be hid, it is hid to them that are lost, in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." You are not altogether destitute of ideas of religion, but you discern nothing aright, you have no insight into the things of God; in a word, you are in darkness. It may be that this assertion is offensive to you, and that you are ready indignantly to ask, as did the unbelieving Jews of old, "Are we blind also?" If you do put this question, we answer-Yes; though you may flatter yourselves with the thought of your superior discernment, and may bask in all the gaiety of the world's sunshine, you are blind, stone-blind, for into your hearts not one ray of heavenly, sanctifying light has yet penetrated. And is not yours a pitiable case? We pity the poor blind man who sees not the cheering light of the sun, who gropes for the wall, who stumbles at noonday as at night, and who is necessitated to depend for subsistence on the precarious bounty of those who pass him on the highway; but, if he know the Lord, and if his eyes have seen his salvation, he is far less to be pitied than you. The blindness of the eyes is no more to be compared with the blindness of the mind, than the body with the soul, or time with eternity. Consider how sinful and dangerous it is thus to turn from him who came to give sight to the blind, thus to refuse to "anoint your eyes with eye-salve that you may see." There is the utmost danger, that, if you stumble on a little longer, you will stumble and fall, to rise no more. Begin diligently to use the means appointed for enabling you to see. Carry in your hand the Word of God, which is given to be a "lamp to your feet, and a light to your path." Pray, also, for the illuminating influence of the Holy Spirit. Suppose a number of blind men shut up in a dark room; there are two obstacles to their seeing-there is the want of light, and there is their want of the power of vision; two things are therefore necessary, before they can see, namely, that light be brought, or admitted into the room, and that their eyes be opened to behold it. Carry in as many candles as you please, or let in the sun's blaze at noonday-they would see just as little as before, if their eyes remained as they were. In like manner, in order to saving knowledge, there must be, not only the light of external information, but the Spirit's work of illumination on the mind itself. Christ not only "opened the Scriptures" to his disciples,

but "opened their understanding to understand the Scriptures." Adopt, then, the Psalmist's prayer: "Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law." And, may He who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, shine into your hearts, to give you the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Let those of you, finally, who are restored to sight, in the spiritual sense, be careful to use the faculty aright. Turn away your eyes from beholding vanity, and be quickened in the way of the Lord. Be careful, like Bartimeus, to follow Christ, glorifying God. Now that you are "light in the Lord, walk as children of the light." "Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light." May the Lord illuminate, and comfort, and sanctify you, more and more. "May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him; the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to them who believe."

LECTURE XCIX.

LUKE XIX. 1-10.

"And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2. And, behold, there was a man named Zaccheus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. 3. And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. 4. And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycamore-tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. 5. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zaccheus, make haste, and come down; for to-day I must abide at thy house. 6. And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. 7. And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. 8. And Zaccheus stood, and said unto the Lord, Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him four-fold. 9. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. 10. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."

In the last lecture, we considered the miracle of curing the blind, which our Lord wrought in the neighbourhood of Jericho; and we have now before us another most interesting and instructive occurrence, which took place when "he entered and passed," or rather, had entered and was passing through" that city. In this occurrence, the power of his saving grace is signally illustrated.

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"Zaccheus," of whom Luke is the only evangelist who speaks, and he only in this passage, was the chief among the publicans."* This seems to mean that he was the principal tax-gatherer, or farmer of the public revenues, in that district, having other persons employed under him. He must have found large security, and he may have possessed much property, before he was advanced to so responsible a situation. At the time here referred to, he is declared to have been "rich." Riches, as we had lately occasion to see, do oppose very great obstacles to salvation; but what is impossible with men, is possible with God; and here we have a * Αρχιτελώνης.

pleasing example of his grace triumphing over all the temptations of wealth.

It is said of Zaccheus that "he sought to see Jesus who he was." We naturally desire to see persons who occupy exalted stations, or who have on any account been much talked of; and though nothing more should come of it, it is some satisfaction merely to be able to say that we have seen them. By this time the fame of Jesus was spread throughout the whole country, and the miracle which he had just performed near Jericho must have deepened the interest felt in him in that city and neighbourhood: no wonder, then, that Zaccheus had a strong desire to see "who," that is, what manner of person, he was. Similar to this was the circumstance which occurred soon after this, as mentioned in the 12th chapter of John, from the 20th verse: "And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast: the same came, therefore, to Philip, who was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. Philip cometh and telleth Andrew; and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus." These Greeks were accordingly brought to Jesus, who discoursed in a very edifying manner in their presence. This desire on the part of Zaccheus seems to have been the effect of mere curiosity; at least, there is no evidence that he was influenced by any higher motive, but rather, from the general complexion of the case, a presumption to the contrary.

Anxious as he was to see Jesus, he "could not for the press," for the multitude that thronged around him in his progress. This would have been a considerable obstacle to the gratification of his wish, though he had been a man of the ordinary height of body; but it was much more so, "because he was little of stature." A man may be of little stature, and yet have a great mind: and it is chiefly the mind that makes the man. "Saul was a choice young man, and a goodly; and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upwards he was higher than any of the people;" yet he was an unhappy and a bad man, and was much surpassed, in every thing excellent, by the strippling, David. "The Lord said unto Samuel," concerning Eliab, "Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature, because I have refused him."* Any thing remarkable in this respect should neither be gloried in on the one hand, nor felt as a grievance * 1 Sam. ix. 2, xvi. 7.

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on the other, but piously referred to its real cause-the will of God; for who by taking thought can add one cubit to his stature? Let it be the great desire of us all to obtain spiritual life, strength, and growth, that we may come unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." It frequently happens that great, and, in themselves, distressing defects and ailments of body, are productive of much good to the soul. It is true, that, when the Lord has a gracious end in view, he secures it by the appointment of the means; yet, humanly speaking, had it not been for the circumstance here stated with regard to Zaccheus, he probably would never have made the exertion to see Christ which ended so happily.

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Let us consider the expedient to which Zaccheus had recourse. Aware that Jesus was advancing in the midst of a crowd," he ran before." This speed bespoke both eagerness and humility; for, generally speaking, men only run when they are anxious, and those who are proud of their riches or station, and have the affectation of dignity, hardly condescend to run at all. Thus, the act of running in this, and in some other instances, becomes instructive as to the earnestness and immediate attention with which we should proceed in divine things. The venerable patriarch, Abraham, ran to meet the angels from the tent-door." On a certain occasion, when Jesus and the apostles "departed by ship privately, the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran a-foot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him." When the women found that Christ was risen from the dead, "They departed quickly from the sepulchre, with fear and great joy, and did run to bring his disciples word." Then Peter and John ran both together, and John did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre."* Let us manifest similar zeal and despatch in the things which belong to our peace. Let us run to "the name of the Lord," as to "a strong tower, that we may be safe." May he "draw us, and we shall run after him."

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As the earnestness and humility of Zaccheus were apparent in his running, they were still more so in the choice he made of a station from which he might be sure to have a good view of Jesus as he passed by. "He climbed up into a sycamore-tree to see him." The sycamore-tree is a kind of wild fig-tree, called also the Egyptian fig-tree, from * Gen. xviii. 2; Mark vi. 33; Matt. xxviii. 8; John xx. 4.