a town of Mary and her sister Our friend Lazarus "sleepeth; Martha. 2 ('It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) 3 Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. C 4 When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. 5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. 6 When he had heard therefore that he was sick, "he abode two days still in the same place where he was. 7 Then after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go into Judæa again. 8 His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again? 9 Jesus answered, are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. 10 But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him. 11 These things said he and after that he saith unto them, but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. 12 Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. 13 Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. 14 Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. 15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe ; nevertheless let us go unto him. 16 Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellow disciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him. 17 Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already. 18 Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, 'about fifteen furlongs off: 19 And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. 20 Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house. 21 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. 22 But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. 23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. 24 Martha saith unto him, * I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. 25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the "life: " he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? 27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world. a Luke x. 38, 39.- Mat. xxvi. 7. Mark xiv. 3. ch. xii. 3.-c ch. ix. 3. ver. 40.-d ch. x. 40.-e ch. x. 31.-ƒ ch. ix. 4.-g ch. xii. 35.- So Deut. xxxi. 16. Dan. xil. 2. Mat. ix. 24. Acts vii. 60. 1 Cor. xv. 18, 51.—¡ That is, about two miles.-i ch. ix. 31.-k Luke xiv. 14. ch. 7.29.-1 ch. v. 21 ; & vi. 39, 40, 44-m ch. 1. 4; & vi. iii. 26. 1 John v. 10, &c.-o Mat xvi. 16. ch. iv, 42. 35; & xiv. 6. Col. iii. 4. 1 John i. 1, 2; & v. 11.-n ch. & vi. 14, 69. He saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth.-The philosophers of old were wont to call sleep the brother of death; but God says, death is no other than sleep itself: a sleep, both sure and sweet. When thou liest down at night to thy repose, thou canst not be so certain to awake again in the morning, as, when thou layest thyself down in death, thou art sure to awake in the morning of the resurrection. Out of this bodily sleep thou mayest be affrightedly startled with some noises of sudden horror; with some fearful dreams; with tumults, or alarms of war; but here, thou shalt rest quietly in the place of silence, Ps. xciv. 17, free from all inward and outward disturbances; while, in the mean time, thy soul shall see none but visions of joy and blessedness. But, oh the sweet and heavenly expression of our last rest, and the issue of our happy resuscitation, which the gracious apostle hath laid forth, for the consolation of his mournful Thessalonians! "For, if we believe," saith he, "that Jesus died and rose again; even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him." Lo, our belief is antidote enough against the worst of death. And why are we troubled with death, when we believe that And what a triumph Jesus died? is this over death, that the same Jesus, who died, rose again! And what a comfort it is, that the same Jesus, who arose, shall both come again, and bring all his with him in glory! And, lastly, what a strong cordial is this to all good hearts, that all those who die well, do sleep in Jesus! Thou thoughtest, perhaps, of sleeping in the bed of the grave; and there, indeed, is rest: but he tells thee of sleeping in the bosom of Jesus, and there is immortality and blessedness.-HALL. Jesus saith unto her, I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.-Because the soul is an incomplete substance, and created in relation to the body, and is but a part of the whole man, if the body were as eternal and incorruptible as the soul, yet the separation of the one from the other would be, as now it is, that which we call "natural death;" and supposing that God should preserve the body for ever, or restore it at the day of judgment to its full substance and perfect organs, yet the man would be dead for ever, if the soul for ever should continue separate from the body. So that the other life, that is, the state of resurrection, is a re-uniting soul and body. And although, in a philosophical sense, the resurrection is of the body, that is, a restitution of our flesh and blood and bones, and is called "resurrection," as the entrance into the state of resurrection may have the denomination of the whole; yet, in the sense of Scripture, the resurrection is the restitution of our life, the renovation of the whole man, the state of re-union; and until that be, the man is not, but he is dead, and only his essential parts are deposited and laid up in trust and therefore, whatsoever the soul does or perceives in its incomplete condition, is but, to it, as embalming or honourable funerals to the body, and a safe monument to preserve it in order to a living again; and the felicities of the interval are wholly in order to the next life. And therefore, if there were to be no resurrection, as these intermedial joys should not be at all, so, as they are, they are but relative and incomplete: and therefore all our hopes, all our felicities, depend upon the resurrection; without it we should never be persons, men or women; and then the state of separation could be nothing but a fantasm, trees ever in blossom, never bearing fruit; corn for ever in the blade, eggs always in the shell, a hope eternal, never to pass into fruition, that is, for ever to be deluded, for ever to be miserable. And therefore it was an elegant expression of St. Paul, "Our life is hid with Christ in God," Col. iii. 3; that is, our life is passed into custody, the dust of our body is numbered, and the spirit is refreshed, visited, and preserved in celestial mansions : but it is not properly called a life; for all this while the man is dead, and shall then live, when Christ produces this hidden life at the great day of restitution. But our faith of all this article is well wrapt up in the words of St. John: "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” 1 John iii. 2. The middle state is not it which Scripture hath propounded to our faith, or to our hope; the reward is then when Christ shall appear: but, in the mean time, the soul can converse with God and with angels, just as the holy prophets did in their dreams, in which they received great degrees of favour and revelation. But this is not to be reckoned any more than an entrance, or a waiting for the state of our felicity. And since the glories of heaven is the great fruit of election, we may consider that the body is not predestinate, nor the soul, alone, but the whole man; and, until the parts HYMN. I am the resurrection and the life. "I am (saith Christ, our glorious head, The life of all that live." Fulfil thy promise, gracious Lord, Preserve the power of faith alive In those who love thy name; To quench the sacred flame, Thy power and mercy first prevail'd embrace again in an essential complexion, it cannot be expected either of them should receive the portion of the predestinate. But the article and the event of future things is rarely set in order by St. Paul, "But ye are come unto the Mount Sion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all;" and then follows, after this "general assembly," after the "Judge of all" appears, " to the spirits of just men made perfect;" Heb. vii. 22, 23, that is, re-united to their bodies, and entering into glory. The beginning of the contrary opinion brought some new practices and appendant persuasions into the church, or at least promoted them much. For those doctors, who, receding from the primitive belief of this article, thought that the glories of heaven are fully communicated to the souls before the day of judgment, did also upon that stock teach the invocation of saints, whom they believed to be received into glory, Christ raiseth Lazarus, four days dead. and insensibly also brought in the opinion of purgatory, that the less perfect souls might be glorified in the time that they assigned them. But the safer opinion, and more agreeable to piety, is that which I have now described from Scripture, and the purest ages of the church. -TAYLOR. To thee we look, to thee we bow, § CCLVI. NEWTON. CHAP. XI. 28-44. 28 And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee. 29 As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him. 30 Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha unto him, Lord, by this time met him. he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. P 31 The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there. 32 Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, 'Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. 33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, 34 And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. 35 Jesus wept. 40 Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? 41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father,. I thank thee that thou hast heard me. 42 And I knew that thou hearest me always but "because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. 43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. 44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and 36 Then said the Jews, Be- foot with graveclothes hold how he loved him! : and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. p ver. 19.-9 ver. 21.- Gr. he troubled himself-r Luke xix. 41.- ch. ix. 6.-t ver. iv. 23.-u ch. ix. 30.-r ch. xx. 7. READER. She fell down at his feet, saying, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled. The sisters are both in one mind, both in one speech; and |