not for the rebukes of unfeeling bystanders. He heeded not the ridicule which his importunity probably brought on him. " He cried the more a great deal/' and so cry- ing obtained his heart's desire, and received his sight.
Let all who wish to be saved, mark well this conduct of Bartimgeus, and walk diligently in his steps. Like him, we must care notbing what others think and say of us, when we seek the healing of our souls. There never will be wanting people wbo will tell us that it is " too soon," or " too late" — -that we are going " too fast/' or " too far" — that we need not pray so much, or read onr Bibles so much — or be so anxious about salvation. We must give no heed to such people. Like Bartimeeus, we must cry the more, " Jesus have mercy on me."
What is the reason that men are so half-hearted in seeking Christ ? Why are tbey so soon deterred, and checked, and discouraged in drawing near to God ? The answer is short and simple. They do not feel sufficiently tbeir own sins. They are not thoroughly convinced of tbe plague of their own hearts, and the disease of their own souls. Once let a man see his own guilt, as it really is, and be will never rest till he has found pardon and peace in Christ. It is tbey who, like Bartimseus, really know their own deplorable condition, who persevere, like Bartimaaus, and are finally healed.
In the last place, we have, in these verses, an example of the constraining influence ivhich gratitude to Christ ought to have upon our souls. Bartimeeus did not return home as soon as he was restored to sight. He would not leave Him from whom he had received such mercy. At once he devoted the new powers, which his cure gave him, to