we may all have some " works to praise us in the gatesh," and some fruits " to evince the sincerity of our faith" and love.]
The success of their application to Peter leads us to notice, III. Her restoration to life —
Peter having been introduced into the chamber where the corpse lay, desired all to depart, that he might not be interrupted in his supplications to the Deity : and, when he had obtained his request, he presented her alive again to her friends.
What an unspeakable benefit was this to the world ! [Whilst her own immediate friends had the comfort of her society, and the poor enjoyed the benefit of her pious labours, the whole Church of God were edified with her bright example. It is astonishing what one person may do, by the mere influence of his own example; how many he may stimulate, how many he may encourage. We may well suppose, that, where her conduct was so highly admired, she was the means of promoting many acts of benevolence in others, who without such an ex- ample would either never have exerted themselves at all, or never to so great an extent. Even to the ungodly world her restoration to life was an unspeakable blessing; since many, by means of it, were stirred up to inquire into the truth of Christianity, and to believe in that Jesus whom they had before despised'.]
Nor was it any other than a blessing to herself — [We cannot suppose that there was left in her mind any remembrance of her felicity in her disembodied state, at least any such remembrance as should cause regret : we take for granted that she was restored to all her former habits of mind, with the same disposition to enjoy the society of her friends, and to abound in every good work. What a comfort then must it be to her to behold those who had so bitterly bewailed her loss ! With what redoubled energy would she betake herself to her former labours of love ; knowing now, from experience, how short her time might be either for the benefiting of the poor or the glorifying of her God ! And these renewed labours would of necessity be recorded, like all her former works, and would follow her when she should rest from them, and aug- ment her weight of glory to all eternity. Surely all this must be considered as a blessing to her soul. As Paul, though desirous to die and be with Christ, was yet content to live that
>> Prov. xxxi. 31. j vcr. 42.