sincerely into their hearts, and lift them up in earnest prayer unto the Lord, then they would discover their blindness, and would run to meet the Saviour on his way, with the cry, "Thou Son of David, have mercy on me!" and He would meet them with the words, "Go thy way, thy faith hath made thee whole."

We ought to judge of the quantity of spiritual light which we put to account, by the sense which we have of the darkness which remains. If that sense be one of grief, of shame, at being found partners with the powers of darkness in any degree, and of an earnest desire for more light, until the whole spirit shall be light, even as the body is full of light from a perfect sight; if there be an aspiration after the light of the world to come, and an eager putting to account its earnest in the light of the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the light and life of man,-then at all events we are increasing in our quantity of spiritual light. But if, on the contrary, a man shall have no sense of the darkness which abides in him, and instead of seeking the light as the revealer of the secrets of his heart, that he might know them, and deal with them accordingly, in the presence of God, the Searcher of all hearts, he hates it, and runs away from it, as a criminal from his accuser; if, instead of confessing his darkness, he shall call his darkness light, and his blindness sight, and do that

which is good in his own eyes, and neglect God's service, nor care to obey his commandments, to use his ordinances, to yield Him public worship and honour, with continual private thanksgiving and praise, then is that man's darkness increasing at a fearful rate. Bartimæus, blind as he was, could find the road along which Christ was expected. But that man has become too blind even to find his way. Bartimæus was glad to hear of Christ. That man dislikes to be told of Him. Oh, how pitiable is his state! and the more so, the less he pities himself.

Let not any one give himself up to that indifference about these matters by which this world possesses the hearts of men, and turns them away from such thoughts. What blind man that ever received sight again, was ever indifferent about it? Was he not, on the contrary, like Bartimæus, most earnest and persevering in his application to the remedy? Why then should it be otherwise in spiritual things? There also we must be earnest. way has been opened. We must put ourselves on that way, by the manifold means which the blessing of God hath bestowed on every one of us in various ways, and on all with sufficiency. The Opener of our eyes has been proclaimed to us, as to be found on that way. We must raise the cry of the prayer of the heart and understanding, which from holy living have

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learned the desire of living more holy still, and say from their fulness, "Thou Son of David, have mercy on me." Then shall come fresh comfort, and a renewed summons to the heavenly presence; and from that presence shall come more light still. Such is the progress of the children of light: thus they rejoice in the light, thus they are prepared for the light and life to come-everlasting.

SERMON XIX.

HEAVENLY TREASURE.

(Ash Wednesday.)

MATT. vi. 21.

"For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

A TREASURE is that which is not only precious in our eyes for a time, but thought so very precious and desirable, that we lay it up in store against future need and occasion, and look to it as our mainstay of comfort, help, and enjoyment. Different people place it in different things. Some in those whom they dearly love, some in riches. But in general, riches are the treasure which men lay up for themselves in some shape or other; for riches promise to procure a man every thing of this world but love, and even the appearance of that. Do not then these words answer to our experience? do we not well know, that where our treasure is, there will our heart be also, with its hopes and fears, with its affections and desires? What

else will a man seriously think of, but of that which he makes it the business of his life to gain and maintain? Drive his mind off from it if you can, it will be at longest for a few moments, after which he will return to it more eager than ever; and his heart will be now here, now there, now up, now down, according as his treasure may lie. The heart of the merchant is on the sea in his ships, and trembles at every blackness of the sky, and howling of wind; the treasure of the capitalist is in the money-market, and his heart rises and sinks with prices; the treasure of the man of pleasure is in some delight, for which he is making all possible provision, and his heart is on the tenter-hooks of fear of disappointment. All the children of this world have their treasure, the darling of their affections, in it, and, with all their care and watchfulness, they are continually losing it. The sea swallows up the ships of the merchant, the fire devours his warehouses, unexpected events and turns ruin the capitalist, sickness disables the man of pleasure, and all that can keep their treasure at all, must part with it at their death; and how soon that may be, who of them knows? So that let a man place his treasure where he will in this world, whether by land or by water, in profit or in pleasure, all is uncertain and unsafe, and his heart has no rest, but is continually disquieted