"JESUS saith unto her, I am [the author of] the resurrection and the life: He that believeth on Me, though he die [here,] yet shall live [hereafter;] and every one that liveth [hereafter,] and believeth in Me, shall die no [more] for ever *. Believest thou this? She saith unto Him, Yea, LORD, I do believe that thou art THE CHRIST, the Son of God, who should come into the world."

After this noble and explicit confession of faith, referring, in part, perhaps, to his former answer to her message, John xi. 4, she went to call her sister Mary, privately;-who, when she came where JESUS was, and saw him, fell at his feet, repeating, LORD, if thou hadst been here, my brother would not have died! [and she wept.]

When JESUS, therefore, saw her weeping, and the Jews that accompanied her, also weeping, he groaned in the spirit, and troubled himself†; and he said, Where have ye laid him? They say unto him, LORD, come and see.

JESUS wept †.

Then said the Jews, See how He loved him!

But some of them said, [disparagingly,] Could not this person, who opened the eyes of the blind man, (John ix. 6,) have caused that this man also should not have died?

Jesus, then groaning again in himself, cometh to the sepulchre. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. JESUS said, Remove the stone ‡. Martha, still weak in faith, and struggling with doubt, thought that the body would be too offensive to be approached by CHRIST, being now in a state of putrefaction, after an interment of four days; which in that hot climate usually took place sooner. "LORD, said she, he now smelleth, for he is the fourth day buried."

JESUS, gently rebuking her, answered, " Said I not unto thee, that if thou believedst, thou shouldst see the glory of GOD? (ver. 4.) Then, after they had removed the stone ‡, JESUS lift up his eyes, with thanksgiving to his Father, for hearing him always, and giving proof of his divine mission to the people;

See the foregoing article of Job, for this correcter translation of the passage, p. 79. † eraρažev lavrov. From this remarkable expression, it appears that OUR LORD'S affections were in his own power. He voluntarily sustained sorrow now, as he voluntarily embraced death afterwards.

JESUS could as easily have removed the stone, as he raised Lazarus. This seems to be done to ascertain the fact of the putrefaction of Lazarus, by those who descended to the vault.

and cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth! Then he that had been dead, came forth, whose feet and hands had been bound with grave-clothes; and his face was still bound about with a napkin. JESUS said unto them, Loose him, and let him go!-His feet and hands had been miraculously loosed; and JESUS desired his friends to loose the napkin also from his face. If the Jews buried like the Egyptians, the napkin did not entirely cover the face of Lazarus, but only went round his forehead, and over his chin, so that he might easily see his way out of the sepulchre *.

Thus, by a closer translation of the original, and by reference to the Jewish mode of interment, is the deistical objection removed, "How could Lazarus, either walk or see, when bound in his grave-clothes and napkin ?" for as ó Tεdvŋkwç, must signify "he that had been dead," so must dedeμevoç, by the same analogy, signify " he that had been bound," John xi. 17—44.

Many then of the [principal] Jews, who came to condole with Mary, and beheld what JESUS did, believed on Him. But some of the unbelievers went off to the Pharisees, and informed them of what JESUS had done. The chief priests and Pharisees therefore, assembled a council, and said, What shall we do, for this man doeth many miracles. If we let him thus alone, all will believe on him; and the Romans will come and take away our [Holy] place and nation.-And from that day forth, they conspired together to kill Him.

On this occasion, Caiaphas, who was high priest that memorable year, to quiet the scruples of several of the rulers, who privately believed on CHRIST, (John xii. 42,) and were not consenting to his death, (Luke xxiii. 51.) on the score of his miracles and his innocence, (John vii. 51,) treated them with contempt, as ignorant politicians, who did not understand, that regard to the public safety warranted private injustice. "Ye know nothing at all; nor do ye consider, that it is expedient

The sepulchre is thus described by Maundrell, p. 78. "At the bottom of a small descent, not far from the castle of Lazarus, (supposed to have been the mansion house of that favourite of our Lord,) is shewn the sepulchre out of which he was raised to a second mortality, by that enlivening voice of CHRIST, Lazarus, come forth! You descend into the sepulchre by twenty-five steep stairs; at the bottom of which you arrive, first in a small square room; and from thence you creep into another lesser room, about a yard and half deeper, in which the body is said to have been laid. This place is held in great veneration by the Turks, who use it for an oratory, and demand of all Christians a small caphar for their admission into it."

for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not." Thus, he unwittingly uttered a prophecy, that JESUS should be sacrificed for the Jewish nation; and of much wider import than he imagined; not only for them, but for "the children of GOD" in general, or the faithful" scattered" throughout the world, who were to be collected into one [fold] by Him, John xi. 45—53.

CHRIST RETIRES TO EPHRAIM.

Knowing their machinations against him, JESUS no longer walked openly among the Jews; but departed thence into a city called Ephraim, in the mountainous country near the wilderness of Judea, on the borders of Benjamin, in the tribe of Ephraim, about fifteen miles north from Jerusalem; where he abode with his disciples, John xi. 54.

HIS LAST JOURNEY TOWARDS JERUSALEM.

His stay at Ephraim was but short. The fourth passover approached; and his time was come. He departed from thence, leading the way, with firmness, and followed by his dejected and dismayed Apostles. On the way, he foretold to the twelve, still more minutely, his prophetic sufferings at Jerusalem: "1. That he should be betrayed unto the chief priests and Scribes ; 2. that they should condemn him to death; and 3. deliver him up to the Gentiles, [Romans,] to mock, to scourge, spit upon him, and crucify him; but 4. that he should rise again the third day. But they understood none of these things, and the saying was hidden from them, and they knew not the meaning of what he said," Matt. xx. 17-19, Mark x. 32-34, Luke xviii. 31-34.

CHRIST PASSES THROUGH JERICHO.

OUR LORD did not go the direct way to Jerusalem, he took a circuit eastwards, through Jericho, then a considerable city, which he does not appear to have visited before. There he probably staid a few days.

On his departure from Jericho, he performed that remarkable miracle of giving sight to two blind beggars by the way side, one of whom was Bartimeus, who petitioned him, with faith,

higher purification of the temple, and of its service, which he came to introduce, and which the sure word of prophecy informs us will be established in the regeneration of all things, at his next coming in glory. In order to avoid the inclemency of the weather at this season, we may presume he was walking in Solomon's porch, or the royal portico of the temple, built by that prince, over a part of the valley, between the temple mount and Sion, on the south-east side, which Solomon had filled up to enlarge the area of the temple. On the flat roof of this was probably the scene of our Lord's second temptation by Satan. See Vol. I. p. 430, and the preceding article.

Here our Lord underwent a similar temptation from the unbelieving Jews, resuming their former conversation in the temple, at the feast of Tabernacles, for "they flocked round him, and said, How long dost thou torture us [with suspense *?] If thou be THE CHRIST, tell us expressly." They wanted an open acknowledgment from him, in order that they might accuse him to the ruling powers. JESUS answered them, "I told you before, [in effect,] by the miracles which I do in MY FATHER'S name; [and by styling myself" the good Shepherd,” which was a title of CHRIST, Gen. xlix. 24, Psalm lxxx. 1,] “but ye believe not, for ye are not of my sheep." On the contrary, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, as I told you," (ix. 14,) and I give them eternal life, and they shall by no means perish for ever, and no one shall wrest them from my hand: For MY FATHER who gave them to me IS GREATER THAN ALL, and none is able to wrest them out of MY FATHER'S hand: THE FATHER and I are ONE †, John x. 22—30.

* 'Ewc πOTE Tηv &vxnv ǹμwv aipɛic; "How long dost thou take away our life," or "kill us," torturing us with ambiguous and enigmatical speeches. The same phrase occurs in Terence, Cur me enecas? and in Horace, Candide Mecenas, occidis, sæpe rogando.

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+ Eyw kaι o Пarnp iv eoμev. According to the ancient idiom of Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, the speaker ranks himself first, but according to the courtesy of modern languages, English, French, &c. ranks himself last. This most important passage, therefore, should be rendered, "THE FATHER and I are ONE." Not εἷς, 66 one person," but iv, one thing :" or supplying the ellipsis, iv πvevμa, "one spirit," or disposition; as supported by several parallel passages, ὁ κολλώμενος τῳ κυρίῳ, ἐν πνεύμα εστι, [“ the disciple] united to THE LORD is one spirit [with him,"] 1 Cor. vii. 17; and so OUR LORD prays THE FATHER for his disciples, ίνα ωσι έν, καθώς ήμεις έν εσμεν they may be one, according as WE are one;" iva woi teteλeiwpevoi eiç év. they may be perfected into one," John xvii. 22, 23. And so prays Paul, ev ivɩ πVEVματι, μια ψυχή συναθλούντες τῇ πίστει του ευαγγελιου, “ with one spirit, one soul,

"That

"That

This is an admirable description of the good sheep, of their reward, and of their security against all assaults of the Devil or man, working against them, while under the providential care of CHRIST and of GOD, united for their preservation. CHRIST'S flock hear his voice by faith; He knows, or approves them, and they follow him, or keep his commandments. And in return, He gives them eternal life, as heirs of salvation, and they shall not perish for ever, at the general judgment, if they continue faithful and obedient unto the end; and no one, not even the Devil himself, shall rob him of them; because he is supported by THE FATHER, who is ALL POWERFUL, and united in spirit, or sentiment, with THE SON.

Then the Jews took up stones again, as they had done before, at the feast of Tabernacles, to stone him. JESUS said, “Many good works have I shewed you from MY FATHER, for which of these do ye stone me?" The Jews answered, For a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy, even because thou, being a man, makest thyself a God *, ver. 31—33.

This charge of blasphemy OUR LORD refuted, by shewing the latitude in which the term "God" was taken, even in the law itself; where it is applied to the Jewish judges, as sitting in the tribunal of GOD, and administering justice as his vicegerents;

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jointly contending for the faith of the Gospel,” Phil. i. 27; συμψυχοι, το ἑν φρονουντες, “ joint souled, one minded,” Phil. ii. 2; σπουδάζοντες τηρειν την ένότητα του πνεύματος εν τῷ συνδεσμο της ειρηνης, " earnestly endeavouring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace,” Eph. iv. 3, ὁ φυτευων δε και ὁ ποτίζων ἐν εισι, but the planter and the waterer are one," 1 Cor. iii. 8.

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And this was the interpretation of the earliest and most learned fathers of the Church. Justin Martyr says-Ιησούς Χριστος-έτερος του Πατρός αριθμῳ ου γνώμη, "JESUS CHRIST-different from THE FATHER, in number [or person,] not in sentiment." And Origen, more fully, Θρησκευομεν ουν τον Πατέρα της αληθείας, και τον Υίον την αληθειαν οντα δυο εν ὑποστασει πραγματα, ἐν δε, τῃ ὁμονοια, τη συμφωνία, και τη ταυτοτητι του βουλευματος, "We, then, worship THE FATHER of the Truth, and THE SON the Truth: being two things in subsistence, but one in unanimity and concord, and sameness of the will."

This is also," the Trinity in Unity," or in unanimity," which is both the scriptural and orthodox doctrine of the Christian Church. And the English word "unity," which

in later times has been used in a metaphysical sense, as denoting "unity of person," formerly meant union of sentiment, or unanimity, throughout the Liturgy and the English Bible, Psalm cxxxiii. 1; Ephes iv. 3-13.

Otoç here, should be rendered "A God," as contrasted with aveρwrog, “a man,” Acts xii. 22. The Jews evidently did not mean "GOD THE FATHER,] which would be absurd; but & devrepoç Oɛog, the second God," as Philo the Jew styled THE LOGOS, or "THE ORACLE." They meant the same before, John v. 18. Compare John i. 1; 1 Cor. vii. 5.