but courage to throw ourselves at the feet of the High Priest who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities, he is ready to receive us into his favor, and make us objects of his tender pity and infinite bounty. Never did the sigh of a broken and contrite spirit reach the throne of grace in vain. * This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of his trouble. O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him."

Mary's silence at the feet of Jesus is quite consistent with the rest of her character. Being more sensitive than Martha, her grief seemed more deeply seated-her emotions were buried in her bursting heart she could not even in prayer address herself to our Lord, or say how she trusted in him-she remained at his feet silent-she could not exclaim, "We glory in tribulation, also knowing this, that tribulation worketh patience; and patience experience; and experience hope; and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” We daily observe that those sensitive minds who, like Mary, place all their religion in feeling, have, notwithstanding the heartfelt enjoyment which the Gospel affords them, conflicts much more dreadful to bear than those who live by faith;" the path they tread is much more trying and dangerous. Their impressions are so easily awakened that every dis• Psalm xxxiv. 6, 8. † Romans v. 3, 4 and 5,

aster appears to wound the intensity of their feeling, and even attack the foundation of their faith. How necessary is it then, that by the word of God we should build our hopes of eternal salvation on the sure rock of the promises of God against which the waves and storms may exercise their fury, but they only break exhausted and expire powerless at its base. If through faith we stand firm on this rock of ages, should misty clouds so surround us that the light of Heaven should be hid from our sight, yet we shall firmly trust in the coming of the Almighty, and our hopes shall not be vain; let not then the assurance of our salvation depend upon the ever-varying changes in our own minds; if so, we should find our peace and hopes were at the mercy of the chances of this mortal life; we should live without the enjoyment of the presence of God; or of his pardon, his grace, or his adoption. It is not written, the just shall live by feeling, but "* the just shall live by faith." God forbid that when we speak of faith, we should imply a mere barren conviction of Gospel truths which does not affect the heart, or a presumptuous assurance founded on some imaginative fancy. Faith which "+ worketh not by love" is not faith, and "‡ he that loveth not, knoweth not God, for God is love." But these are the rocks on which we constantly are thrown, and upon which many are shipwrecked. Happy the man who, in order to avoid both, remains like Mary at the feet of Jesus, listening to him in her hours of gladness, and returning to seek his aid in the day of trial.

Habakkuk ii. 4.

↑ Gal. v. 6.

1 John iv. 8,

But to return to Jesus, we love to contemplate him in the midst of this heart-rending scene; he was not insensible to it; he saw Mary at his feet, overcome with grief, and deprived of all power but that of weeping bitterly. He saw a concourse of Jews, of whom some we wish to believe were real mourners, while others merely imitated Mary's sorrows, bewailing themselves according to the custom of their country. At this sight Jesus, who knew the secrets of all hearts,"groaned in his spirit and was troubled.” What could be passing in his Almighty soul! What mortal could fathom his emotions! If we take the original word according to its strict meaning, we shall find that Jesus, beside the pain caused by this distressing scene, was impatient at the weakness, sins, and unbelief of those from whom he had most reason to expect confidence. It is as if he had said, Oh! faithless generation! how long must I abide with you; how long must I bear with you? Those very Jews who have been eye-witnesses of my works and constant hearers of my instructions, know not yet the true comfort for the afflicted. Even Mary, who has been so highly favored, says, in a despairing and almost reproachful tone, “Lord, if thou hadst been here my brother had not died!" Oh ye weak in faith! what perverseness and distrust ye harbour within you, after a few days of trial and expectation, your belief seems vanished. How blind are the most enlightened! How weak the most zealous! How ungrateful the most attached!

May we not discern in the troubled mind of Jesus a sense of sorrow at the infirmities of human nature, of which he had such a picture before him? Was he not moved with indignation, and did he not "put on the garments of vengeance" against him "+that had the power of death;" against him "by whom sin entered into the world and death by sin?" He was going to fight a great fight as an everlasting manifestation that the powers of hell were subject to the Son of God, and that Satan should be bruised by the seed of the woman; or did our Lord only feel extreme pity for the afflicted sisters? The words of the original hardly sanction that idea, but be it as it may, we shall soon see that he was affected to tears, and whatever may have caused his trouble, he turned from this sad scene. Anxious to accomplish his work he asked for the remains of Lazarus, and at his grave proved to the whole world that nothing was impossible to him. "And said, where have ye laid him? They say unto him, Lord, come and see." Jesus had stopped with Martha to comfort her, cheer her, and reason with her, but he who knows the comfort best suited to each individual, being touched with pity at the intensity of Mary's grief, sympathised and wept with her he then asked for her brother's grave, that he might, by his Almighty power, prove the fullness of his grace and love. It is only a person who really feels with the poor sufferer that can give comfort. Even worldly minded people have, to

• Isajah lix. 17. Heb. ii. 14. Rom, v. 12.

a certain degree, felt what a comforter ought to be. It has been said, "we console a person to whom we are indifferent, but we weep with those we love." The more we are animated by that true charity and love that filled our Saviour's merciful bosom, the more shall we be qualified to impart comfort to our fellow creatures. Jesus asked "where have ye laid him." While they were taking him to the sepulchre, his thoughts were fixed on Lazarus, the object of so much love, the cause of so much sorrow and tears. His heart was bursting with emotion at passing events. He who was God, and at the same time was called the most humane of men, could no longer refrain from tears-" Jesus wept."

"Jesus wept." Those blessed words must move the hardest heart, and strike the deepest chord that could vibrate within it. We may meditate but cannot discourse on those words-they seem to multiply our thoughts and feelings. Even the pen of St. John seemed incapable of adding anything thereto-he left those words as a meditation for succeeding ages.Then, said the Jews, behold how he loved him," but they were as far as ourselves from understanding the tears of Jesus."

We may certainly exclaim, behold how he loved him, as St. John had told us before that Jesus loved Martha and her sister, and Lazarus, and he who was so alive to human suffering, and felt pity at seeing the