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, Put forth thy Spirit, with the word, 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 of ancompany gels, 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. 40 Jesus saith unto her, 31 The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they Said I not unto thee, that, if saw Mary, that she rose up thou wouldest believe, thou hastily and went out, followed shouldest see the glory of her, saying, She goeth unto the God? 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. 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.-t Gr. he troubled himself.-r Luke xix. 41. ch. ix. 6.-t ver. iv. 23.-u ch. ix. 30.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 both of them, in one speech, bewray both strength and infirmity; strength of faith, in ascribing so much power to Christ, that his presence could preserve from death; infirmity, in supposing the necessity of a presence for this purpose. Why, Mary, could not thine omnipotent Saviour, as well in absence, have commanded Lazarus to live? Is his hand so short, that he can do nothing but by contraction? If his power were finite, how could he have forbidden the seizure of death? if infinite, how could it be limited to place, or hindered by distance? It is a weakness of faith to measure success by means, and means by presence, and to tie effects to both, when we deal with an Almighty agent. Finite causes work within their own sphere; all places are equally near, and all effects equally easy to the infinite. O Saviour, while thou now sittest gloriously in heaven, thou dost no less impart thyself unto us, than if thou stoodst visibly by us, than if we stood locally by thee! no place can make difference of thy virtue and aid. This was Mary's moan: no motion, no request sounded from her to her Saviour. Her silent suit is returned with a mute answer: no notice is taken of her error. O that marvellous mercy that connives at our faulty infirmities! All the reply that I hear of, is a compassionate groan with himself. O blessed Jesus, thou, that wert free from all sin, wouldest not be free from strong affections. Wisdom and holiness should want much work, if even vehement passions might not be quitted from offence. Mary wept ; her tears, drew on tears from her friends; all their tears united, drew groans from thee. Even in thine heaven, thou dost no less pity our sorrows; thy glory is free from groans, but abounds with compassion and mercy; if we be not sparing of our tears, thou canst not be insensible of our sorrows. How shall we imitate thee, if, like our looking-glass, we do not answer tears, and weep on them that weep on us !-HALL. And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. Jesus wept. Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him! And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?-Lord, thou knowest (in absence) that Lazarus was dead, and dost thou not know where he was buried? Surely thou wert further off when thou sawest and reportedst his death, than thou wert from the grave thou inquiredst of: thou that knowest all things, yet askest what thou knowest: "Where have ye laid him?" not out of need, but out of will; that as in thy sorrow, so in thy question, thou mightst depress thyself in the opinion of the beholders for the time, that the glory of thine instant miracle might be the greater, the less it was expected. It had been all one to thy omnipotence to have made a new Lazarus out of nothing; or, in that remoteness, to have commanded Lazarus, wheresoever he was, to come forth of a but thou wert neither willing to questionists, that he could have done work more miracle than was requi- it with ease. To open the eyes site, nor yet unwilling to fix the man born blind, was more than to minds of the people upon the expec- keep a sick man from dying: this tation of some marvellous thing that were but to uphold and maintain thou meantest to work; and there- nature from decaying; that were to fore askest, "Where have ye laid create a new sense, and to restore a him ?" deficiency in nature. To make an eye, was no whit less difficult than to make a man: he that could do the greater might well have done the less. the less. Ye shall soon see this was not the want of power. Had ye said, Why would he not? why did he not? the question had been fairer, and the answer no less easy -For his once greater glory. Little do ye know the drift, whether of God's acts or delays; and ye know as much as you are worthy. Let it be sufficient for you to understand, that he, who can do all things, will do that which shall be most for his own honour.-BP. HALL. They are not more glad of the question, than ready for the answer: "Come and see.". More was hoped for from Christ than a mere view; they meant, and expected, that his eye should draw him on to some further action. O Saviour, while we desire our spiritual resuscitation, how should we labour to bring thee to our grave! How should we lay open our deadness before thee, and bewray to thee our impotence and senselessness ! Come, Lord, and see what a miserable carcass I am; and, by the power of thy mercy, raise me from the state of my corruption. Lazarus, come forth.-O Saviour, Never was our Saviour more sub- while thou spakest to thy Father, missively dejected than now, imme- thou liftedst up thine eyes; now diately before he would approve and thou art to speak unto dead Lazaexalt the majesty of his Godhead. rus, thou liftedst up thy voice, and To his groans and inward grief he criedst aloud, "Lazarus, come forth." adds his tears. Anon they shall Was it that the strength of the voice confess him a God; these expres- might answer to the strength of the sions of passion shall onwards evince affection? since we faintly require him to be a man. The Jews con- what we care not to obtain, and strue this well: "See how he loved vehemently utter what we earnestly him." Never did any thing but desire: was it, that the greatness of love fetch tears from Christ. But the voice might answer to the greatthey do foully misconstrue Christ in ness of the work? Was it, that the the other: "Could not he, that hearers might be witnesses of what opened the eyes of him that was words were used in so miraculous an born blind, have caused that even act no magical incantations, but this man should not have died?" authoritative and Divine commands? Yes, know ye, O vain and importune | Was it to signify, that Lazarus's soul, |