as much as he did, let us seek it as earnestly as he did; and not be contented to suppose that God will ever shew it to us, if He do not see that we are desiring it and striving for it above all things.

The last thing which I wish you to notice, is the conduct of Bartimæus, after he had been restored to sight. He was not like too many amongst ourselves who receive and enjoy the goodness and the gifts of God, and yet unthankfully forget the Giver. He felt too deeply how great Christ's mercy had been to him, how large was the debt of gratitude which he owed to Him. It is written of him, that after he was cured, he followed Jesus in the way. Again, I say, so let it be with us; let us follow our Saviour, faithfully follow him, as servants and as sons: assured that away from Him there is no safety, nor any happiness without Him! We daily enjoy the goodness of God, and Christ has done for us a far greater and more wonderful thing than this which He did for the poor blind beggar. His blood was shed, His life was laid down for our sakes. Through that, we

are delivered from the power of Satan, and, if we truly repent, from the punishment due to our sins. Let us then obediently follow Jesus, our Saviour and Redeemer : for He is the way, and the truth, and the life, and no man cometh to the Father, but by Him. Let us follow His example; treading in the blessed steps of His most holy life; follow Him in His holiness, His meekness, His goodness. Let us follow Him through life, and still trust to Him in death, and then, our hope is, we shall follow Him to heaven, where we shall find, to our great and endless joy, how far beyond any thing that we can think of, are the rewards which he has to bestow upon all His faithful servants. Amen!

SERMON IX.

HEB. xii. 1, 2.

Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith: who, for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

In these words, the apostle St. Paul calls upon all such as believe in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and would hereafter be partakers of His glory, to give to Him who died for their salvation, lively and stedfast proofs of their faith, their hope, their gratitude and love. He calls upon us to shew that we are in truth what we profess to be -Christians: that is, that we believe in all which the gospel makes known to us of Jesus Christ, the Son of God: especially

that He came down from Heaven to die for our sins, and that it is only by following His spotless example, and obediently keeping His Holy commandments, that we can hope to be received into the enjoyment of those good things which God has prepared, in a happier world than this, for them that love Him.

Our first father, Adam, was created a pure and innocent being, without spot and blameless; but since his unhappy fall, since his giving way to the temptations of the devil, all his children after him have partaken of his disgrace, and are born in sin. We do not, indeed, commit sin as soon as we are born, because we know not how; but as soon as we get the use of our reason, as soon as we can distinguish right from wrong, we shew to which of these two we are the most inclined. We shew that to us good appears evil, and evil good; for we readily and eagerly follow the one, whilst the other appears to us disgreeable and distasteful. The follies, the sins, the crimes which prevail in the world, too strongly prove the unhappy truth of what I am now

saying. Too often it happens that they who have received in their youth the wholesomest instruction and the best education which man can give to man, shew, as they grow up, that nothing can prevail upon them to forsake the evil inclinations of their nature neither their belief in God, or heaven, or hell, can prevent them from giving way to the corrupt lusts of their hearts, they rush headlong into sin, and work uncleanness with greediness. And even of those blessed and happy beings, whom the grace of God, assisting their humble endeavours, preserves innocent from all great offences and grievous crimes, even of them, I say, there is not one who has not reason to acknowledge with the Apostle, in me dwelleth no good thing, for there is not one who will not often find that his thoughts are evil and his inclinations sinful.

Since this is the corrupt state of man by nature, and, in spite of education, how great are the difficulties which beset his course! how much is there to be overcome before he can be fit to enter in at the gates of everlasting life, and join the happy company of