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prayers. When, therefore, he heard that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was;' and in the mean time, Lazarus died. The all-seeing eye of Christ had been upon him, and saw him die; for he said to his disciples, Lazarus is dead. And I am glad, for your sakes, that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe. Nevertheless, let us go unto him.'

The sisters heard that he was coming; and here we have them before us again, each in her proper character, affected, however, by new circumstances, and, in Martha's case, by some great change for the better. Observe how the natural disposition of the two sisters runs into their religious character and conduct. "Then Martha, as soon as she knew that he was coming, went and met him; but Mary sat still in the house." This contemplative sister, inclined to deep, serious views and feelings, in her affliction had no disposition to move abroad, even to meet Christ. Surely now her sister appears to the best advantage. Mary broods over her affliction, nurses her sorrows, indulges in the luxury of grief. The news that Jesus is coming stirs Martha to go and meet him; and she goes to him with as heavy a burden of sorrow as Mary felt; but how much wiser than she, to go and lay it at Jesus' feet. There are last that shall be first.' Would we not have supposed that Mary would have been the first to go to Christ?

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The prompt, active, energetic spirit of Martha goes with her into religion; the Saviour's rebuke had been blessed to her; she will show that she is no longer careful and troubled about worldly things; she, also, will sit at Jesus' feet, and hear his words.

Martha's conversation with Christ shows her to have had faith; still it was weak; and yet, no weaker than that of Mary, who, afterward, said the same words: "Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died." Martha professed to believe that whatsoever he should ask of God, God would give it to him. She forgot, or did not understand, that, 'as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them, even so the Son quickeneth whom he will;' 'And as the Father hath life in himself, even so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself.' Martha's words, "Even now I know that whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee," seem to imply that she was thinking of her brother being raised from the dead, and yet she does not give form to that thought; it seems somewhat like one of those presentiments which are unaccountable. Even when Christ said, 'Thy brother shall rise again,' she did not apply the words to an immediate resurrection, but to the last great day. Her remark respecting it shows, that the hope of that far-distant resurrection failed to satisfy her, as it fails to satisfy us when we feel the strong desire to bring back the lost one to our

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present enjoyment and love. Christ, on this occasion, uttered words which, it is generally agreed, are not equalled in sublimity, except where it is written, "And God said, Let there be light, and there was light." "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection and the life." Every paraphrase and explanation fails to make these words more impressive. “I am the resurrection." What is that resurrection? What will it be for all the pious dead to rise? Christ is the author of it, and the author of all that follows it - eternal life. We are willing to worship Christ as God, at such words as these. He adds words which turn the thoughts of the world to him, as the Author of salvation: "He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live;" and wonderful still, "and whosoever liveth, and believeth in me, shall never die"; death shall not be to him what nature makes it, and sinners find it; but it will be to him an experience of Christ's presence and love, the waking to life, by the soul, instead of its falling asleep. Believest thou this?' said Christ to his weeping friend. She professed her faith there. Yea, Lord, I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.' Martha is surely a believer, and we may no more look to see her careful and troubled about many things.

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Once she called Mary away from Christ, and prayed Christ to reprove her sister, at his feet; now, she goes in haste, and sends her sister to those same feet. "And when she had so said, she went away, and called Mary, her sister, secretly," (because the Jews sought to stone Christ,) "saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee." Affliction, joined with the Saviour's reproof, had been blessed to Martha. "The rod and reproof give wisdom"; and "a reproof entereth more into a wise man, than a hundred stripes into a fool."

Mary, in her turn, now comes again before us. Does she remain at home, sullen and unbelieving, or harboring sorrow at Christ's omission to come and save the precious life of her brother? As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him. And when she 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.' More passionate than Martha, her nature disposed more to love and tenderness, she falls at those feet again, where she had chosen and received eternal happiness.

We must pass by the events at the grave; nor will we stop to contemplate that scene where these sisters received that brother to life again. Their love and transport at the sight of each other, and of their Saviour, presented the most perfect representation of the great rising day which is on record. That day may be, to you, all and more than this resurrection

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and meeting were to these sisters and their brother. See in them a picture of your family circle at the grave, on the morning of the resurrection. May it be a picture of our households. Can we say of our families, as John Eliot said of his, "We are all in Christ, or with Christ"? If we can, the opened grave at Bethany, with the scene around it, is an emblem of our burying-place, at the last day. If not, it is because all have not chosen the good part which shall never be taken from them.

Several topics are suggested by this second chapter in the history of these friends of Christ, upon which, however, a remark in passing will suffice.

1. Judicious and kind treatment has great power. It probably saved Martha's soul. We should be willing to give such reproof. We should be willing to receive it, so that our souls may live.

2. When a friend is sick, it is a great comfort if we can say of him to Christ, Lord, he whom thou lovest is sick.' If physicians heal him, Christ does it by them. If he dies, it will be for the glory of God, the last earthly act, to him, of redeeming love. 3. When our friends die, we should not sit still, to nourish grief, but go to Christ with it. "Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your hearts before him; God is a refuge for us."

We come now to the third and last scene in