enough lift up their voices, as these men did, and say, "Lord, have mercy upon us," or, "Lord, save," or, "Lord, deliver us!" But, when his good Providence hath rescued them from their perils, how little do they remember, or acknowledge, what thanks they owe him! They can relate their story, as a marvellous event; and tell their friends what a narrow escape they had for their lives; perhaps can interweave some circumstances, which may tend to display their own courage, or presence of mind; but all this, without an expression, it may be without a thought, of Him, on whom, in the hour of danger, they called so devoutly; and before whose footstool, they ought now to bow themselves down, in humble gratitude for their deliverance. Again, let a man be languishing on a bed of sickness, and think he shall die, how penitent will he be ! What good resolutions will he form; how devoutly will he cry, "Lord Jesus! have mercy on me!" But, of those whom God in his mercy raises up again, and heals of their sickness, how few behave like the grateful Samaritan, by returning to Christ ! How little, generally, does their thankfulness appear, for his patience with them, and his giving them longer space for repentance! Instead of redeeming the time, as their former days have been evil, and giving glory to God by a real amendment, how quickly do they return again, to their accustomed vain conversation! But our Lord's remark does more than merely signify, that few, out of many, are duly thankful to God, for his goodness towards them; it intimates, I fear, that oftentimes they are the least thankful, who have the greatest reason to be so; as was the case of these Jewish lepers. They had been received into covenant with God, in their infancy; had been blest with means of knowing his will, and opportunities of attending his worship; all which, were so many additional incentives and spurs to gratitude, on the present occasion. And yet, how far were they outdone, by a poor Samaritan, born an alien, and bred a stranger to the commonwealth of Israel! It is well, if none of us fall under this censure: perhaps we have been blest with a religious education, and, through God's grace, have never departed, in any notorious manner, from the way in which we were trained up. But how faint and languid, is our sense of this great Providence! How feeble our efforts in those paths of righteousness, in which we were early, and happily, entered! With what a loitering and slow-paced piety do we proceed, in the race that is set before us! So that, let a great sinner be touched in heart by Divine grace, and converted from the evil of his ways, he shall as far surpass us, in a true spirit of religion, and warmth of devotion, as we before excelled him, in the decency of our lives. And yet, if the providence of God hath brought us early to the knowledge of the truth; if his grace hath kept us back, from such grievous sins as burden and oppress the conscience; if he hath called us by gentler methods, than the terrours of the Lord, and his arrows sticking fast in us; we certainly ought not to love and obey him with less zeal and diligence, but more. Let us, then, as the apostle exhorts, "Lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees." Let us not indulge our remissness, with thinking that we are already good enough; but endeavour earnestly, to be better. And let us pray to God, to give us such a measure of his Holy Spirit, that we may continually grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ; and that sinners, Samaritans, and strangers, may not rise up in judgment against us at the last day, and condemn us. 325 DISCOURSE XXV. SAINT JOHN, xi. 25, 26. JESUS SAID UNTO HER, I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE: HE THAT BELIEVETH IN ME, THOUGH HE WERE DEAD, YET SHALL HE LIVE; AND WHOSOEVER LIVETH, AND BELIEVETH IN ME, SHALL NEVER DIE. THE eleventh chapter of Saint John's Gospel contains a very noble and instructive account, of our Lord raising Lazarus from the dead: than which, excepting his own resurrection, he hath given no brighter display of his power, and victory over the grave. I shall, therefore, enlarge a little, on some of the circumstances which attended this miracle, according to the order in which they are related; reserving a more particular explanation of the text, for the conclusion. Our Lord was in Bethabara, beyond Jordan, when the sisters of Lazarus informed him by message, of their brother's sickness. They probably sent not at the beginning of the disorder, out of tenderness to him, as apprehensive of his and converted fro as far surpass us, i warmth of devotio in the decency of vidence of God knowledge of the us back, from st: oppress the consci gentler methods, t and his arrows st ought not to lo and diligence,1 apostle exhorts down, and the dulge our ren already good us such a may conti ledge of Samarit judgm demm |