Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1909-05-05


hopeless, but that is no reason why
the Christian church should withhold
its merciful ministratior1s. 1t is Of
tentimes the man who laughs at re-
ligfon and disbelieyes in its power
that needs it most. and religion
based upon the quality. Of mercy can
not refuse to give even that which
is not wanted or asked for. The Saw
ious put clay on this mans eyes and
bade him go wash in the pool Of
Sloan. The man was more humble
than Naaman. He made use Of the
means which Jesus suggested and re-
neived his sight. He is type Of the
hopeless man who does not believe
that his spiritual blindness (if 1t is
blindness, because he has never been
able to see and does not realize what
spiritual blindness really means) 1,
can ever be relieved by the simple
things which Jesus provides. prayer,
worship and sacrament, and yet In
his willingness to try them makes his
act OF faith, and is ushered out into q
new world Of glory and beauty of
which. heretofore. he has never been
able even to dream. He becomes a
partaker Of blessings for which he
has not asked, and of benefits pro-
vided freely by one whom he has not
known. On the other hand, the blind
man. Of Bethsaida is not only hope
less, but faithless. He is brought to
Christ by others. and because Jesus
does not want to reject him, and can
not cure him. He takes him by the
hand and leads nim out of the town.
He takes him away from his familiar
surroundings and daily associations.
He. lifts him out of the rut from
which he had been unable to extri-
cate himself He takes him into the
solitude, just as He takes men now
into the solitude and loneliness of
sickness or trouble or poverty or Mn-
Just suspicion. or Pain, and in the
solitude tries to build up their faith,
SO that they may be healed. This is
the only miracle Of healing which
Jesus performed where the recovery
of health came by degrees. and this
vas caused by the mans slow devel-
opEent of the faculty Of faith. Jesus
+ touched his eyes, but sight did not
come: he saw men as trees walking.
1t was an earnest, however, Of what
Jesus could do, and it gave the man
confidence and his faith became more
perfect, and Jesus touched his eyes
again and he saw things distinctly.
It is the story Of the tenderness
and gentleness with which Jesus
deals with the spiritually blind, who
are faithless as we'll as hopeless.
And lastly, there Is the story of the
Blind Bartimaeus which carries with
1t such q weight and wealth Of sug-
gestion for ourselves. It is the story
of man who wanted to come and be
healed. and was hindered BY others.
How often that Is true of those who
really want to be healed of spiritual
blindness. A mans foes are those of
his own household. Jesus was
wounded in the house of His friends.
1t is often only by persistent perse-
verance and by disregarding those
who should help him that a man Is
healed by the Saviour Of his spiritual
blindness, as Bartimaeus was healed
of his physical infirmity. wonder
how many Christians realize the tre-
mendous responsibility they assume
when in any way they stand in the
light Of the man who Is looking for
Jesus Christ.
The man or woman belonging to
Christian church who deliberately
sets aside the methods Of that organ
ization for deepening the spiritual
life is hindering others from becom-
Ing Christians. What a wonderful
opportunity for good we are throwing
away when, on the ground Of cour-
tesy to others, we practically abandon
our principles and cause our brother
to offend. Blind Bartimaeus was
healed in spite of hindrances Of 9TH
ers, and men become Christians in
spite of our inconsistencies, but what
an opportunity we are casting aside.
and what responsibility we incur,
when we deliberately make truth ap-
pear unreal or Undesirable. To
preach recovering Of sight to the
blind; to preach the Gospel to the
poor and d.liverance to the captive,
read the Saviour in the Nazareth syn
agogue, and as He read men were as
tonished. Gut why astonished? It
was only quotation. Yes, but He
spoke with power. That is, His
words were convincing; but why con-
vincing? The same words had been
heard many times before. They were
the words Of truth, you say. Surely,
but truth has been preached through
the ages. What then was it that as
tonished men? We answer, the fact
that Jesus saw truth in such way
that other men coming in contact
with Him could not fail to see it also,
and see it in its completeness. We
see truth, says Mozeley, in frag-
mentary way. and fragments of truth
are not convincing. Jesus saw it in
Its completeness, ana wnen man
sees truth in its completeness he must
follow it.. There is no other way for
him to do and remain sane, and so
it was just because Jesus could so
present truth that men must see 1t
and believe that His great mission
was to preach recovery of sight to
the blind.
The Source of AL