lieve ye that I am able to do this? was intended to be expressed an exploration of the nature and quality of their faith, and how far they believed in His omnipotence; and by their replying, Yea, Lord, is to be understood their full persuasion of His divine ability, and their consequent conviction that from His divine power they might hope to receive the blessing of spiritual sight, or of a right understanding both of what is good and what is true.

Q. But it is lastly written, that JESUS touched their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you: and their eyes were opened; and JESUS strictly charged them, saying, See that no man know it. But they, when they were departed, spread abroad His fame in all that country what do you conceive to be the meaning of these words?

A. By JESUS touching their eyes, is to be spiritually understood, His communication by divine influx with the understanding, or intellectual principle of His church or people, since the touch is figurative of communication; and by His saying, According to your faith be it unto you, is further to be understood, in agreement with the spiritual idea, that the recovery of spiritual light, or, what is the same thing, of intellectual light in the church, would depend entirely on a right belief in the divine omnipotence of the INCARNATE GOD, or, what amounts to the same, in the omnipotence of the DIVINE HUMANITY of that GOD; consequently, that there can be no true understanding, or no understanding

of truth in the church, only so far as JESUS CHRIST is acknowledged to be the ONLY GOD, and approached and worshipped in HIS DIVINE HUMANITY. By their eyes being opened, is further to be understood, the effect of the above faith in the imparting of spiritual understanding, or the understanding of truth; and by JESUS strictly charging them, saying, See that no man know, is meant divine caution, lest the omnipotence of the DIVINE HUMANITY, thus exercised in the recovery of spiritual sight, should be regarded in a mere speculative way, as truth ma nifested merely in the understanding, instead of making its proper impression on the will, and thus exciting devout affection of love and gra titude to the giver of all good, and particularly to the bestower of all spiritual light of intellectual truth. Lastly, by the men, when they were departed, spreading abroad His fame in all the country, is denoted that the divine honour due to the INCARNATE GOD, in His DIVINE HUMANITY, is made known in the church, in propor tion as the understanding of truth is restored, and the human intellect becomes thus receptive of the light of heavenly wisdom; for by country, is here spiritually to be understood, the church; and by His fume, is meant the divine honour and worship due to the DIVINE HUMANITY of the BLESSED JESUS; and by His fame being spread abroad, is manifestly denoted its being made known, acknowledged, and ce lebrated.

Q. What then is the general instruction which you learn from this miracle?

A. I learn again to adore the omnipotence of the INCARNATE GOD, as exercised in removing the infirmities of mankind, and particularly in restoring the great blessing of bodily sight to those who had lost it. I learn also, that this miracle, like all the others performed by the GREAT REDEEMER, is a figure, and that in its figurative sense or meaning, it involves in it the restoration of spiritual sight to the church, or the recovery of that spiritual understanding of heavenly truth which had been lost. Lastly, I learn, that spiritual sight, or spiritual understanding, can only be recovered by faith in JESUS CHRIST, as the manifested God; thus by faith in His DIVINE HUMANITY, as being one with the ETERNAL FATHER, and therefore containing in it all the fulness of the Godhead. I am resolved, therefore, henceforth to draw nigh unto this OMNIPOTENT GOD, as the only restorer of spiritual sight; thus as the only Deliverer from the natural blindness into which I was born, and in which I have been educated, that so my understanding may be opened to see by the bright light of the ETERNAL TRUTH, and my will may accordingly be affected, and elevated to the pursuit of the SUPREME GOOD. And since I cannot hope to attain these signal blessings, only so far as I prepare myself for their reception, I am further resolved, under" a deep sense of my na tural ignorance and blindness, to imitate the example of the two blind men recorded in the his

tory of this miracle, by following my REDEEMER, crying and saying, Thou Son of DAVID, have mercy on me. Thus may I hope to experience the virtue of His divine touch, and to hear His blessed words, According to thy faith be it unto thee: and thus too will my spiritual eyes be opened, and like the blind men of old, I shall be admitted to the inestimable privilege of spreading abroad the fame of my GOD and SAVIOUR, by acknowledging Him in His DIVINE HUMANITY to be the only Deliverer from spiritual blindness, because the only Giver of true light, as well as of the faculty to receive it. AMEN.

As they went out, behold, they brought unto Him a dumb man possessed with a devil, &c. &c.

Q. YOU have already told me, in the explanation of a former parable, that by being possessed of a devil, is to be understood possession as to the body, or corporeal part, as well as with respect to the mind, or mental part; and that it consisted in the subjection of the corporeal parts or members to the rule and governance of infernal spirits- -can you now now tell me what is to be understood by the dumb man here spoken of?

A. The dumbness here spoken of may be considered in two senses, a natural sense, and a spiritual sense; and according to the natural sense of the term, it means a deprivation of the use of the tongue, or of the organs of speech, so that the dumb person is incapable of articulation but according to the spiritual sense of the term,