A Century of Sermons, Sermon 2

A Century of Sermons · Sermon 2

p. 558THE SECOND SERMON UPON THE RESURRECTION.

JOHN xi. 43.

And when he had thus ſpoken he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus come forth.

AMong all the miracles that our Saviour wrought this ſuſcitation of Lazarus, or raiſing him up from the dead, it was his true Benoni, or Son of ſorrow. None came off with ſo much anxiety, none coſt him ſo dear in all the Goſpel. Twice he groaned in Spirit, and once he wept, his Paſſions were as variable as the life and death of Lazarus. Look back to the fifteenth verſe, and you ſhall ſee it wrought comfortably, I am glad for your ſakes that Lazarus is dead. Look unto the 35 verſe and you ſhall ſee it wrought bitterly,Serm. de temp. 104. Jeſus wept. What alterations are there, ſays St. Auſtin? Gaudebat propter diſcipulos, flebat propter Judeos; horum fides confirmabatur, horum incredulitas augebatur. It joyed him for the Diſciples ſake, that their faith would be confirmed and revived: It grieved him for the Jews ſake, whoſe hearts were hardened. The preparation then of this Miracle was not without ſorrow, but the event and ſequel was worſt of all. For although the Counſel of the High Prieſts ſtomach'd at our Saviour long before,Abulen. in 21. Mat 9.56.Matt 9:56 yet they wiſht his life no hurt till he had wrought this wonder which all the world were amazed at. From that time Caiaphas began to talk like a Wizard, That one man muſt die for the people, and Chriſt muſt ſuffer. Now you ſee good cauſe why our Lord might groan and weep, Iſrael ſhall paſs over into Canaan, but Moſes muſt die upon Mount Nebo, the birth of Benjamin ſhall be Rachels funeral, Lazarus ſhall be revived, and Jeſus crucified.

Yet I can tell you one thing, Beloved, how the Son of God ſhall neither groan nor weep for Lazarus, but rejoyce in Spirit and be glad, even at this day be glad, as he ſtands at the right hand of God, and it lies upon you to do it. Did he then groan for the infidelity of the Phariſees? Then ſure he will now rejoyce if we believe in his works, and have faith in the Reſurrection. Did he then weep becauſe his own death was contrived for doing good? Then he will now be comforted if you take heed that you do not again crucifie the Lord of life. T…llite lapidem, as it is in verſe 39, remove the ſtone, the hardneſs of your heart, and joy will follow in heaven for the converſion of a ſinner. Do you conſider that the days paſt were a time of mourning and ſad contrition? Why, here is a Text which was not preach'd without Chriſts mourning and lamentation. Do you remember his Paſſion but the other day? Why, this is the Text which was an occaſion to bring him to his Croſs and Paſſion. What do you meditate upon this day but our Saviours iſſuing out of the Grave? Why, here is Lazarus broke out of the Tomb, Lazarus come forth.

Which words, as I have read them, riſe up into two eminent heads like Tabor p. 559and Hermon. You ſhall perceive that the buſineſs in my Text is a work of great dignity, that is one part, and a work of great Divinity, that is the other part. The dignity conſiſts in theſe two Points: 1. In that which Chriſt had ſpoken before, when he had ſaid thus; And what was that? He pray'd unto his Father; wherefore it is dignum oratione, a work worthy of a Prayer for the preparation. 2. It is Dignum proclamatione, it was cried with a loud voice, and fit to be publiſhed to all the world. The Divinity appears in theſe three circumſtances: 1. Exeat mortuus, that a dead man is ſummoned to appear. 2. Exeat Lazarus, Lazarus after four days departure comes forth. 3. Exeat ligatus, one who was bound hand and foot with Grave-cloaths walks upon his feet. O ſtrange Divinity! the Monuments which were ſhut did open, for Chriſt did call who had the Key of David. The dead who lay in ſilence could hear his tongue, for it was the ſame voice which makes the Hinds bring forth young ones, and called Adam from the duſt of the earth. The body which lay putrified four days gave no offence in the ſmell. Chriſt was at hand, who is a ſweet ſavour for us unto God. The feet which were bound with Grave-cloaths could walk before him, for in him we live, and move, and have our being. Was not this excellent work worthy of a Prayer? So far we have gone this day in our morning Sacrifice. Was it not worthy of the proclamation of a loud voice, fit to be preached that the world may hear of it, and believe, and be ſaved? And that is the buſineſs which doth now take up your attentions. With theſe two circumſtances of the Miracle I muſt firſt begin, the preparation of our Saviours Prayer, and the promulgation of his loud voice or preaching, And when he had thus ſaid, &c.

That is, when he had prayed unto the Father. Dimidium facti qui benè caepit habet; Horat. Epiſt. lib. 1.And he that begins his work with Prayer, as Chriſt did, hath half diſpatch'd it. Vox clamantis, the voice of a Crier was the fore-runner of Chriſt when he came upon the earth: Vox orantis, the voice of Prayer muſt be the fore-runner of our neceſſities when we look for any thing from heaven. As the people ſhouted when the foundation of the Temple was laid, grace grace be unto the firſt ſtone of the building, ſo let the foundation of every thing be laid with ſhouting and ſtrong Ejaculations to our God, that he may ſay upon the moving of the firſt ſtone, Grace be to the building. In Gen. xii. Abraham removed three times to ſeveral quarters, and ſtill before he pitcht his Tent he built an Altar to Jehovah; remove not, ſtir not, enter upon no new task before you have built an Altar. foreign, ſays St. Chryſoſtom; whereſoever you are pray, and your own heart is a Temple, or the Alter of Jehovah. Religion is the Bow, and the heart is the String, but Prayer is that which bends the Bow, Religion is unbent as it were, and the Shafts cannot fly untill Prayer diſpatch them.

Well might Peter, who was prompt of tongue, and ready to ſpeak upon all occaſions, be counted a chief Apoſtle; for Prayer, which is the tongue of Religion, and our Conſciences Orator, is the chief of all our vertues. Debilem facito manu, debilem coxâ, pede; no matter for infirmities in the feet, for diſeaſes in the hands, ſo the dumb Devil be not in our tongues. The penitent Thief had no hands to hold up, they were nailed to the Croſs, no knees to bend, for his legs were broken, he had a tongue to ſay, Lord remember me when thou comeſt into thy Kingdom, and it did him ſervice enough to open Paradiſe. O the deluſions of the Devil! For all this that I have ſaid, you ſhall ſooner make ignorants and vain people believe that Diſeaſes are curable by unſignificant Charms, by unhallowed mutterings, than by godly Prayers: As if the Devil could go further with Non-ſenſe than a good Chriſtian with Faith and Prayer. One Talent in the Goſpel could do no good, for it was but one Talent upon the return, but one ſingle Petition will fructifie like a grain of Wheat into ſtalks and handfuls. For as it is ſaid of the nine Muſes, foreign, call but upon one by name, and all her Siſters beſide will aſſiſt the invocation; ſo call but for one bleſſing piouſly, and though you ask but for a drop, much abundance of waters of comfort will guſh out when the ſpout is opened. Fear not Zachary, ſays Gabriel, when he came to tell him of the birth of John, for thy prayers are heard, Luk. i. 13. Why ſurely, ſays St. Auſtin, Q. Evang. lib. 1.he prayed for the whole Congregation at that time, and not for Children. Not for Children, for his Wife was old and barren, he deſpaired of Iſſue. What of that? He prayed for the publick good, and God gave him joy in particular, he prayed for the Congregation, as it was fit for the Father of a Flock, and God made him the Father of a Son.

Such notice was taken of this ſolemn Prayer which our Saviour made for Lazarus, p. 560foreign,…. foreign. ſays St. Chryſoſtome; a Church was built from the ground in that place, where the Monument of Lazarus had been before. For who would not flock to pray in that place where Jeſus had prayed unto his Father? It was na Oratory wherby the Prelates of the higheſt ſtate might learn to officiate by Chriſts example, and execute in their place. Alas of too much contempt to pray in the Congregation.Plin…. Paneg. The proud Emperors of Rome did ſo perſwade themſelves, Ʋt ſibi viderentur Principes eſſe deſinere, ſi quid facerent tanquam Senatores; They thought it did derogate from the Magnificence of a Prince, to employ their pains toward the publick good like Senators. So to mutter Maſs once a year is enough for the Roman Biſhop, to bleſs the people with ſo much breath as to pray for them by the Book; O it is too mean a Function for a dignified perſon. What? And was it a diſparagement to the Son of God, to pray among the people, when he raiſed Lazarus?

The Arrians indeed did object againſt Chriſts Divinity in this place, for making a Petition in the behalf of Lazarus. Where was the vertue of his own Godhead? Where was his Omnipotency? Say thoſe graceleſs Hereticks, is it not a token of infirmity to ask that of another which we are not able to do by our own efficacy? And doth this offend them that Chriſt ſhould pray that he might conjoyn with us in our infirmities? But to give a larger reſolution to the doubt. Says Martha in the 21, 22 verſes before, Lord, if thou hadſt been here my brother had not died, but I know even now whatſoever thou doſt ask of God, God will give it thee. Chriſt then had no need to pray for Lazarus to ſupport his own power, but foreign, to ſatisfie the deſire and weakneſs of Martha he betook him to a prayer. Says the Centurion, Lord, only ſay the word and my ſervant ſhall be healed. Be it ſo, ſays Chriſt, and he went no further. O ſays another, Come and heal my daughter, vouchſafe your preſence to the ſick perſon; Why, Chriſt came and healed her. Could they ask any more? Not only the diſeaſes were remedied, but foreign, it was done in what faſhion or circumſtance they pleaſed: Will Martha have her brother raiſed with a formal ſupplication before? She hath her will, and Jeſus prayed unto the Father. It was not done then for Lazarus his ſake, it needed not: not for Martha's ſake only, but for the people that ſtood by; nay, that's not all, not for them alone, but for us, and for as many as ſhall hear the Goſpel preached to the ends of the world.

For as the beating of the wings, and the crowing of the Cock raiſed up Peter when he was buried in the ſins of the High Prieſts Hall, ſo the knocking of the breaſt, and the voice which cries unto the Lord before the morning watch is that which muſt raiſe us up from the luxurious beds of ſenſuality. Some Orders of Mendicant Friers wander about, and preſent themſelves to the eyes of men, but ſay not a word for an Alms to make themſelves known to the ear of the charitable. This is rather ſharking than begging for benevolence. Let them bear the badge of St. Francis, but we the badge of Chriſt, ask and pray for a quickning ſpirit if you would be raiſed up to newneſs of life. Hezekiah having emptied his heart of ſome words which were well diſguſted out, an as if he had opened a vein in each eye to let out tears, by that means ſaw fifteen years more after a deſperate ſickneſs. Ahaziah's Child perchance had gained twice fifteen years, if the Father had done as much, but it lived not fifteen hours after the King had ſent for Phyſick to the God of Ekron. Like Coriolanus, whom the people thought worthy of any favour, if his proud heart would have ſtoopt and asked for favour. Not long before the deſtruction of Jeruſalem, the great Gate toward the Eaſt, faſt barr'd and lock'd, opened of its own accord,Euſeb. lib. 3. Hiſt. c. 8. ſays Euſebius. This is good luck ſaid the more confident Prieſts, Deus aperuit nobis portam bonorum; God hath opened unto us a gate of good fortune of his own accord. Nay, ſaid the more wiſe, Hoſtibus introitum patefecit; He hath opened a gap for the enemy to come in, and that proved to be the trueſt Divination. Dearly Beloved, if a bleſſing fall into your lap, when you were diſſolute, irreligious, and never thought of God to give it, the gates of your heart being barr'd and faſtned, do you dream, like the fooliſh people of Jeruſalem, that a gate of good fortune is opened of its own accord? No, no, beware the after-clap. It may be pleaſant, it may be rich which comes without a Prayer to uſher it into the world, but, like a baſe-born child, it is ſeldom proſperous. Me thinks I ſhould be very much afraid if God had ſent me any bleſſing, for which, either in ſpecial, or in general I had not earneſtly prayed. Whatſoever good thing you poſſeſſe, and never pray'd for it, I pity your title, you came to it by robbery.

p. 561And ſo much for the firſt dignity of this work, it had the preparation of a Prayer. Jeſus firſt caſt up his eyes, and opened his lips to heaven before he ſtoopt to the Corps beneath, and opened the Monument, before he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus come forth. He cried with a loud voice, and that is the dignity of the publication.

When our Saviour iſſued out of the Grave the third day, it was done early in the morning, the ſtone was rolled away, and no noiſe was heard, that which was done, was done with wonderful ſilence. Why doth Lazarus come out with a loud voice? Nay, why ſhall the Angel at the Great Day call the dead out of the earth with the blaſt of a Trumpet? foreign, ſays St. Paul, meaning, no doubt, ſome ſhrill clamour, becauſe the Son of God would have his Reſurrection an Article of the Creed, and Faith is of things not ſeen. Yea, becauſe he did meditate nothing but to abaſe and obſcure himſelf, and to do us honour. O glorious voice which ſummoned Fiſhermen from their Ships, Publicans from their trade, Matthew from the Cuſtom-houſe, Paul from the bloudy City of Damaſcus, and Lazarus from the Tomb. To hear him pray, there was Rhetorick in that to incline every heart unto Piety: To ſee Lazarus reviv'd there was Logick in that, a demonſtration of his Divinity: To hear him cry aloud there was Muſick in that, no note was ever ſo ſweet, no tune of ſuch a reliſh as the voice of our Saviour. In Demoſthenis ſcriptis, magna abeſt pars Demoſthenis; It is ſaid, that much of Demoſthenes is loſt in his Writings, becauſe the matter was ſet forth with ſuch a graceful utterance. And ſurely, unleſs we ſupply it with faith, much of our Saviours Miracles is loſt to us for want of living in that Age, when we might hear that loud voice which commanded the Miracle.

It is not a ſuperfluous phraſe, when we read it often, that Jeſus opened his mouth, and ſaith; Aperuit os ſuum, qui in veteri lege aperire ſolebat ora Prophetarum; Aug. Serm. Dom. in mon…e.God did open the Prophets mouths in the old world, but he opened his own mouth, and told his own tale in the Goſpel. O what contention of ſpirit? What earneſtneſs our Saviour did uſe when he did watch a good turn for any of his poor Members? He would venter to break his own ſides rather than not to break the gates of death which did lock up Lazarus whom he loved; as Antigonus rent his Lungs,Plut. in vi. …leom. Tert. Apol. and ſo died, with incouraging his Souldiers. Duritia vincenda eſt non ſuadenda, ſays Tertullian; you muſt not uſe fair means and perſwaſions to them who are in a Lethargy of ſin: Like old Eli to Hophni and Phinehas, What my Sons? I hear an evil report. Qui timidè rogat negare docet; he that asketh any thing faintly teacheth you how to deny him; Qui timidè redarguit peccare docet, and he that chides faintly teacheth you to deſpiſe him, and puts on audacity to ſin the more. Where is the courage of Elias? Where is the tongue of St. Chryſoſtome, foreign, His life was like a flaſh of lightning, and his doctrine like a clap of thunder. As faſt as the Phariſees could throw ſtones at St. Stephen, he threw darts of rebuke at them. Stiff-necked, uncircumciſed in heart, deſpiſers of the Law; this was to ſpeak againſt ſin like a Commander and a Magiſtrate, not like a Petitioner. This was to cry with a loud voice, to ſpeak as it were under correction againſt Sacriledge, uſury, corruption and the like, to touch them as if you were loath to be underſtood, God will ſay it is not Preaching but Libelling.

What labour? What contention was this? The ſofteſt whiſper had it not been enough to command Satan, and Hell, and the Grave? As Pompey ſaid of his own power in Italy, Si tellurem pede pulſavero copiae militum prodibunt; Plut. in vit. Pomp.So ſoon as he did but tread upon the earth it would ſerve him with a puiſſant army: So Chriſt if He had but trod upon the Serpents head, upon the Grave ſtone, would it not have ſufficed to have ranſomed Lazarus, and all the bodies that were buried? Yes it had ſufficed. But this is dignum proclamatione, fit for a loud voice to proclaim it. Prayer, like a good Angel, went before it: Publication, like the Trumpet of Fame, comes behind it. You know it well, ſays Paul to Agrippa, ſpeaking of the Reſurrection, it was not done in a corner. Two Angels appeared in the Tomb where Chriſt roſe from the dead. Angelus nuncius Dei & reſurrectio erat annuncianda; Angels are the Meſſengers of heaven, and this is the prime and principal meſſage, Go tell Peter, go tell my brethren. How ſollicitous was Chriſt to have it told? Every one he met was ſent to publiſh it. And they that neſtle in their Cells and forget this office, ſummon them like dead men to come out of their Monuments, Lazarus come forth.

This was matter for a loud voice then, and buſineſs for the Pulpit now, the p. 562ſuſcitation of Lazarus, but do you not diſgrace the dignity of a Preacher, when every petty vain occaſion doth challenge the honour of a Sermon before it? If ever there were foreign, a good work marr'd for being done unſeaſonably. Now it is when grace before meat will not ſerve the turn, but every luxurious feaſt muſt have the Benediction of a Preachers pains before it.Plut. in vit. Lucul. Quis te ferat caenantem ut Lucullus, concionantem ut Cato? Much leſs is it to be endured, that ſome body muſt make a Sermon, becauſe Lucullus hath made a Supper. It is ſuch a flout upon our Calling me thinks, as the Chaldeans put upon the Jews in their Captivity, they in the height of their jollity muſt have one of the Songs of Sion.

I have done with the Dignity of this work, I proceed now to the Divinity thereof, which is brancht out into theſe three powerful circumſtances, Mortuus excitatur, a dead man is raiſed. 2. Lazarus four days dead is raiſed. 3. Lazarus who was bound is raiſed, and comes forth. Mortuus excitatur, behold that principally, a dead man is raiſed.

It is noted in Hieruſalem, that ſhe was implacable againſt the Prophets of the Lord, for twice our Saviour called upon her, O Hieruſalem, Hieruſalem, thou that killeſt the Prophets, and ſtoneſt them which are ſent unto thee; and yet her anger would not ceaſe, no not for a double Admonition. It is noted of St. Paul, that his mind was moſt bitter againſt the Saints, for Chriſt was fain to toll on both ſides, once and a ſecond time to ſummon him by his name, Saul, Saul, why perſecuteſt thou me? The perſecuting Rage of Hieruſalem was invincible, the Malice of Saul was hardly bridled,De Temp. Ser. 104. both more headſtrong than Death it ſelf: Non ſuſtinuit mors ſecundas voces Domini, ſays St. Auſtin; Death was obedient at the firſt Command, our Saviour called but once and no more, Lazarus, come forth. Could you blame St. Peter, whoſe heart earned and was ſorrowful, that Chriſt ſaid the third time, Peter, loveſt thou me? One word is enough to make Hell it ſelf fly open. O Lord, are our Hearts more hard than Hell, that thou haſt ſo often ſpoken, and ſtill they are ſhut up?

Comin. p. 208.Lewis the 11th of France was wont to ſay that he paſſed away his time in making or marring of men: an honeſt confeſſion: for whether they be Kings or meaner perſons, their power is prone as well to root up as to plant, as well to pluck down as to ſet up a Building. But Chriſt hath not only paſſed away time, but meditated from all eternity how to make the World and Man eſpecially, how to remake him and reſtore him again,Beda ſup. 21. Mat. being conſumed to aſhes. And therefore ſays Beda very well, Mirati ſunt diſcipuli de exiccatione arboris, quia omnia ejus miracula antehàc erant ad bonum; the Diſciples did marvail exceedingly to ſee the Figtree curſed and wither away; our Saviour did never meddle with any thing before, but it was the better for him. The Jews talkt of their priviledg to have one Priſoner let looſe againſt the Feaſt, and that was a ſweet one, the ſeditious Barabbas: the true King of the Jews did let looſe a Priſoner indeed againſt the Feaſt, and that was holy Lazarus: for this Miracle was wrought not long before the dolorous day of his Paſſion, as you may ſee by the ſequel of the Goſpel: Tom. 7. foreign.foreign, ſays St. Chryſoſtom; as who ſhould ſay this was but an introduction to make the world believe in that great ſign which followed the reſurrection of the dead. Non eſt admirationi una arbor cum tota ſylva in eandem altitudinem excreſcit, ſays Seneca: no notice is taken of one tall Cedar, when all Lebanon is full of the like; ſo we do not ſpend much admiration now upon the raiſing up of Lazarus, becauſe many dead bodies aroſe, and appeared in the holy City, yet upon the firſt delivery of this man from the Goal of death, having been four days dead, it was a thing not heard of, and a matchleſs Miracle.

Plut. in vit. Dem.Demetrius, as he was a moſt devilliſh Stateſman, ſo this was one of his Maxims as bad as any, whoſoever they be that ſtand in your way cut them off: it is foreign, like thoſe things which muſt be granted in the Art of Geometry, before they can proceed any further. The High-Prieſts and Phariſees had got this godly Leſſon from their Father the Devil; and becauſe all the world did ſtare upon Lazarus as upon the great work of Chriſt, needs muſt they conſult how to kill him. Was there ever a more fooliſh Senate? when they ſaw Chriſt could raiſe him again as oft as he pleaſed, yet the Projectors of the Sanhedrim ſet their wits and their cunning how to put Lazarus to death. O happy man if he do fall into their hands, if Chriſt will give them leave to cut him off. Four days together hath he been dead, that God and his bleſſed Son may be glorified in his ſuſcitation; p. 563once already did he looſe his life for the honour of his Saviour; let him be tormented, be impriſoned, be crucified the ſecond time for Chriſts ſake, and who was ever ſo happy as Lazarus to make one poor life ſerve for a couple of Martyrdoms, indeed it were an hard caſe, as St. Auſtin ſets it down,Serm. in Joh. 52. ut idem homo ſemel naſceretur & bis moreretur, to be born once, and to die twice; and therefore St. Chryſoſtom would mollifie the matter, that at this time of four days ſleep foreign, he was rather repoſed in his Mothers Womb, than in a Sepulcher, but his condition in very deed was not pitiful but very fortunate, to be born but once, and to die twice for Gods honour.

But here is one queſtion firſt, and more will follow. Was Lazarus ſtone dead, as we ſay, the Soul quite ſeparated from the Body, and the ſpirit departed? or was it anima ſopita, but a Soul laid a ſleep, the functions being diſcharged from working for a time, and no more: If it were not ſo, yet it is able to poſe a man, why Chriſt ſhould ſay unto Mary and Martha, non eſt infirmitas ad mortem, this ſickneſs is not unto death, in the 4. verſe of this Chapter; to the Queſtion afterwards, to the Text in the firſt place. The Scripture would be ſatisfied, and ſo it ſhall: Mors non imminebat ad mortem, ſed ad miraculum, ſays Lira very well;Super Text. how ſhall I expound it to you? the languiſhment of his ſickneſs did not encroach upon him, that death might cloſe up his eyes for ever, but to diſcloſe a Miracle.2. Phyſ. c. 2. As Ariſtotle ſaid he would have death called foreign, but not foreign, the termination of life, but not the end; as if we liv'd only to die: ſo this infirmity was not unto death, as you would ſay, to make it the end of the work, but that God and his Son might be glorified. To the Queſtion then: Totus Lazarus de monumento exit, qui totus ibi non erat, De Temp. Ser. 104.ſays St. Auſtin; dead he was then, and his Soul undoubtedly departed; his Siſters that had tried their beſt for his recovery, would not ſend him forth raſhly to his Grave, but that all concluſions, whether any breath remained were firſt examined. Nay ſhould you take a living man and bind him with grave Cloths head and foot, enough to ſmother him, and lay him in a cold Rock of Stone ſo long in ſuch ſharp weather, (when after this time the High Prieſts had a Fire within doors in their Hall,) enough to ſtarve him, and let him want food four days, enough to famiſh him; I ſay, though he had been laid in quick, you would never more have heard of him till the general Reſurrection; and therefore Jeſus ſaid unto the Diſciples plainly in verſe 14. Lazarus is dead. No Parable, no figurative ſpeech, alas it was too true, our Lord himſelf wept, his friend Lazarus was departed, Jeſus ſaid plainly, Lazarus is dead: Profundè mortuus, ſed altus eſt Chriſtus in miſericordiâ, Chriſts mercy was deeper than the grave, or he had never ſeen the day more. Do not graceleſs Sinners, the accurſed ſeed of Cham, do they not tremble at this, ſays St. Auſtin? Serm. 52. Johan.Si amicus Chriſti moritur, inimicus quid patiatur? He is deſcended into the Grave whom our Saviour loved, whither ſhall they go, into what Bottom ſhall they be caſt (if there be a bottom) whom he hates and refuſes?

There is yet another Problem riſeth up in this Text as well as Lazarus, What ſay you to the Diſciples that caught the words from our Saviours mouth as if Lazarus had been caſt into a ſlumber, our friend Lazarus ſleepeth, but I go to wake him. I go to wake him? What, ſo far as Judea? It is ſtrange to think that the Diſciples would believe a man went ſo far to raiſe up one that ſlept: And yet when Chriſt ſpoke like a Divine they anſwered him like Phyſicians, If he ſleep he ſhall do well. Auguſt. Ser. Joh. 44.Utrumque verum Chriſtus dixit, Lazarus mortuus, Lazarus dormit, mortuus vobis, dormit mihi; all was true that Chriſt ſaid, both ways he ſpake good Divinity. Lazarus is dead: he was ſo; dead to them that could not recover him. Lazarus is aſleep: he was ſo; no more than in a ſleep to him that could reſtore him. Do you not a little marvel that the Apoſtles ſhould ſo miſinterpret Chriſts meaning, and take his words in at the left ear? Why were they ſo ſlow to underſtand, that to awake from ſleep was to reſcue from the power of the Grave? Bleſſed are theſe days, Beloved, to whom much is given: the Book is unclaſped, the Myſteries are open, we are now as well inſtructed that the dead ſhall riſe again, as that the Trees ſhall put forth in the Spring, which ſtood upon the ground like withered trunks in the Winter: Or that the day ſhall break in the Morning, when it is but the firſt crowing of the Cock, and darkneſs upon the face of the earth; but until Chriſt was riſen, and aſcended, and that the Holy Ghoſt had filled them with an Evangelical Spirit, the Reſurrection from the dead was a language they underſtood not.Canas. lib. 4. c. 5. The ancient Church had a Ceremony to light but one Candle on the Altar on Eaſter Eve, all the reſt ſtanding by it were put out, to ſignifie that the whole faith of the Reſurrection p. 564of the Son of God, for that time was only in the Virgin Mary, and in no other Apoſtle. Abulen. in Praef. Mat. q. 14.Fides explicita reſurrectionis in ſolâ virgine remanſit, was a common opinion; and ſurely the Reſurrection from the dead was one of the lateſt Articles which was explicitly believed. And at this time they were but ill prepared to make good Believers; no face is well ſeen in a troubled water, and no myſtery of faith can ſink in deep when the mind is fearful. Alas, ſay they, Maſter, ſpare thy ſelf, it is death for you and us to go into Judaea, let Lazarus ſleep, his Siſters will be careful to awake him. Fear is but an evil Counſellor. There was reſolution in our Saviour, ſuch as you might expect from the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. And as when Syracuſa was oppreſſed Dion bethought himſelf how he might ſafely attempt to ſuccour them,Plut. in vit. Dion. at length moſt generouſly broke off that demur, Me de meipſo conſulere non decet pereuntibus Syracuſanis; It was too late to conſult how he might ſave himſelf when his dear Countrymen the Syracuſians periſhed: So it was out of time to tell our Saviour of ſparing himſelf when Martha was diſcomforted, Mary wept, Lazarus dead and gone, let them take up ſtones to caſt at him, but firſt tollite lapidem, take away the Grave ſtone, that his friend may live again. Like Homers bird that fed her young ones and was her ſelf an hungry, foreign, So Chriſt, like the loving Dam, will hatch the young ones in the Shell, yea, in the Tomb, though himſelf be taken. Though it is ſure they will ſhortly cry out, let him be crucified, yet will he come to Judaea and cry with a loud voice, Lazarus come forth.

But as the ſtone is in the Plum, ſo the moſt difficult queſtion is inmoſt, and now to be handled. Four days the body of Lazarus lay without life and ſenſe, the ſoul was parted: But where did the ſoul reſt in quatriduo mortis? What place had it to reſt in for four days, until it returned to the ancient habitation? St Paul was wrapt into the third heavens, there all knowledge is to be had, all myſteries to be expounded, and yet he knew not how he came thither, whether in the body, or out of the body, he leaves it altogether uncertain. And ſhall I tell you, but a worm upon earth, what became of another man, when Paul in heaven knew not what became of himſelf? Look among the bold conjectures of the Schoolmen, and as the old man ſaid of his Advocates, who did rather puzzle him than inſtruct him in his cauſe,Terent. in Phorm. Incertior ſum multò quàm dudum; The farther you go on with their Problems, the further you are from reſolution. And ſo many places have they allotted to receive ſouls,Spart. in Adrian. that Adrian may well make a doubt, Animula vagula, blandula quae nunc abibis in loca; it is hard to ſay by their rules, at which end of the Town a ſoul ſhould go out to take a journey.

Origen would ſay, that all ſouls were created fzrom the beginning of the world, and are ſent in their turns to take bodies upon them as God diſpoſeth. That the ſoul of Lazarus when it flitted out, being to be preſently united to the fleſh again, returned to the place where ſouls expected to be committed into bodies, as if it were a new birth, not a Reſurrection. This favours of Plato rather than of the Scripture, and therefore I rather diſmiſs it as a Fable. And yet it helps not much to ſay his ſoul was tranſlated to the place where Enoch was firſt reſerved, and then Elias. Enoch's tranſlation was not as they imagine, in a ſolitary Tabernacle, where he was reſerved by himſelf in the outward Courts of heaven, for then was Adam in a better eſtate in Paradiſe. God did make him an helper to keep him company. Surely, if Enoch were not among the bleſſed that did ſee God face to face, he was more happy upon earth when he walked with God, Gen. v. wherefore there was no ſuch thing as receſſus Enoch if theſe conjectures fail not.

What other Cloſet have they thought upon to hold the ſoul of Lazarus? Why, Infants which die unbaptized, mark the argumentation, who are charged with no fault but Original ſin, which in their Divinity is but the privation of grace that ſhould have been conferred, are allotted to a place called Limbus infantum, where they are not in torment, but are excluded from ſeeing the glory of God, a puniſhment like unto their ſin, not of ſenſe, but of loſs and privation. Yea, but how know you that Lazarus was unbaptized? One of an holy Family, much endeared to the love of Chriſt, it were ſtrange if he had neither gone out to John into the Wilderneſs to partake of the Baptiſm of Repentance, nor could be ſo much beholding to the Apoſtles to give him the Baptiſm of Chriſt. Shall I preſs it further? The foreskin of his fleſh was circumciſed after the manner of the Jews: and the Circumciſed were in the Covenant as well as the Baptized. What ſay you now? Doth not Limbus Infantum ſmell of a forgery?

p. 565But what think you of the commodity of Purgatory, thither run many of the later Expoſitors, and ſay that the ſoul of Lazarus went before them. Like the Quadrature of a Circle, ſo is this cleanſing Lake, a thing of much diſcourſe and no appearance. As Geographers, when they do not know what inhabitants poſſeſs a Country, they fill the empty place with the Pictures of Lions and Tigers and wild beaſts, ſo the Papiſts not knowing what kind of coaſt this Purgatory is repleniſh it with hideous Ghoſts, and tormented Spirits. But ſurely, if Lazarus had been removed among thoſe ſouls of little eaſe, would Chriſt have delayed his comming to the fourth day? Since the Schoolmen grant that the pains of Hell are no greater than thoſe of Purgatory, only that there is more comfort in theſe, becauſe they ſhall have a determinate ending. Nay, Martha was an unkind Siſter, and ſo was Mary, that never ſpake for his deliverance from pain, if theſe pains be ſo unſufferable. Some of the Fathers, I do confeſs, ſpeak ambiguouſly, as if his ſoul had retired ad inferos, which is no other than Hell it ſelf, although they ſpeak of no dolor or calamity going with it. Some place of darkneſs there may be, ſay they which expound them, where pain is not heard of: And to little purpoſe is that fancy of Poetry cited out of Prudentius,

Sunt & ſpiritibus ſaepe nocentibus, Paenarum celebres ſub Styge feriae,

Exultatque ſui carceris otio. Ʋmbrarum populus liber ab ignibus.

where there is no deſperation nor worm of conſcience there is no Hell, thoſe are worſe than fire and brimſtone. Deſperation and an evil conſcience were far from this man, and therefore no unknown dark corner of Hell could be a retiring place for the ſoul of Lazarus.

Now as the ſervants of Eliſha would needs go look for Elias whether he were faln upon the Mountains or the Valleys, all this while Elias was aſcended up into heaven. So to ſeek out the Spirit of Lazarus either with Enoch, or in Limbo, or in Purgatory, or in Hell, it is but loſt labour; for the Spirit of one whom Jeſus loved ſo dearly, why was it not all this while, as well as the ſoul of the repentant thief, in the joys of Paradiſe? Nay, but, ſay the Adverſaries of this opinion, once a comprehender of the joys of heaven is a comprehender for ever, and never more turned out to be a weary Pilgrim in the ſtate of miſery. When the ſoul is once raviſhed with that unſpeakable joy of the Beatifical Viſion, it is impoſſible to draw it back from that object. Angeli non ſic foras exeunt ut viſione Dei priventur; The Angels when they came upon meſſages to the Sons of men were at the ſame inſtant poſſeſſed of the Viſion of the divine glory in heaven, at the ſame inſtant that they did officiate upon earth. So that the Spirit of Lazarus if it were once in Paradiſe it would never yield to return to mortal fleſh, but to a glorified body which ſtands always before the face of God. I anſwer, The eternal Godhead of the holy Trinity, which makes the beholders ſo happy, it is not ſpeculum naturale, but voluntarium; man doth not ſee into it what he would ſee in the vehemency of his own deſire but what it pleaſeth God to reveal, and ſo far forth as he doth enflame the heart of man to deſire it. Why might not God lay his hand upon him as he did upon Moſes, and cover his face, deferring the felicity of the higheſt degree until the more full times of refreſhment were accompliſhed.

O but you will ſay, had he been but in the Cliff of the Rock with Moſes, and ſuffered there to ſee nothing but the hinder parts of God, yet who would not rather ſtill abide in the Cliff of the Rock than be tranſlated into the throne of a Monarch? Grant him but a door-keepers place, the worſt ſhare in heaven, grant him but a good paſſage out of this vexatious world, and what benefit can it be to return again? Were he no higher than the Orbe of the Moon, yet he were better there than in Canaan, a Land flowing with milk and honey.Civ. Dei. lib. 21. c. 14. Quis non exhorreat & mori eligat, ſi rurſus ei proponatur aut mors perpetienda, aut rurſus infant…a. Who would not rather chooſe to die, ſays St. Auſtin, than live again but the age of infancy, wherein we remember not any evil we received. But when Lazarus was paſſed the danger of Tentations, quit from ſtorms, put ſafe into the Haven, was it not an injury to be brought back again to try the danger of the Seas?Confeſ. lib. 8. c. 10. When Monicha was drawing to her end, What ſhould I ſtay for here any longer my Son, ſays ſhe? There was one thing that made me deſirous to live, to ſee you a Catholick Chriſtian, this I have ſeen, now I deſire to be diſſolved: So might Lazarus ſay, I deſired mine eyes might ſee my Redeemer, and I have ſeen him; to be beloved by my Lord, p. 566and he hath called me friend; to ſee him entertained in our poor Cottage, and my Siſters have received him; it is but loſs to me to ſtay. Yea, ſhortly my Saviour is to be crucified, ſhortly to aſcend into heaven, and ſhould I return to earth to loſe him? Nay, what good to be done in ſuch a place, where there will be nothing but the envy of the Phariſees, and the blaſphemy of the High Prieſts againſt my Saviour?

Dearly Beloved, I can quickly diſpatch an anſwer to this, and ſhew that the ſoul of Lazarus was happy to recoile again from heaven into the body. There are degrees in the habitations of heaven one above another, and one Star differs from another in glory; put caſe that the righteous Abel was the firſt Saint dying in Gods favour. But John Baptiſt was the greateſt that was born of a woman; and the Bleſſed Virgin, the Mother of our Lord, was a moſt glorified Veſſel, which all generations ſhall call bleſſed. Theſe living and dying four thouſand years after Abel came later into the Kingdom of heaven, yet as late as they came, both being crowned with a more excellent Crown than Abel was, which of them obtained the more deſirable felicity? Without queſtion the Bleſſed Virgins Lot was the better; for what are four thouſand years reckoned in the time before to ſuch an increaſe of joy for ever and ever. Here is Lazarus his caſe. Few days had he ſeen, three years were the moſt that he had reſorted to our Saviour, perchance he had ſuffered not ſo much as ignominy for the name of Chriſt, to bloud I am ſure he had not ventred or reſiſted, yet his eyes being cloſed according to the meaſure of his faith he is received into Abrahams boſom. Let him there abide you will ſay, if Chriſt love him truly let him return no more to mortality.Fuit Epiſcupus & Mar…. …bul. … Reg. 17.9. Nay, not ſo, Lazarus come forth, ſee the days of thy Saviours Paſſion and be not offended; confeſs his name and be ſcourged, take your poſſeſſions once more into your hands and ſpend them upon the poor; preach the Goſpel as if the Angels had ſent you back to bring more ſouls to bear them company, die not in your bed the ſecond time, but upon the Croſs as your Redeemer did, then return the way which you know ſo well to the fellowſhip of Saints, and bleſs the mouth which ſaid Lazarus come forth, for the ſecond life I may well aſſure my ſelf hath gained joy of a thouſand fold increaſe in the life everlaſting. The firſt voyage was ſhort and ſafe, but not of the greateſt profit; the laſt was long and dangerous, but as if you went for Gold to India.

Thus I have ſhewed that Lazarus was verily dead, the ſoul quite flitted from the body, that no other place but heaven did receive it, that it was no miſerable fortune to aſſume fleſh again upon earth, but an occaſion to promote him to a far abundant exceeding weight of glory. Now a word of the power of Chriſt which coupled again thoſe parts divorced the ſoul and body, not by breathing a new life into the body, but by breathing out a loud voice, Lazarus come forth.

Plut. in vit. Anto.Such as had been but baniſhed their Country in the days of Caeſar the Dictator, and were reſtored again by the grace of Auguſtus and Antony, were called Charonitae, as if they had been waſted back again into this world, when they were quite extinguiſhed. Thoſe Roman Potentates would be eſteemed Gods of another world, that could unlock a man from the fetters of baniſhment; needs then muſt he be greater than the Kings of the earth, whoſe authority can break the bars of death, and bring the Priſoners forth from the captivity of corruption. The Scythians, ſays Lucian, ſwear by theſe two Idols as the Gods of the world, foreign, by the Wind, and by the Sword. Lucian in T…ride.Hic ſpirandi eſt autor & ille mortis; The one gives breath to live, the other takes life away. Now that which gives life, and that which takes away life can be no leſs than a God, ſay the very Scythians. Theſe heathen knew no more of Gods power than to give life, and to take away life: Had they known what it was to reſtore life again, that would have been the chief power of divinity even in their eſtimation.Tertul. Apol. Majus eſt reſtituere quàm dare, quantò miſerius eſt perdidiſſe, quàm omnino non accepiſſe, It is more admirable to reſtore the ſoul again than to create it at the firſt, becauſe it is more miſerable for the body to have loſt a ſoul, than never to have received it.S…lden. de Diis Syris. p. 38. Aquin. 2.2. Q. 164. ar. 1. Civ. Dei. l. 15. c. 2.2 c. 83. a. 111. The great Clerks the Athenians could not tell what to make of the infinite power of the Reſurrection. It is pretty that St. Chryſoſtome obſerves upon them, Acts xvii. when Paul preached unto them, and mentioned foreign, or the Reſurrection of the dead, they thought this foreign had been a God, the unknown God, at whoſe Altar they did worſhip.

Evil men can abuſe that which is good. God can make good employment of that which is evil. Death upon the firſt ſin was named to be a puniſhment: It is Meritoria in Martyribus, and I may ſay, Glorioſa in reſurgentibus; it is made an inſtrument of p. 567great reward unto the Martyrs, and the paſſage to an Article of faith to believe in the Reſurrection. We call them that are dead in the Lord, Abraham, and Iſaac, and Jacob; alas there are no ſuch now, Abraham diſſolved into duſt is no longer Abraham, the ſoul cannot be called Abraham, only the whole man both ſoul and body, but ſo ſted faſtly do we truſt the dead ſhall riſe again, Quod defunctorum animas nominibus ſuppoſiti appellamus, ſays Thomas; We ſpeak of the dead as if they were now alive, becauſe they ſhall live again, even as Chriſt ſpake to the corps of Lazarus, Chryſoſtom Tom. 7. foreign.foreign, not as to a Corps, but as to one living, not as to one that was dead, but as to ears that could hear, Lazarus come forth. And it is well, ſays the Father, that among all the Corpſes in the duſt Chriſt pickt him out by name; as who ſhould ſay, now I will have none but Lazarus to come forth, others ſhall appear in their time, otherwiſe all the Legions of the dead had come to light, and ſtood thick upon the earth from the Eaſt unto the Weſt. Indeed the ſouls under the Altar cry our, Quouſque Domine; fain would they ſtand before him like Enoch and Elias, ſo eager they are and vehement inſtantly to have tongues to ſpeak, and hands to hold up, and knees and heads to bow, as if they were not contented that their days to come for thoſe things were days of eternity. We ſhall meet together all in the ſame Livery, cloathed with bodies of youth according to the meaſure of our Saviours Age, Eph. iv. Alexander out of a ſurly Magnificence,Plut. in vit. Phoc. Soli Antipatro & Phocioni ſalutem ſcripſit in Epiſtolis, never wrote in the top of his Letters I wiſh you long life and proſperity but only to Phocion and Antipater. But God will direct his voice to every member of his Church, one ſummon ſhall call forth Abraham and Iſaac, and all the world, which at this time begins for a reliſh of faith, but with this perſon alone, Lazarus come forth.

And thus much for the firſt thing wherein the power of his Divinity appeared, Mortuus excitatur, a dead Man was raiſed. Now that Lazarus after four days was raiſed, that he which was bound came forth of the Grave is diſcourſe for ſome other time. Thus much only in a word upon the preſent occaſion. The next thing that you ſhall read concerning Lazarus after he was raiſed is this, he ſate at Supper with our Saviour in the ſecond verſe of the next Chapter. Why, behold the Supper of the Lord, there is the next place where you are to meet with Chriſt after you are riſen from your ſins,Virgil. lib. 1. Aen. and the preparation of this Table to repleniſh your hungry ſouls with grace is as great a teſtimony of our Saviours Divinity as to raiſe up Lazarus. Tu das epulis accumbere Divum; it is the higheſt power of God which he confers to his Church upon earth, to give them leave to meet together before the food of Angels. As Manna melted away with the Sun-riſing, and new ſtore fell upon earth the next morning which is a kind of Reſurrection; ſo you that have quenched Gods Spirit, that have melted away his grace, and let it putrifie for want of good employment, this is the Morning, this is the Seaſon to gather a new Omer full, that you may cheriſh and increaſe your faith. Which that you may do, &c.