need be troubled, but he, who, instead of repenting and mourning for his sins, continues wilfully to increase them, neglects his Maker, despises his Saviour, and slighting the rich mercy of God, with an unthankful and unfeeling heart, chooses the corrupting pleasures of sin for a little season, before the glory and the happiness of life eternal.

May the Holy Spirit be our comforter and guide! that we, keeping ever before us the reward which awaits us in the world to come, may press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. And having constantly endeavoured to correct our faults, to leave off our sins, and please our God, may be accepted for Christ's sake, and find ourselves, at last, removed to the mansion of our heavenly Father's house, to enjoy throughout eternity the happiness of that blessed place, which is prepared for us, through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen!

And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto Him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way, thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.

How full of instruction to us is that blessed book from which these words are taken! How thankful, how very thankful ought we to be to Almighty God, for having given us the Gospel! It is not only valuable to us beyond measure for that most astonishing, most merciful, and most comforting doctrine which it teaches, of the free forgiveness of sinners, through the merits and death of Jesus Christ, upon their sincere repentance: every truth which it makes known to us, every duty which it teaches us, every com

mandment which it lays upon us, all that it contains, is so clearly for the good of men, for our happiness and well-being, even in this present world, that it may well call forth our praise and gratitude to God, whose gracious gift it is.

In every page there is some good to be found, some some improvement to be got. Our Blessed Saviour's character shining throughout it, as it does, with every virtue and goodness, furnishes an example, which, the more we endeavour to imitate, the holier and the happier shall we be; and even the miracles which He worked for the good of persons who were in suffering, though they might be supposed to be of little other use to any, but those for whom they were worked, than to strengthen our faith in Christ, yet were so done, that, in all the circumstances attending them, we may find a great deal of the most valuable and useful instruction.

It seems as if it had been intended by a merciful and gracious God, that these works of wonder which were at first done for the good of men's bodies, should continue to be

of advantage to the souls of all who believe in Christ, till the end of the world.

It is my wish to call your attention, in my present sermon, to that one of our blessed Saviour's miracles, of which my text speaks; and may God enable both you and me to draw from it, and to lay up seriously in our hearts, the instruction which it seems meant and suited to afford

us.

I shall read you the account of this wonderful history, as it is written in the tenth chapter of St. Mark, beginning at the fortysixth verse. As Jesus went out of Jericho, a city of the Jews, with His disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimæus, the son of Timæus, sat by the highway side, begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy upon me! and many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, thou Son of David have mercy on me. And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying, Be of good comfort, rise, He calleth thee. And he, casting away

his garment, rose and came to Jesus. And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt. thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto Him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way, thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.

You see now, my brethren, from this account, that Bartimæus was one of the poorest, one of the most unfortunate of mankind: he was a blind, despised, forsaken beggar, who had no other means of gaining a livelihood at all, but by sitting on the public highway side, to ask the charitable assistance of the passengers who travelled by; a miserable life, God knows. Here, then, at the very outset of this history, what a lesson is taught us! not only to be contented, but to be thankful in the far happier condition in which we ourselves are placed.

How often, may we suppose, did this poor man sit there in the heat and in the cold, only to be laughed at by the thoughtless! How often, when he heard the sound of footsteps passing near, would he stretch