this striking manifestation of the Divine goodness received by these compassionate Jews, impress more deeply upon our minds the words of St. James, "Pure religion, and undefiled before God and the Father, is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world."

After acquainting us with this delightful effect produced upon many of the spectators, St. John adds, in the forty-sixth verse, "But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done :❞—as if to exemplify the words spoken by our Lord in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, "If they hear not Moses. and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one arose from the dead." For so far from yielding to this clear proof, that our Lord was indeed "the Christ, the Son of God, that should come into the world," they went their ways and told his enemies that they might take counsel against him.

But, instead of following their prejudices,

let us, my beloved friends, receive the instruction which this miracle of mercy so forcibly teaches.

Many, indeed, are the lessons which the whole narrative is calculated to teach; but, that I may not too long detain you, I would only call upon you to mark the words of our Lord, "Lazarus, come forth; and he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave-clothes, and his face bound about with a napkin."

Whilst we admire the power and goodness of the Lord, in thus restoring a dead man to life, surely we must be reminded that our divine Master was then doing that which he directs his servants constantly to do; to call upon those whom the word of God expressly describes "as dead in trespasses and sins," to come forth from that grave of sin and death, in which those who are pursuing the course of this world, may well be said to live. For, let me ask, is not the state of Lazarus, when lying bound hand and foot with grave - clothes, and his face bound about with a napkin, a

striking representation of the natural state of man? For as he, at that time, was so devoid of natural life, and so completely enveloped in his grave clothes, that he knew nothing no one object met his eye, or affected his heart ;-thus it is with men in general, until the Holy Spirit of God has given spiritual life to their souls. They see not their own state as sinners; they feel nothing of the burden of transgression; take no interest in the work of the Lord Jesus. Neither does the love of God, in the gift of his Son, or his threatenings for neglect of his mercy, affect them. They are in the grave of a fallen nature. of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, the lusts of other things, the natural unbelief of the heart, and the ungodly maxims of an ungodly world, like the grave clothes of Lazarus, and the napkin that was bound upon his face, so twine around their souls, that spiritual light, and life, and love, are nearly as much excluded as all passing occurrences were from Lazarus, when he was placed in the tomb, and a stone lay upon it.

The cares

Say, my friends, if this be not the case? Are there not many in this great town into which the Lord has sent the glorious Gospel of the Son of God, who are no more influenced by it, than Lazarus was by the bright beams of the noon-day sun. I am assured that you must be sensible that this is truth.

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But the resemblance does not end here. For when that same Almighty Redeemer, who is the resurrection and the life," and who declared, "Whosoever believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live;" when he is pleased to accompany the word spoken by his servants in his name, with the power of the Holy Spirit, then those who were before" dead in trespassas and sins," come forth, like Lazarus, bound hand and foot with grave-clothes," or bringing out from the grave of a fallen nature, the corrupt maxims and ungodly habits of a sinful world; so that another world is required, like that spoken to Lazarus, "Loose him, and let him go;" or free him from the bondage with which "the God of this world " binds his followers, that he may be enabled to walk in the ways of God's commandments.

So great is this resemblance, that I am persuaded that if the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ has really affected your heart, you will readily acknowledge that this was at one season of your life your state; and that a greater miracle has been performed upon you, than was performed upon Lazarus when he was raised from the dead; that it has been the same Almighty power which accompanied the words, "Lazarus, come forth," which has brought you from a death of sin to a life of righteousness.

That the same blessing may be again conferred, I would, in obedience to the command of my Divine Lord, say, "Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light." The same all-powerful Saviour who raised Lazarus from his grave, is ready to quicken your soul, to bestow upon you that which far surpasses natural life-namely, spiritual life; or a life which, uniting you to Christ, the living Head of his church, will, through his all-sufficient merits, make you meet for the inheritance of the saints in light. Let not