The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 2 — Section 477

Faith is n posture of tho eoul; life is I\ Rtnte of the soul. 1. Life is the nRtural resua of foith. Every man's life is e.ffocted by what he believes; in fact, I\ man's beliefs bccomo the principles of his conduct H i!J so in politics, in literature, in art. 2. Faith in Christ ia th~ i:neans towards a spiritual life. If belief in fictitious, vicious deities make8 mon superst1t1oua and immoral; if faith in corrupt representations of Christianity hag a debasing influence; sur~ly faith in n Being so true, so holy, eo affectionate ag Jesus, must have power to ass1milato the believing soul to the Object of its attachment. The hutnan nature cannot be said to live that is dead to all that is pure, unselfish, and morally benutiful. Christ came that we might have life, and that more abundantly. 3. This spiritual life is eternal. By this it is not intended to say that the mere con- tinuanc!3 of conscious existence is linked with faith with Jesus; but rather that upon such fmth depends all that makes life worth living in this and in all worlds. " More life Rnd fuller 'tis wo want." The life which is hid with Christ in God is independent of the accidents of earth and of time. It is immortal as is he who gives it. .APPLICATION. Let the reader of this Gospel ask himself-Have I been led by its perusal to receive Jesus as the true God and the Eternal Life? "For better they had ne'er been bom, Who read to doubt, or read to scorn." T. Vers. 11-18.-The powers of lioly love.-The women rose early on the third day, but there was·One who rose earlier. They·were last at the cross, and first at the grave. Mary Magdaleti.e was the first of the group. She ran back to Peter and .John with the tidings. •rhere was a. race between the two to the tomb. John outran Peter. Love is swifter of foot than faith, but faith is more courageous and was in the sepulchre first. Love followed. Mary is for a moment lost in the narrative, but appears again as the chief figure. We have an illustration of passionate love to Jesus. Notice- I. THE DEVOTION OF LOVE. This is seen: 1. In her persistent and patient lingering on the spot. • " Mary stood without," etc. She did not enter with the two disci pies ; she was too weak for that.· But weaker in nature, she was stronger in affection. If she did not 'enter, she stood longer e.t the grave. They were gone, but she was tied to the spot by the w·ords of love, watching for some clue to the mysteriollS disappearance. Love lingers w-ith patience and devotion at the sacred graves which hold the dust of dear ones. 2. In her increased courage. She does now what she could not do before-stoops down and looks into the sepulchre, as did John before her. His example encouraged her. Ii was more for her to look than for them to enter. She looked, not that she expected to :find him more than· the others, but to see for herself, and see even where he had lain. Love acts often from instinct rather than from reason. We look to the grave. 3. In lier intense feelings. She stood without, \Veeping. As she stood she wept, and she stooped. She wept and looked through her tears. And as she wept she stooped down. Intense feelings brought her to her knees. These were not the wailings of ostentation 'and selfishness: there was no one to see her tears or to pay heed to them; but they were the tears of genuine affection, the sighs of devoted love, and the moans of intense sorrow. She stood and stooped and looked, weeping. This is the ·only thing which even devoted love could do under the circumstances. II. Tm: VISIONS OF LOVE. 1.. The vision of angels. Notice: (1) Their number. Two. Angels are social; seldom if ever one appeared in this world alone. They were seat two and two. At the birth a host sang over the fields of Bethlehem. Two appeared at the Resurrection. More may be there; only two were seen, and only one was seen by the others-two by love. (2) Their appearance. In white, the colour of heaven the fashion of the better lanrl. Everything is white there. It is the colour of peace, purity, hap-pine",3, a~d glory._ ~t is e. treat to see. the colour!". th_is dark world of sin and eorrow, and especially see 1t ma grave. (3) Thell' posture. ' S1ttrng, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where," etc. 'l'hey loved even the place where he had lain. ' They had• finished th?ir work, roll~d a.way the stone, sho~k the ~th, sent away the guard in terror, and waited upon their Master, and helped him to stnp and be clothed• and now they sit at ease, as if taking rest.. ( 4) Their sympathy. " Woman, why w;epest thou?" 'rhis is a question ?f kind sympathy. One would thin le that tho weeping of a poor woman would not aflcct an a □ gel at all. They never sheLl tears. 4-92 THE GOSPEL AOOORDING TO 81'. JOHN, [ou, xx. 1-31.