This hath been always the method of Pharifees and highpriests, when they have been taking counsel against the LORD JESUS, and his dear anointed ones. But they need not have been afraid on this account: for our Saviour's kingdom neither was, nor is of this world; and the only way to have pre ferved their place and nation, was to have countenanced, and as much as in them lay, caused all to believe on JESUS. How miferably were they out in their politics! The death of JESUS, which they thought would fave, was the grand caufe of the utter destruction both of their place and nation: And fo will all politics formed againft CHRIST and his gospel end at laft in the deftruction of those who contrived them. O the defperate wickedness and treachery of man's deceitful heart! Where are the fcribes, where are the infidels, where are the letter-learned difputers of this world, who are daily calling for a repetition of miracles, in order to confirm and evidence the truth of the chriftian religion? Surely if they believe not Mofes and the prophets, neither would they believe, though one rofe from the dead. Here was one raised from the dead before many witnesses, and yet all those witnesses did by no means believe on Jesus. For divine faith is not wrought in the heart by moral perfuafion (though moral fuafion is very often made ufe of as a means to convey it); faith is the peculiar gift of God: no one can come to JESUS unless the Father draw him: and, therefore, that I may draw near the clofe of this difcourfe, let me fhut up all with a word of exhortation. Come, ye dead, Chriftlefs, unconverted finners, come and fee the place where they laid the body of the deceased Lazarus, behold him laid out, bound hand and foot with grave-cloaths, locked up and ftinking in a dark cave, with a great stone placed on the top of it! View him again and again go nearer to him; be not afraid; fmell him, ah! how he ftinketh. Stop there now, paufe a while; and whilst thou art gazing upon the corpfe of Lazarus, give me leave to tell thee with great plainnefs, but greater love, that this dead, bound, entombed, ftinking carcafe, is but a faint representation of thy poor foul in its natural ftate: for, whether thou believest it or not, thy fpirit which thou bearest about with thee, fepulchred in flesh and blood, is as literally dead to Gob, and as truly great dis dead dead in trefpaffes and fins, as the body of Lazarus was in the cave? Was he bound hand and foot with grave-cloaths? So art thou bound hand and foot with thy corruptions and as a stone was laid on the fepulchre, fo is there a ftone of unbelief upon thy ftupid heart. Perhaps thou haft lain in this state, not only four days, but many years, ftinking in GoD's noftrils. And, what is still more affecting, thou art as unable to raife thyfelf out of this loathfome, dead ftate, to a life of righteousness and true holiness, as ever Lazarus was to raise himself from the cave in which he lay fo long. Thou mayeft try the power of thy own boafted free-will, and the force and energy of moral perfuafion and rational arguments (which, without all doubt, have their proper place in religion); but all thy efforts, exerted with never fo much vigour, will prove quite fruitless and abortive, till that fame JESUS, who faid, "Take away the ftone," and cried, "Lazarus, come forth," comes by his mighty power, removes the stone of unbelief, fpeaks life to thy dead foul, lodfes thee from the fetters of thy fins and corruptions, and by the influences of his bleffed Spirit, enables thee to arife, and to walk in the way of his holy commandments. And O that he would now rend the heavens, and come down amongst you! O that there may be a stirring among the dry bones this day! O that whilft I am fpeaking, and faying, Dead finners, come forth," a power, an almighty power might accompany the word, and cause you to emerge into new life !21, fi n5072 If the LORD fhould vouchfafe me fuch a mercy, and but one fingle foul in this great congregation, fhould arife and thake himself from the duft of his natural ftate; according to the prefent frame of my heart, I fhould not care if preaching thisi fermon here in the fields, was an occafion of haftening my death, as raififig Lazarus haftened the death of my bleffed Mafter. For methinks death, in fome refpects, is more tou Jerable, than to fee poor finners day by day lying fepulchred, dead and ftinking in fin. O that you saw how loathsome you whilft you continue in your natural Aafe 11dbelieve you would not fo contentedly hug your chains, and refuse to be fet at liberty. H.Hub sonola are in the fight of God, Methinks Methinks I fee fome of you affected at this part of my dif courfe. What say you? Are there not fome ready to complain, alas! we have fome relations prefent, who are fo no toriously wicked, that they not only hug their chains, but make a mock of fin, and ftink not only in the fight of Gon, but man. Dear fouls! you are ready to urge this, as a reafon why JESUS, will not raife them; and think it hard, per haps, that JESUS does not come, in answer to your repeated groans and prayers, to convert and fave them. But what JESUS faid unto Martha, I fay unto you, "Believe, and you fhall fee the glory of God." Think it not a thing incredible, that God should raise their dead fouls. Think not hard of JESUS for delaying an answer to your prayers: affure yourt felves he heareth you always. And who knows, but, this day JESUS may vifit fome of your dear relations hearts, upon whose account you have travelled in birth till CHRIST be formed in them? You have already fympathized with Martha and Mary, in their doubts and fears; who knows but you may also be partakers of that joy which their fouls experienced, when they received their rifen, brother into their longing arms., b. 3 wor bluew on tedi ( ba O Chriftless fouls, you do not know what grief your con tinuance in fin occafions to your godly relations! You do not know how you grieve the heart of JESUS. I befeech you give him no fresh caufe to weep over you upon account of your unbelief: let him not again groan in his fpirit, and be troubled. Behold how he has loved you, even fo as to tay down his life for you. What could he do more? I pray you, therefore, dead finners, come forth; arife and fup with JESUS This was an honour conferred on Lazarus, and the fame ho nour awaits you: Not that you shall fit down with him per fonally in this life, as Lazarus did; but you hall fit down with him at the table of his ordinances, efpecially at the table of the Lord's-fupper, and ere long fit down with him in the kingdom of heaven! why noy tadi ( ait: gadaifta i b Happy, thrice happy ye, who are already raised from fpir ritual death, and have an earneft of an infinitely better and more glorious refurrection in your hearts. You know a little, how delightful it must have been to Martha and Mary and Lazarus, to fit down with the blefied Jesus here below; but d ว how infinitely more delightful will it be, to fit down, not only with Mary and Martha, but with Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, and all your other dear brethren and fifters, in the kingdom of heaven. Do you not long for that time, when JESUS fhall fay unto you, "Come up hither?" Well! bleffed be GOD, yet a little while, and that fame JESUS, who cried who cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth;" fhall with the fame voice, and with the fame power, speak unto all that are in their graves, and they fhall come forth. That all who hear me this day may be then enabled to lift up their heads and rejoice, that the day of their compleat redemption is indeed fully come, may JESUS CHRIST grant, for his infinite mercy's fake. Amen, and Amen. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of fin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. HESE words contain part of a gracious promise, which THE the bleffed JESUS was pleased to make to his weeping and forrowful difciples. The time was now drawing near, in which the Son of man was firft to be lifted up on the cross, and afterwards to heaven. Kind, wondrous kind! had this merciful High-prieft been to his difciples, during the time of his tabernacling amongst them. He had compaffion on their infirmities, answered for them when affaulted by their enemies, and set them right when out of the way, either in principle or practice. He neither called nor used them as fervants, but as friends; and he revealed his fecrets to them from time to time. He opened their understandings, that they might understand the fcriptures; explained to them the hidden myfteries of the kingdom of GOD, when he spoke to others in parables: nay, he became the fervant of them all, and even condefcended to wash their feet. The thoughts of parting with fo dear and loving a Mafter as this, especially for a long feafon, muft needs affect them much. When on a certain occafion he intended to be abfent from them only for a night, we are told, he was obliged to constrain them to leave him; no wonder then, that when he now informed them he must entirely go away, and that the Pharifees in his abfence should put them out of their synagogues, and excommunicate them; yea, that the time fhould come, that whofoever killed them, would 6 |