind in thy foul, as Bartimeus was in his body; a blind child of a blind father, even of thy father Adam, who loft his fight when he loft his innocence, and entailed his blindness, justly inflicted, upon thee, and me, and his whole pofterity. Some think indeed, that they fee; but alas! fuch talk only like men in their fleep, like perfons befide themselves; the fcriptures every where reprefent fallen man, not only as fpiritually blind, but dead alfo; and we no more know, by nature, favingly the way of falvation by JESUS CHRIST, than Bartimeus, when he was blind, knew the colours of the rainbow. This, I truft, fome of you