night is CON®, then they will tumble; becauſe then God withdraweth his light from them ; they are not then under ſuch a ſpecial ProteQti- on of God, who hath done his work by, and with them. This is as much as be had ſ:id before, Chap. 8. 20. No man laid hands on him, for his hour was mt yet Come : The twelve hours of his day were not 31) ſpent. This duty digeſted, is of infinite uſe to quier che Spirits of God's People in the worſt of times; every man hath his twelve Fours, his day and fet time, to honour God upon the ſtage ofthe World; he ſhall not tumble, he ſhill nor miſcarry while thoſe hours are ſpent ; he ſhall not die, hz ſhall nor be diſabled for duty, fo long as God hath ought for him to do : bur every man hath his night t0O, when he mult not expe to converſe in the World, without ſtumbling.
11 Theſe things ſaid he: and after that, he ſaith unto them, Our friend Lazarus * fleepeth f, but I go, that | may awake him out of ſleep g.
f There is ſuch an Analogy betwixt Death and Sleep, that there is nothing more ordinary than to expreſs Death by $lcep in Scripture, Pent. 31. 16. 2 Sam 7.12. 3 Kings 1.21.2 Kings 20.21. job 7.21. and 14. 12. Dan. 124 2. and in a multitude of other Texts, both :1 the Old Teſtament, and in the New ; fo as it was evident our Gzviour meant he was dead, which he knew as he was God, though a5 yet he had received no relation of it from the friends .of the deceaſ- ed. £ 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 1s a good ſign, we know, in moft diſeaſes ; this makes the Diſciples .fay, that if Lazarw flepr .he ſhould do
well. h _q Howbeit Jeſus ſpake of his death : but they
thought that he had ſpoken of taking of reſt in ſleeps. j But that the Diſciples ſhou!d not underſtand our Saviour, not ſpeaking 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 Saviow's making ſuch haſte to him, they conceived that'he was nor Dead, bur only in'an ordinary ſleep, upon the abarement of his diſcaſe
14 Then ſaid 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 Iam glad for your ſakes that I was not there / ( to the intent ye may believe 2 ) nevertheleſs let us go unto him,
/ Hid I been upon the place, my kindneſs to his Siſters, and pity, would have prevailed far with me) to have prevented his Death ; bur it is better ( for your ſake at lealt) 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 raifing him from the Dead, to confirm your Faith in me as the Son of God, and the true Meas : therefore, tho he be Dead, ler us go unto him.
16 Then faith Thomas, which 1s called Didymus, unto his fellow diſciples, Let us alſo go, that we may die with him 7.
1 Thomas and Didym:s were names of the ſ:me ſignification, only Thimas was the Hebrew, and Didymr the Greek name, This is that Thmas, who to the laſt, ſhewed a greater difficulcy in believing, than 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 perſwaded from going into Fudea, where his Life will be in apparent danger, for they will put him to death ; let us alſo go and die with
im. Bur ir 1s more probable, that Thomas meant with Lazarus, who, as our Saviour told them but now, was dead ; and in that ſenſe, It Was net only an expreſſion of great paſſion, but great unbelief alſo. We Ought not to be afteed with the death of our Friends, as ro wiſh, or deſire our ſelves out of the World where God hath fer us in
ations, which we ought to keep, until God be pleaſed to remove us. Beſides, Thomas ought ſo to have believed our Saviour, who had: rol them, that tho Lazarus ſlept the ſleep of Death, yer he went to Wake him; which could have no other ſ=nſ>, thin to raiſe him our Of thar ſleep of Death, of which he had ſpoken. Ah ! To what er- rs do our Paſſions betray us ?
. 17 Then when Jeſus came o, he found that he had
Kn10 the grave four days already p.
0 Chriſt came to Bethany where Lazarns died ; p He found he had a 1n thegrave four days, ſo as probably, Chrift came not to Bc- any till four days or more after the Death of Lazarus, or near upon,
lie th
for their glorifying of God by ſuffering, they ſhall not be given up to the rage of their eagereſt Enemies ; they are in their callings and places, and God will be a light unto them : Dar when their working-t1me 15 over, and the time of ther
| up thoughts of going into 7ud:a. Affeer this, poſſibly he lingred cne or two days, wer, 14. He tel!s them Lazarus was dead. Our Saviour
was witling to protradt the time, that the Miracle might be more Conſpicuovs and Remarkable.
fifteen furlongs off q. )
9 Thar, 2s 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 b; the prayers of their Friends, or any ſuch thing, are corruptions of larrer times ; bur they had a civil uſage of mourning for their Friends, the time for which was anciently chirty days ; they mourned for Jacob forty days, Gen. 5o. 3, Fer aron thirry 4eys, Numb. 20. 29. So for Moſes, Dint 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 fat til! 1n the houſe :.
s It ſhould ſeem by the ſtory, Lyke 10. 41. That Martha had the care of the Houte 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 ; but 1t appeareth from wer. 30. that ſhe went our of the Town.