dered them, in his presence, to be put to death as so many rebels."

In this parable are delineated the characters of three different sorts of men; namely, the true disciples of the Messiah, the hypocrites, and the openly profane; and the treatment these servants met with, represent the final sentences that will be passed upon them by the awful judge of the whole earth. The true disciples shall be rewarded with the honors and pleasures of immortality; the hypocrites stripped of all the advantages they so often boasted, and loaded with infamy; and the open enemies of Christ shall suffer punishment severe in proportion to the degree of their guilt.

But though this is the general sense of the parable, yet it has also a particular relation to the time when it was spoken; and intended to teach the disciples, that though they might imagine the Messiah's kingdom was speedily to be erected, and that they were soon to partake of its happiness, yet this was not to take place till after the death of their Master; and that they themselves must perform a long and laborious course of services, before they received their eternal reward. That after his resurrection, when he had obtained the kingdom, he would return from his seat of majesty, and reckon with all his servants, and reward every one according to the improvements he had made in the trust committed to his care: and that he would execute, in an exemplary manner, his vengeance on those who rejected his government, and did all in their power to hinder the erection of his kingdom among others.

After our Lord had delivered this parable, he left the house of Zaccheus the publican, and prosecuted his jour ney towards Jerusalem. By the time that he arrived at Bethany, Lazarus had been dead and buried four days; and several friends and relations from Jerusalem were come to condole with the two sisters, Martha and Mary, for the loss of their brother. On the first news of our Lord's approach Martha went out to meet him, but Mary, who was of a more melancholy and contemplative disposition, sat still in the house. As soon as Martha came into the presence of Jesus, she poured forth her complaints in

these words: Lord (said she) if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. She, doubtless, entertained an high opinion of our Saviour's power: she believed that death did not dare to approach his presence; and consequently, if Jesus had arrived at Bethany, before her brother's dissolution, he had not fallen a victim to the king of terrors. But she imagined that it was not in his power to heal the sick at a distance; though at the same time, she seemed to have some dark and imperfect hopes, that our Blessed Lord would still do something for her. But I know, said she, that even now whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. She thought that Jesus could obtain whatsoever he desired by prayer; and therefore did not found her hopes on his power, but on the power of God through his intercession. She, doubtless, knew that the great Redeemer of mankind had raised the daughter of Jairus, and the widow's son at Nain, from the dead; but seems to have considered her brother's resurrection as much more difficult, probably, because he had been longer dead.

In order to give encouragement to Martha's imperfect faith, our Lord told her, Thy brother shall rise again. As these words were delivered in an indefinite sense, with regard to time, Martha understood them only as an argument of consolation, drawn from the general resurrection, and accordingly answered, I know that he shall rise again at the resurrection, at the last day. She was firmly persuaded of that important article of the Christian faith, the resurrection of the dead; at which time she believed her brother would rise from the chambers of the dust. And here she seems to have terminated all her hopes, not thinking that our Lord would, at this time, call her brother from the sleep of death. Jesus, therefore, to instruct her in that great truth, told her, I am the resurrection and the life. I am the author of the resurrection, the fountain and giver of that life they shall then receive; and therefore can, with the same ease, raise the dead now, as at the last day. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live, and whosoever liveth and believeth in me, shall never die. Believest thou this? To which Martha replied, Fea, Lord; 1 be

lieve that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world. I believe that thou art the true Messiah, so long promised by the prophets, and therefore believe thou art capable of performing every instance of power thou art pleased to claim.

Martha now seemed to entertain some confused expectations of her brother's immediate resurrection, and, leaving Jesus, ran hastily to inform her sister of all that had passed. Mary no sooner heard that our Lord was so near, than she immediately left her relations and friends (who only increased the weight of her grief) and with her sister flew to her Saviour. The Jews, who suspected they were going to weep over the grave of their brother, immediately followed them, and were eyewitnesses of the great miracle performed on the deceased Lazarus.

No sooner did Mary approach the great Redeemer of mankind, than she fell prostrate at his feet, and, in a flood of tears, poured forth her complaint in the same words which had been before used by her sister: Lord (said she) if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. No wonder the compassionate Jesus was moved at so affecting a scene; on his side stood Martha, pouring forth a flood of tears; at his feet lay the affectionate Mary, weeping and lamenting her dear departed brother; while the Jews who came to comfort the afflicted sisters, unable to confine their grief, joined the solemn mourning, and mixed their friendly tears, in witness of their love for the departed Lazarus, and in testimony to the justice of the sisters' grief for the loss of so amiable, so deserving a brother. Jesus could not behold the affliction of the two sisters, and their friends, without having a share in it himself; his heart was melted at the mournful scene: he groaned in spirit and was troubled.

In order to remove the doubts and fears of these pious women, our Lord asked them where they had buried Lazarus? To which they replied, Lord come and see. On this our Lord, to shew his compassionate disposition for the distressed, and to point out to us, that the tender affections of the human heart, when kept in due bounds, that friendly sorrow, when not immoderate, and when

directed to proper ends, is consistent with the highest sanctity of the soul, joined in the general mourning; which he testified by the shedding of tears.

When the Jews saw our Lord weep, they were convinced that he loved Lazarus exceedingly; but some of them interpreted this circumstance to his disadvantage, for, according to their mean way of judging, they imagined that he had suffered him to fall by the stroke of death for no other reason but for want of power to rescue him. And, thinking the miracle said to have been wrought on Bartimeus at least as difficult as the curing an acute distemper, they called the former in question, because the latter had been neglected. Could not this man (said they) which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?

The Blessed Jesus, regardless of their question, but grieving at the hardness of their heart, and blindness of their infidelity, groaned again within himself, as he walked towards the sepulchre of the dead. At his coming. to the grave, he said, Take away the stone; upon which Martha answered, Lord, by this time he stinketh, for he hath been dead four days; intimating that her brother's resurrection was not, on that account, to be expected. But Jesus gave her a solemn reproof, to teach her that there was not any thing impossible with God; and that his power is not to be circumscribed within the narrow bounds of human reason. Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldst believe, thou shouldst see the glory of God? As if he had said, have but faith, and I will display before thee the wonderful works of Divine Providence.

Martha's objections being thus obviated, she, with the rest, waited the great event in silence; and, in pursuance of the command of the Son of God, took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. Jesus had, on many occasions, publicly appealed to his own miracles, as the proofs of his mission, though he did not generally make a formal address to his Father, before he worked those miracles. But being now to raise Lazarus from the dead, he prayed for his resurrection, to convince the spectators that it could not be effected, without an immediate interposition of the Divine power. Father (said he)

I thank thee that thou hast heard me, 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. John xi. 41, &c. I entertained no doubt of thy empowering me to do this miracle, and therefore did not pray, for my own sake; I well knew that thou hearest me always. I prayed for the sake of the people, to convince them that thou lovest me, hast sent me, and art continually with me.

After our Blessed Lord had returned thanks to his Father for this opportunity of displaying his glory, He cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. This efficacious call of the Son of God awakened the dead: the breathless clay was instantly re-animated; and he who had lain four days in the chambers of the tomb obeyed immediately the powerful mandate. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave clothes; and his face was bound about with a napkin: Jesus saith unto them, loose him, and let him go.

Had our Blessed Lord, by his powerful word, unloosed the napkin wherewith Lazarus was bound before he came out of the sepulchre, it might have lessened the strength of the miracle in the eyes of the spectators. But he brought him out in the same manner he had been lying, and ordered them to loose him, that they might be better convinced of the miracle; for, in taking off the grave-clothes they had the fullest evidence of his death and resurrection. On the one hand, the manner in which he was swathed must soon have killed him had he been alive when buried; which consequently demonstrated, beyond all exception, that Lazarus had been dead several days before Jesus called him again to life. On the other hand, by the appearance of his lively countenance when the napkin was removed, his fresh color, and his active vigor, those who came near, and handled him, must be convinced that he was in perfect health, and, therefore, had the opportunity of proving the truth of the miracle by the closest examination.

There is something exceeding beautiful in the manner of our Lord's behavior on this occasion. He did not utter one upbraiding word either to the doubting sisters, VOL. iii. 30