reduced to so low a state ? Yet such is his sovereign appointment in many instances ; his own children are lying at the gate full of sores, while his enemies are faring sumptuously every day. Hearing that Jesus passed by, this blind man earnestly impor- tuned his aid. He would not lose the opportunity which now occurred ; nor cease from his cries till he had obtained his request. His language was expressive of an assured faith in Jesus the promised Messiah, at the very time that the rulers and Pharisees almost unanimously rejected him. Thus it is frequently found, that those things which are hid from the wise and prudent are revealed unto babes.]
Afflictive as such a condition is, it affords a pleasant and hopeful prospect —
[Distress of any kind cannot but be an object of com- miseration ; but none is so much to be deprecated as the blindness of the mind. The loss of eye-sight is no more wor- thy to be compared with this, than the body with the soul, or time with eternity. Miserable beyond description are they, the eyes of whose understanding have never yet been enlight- ened to behold the wonderful things of God's law. But if we be sensible of our blindness ; if we be calling upon Jesus as the appointed and all-sufficient Saviour, if we be persevering in prayer notwithstanding all our discouragements, and saying, " I will not let thee go except thou bless me," we are surely in a hopeful state ; we are not far from the kingdom of God.]
In confirmation of this point we proceed to shew,
II. The encouragement which the call of Jesus afforded him —
The command which Jesus gave was announced to Bartimeus with joyful congratulations —
[Jesus had declined for some time to notice his cries, but at last commanded him to be brought unto him. What a gleam of hope must instantly have irradiated the mind of this poor suppliant ! A few minutes before, he had been rebuked by the multitude, and bidden to hold his peace ; but, happily for him, their rebukes had operated to quicken rather than to damp his ardour. Now also the voices of those who had checked him were changed, and their rebukes were turned to encouraging exhortations. The very call was deemed an earnest of the mercy that had been solicited.]
And are not the calls of Jesus a ground of en- couragement to all who feel their need of mercy ?
[He does not, it is true, call any of us by name ; but the