, Our Lord commandeth the removal of the Stono, which was »» rhe mouth of the Sepulcher, that che Miracle might be evident 3 _ Li24115 © have come forth, the door of the Cave being ſhur, ard 2 great Stone making it faſt, would have looked more hike an apparition, chan 2 ReſurreQion. s Ir 1s very probable, that Mar- +1 chought Var our Saviour commanded the removal of the Stone, pot in order fo 4 commanding him to Life again, bur our of a cu.
-ofity co view his cead Body, and therefore ſhe objeQerh the Pu- trefa8ion of his Body, from which the Soul was now departed tour days 3 85 char which our Saviour would not be able to indure rhe favour GL.
46 Jeſus faith unto her, Said I not unto thee, That, f thou wouldelt believe, thou ſhouldelt ſee the glory of
God
tt + Chriſt now beginneth to open to Martha and Mary, and the reſt, his reſolurion £0 raiſe Lazarus from che Dead by and by. Chriſt cich char tO us 1D his word, which he ſaith by a juſt conſequence, 'ho he doth not ſpeak it In ſo many words: we do not read in this uiftory, chat Chriſt had ſpoken this in ſo many words and ſyllables, it he had ſpoken it in effe& 3 he had rold her, ver. 25, Thar He wis the Reſurrefion. and the Life, that he had Power to raiſe Dead Bodics from a Natural Death to Life, and thar for thoſe who be. tied in him, tho. they were dead, they ſhould live. 'This could nor Le without 4 great manifeſtation of rhe glory of God: the Power of God is his glory. Once have 1 ſpoken ( ſaith the Pſalmift ) yea, 1ice have 1 beard it, that Power b:longs te God, Thou ſhouldeſk ſee God by me maniteſting rhe glory of his Almighty Power ; God glorifying himſelf, and glorifying his Son. Believing, brings us in experierices of God ; whereas unbelizf, as it were, limiteth God, :nd ricth up his hand. Et
i4 Then they took away the ſtone from the place, where the dead was laid v. And Jeſus lift up his eyes W,
and ſaid, Father, I thank thee that thon haſt heard me «.
y The Servants, or Friends anout the Grave removed the Stone from the mouth of the Cave, within which the Dead Corps of La. zo lay. w Chriſt before his Thankſgiving ro his Father, Is ſald to have liſted up his eyes a poſture often uſed in mens addreſſes to God, Pſal. 121.1. and 123. 1. as an Indication of their belief, thar Heaven 78 Gods Throne : tho he fillerh Heaven and Earth, yer the Hea- yen is his Court where he moſt glorioully ſheweth himſelf, che Earth but his footſtool.. x We read here of nothing that Chriſt had ſaid be- fore 3 yer he giverh thanks here to his Father, that he had heard him The meaning 15, Thou haſt Willed, or pleaſed to grant thoſe: things which I defired. Ir is very hard ro determine, wherher Chriſt had uſed ſome audible words before this, upon this occaſion, in Prayer to his Father, which the Evangeliſt could nor, or did nor ſerdown; cr whether he only groaned in hu Spirit, ( as was fald before. ) By thoſe groans (not only expreſſing his ſorrow for Lazarys his Death, or rather ſympathy with the AfiiCtions of Aary and Martha) bur alſo his defires ro his Father, that he mighr be again reſtored to Life ; and his ſecond groaning, ver. 38. was of that Nature, which groan- ingsin the Saints, God underftanderh, knowing the mind of the $pi- rir, making Incerceſſion for the Sarnts, according to the Will of God. ( Asthe Apoſtle teacherh us, Rom. 8. 27.) much more did the Fa- ther, (who was one jn Narare, Eſſence, and #ill with the Son ) un- derſtand chem in him, Nothing is theſe caſes can be derermined, much leſs can any conclude from hence, thar there js vo need of our uſing any words in our Prayers 3 for, altho chere be no ſimple abſolute neceſſity, that we ſhould uſe them in order to God's Know. ledge of what we need, and would have ; (for he that ſearcheth the Heart, knows what we need, and whar we deſire, Marth. 6. 8.) yer there is neceſſity for our words, in order to our obeying Gods com. mand, Hof, 14. 2. Luke 11, 2. There 1s a greac deal of difference be. wixcGods hearivg of Chriſt, and hearing us ; Chriſt and his Father have ove Efſence, one Nature, and Will.
42 And I knew that thon heareſt me always y: but * becavſe of the people which ſtand by, I faid it, that
they may believe that thou haſt ſent me z.
) know thatthou always Willeft thoſe things which IT Will, and I Will nothing bur what thou Willeft, and haft ſept me to do in the World; ſo as in theſe things ic is imp?ſſible, bur thar thou ſhouldeſt always be ready ro grant what I ask of thee; nay, there is no need of my asking. 7 I ovly-give thee thanks for the Peoples ſake, who here fland by, who believe thee to be the true God, and to have an Almighty Power 3 bur will not as yet believe that I am thy Son, by thee ſent into the World, and that I do the works which [ doin thee, and fram thee, We read of many Miracles wrought by Chriſt; withoucr any Prayer firſt put up co his Father, Mat. 8. 2. and g, 6, Mark 5. 41. and 9. 25. Luke 7. 14. ufing only an Autho» Matveword ; nor need he have uſed any here, but only for che fur- ther conviRtion of che People, that he was ſent of God, that God whom they owned as their God: he Prayeth and giverh Thanks co God before them all.
43 And when he had thus ſpoken a, he cried with aloud voice, Lazarus; come forth 6. |
s When he had groaned in his Spirir, an audibly given Thanks to his Father for hearing of him, ard refiified, that he did this, nor es he ever had anydoubr of his Fachers willing whac he Willa,
it that the People might rake notice, of his Favour, and Power with God, ard being ſent of him. b He cried with a loud Voice , not whiſpering, nor like Wizzards preping ard muttering, Iſa. 8. 19 p t ſpeaking aloud, (> as all might hear, and underft and, thac what < cone, was done by his Powerful Word: he calls him by his ne, he hids him come forth ; they were not the words thatraiſed
4%, but the mighty quickning Power of Chriſt, which acrend- ©d titeſe words. :
4 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand x10 T00t with grave cloaths : and * his face was bound
S. FOHN