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had washed them with tears of love) with her hair, even the hair of her head. What notice is taken of this action! With what an eulogy, and in what a high strain of commendation is it here fpoken of And fuch are the honours of all God's faints. Though all our good works are not recorded as Mary's are, yet GOD is not unmindful, that he fhould forget our works of faith, and labours which have proceeded of love. Every tear we fhed, every figh we fetch, every alms we give, though it be only a cup of cold water, are all recorded in the Lamb's book of remembrance, and fhall be produced to our eternal honour, and rewarded with a reward of grace, though. not of debt, at the great and terrible day of the LORD. I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat, I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink, naked, and ye cloathed me, fick and in prison, and ye came unto me." What reafon have we then to be ftedfaft and unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the LORD, forafmuch as we are affured, that our Jabours will not be in vain or forgotten by the LORD?" It was that Mary that anointed the LORD with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair. And what follows? Whofe brother Lazarus was fick." So that being related to CHRIST, or his difciples, will not exempt perfons from ficknefs. In this life, time and chance happen to all, only with this maSterial difference, thofe afflictions which harden the obftiInately impenitent, foften and purify the heart of a true -believer. 66 My fon, therefore defpife not the chaftening of the LORD (on one hand), nor faint when thou art rebuked of him (on the other): for whom the LORD loveth he chafteneth, and fcourgeth every fon whom he receiveth."

JESUS loved Lazarus, and yet Lazarus was fick. And what do his fifters do for him now he is fick? No doubt they applied to a phyfician, for it is tempting GOD to neglect making ufe of means for the recovery of our health, when it is impaired. But then they were not guilty of Afa's crime, "who fought to the physicians, but not to the LORD." No; they knew the most skilful prescriptions would be of no effect, unless attended with a bleffing from JESUS the Great and Almighty Physician; and therefore his fifters fent unto him, probably at the beginning of their brother's illness. How unlike is their conduct, to that of the generality

of people, especially

efpecially the rich and great! How unfashionable is it now-adays for perfons to fend to JESUS in behalf of their fick relations! It is fo very uncuftomary, that in fome places, if a minifter be sent for to a fick person, it is a sad symptom that the patient is almost past hopes of recovery. Thus did not Martha and her fifter Mary; they fent unto JESUS, though he was now beyond Jordan, (chap. x. 40.) where he abode, or chiefly refided, for fome time. Hence it was that they knew where to fend to him. But what kind of meffage did they fend? A very humble and fuitable one. "LORD, Behold, he whom thou loveft is fick." They might have faid, LORD, he who loveth thee is fick. But they knew, that our love was not worth mentioning, and that we love JESUS only because he first loved us. Befides, here is no prescribing to our LORD what he should do, or what means he should make ufe of. They do not fo much as say, We pray thee to come, or only fpeak the word, and our fick brother shall be restored. They fimply tell JESUS the cafe, knowing it was fufficient barely to lay it before an infinitely compaffionate Redeemer, and leave it to him to act according to his own fovereign good-will and pleasure. "LORD, Behold he whom thou loveft is fick," Oh how fweet is it when the foul is brought to this! And with what a holy confidence may we pray to, and intercede with the holy JESUS, when we have reafon to hope, that those we pray and intercede for, are lovers of, and are beloved of him! For his eyes are in a peculiar manner over the righteous, and his ears always open to their prayers. This was their meffage, and it foon reached JESUS CHRIST, And: how does he receive it? We are told, verfe 4. "When JESUS heard that, (that he whom he loved was fick) He said, this fickness is not unto death, but unto the glory of God, that the Son of GOD may be glorified thereby." To whom these words were fpoken is not certain. In all probability, JESUS fpake them to the perfons that delivered Martha's and Mary's meflage. And if fo, it was no doubt a comfortable answer for the prefent, though it must afterwards puzzle them as well as the difciples how to explain it, when they found that Lazarus was actually dead. "This fickness is not unt death," pot unto an abiding death, because he intended to raise him again, foon after his deceafe. It is like that expreffion of our

LORD

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LORD in St. Mark, The damfel is not dead, but sleepeth ;" which muft not be understood in a literal, but metaphorical fenfe. And this and fuch-like inftances, ought to teach us to weigh carefully our bleffed LORD's words, and to wait for an explication of them, by fubfequent providences; otherwise we fhall be in danger of mifapplying them, and thereby bring our fouls into unfpeakable bondage. This fickness is not unto death, but unto the glory of Gop, that the Son of GOD may be glorified thereby." This is the end both of the afflictions and the deaths of God's people. By all that happens to them he will be glorified one way or another, and caufe every thing to work together for their good. And who then but would be content to be fick, or willing to fubmit to death itfelf, if fo be the Son of GOD may be glorified thereby? This anfwer, no doubt, proceeded from love, For we are told,

Verse 5. that "JESUS loved Martha and her fifter, and Lazarus." Oh happy family! Three in it beloved of JESÚS, with a peculiar, everlafting love. "Very often it fo happens, (to ufe the words of the pious Bishop Beveridge) that there

is but one in a city, and two in a country of this ftamp." But here are two fifters and a brother, all lovers of, and beloved by the glorious JESUS. What fhall we fay to these things? Why, that our Saviour's grace is free and fovereign, and he may do what he will with his own. They who are thus fo highly favoured as to have so many converted in one houfe, ought to be doubly thankful! Such a bleffing have not all his faints. No; many, very many, go mourning over their perverfe and graceless relations all their lives long; and find, even to their dying day, that their greatest foes are those of their own houfhold. Surely these three relations lived a heaven upon earth. For what can they want, what could make them miferable, who are affured of JESU's love? But furely if JESUS loves this dear little family, the next news one

might think we should hear, would be, that he went immediately and healed Lazarus; or at leaft cured him at à diftance. But instead of that, we are told, verfe 6. "When he had heard that he was fick, he abode two days ftill in the fame place where he was." A ftrange way this, in the eye of natural reafon, of expreffing love; but not fo ftrange in

the

the eye of faith for the LORD JESUS very often fheweth his love, by deferring to give immediate answers to our prayers. Hereby he tries our faith and, patience, and exercifes all our paffive graces. We have a proof of this in the Syrophenician woman, upon whom the blessed JESUS frowned, and spake roughly to at first, only that he might afterwards turn unto her and fay, "O woman, great is thy faith." Let not those then who believe, make too much hafte; or immediately in their hearts repine against the LORD, because he may not anfwer their requests, in their own time and way. GOD's time and way is beft. And we fhall find it to be fo in the end. Martha and Mary experienced the truth of this, though undoubtedly our LORD's feeming delay, to come and heal their brother, coft them great fearchings of heart. But will the LORD JESUS forget his dear Lazarus, whom his foul loveth? Can a woman forget her fucking child?" Indeed The may; but the LORD never faileth thofe that fear him. Neither is he flack concerning his promife, as fome men count flackness: for his very delays are anfwers. The vifion is for an appointed time; in the end it will speak and not lie..

Though our LORD abode two days where he was, to try the faith of these fifters, yet after this, he said unto his dif ciples, verfe 7. "Let us go into Judea again." With what a holy familiarity does JESUS eonverfe with his dear children! Our Saviour feems to fpeak to his difciples, as though he was only their brother, and as it were upon a level with them; "Let us go into Judea again." How gently, according to what was predicted of him, does he lead those that are with young! JESUS very well knew the weakness of his difciples, and alfo what a dangerous place Judea was: how gradually therefore does he make known unto them, his defign of going thither! And how does he admit his difciples to expoftulate with him on this account!" Mafter, fay they, the Jews of late fought to it ftone thee, and goeft thou thither again?" They were amazed at our LORD's boldness, and were ready to call it prefumption; as we generally are prone to cenfure and cons demn other zealous and enterprizing perfons, as carrying matters too far; it may be for no other reafon, if we examines the bottom of our hearts, but because they go before, and

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excel ourselves. The difciples, no doubt, thought that they spoke out of love to their LORD, and affuredly they did; but what a deal of felf-love was there mixed and blended with it? They feem much concerned for their Master, but they were more concerned for themfelves. However JESUS overlooks their weakness, and mildly replies, verfe 9, and 10." Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he ftumbleth not, because he feeth the light of the world; but if any man walk in the night, he ftumbleth, because there is no light in him." As though our LORD had faid, My dear difciples, I thank you for your care and concern for me. Judea is a dangerous place, and what you fay of the treatment I met with from its inhabitants, is just and true but be not afraid of going there upon my account. For as a man walketh fafely twelve hours of the day, becaufe he walketh in the light: fo as long as the time appointed by my Father for my public adminiftration lafts, I fhall be as fecure from the hands of my enemies, as a man that walks in broad-day is fecure from falling. But as a man ftumbleth if he walketh in the night, fo when the night of my paffion cometh, then, but not till then, shall I be given up into the hands of my fpiteful foès. Oh what comfort have these words, by the bleffing of GOD, frequently brought to my foul! How may all CHRIST's minifters ftrengthen themfelves with this confideration, that fo long as GOD hath work for them to do, they are immortal! And if after our work is over, our LORD should call us to lay down our lives for the brethren, and to feal the truth of our doctrine with our blood, it would certainly be the highest honour that can be put upon us. To you it is given not only to believe, but alfo to fuffer," fays the apostle to the Philippians.

Thefe things (the evangelift tells us, ver. 11.) faid JESUS, and after that, (to fatisfy them that he was not going into Judea without a proper call) he faith unto them, Our friend Lazarus fleepeth." Our friend. Amazing! For what is a friend? As one's own foul. How dear then, and near are

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true believers to the most adorable JESUS! "Our friend Lazarus." Still more amazing! Here is condefcenfion, here is unparalleled familiarity indeed. And what of him? He fleepeth." A figurative way of expreffion. For what is death

to

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