MENTAL EYES: DARKENED AND ILLUMINATED.

(MATTHEW vi. 22, 23.)

Light sometimes means that which _gives_, sometimes that which _receives_ or _reflects_, light; as the sun is the light of the world, and the windows through which he shines are the lights of the room and the house. Our eyes are the lights, or windows, of our body. Through them we look out upon the world around us; and light, knowledge, and pleasure come in to us from what we see, as well as what we hear.

Jesus here refers to the eyes of the mind--the understanding. How often, when a difficult matter has been explained, we say, "Oh, yes; I see it all now!" and yet the eyes behold no new object. We mean that we now _understand_ what puzzled us so much before.

Thus, in these two verses we are told about _minds_ that are darkened, and also about _understandings_ that are enlightened with the light of life.

"If the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!"

If the windows are bricked up, no ray of light can force an entrance, even at noonday, into the darkened rooms; or, if the cas.e.m.e.nts are thickly curtained, or closely shuttered, how dark the house must be! So sin of some kind--pride, prejudice, or superst.i.tion--darkens the sinner's understanding, shuts out the light of heavenly truth, and lulls him to sleep in the arms of the wicked one--the sleep of death.

People often tell us that we can do something to enlighten our own understanding. We can unfasten the shutters, or draw back the curtains, and let in the light. Alas! unless the grace of G.o.d has reached us in its almighty power, we do not _want_ the light. Our deeds are evil, and the light that makes them manifest is hateful (see John iii. 18, 19).

The thief, the murderer, the coiner of bad money, and all who are knowingly guilty of wrong-doing, love darkness, secresy, and concealment "rather than light"; and this is our "condemnation," as fallen creatures--we love the darkness, and we shun G.o.d's holy light. "Having the understanding darkened, being alienated [or estranged] from the life of G.o.d through the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart" (Eph. iv. 18). Such was _our_ state by nature. What are our feelings now?

Saul of Tarsus, as a Pharisee, was learned, intelligent, and moral; but how dark, how blind, he was in those days! Jesus, G.o.d's beloved Son, was the Object of his hatred. The altogether Lovely One had no beauty at all for him, and the children of G.o.d he viewed as enemies whom he felt bound to conquer and destroy. How great his darkness was--the darkness of prejudice and pride!

Chiniquy, the Romish priest, of whom some of us have heard so much, was blinded by _superst.i.tion_ for many a year, and even the light of the Bible, as he read and studied it, could not remove that darkness till G.o.d Himself said, "Let there be light," and made the night of superst.i.tious error flee away.

Then minds are blinded as was Balaam's of old, and the Pharisees, to whom Christ said, "If ye were blind"--that is, if they had not heard His words, and seen His works (see John xv. 22, 24)--"ye had not had sin"--you would have been _comparatively_ free from blame--"but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth."

They hated the light they had, and closed their eyes against it. As the proverb says, "None are so blind as those who will not see."

But "G.o.d, who commanded light to shine out of darkness [at the world's creation], hath shined in our hearts," wrote the Apostle Paul (2 Cor.

iv. 6), "to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of G.o.d in the face of Jesus Christ."

The once blinded Pharisee could see now, and how different were all his feelings! His own righteousness was cast away. Jesus was precious to his heart, and Christians were his "own company," his beloved friends.

No darkness is too dense, no barrier too strong, for almighty grace to remove. Has the Sun of Righteousness arisen in our hearts? How may we know? Jesus tells us (John iii. 21)--"He that doeth truth cometh to the light." G.o.d is Light, and His Word is a light that makes all things manifest. It shows sin, how black it is. It reveals the hollowness of the world, the glory of Christ. It points out our dangers, our disease, our wants, and our foes; while it sets forth the remedy of all our ills, the great Refuge and Deliverer who can save unto the uttermost all who confide in Him.

Do we try ourselves by the Scriptures? Abraham compared himself to "dust and ashes"--worthless. Job said, "I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth Thee, wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes" (Job xlii. 5, 6). David, king of Israel, said, "I am poor, and needy." Are we anything like these saints of G.o.d? G.o.d says, He "will give strength to those who have no might," will "fill the hungry with good things," and for His own name's sake will bless those who feel themselves unworthy of His favour. Do these promises suit us?

Are we glad that G.o.d's mercy is so free? And do we, like the Psalmist, "esteem _all_ His precepts concerning all things to be right, and hate every false way"? (Psa. cxix. 128.) If so, we are children of the light, and, while we examine ourselves, we shall pray G.o.d to search and try us, and lead us in His everlasting way.

Jesus said, "He that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness" (John viii. 12), yet they who fear the Lord, and obey His beloved Servant, may, for a time, have no bright shinings on their pathway (Isa. l. 10), just as sometimes a change of wind, or some other cause, may make a sudden darkness overspread the sky. But day-darkness generally pa.s.ses off again before long. So "light is sown for the righteous," and the glad harvest shall certainly be reaped, for "the path of the just is as the shining light, which shineth more and more unto the perfect day"

(Prov. iv. 18). The morning twilight in nature may be dim and clouded, but when once the sun has risen, the light grows clearer and brighter till noon is reached; but then it begins to decline, and evening gradually comes on. But the spiritual day _ends_ in noontide glory, the _everlasting ending_ of all sorrow, sin, and fear; and to His people the Saviour says, "Thy sun shall no more go down, for the Lord shall be thy everlasting Light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended" (Isa.

lx. 20).

May He "open our eyes, that we may behold wondrous things out of His law." May the "Sun of Righteousness arise upon us, with healing in His wings," that "in His light we may see light," and follow Him who has "redeemed us from all evil" to the realms of endless day.

Our next subject will be, _G.o.d's Independence of All, and His Declared Need of Some of His Creatures_. Compare Psalm l. 12, with Matthew xxi.

3, and other pa.s.sages.

Yours affectionately, H. S. L.

THE PHARISEE AND THE PUBLICAN.

The Word of G.o.d records a potent test By which a true possessor may be known--

The _Pharisee_ will smite his fellow's breast; The grace-taught _publican_ will smite his own.

PRIZE ESSAY.

WHO ARE THEY THAT WILL STAND PERFECT IN THE DAY OF JUDGMENT?

Those who will stand perfect in the day of judgment are those who, by the grace of G.o.d, have been enabled to trust in, and wait on, the Lord for salvation from sin and its consequences; for, by the Holy Spirit working in them, they see their sin, and feel the anger of G.o.d.

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jer. xvii. 9); and, when we see and feel a little of our wickedness, we despair, and Satan begins to torment us, and say, "You are too wicked to go to heaven." But Jesus says, "Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out" (John vi. 37); "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matt. xi. 28).

Jesus says "heavy laden," showing that, no matter how wicked, how laden, His word to all those who are weary of sin, and "heavy laden" with sorrow for sin, is, "Come, and I will give you rest"--rest from Satan and his temptations, rest from the world and all its busy cares.

His rest is so different from all other, for He says, in John xiv. 27, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

Those who will stand perfect are those who have been chosen by G.o.d as vessels of mercy, for Peter says, "Elect according to the foreknowledge of G.o.d the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ."

Then, when sprinkled by the blood of Jesus Christ, they are perfectly free from sin; as the hymn says--

"There is a fountain filled with blood, Drawn from Immanuel's veins;

And sinners plunged beneath that flood Lose all their guilty stains."

And this is how G.o.d's people stand before Him--

"Dear, dying Lamb, Thy precious blood Shall never lose its power Till all the ransomed Church of G.o.d Be saved to sin no more."

And when the final judgment is p.r.o.nounced, those whose names are not recorded in the book of life will hear those awful words, "Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matt. xxv. 41). But if our names are written in G.o.d's book of life, how sweet to hear, "Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matt. xxv.

34).

Oh, that we may be found at G.o.d's right hand, perfect in Christ's righteousness, singing and praising G.o.d through all eternity! "Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto G.o.d and His Father: to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen" (Rev. i. 5, 6).

"But can I bear the piercing thought-- 'What if my name should be left out When Thou for them shalt call?'

"Let me among thy saints be found Whene'er the archangel's trump shall sound, To see Thy smiling face: Then loudest of the crowd I'll sing, While heaven's resounding mansions ring With shouts of sovereign grace."

GRACE ANNIE OSMOTHERLY (Aged 12 years).

_45, Cutmore Street, Gravesend, Kent._

[We have received many tolerably good Essays for this month, among which the following claim special notice--E. B. Knocker; Lilly Rush; Margaret Creasey; J. E. Wright; P. Rackham; Jane Bell; Florrie Rush; Claude Rush (aged 10 years); Laura Creasey; E. Wightman; E. B. West; D. Newbury; B.

M. Dennis; A. M. Cray; W. E. Cray, &c.]

[The writer of the above Essay receives a copy of "The Life of John Newton."

The subject for June will be, "What Marks do the Lambs of Jesus Christ Bear?" and the prize to be given for the best Essay on that subject, a copy of "The Dairyman's Daughter." All compet.i.tors must give a guarantee that they are under fifteen years of age, and that the Essay is their own composition, or the papers will be pa.s.sed over, as the Editor cannot undertake to write for this necessary information. Papers must be sent direct to the Editor, Mr. T. Hull, 117, High Street, Hastings, by the first of May.]