In the first place, we have here an example of strong faith. We are told that as Jesus went out of Jericho, a blind man named Bartimseus u sat by the wayside begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Na- zareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me."
Bartimseus was blind in body, but not in soul. The eyes of his understanding were open. He saw things which Annas and Caiaphas, and hosts of letter-learned Scribes and Pharisees, never saw at all. He saw that Jesus of Nazareth, as our Lord was contemptuously called — Jesus, who had lived for thirty years in an obscure Galilean village — this very Jesus was the Son of David — the Messiah of whom prophets had prophesied long ago. He had witnessed none of our Lord's mighty miracles. He had not had the opportunity of beholding dead people raised with a word, and lepers healed by a touch. Of all these privileges, his blindness totally de- prived him. But he had heard the report of our Lord's mighty works, and hearing had believed. He was satis- fied from mere hear-say, that He of whom such wonderful things were reported, must be the promised Saviour, and must be able to heal him. And so when our Lord drew
convey. All other expressions would either weaken the sense of the inspired writers, or convey a false impression to the mind of the reader. To take one solitary instance, what could be more meagre or unsatisfactory than to render the passage now before us in the fol- lowing way, " Can ye be sprinkled with the sprinkling, or dipped with the dipping, that I am sprinkled or dipped with ?" — The firm- ness of the British and Foreign Bible Society on this point, ought to be cause of thankfulness to all the Protestant churches. In re- volving to use the Greek words " baptize" and " baptism," in all their versions, they have exercised a wise discretion.
223
near, he cried, " Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me."
Let us strive and pray that we may have like precious faith. We too are not allowed to see Jesus with our bodily eyes. But we have the report of His power, and grace, and willingness to save, in the Gospel. We have exceeding great promises from His own lips, written down for our encouragement. Let us trust those promises implicitly, and commit our souls to Christ unhesitatingly. Let us not he afraid to repose all our confidence on His own gracious words, and to believe that what He has engaged to do for sinners, He will surely perform. What is the beginning of all saving faith, but a soul's venture on Christ ? What is the life of saving faith, when once begun, but a continual leaning on an unseen Saviour's word ? What is the first step of a Christian, but a cryiog, like Bartimaaus, " Jesus have mercy on me ?" What is the daily course of a Christian, but keeping up the same spirit of faith ? " Though now we see Him not, yet believing we rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory." (1 Peter i. 8.)
We have, in the second place, in these verses, an ex- ample of determined perseverance in the face of difficulties. We are told that when Bartimasus began to cry out, " Jesus, thou Son of David have mercy on me," he met with little encouragement from those who were near him. On the contrary, " many charged him that he should hold his peace." But he was not to be stopped. If others did not know the misery of blindness, he did. If others did not think it worth while to take such trouble, in order to obtain relief, he, at any rate, knew better. He cared