the one here treated of, for it is there written, that they brought a blind man unto Jesus, and * besought Him to touch him. And He took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when He had spit on his eyes, and put His hands upon him, He asked him if he saw aught. And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. And after that, He put His hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up; and he was restored, and saw every man clearly. And He sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town, (Mark viii. 22 to 27.)

can you briefly explain to me the spiritual sense of this miracle in reference to the particu lar circumstances which distinguish it from the miracle above treated of?

A. By leading the blind man out of the town, in the present instance, is to be understood removal from former opinions and doctrines of truth; and by the man looking up, and saying, 1 see men as trees, walking, is further to be understood obscure and general perception of truth, such as is derived from the letter of the sacred Scriptures; and by his being restored, and seeing every man clearly, after that he was touched a second time by the GREAT SAVIOUR, is denoted, that the understanding was then opened to the discernment of truth in its internal form or spirit, as well as in its external appearance; lastly, by JESUS sending him away to his house, and saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town, is further to be under

stood, that the interior perceptions of truth, which had been communicated, should be interiorly cherished and obeyed, and likewise that they should be kept separate from the influence and operation of former persuasions and opinions.

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

A. From the letter or literal sense of this history, I am again taught to adore the divine omnipotence of my GoD and SAVIOUR, exerted in the cure of a man blind from his birth; and from the spiritual sense, I am taught several weighty lessons of instruction relative to spiritual blindness, and to its cure by the same omnipotence. For respecting spiritual blindness, I am taught by the above history, that there is a blindness arising from the want of early instruction, such as is that of the Gentiles, who are out of the church, and consequently receive no instruction from the HOLY WORD, and who on this account are sensual men, and believe nothing but what is in agreement with the evidence of the senses. And in regard to the cure of this blindness, I am taught that it is provid ed in the HOLY WORD, and is there to be found in the letter, under the form of sensual truth, which is the clay made of spittle in the above history, and is accommodated to the apprehension of sensual minds, leading them finally to the acknowledgment and worship of the INCARNATE GOD in His divine HUMANITY. I am resolved, therefore, from henceforth to attend

carefully to all the sources and consequent qualities of spiritual blindness in my own mind, and to go and wash in the pool of Siloam, whensoever I find that the sensual mind prevails, so as to darken in me the light of the eternal truth. Thus may I humbly hope, like the blind man in the above history, to come seeing; and finally, like him, to be enabled to say, LORD, I believe, and by believing become a true worshipper of the LIVING GOD in His DIVINE HUMANITY. AMEN.

THE particulars related in this chapter concerning Lazarus, previous to his being raised from the dead, are so numerous and likewise so important, that it would require a volume to give a full and satisfactory explanation of their spiritual meaning. We must, therefore, be content to pass them by, and proceed immediately to the interpretation of the several circumstances recorded, when the BLESSED JESUS took His station at the grave of the deceased, and prepar ed directly for the exercise of His divine omnipotence. Nevertheless it may be proper to remark, as a clue to the elucidation of the introductory parts of the history, that by Lazarus are here represented the Gentiles, as also in the pa rable, (Luke xvi. 20,) and by his being raised from the dead, is further figured the establish ment of a new church amongst the Gentiles, and in every individual; for the establishment of a church, in all cases, implies the communication of spiritual life by the removal of evils and

errors; thus it implies also resurrection from the dead, since wheresoever evil and error prevail, there is death. This being premised, the reader will now consider himself as standing at the grave of Lazarus, and will there ask,

Q. How are the following words to be understood, where it is written, JESUS again therefore groaning in Himself, cometh to the grave: it was a cave, and a stone lay upon it?

A. It had been before said, on this occasion, that JESUS groaned in spirit, (ver. 38,) therefore when it is now said that He groaned in Himself, it implies a two-fold groaning, and since by groaning, when spoken of the DIVINE BEING, is meant a vehement emotion of divine princi ples, by a two-fold groaning, or what is here called again groaning, is to be understood a ve hement emotion both of the divine love and divine wisdom occasioned by the circumstances which presented themselves, when viewed both literally and representatively. By His coming to the grave, under this emotion, is further to be understood, not only His divine presence at the tomb of Lazarus, but also at what is here figured by a tomb, viz. the principles of unregenerate life; in other words, the principles of selfish and worldly love, which entomb the mind of man in its natural state, and prevent its arising to the sense and enjoyment of its proper life in the love of GOD and its neighbour. It is said of this tomb or grave, that it was a cave, and a stone lay upon it, because by a cave, according to the spi ritual idea involved in this history, is denoted an