« not come, for their glorifying of God by ſuffering, they ſhall not Qumble, nor be given up to the rage of their eagereſt Enemies ; they are in their callings and places, and God will be a light unto hem : 3a when their working-rime 18 over, and the time of their 5 kr is come, then they will tumble; becauſe then God withdraweth hi liohe from them ; rhey are not then under ſuch a ſpecial Prote&i- pou of God, who hath done his work by, and with them. This is as much 2s fe had ſaid before, Chap, 8. 20. No man laid hands on him, for his hour was mot yet Come : The twelve hours of his day were not al] ſpent. This duty digeſted, is of infinite uſe to quiet the Spirits of God's People in the worſt of times; every man hath his rwelve Fours, his day and fet time, to honour God upon the ſtage ofthe World; he ſhall not ſtumble, he ſhill not mifcarry while thoſe hours 2re ſpent ; he ſhall not die, he fhall nor be diſabled for duty, {o long as God hath ought for him to do : bur every man hath his night too, when he mult not expect to converſe in the World, without ſtumbling.
11 Theſe things ſaid he: and after that, he faith unto them, Our triend Lazarus * ſleepeth f, but I go,
5% that I may awake him out of ſleep g.
f There 1s ſuch an Analogy betwixt Death and Sleep, that there is nothing more ordinary than to expreſs Death by Slcep in Scripture, Pegt. 31. 16. 2 Sam 7.12, 3 Rengs 1.21.2 Kings 20.21, Job 7.21. and 14. 12. Dan. 12.2. and in a multitude of other Texts, borh in the Old Teſtament, and in the New ; fo as it was evident our C:yiour meant he was dead, which he knew as he was God, though as yet he had received no relation of it from the friends of the deceaſ- ed. 2 But I go ( ſaith our Saviour) to raiſe him up again from the dead, which he calls awaking him ; purſuing the former Aeraphor, where he had compared Death ro a Sleep.
12 Then ſaid his diſciples, Lord, if he ſleep, he ſhall
do well þ. þ Sleeping moderately is a good ſign, we know, in moſt diſeaſes ; this makes the Diſciples fay, that if Lazarw flepr he ſhould do
well. ; 13 Howbeit Jeſus ſpake of his death : but they thought that he had ſpoken of taking of reſt in ſleeps.
i Bur that the Diſciples ſhou!d not underſtand our Saviour, not ſpraking of ordinary ſleep, but of Death, is wonderful, conſidering
that there is nothing more ordinary in Haly Writ, than to read of
Death expreſſed under this Notion ; but poſſibly by our Saviour's making ſuch hafte to him, they conceived that he was nor Dead, bur enly in an ordinary ſleep, upon the abarement of his diſeaſe
14 Then faid Jeſus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead k, |
& You miſtake me, my meaning was not, that Lazarus was fallen to reſt upon the abatement of his Diſtemper ; but his Soul is parted from his Body.
15 And lam glad for your ſakes that I was not there / ( to the intent ye may believe 2 ) nevertheleſs let us go unto him.
/ HidT been upon the place, my kindneſs to his Siſters, and piry,| equal with the Father, and able by his own Power to raiſe the dead ;
would haye prevailed far with me, to have prevented his Death ; bur tis better ( for your ſake at leali) and 1 am g!ad 1 was nor there. m For by this means I ſhall have an advantage, by putting forth my Divine Power in raiſing him from the Dead, to confirm your Faith in me as the Son of God, and the true Mefias : therefore, cho he be Dead, ler us go unto him.
16 Then faith Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellow diſciples, Let us alſo go, that we may de with him 7.
"Thomas and Didym:s were names of the ſame ſignification, only Thimas was the Hebrew, and Didymm the Greek name, This is that Thmas, who to the laſt, ſhewed a greater difficulty in believing, thin many others of the Diſciples did, Chap. 20. 25. His words here ſignified great raſhneſs and unbelief : Let us go and die with him, with Chriſt { ſay ſome. ) Seeing that our Lord will nor be perlwaded from going into Fudea, where his Life will be in apparent danger, for they will put him to death ; ler us alfo go and die with
im. Bur ir is more probable, that Thomas meant with Lazarus, who, as our Saviour told them but now, was dead ; and in that ſenſe, t was net only an expreſſion of great paſſion, but great unbelief alſq. We Ought not ro be affected with the death of our Friends, as ro wi, or deſire our ſelves out of the World where God hath ſet us in
a10ns, which we ought to keep, until God be pleaſed to remove us, Beſides, Thomas ought ſo to have believed our Saviour, who had-rolg
S. FOHN.
up thoughts of going into Jud:a. Affer this, poſſibly he lingred ene or two days, wer. 14. He tel's them Lazarus was dead. Our Saviour
was willing to protra&t the time, that the Miracle might be more Conſprcnovs and Remarkable.
fifteen furlongs off 9. )
g Thar, as we count, wants of two miles half 2 quarter.
19 And many of the Jews came to Martha, and Mary, ta,comfort them concerning their brother 7.
7 Not to pray with them for the Soul of their Brother departed, Thar deparred Souls are in a capacity to be advantaged by the prayers of their Friends, or any ſuch thing, are corruptions of latter times ; but they had a civil uſage of mourning for their Friends, the time for which was anciently thirty days ; they mourned for 7acob forty aays, Gen. 50.3. Fer faron thirty deys, Numb. 20. 29. So for Moſes, Deut 34. 8, It is probable, the days were fewer for perſons of an inferior Quality, but they had ſome days for all ; during which days, their Neighbours and Friends came to viſit them, and relieve them in their ſorrow, with ſuch Arguments as they had.
20 Then Martha, as ſoon as ſhe heard that Jeſus
was coming, went and met him s : but Mary ſat ſtil! in the houſe 7.
5 It ſhould ſeem by the ſtory, Lyke 10. 41. That Martha had the care of the Houſe keeping upon her, Mary was more Retired ; So that the news of Chriſt's coming might come to her firſt, She in great joy ran out to meet him ; how far ſhe went we are not told ; bur 1t appeareth from ver, 30. that ſhe wenc our of the Town.
21 [hen faid Martha unto Jeſus, Lord, if thou hadſt been here, my brother had not died -. |