hand and foot with grave clothes and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them,‘Loose him, and let him go."" Beyond this the simple narrative is silent. And what pen can describe the scene which the burial-place of Bethany at that moment presented? the joy and gratitude of the sisters; the awe, and wonder, and confused thoughts of Lazarus, waking up in their embrace; the agitation of the busy crowd, grouping round to loosen the grave clothes, and welcome with astonishment their friend to life again? We cannot doubt that Divine grace blessed the raising of Lazarus to his greater sanctification, as a bold witness to the truth and power of the Messiah, Whose Name he would live to magnify. He would attain to a higher knowledge of Divine truths through the Resurrection of Christ, and the testimony of the Day of Pentecost. Otherwise, to recall to Earth the soul of one whom Jesus had loved, after it had rejoiced in its freedom from the trammels of the flesh, after it had been admitted into Paradise, and to cast it back to its tenement of clay, would be banishment,-not release. As it was, Lazarus, by being raised from the grave, would have to sustain once more the burthen of a sinful nature. He became an object of hatred and persecution to the Rulers, and was probably a witness of the agony of his Lord, as He hung upon the Cross.

"Of all the miracles of our Lord Jesus Christ, the raising of Lazarus from the grave is most dwelt upon. But if we consider Who it was that wrought the miracle, we should rather rejoice than wonder. He Who made man brings him again to life; for He is the only begotten Son of the Father, and by Him all things were made. If then He made all things, what wonder is it that He should raise up one man, when by Him so many are born every day. To create men is more than to raise them again to life." "You have heard that the Lord Jesus raised a dead man: rather learn that, if it was His will, He could so raise up all the dead. And this indeed He has reserved to Himself for the end of all things. You have heard Who it was by a great miracle brought from the sepulchre one that had been dead four days; but the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth." Augustin, Tract. xlix. § 1. in Johan. Evang.

2 "Dicitur de Lazaro, quòd postea nunquam risit, nunquam in gestu signa jocosa ostendit, pro eo quòd vitæ hujus ærumnis, quas moriens evaserat, redditus fuit. Magis enim quàm antè factus amator vitæ illius, pœnitebat eum vitæ istius." Ludolphus, Vita Christi, p. 455.

CHAPTER XLVI.

EPHRAIM

THE COUNCIL IN JERUSALEM RESOLVE TO PUT THE MESSIAH TO DEATH-HE RETIRES FROM JUDEA то THE CITY OF IN SAMARIA, AND FROM THENCE TO CAPERNAUM-ENTERS ON THE FOURTH AND LAST CIRCUIT IN GALILEE-REPETITION OF THE LORD'S PRAYER-the preVAILING POWER OF EARNEST PRAYER-A BLESSING PRONOUNCED ON THOSE WHO HEAR THE WORD OF GOD AND KEEP IT.

John, xi. 45-54. Luke, xi. 1-28.

THE death of Lazarus had become known to many in Jerusalem, who went out to Bethany to comfort the sisters, and now much more the miracle of raising him from the grave was widely spread through the city. Of those who were eyewitnesses many believed that Jesus could be no less than the Christ but others, still hard of heart," went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things He had done." They bore testimony to the fact, which none could deny; but no good motive prompted their busy errand; and they were messengers of unwelcome news to the Rulers. "Then gathered the Chief Priests and Pharisees a council." They thought the time was come, when they must take decisive measures against Him, otherwise the popular excitement, which had every where been gathering fresh force, would lead to danger. They feared that the multitude, believing Him to be the Messiah, would try to make Him King; and this would bring down upon them some cruel measures of Pontius Pilate, the governor. "What do we? [they said in the council] for this Man doeth many miracles.

If we

let Him thus alone, all men will believe on Him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation." They made the public safety a pretext; but were more alarmed for their own authority, which was dearer to them than the fulfilment of the prophecies regarding their Messiah. They confessed His mighty acts of power; but He had set at nought their traditions; and wrought miraculous cures on the sabbaths; had preached a righteousness beyond the law; denounced them every where as hypocrites; put them to open shame: therefore they feared and hated Him.

66

It appears, however, that the council were not all agreed in opinion. Others besides Nicodemus regarded Him as a Teacher sent from God." St. John declares that "among the chief Rulers also many believed on Him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him."2 Some, perhaps, thought it would be dangerous to put Him to death, for fear of the people, who seemed willing to acknowledge Him as the Son of David. But Caiaphas, the High Priest, full of Sadducæan bitterness, put an end to all discussion: "Ye know nothing at all, [he said] nor consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not:"-away with your scruples: the life of one man is of no moment compared with the public good : let Him die. His thoughts were full of malice; but His words were the words of Inspiration. The man, who would have the chief hand in putting the Lord's Anointed to death, was made a herald of the Divine Will. St. John says, "This spake he not of himself: but being High Priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; and not for that nation only, but that also He should gather

2 John, xii. 42.

1 Barradius, vol. iii. lib. vi. cap. 6, p. 35. 3 "The counsel is given in political subtlety, and was intended by Caiaphas in the sense of political expediency only. But it pleased God to make him, as High Priest, the special though involuntary organ of the Holy Spirit, and thus to utter by him a prophecy of the death of Christ and its effects."-Alford's Greek Test., John, xi. 51, 52. Moreover, this saying of Caiaphas shows how general was the tradition among the learned Jews, gathered from the appointment of sacrifices, and from the prophets, that some one was to be offered up as an atonement for the sins of the nation. Caiaphas had no thought except of the benefit which was to result to the Jews by the Messiah's death; but St. John extends its application far beyond. Augustin, in Evang. Joan., Tract xlix. 827.

together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad." Thus God sometimes gives utterance to His mysterious truths by the tongue of the wicked, who, like Balaam, would fain curse, but are compelled to bless, even as they are often made the instruments of His judgments on people and nations. Jesus was to be glorified in His Death: and that which was spoken in malice would come to pass in fulfilment of all the promises of prophets, and of all the great purposes for which the Son of God had clothed Himself in the form of Man. Nevertheless Divine punishment would visit the sin of the Jews on themselves, and their children to future generations. They would kill their Messiah for fear the nation should perish and the nation would perish because they did so. The saying of Caiaphas decided the question: "Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put Him to death." This same political expediency, under a cloak of zeal for the honour of God, has in all ages been the plea of religious fanatics to justify their cruelty.

The designs of the Rulers were perfectly known to the Lord; therefore "He walked no more openly among the Jews." He departed at once beyond the boundaries of their jurisdiction, that they might attempt no further act of violence against Him before the next Passover. From Bethany “He went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with His disciples:" it was on the way to Galilee, whither He afterwards proceeded. Of this Samaritan1 city among the mountains of Ephraim,

1 Many writers place Ephraim within the north border of the Tribe of Benjamin, which was part of Judæa; others, more correctly, in the south border of the Tribe of Ephraim, which was in Samaria. The circumstance of our Lord seeking refuge there from the persecution of the Jews strongly confirms this last opinion :-if it had been within Judæa He would not have been safe. The Sanhedrim would have sent their officers to take Him. Fuller says, "In this Tribe of Ephraim was the city of Ephraim, in a country near to the wilderness; where our Saviour, that Sun of Righteousness, clouded Himself for a time, when the Jews took counsel to kill Him." (Fuller's Pisgah View of Palestine, p. 201.) Dr. Wells says, "Our Lord went into a country near to the wilderness of Judæa, into a city of those less frequented parts called Ephraim, as lying probably among the mountains and hills of Ephraim, at the very edge of that Tribe, towards the Tribe of Benjamin." (Wells' Geog. of the Old and New Test., vol. ii. p. 201.) The clearest passage in the Old Testament, showing that the city of Ephraim could

within the south border of that Tribe, not the slightest trace can now be discovered. He did not, perhaps, remain in Ephraim very long; but went on to Capernaum; and there found the Seventy Disciples returned from the several places which they had visited,' (according to His instructions,) perparing the towns and villages to receive Him.

We enter now on the Fourth and last Circuit through Galilee, which is recorded only in the Gospel of St. Luke, beginning at chapter xi. 1, down to xviii. 14, as already explained. St. Luke relates the many events, discourses, and Parables in this Circuit without naming the places where

not be in Judæa, is the account of Abijah's, the king of Judah's victory over Jeroboam, king of Israel, from whom he took Bethel and Ephraim,—both cities being near to each other. (2 Chron. xiii. 19.) If Ephraim had been in Judæa, and therefore one of Abijah's own cities, he would not have gone against it but he did so, because it was within the borders of Ephraim, which was part of the territory of Jeroboam. See Lightfoot, vol. ii. pp. 49. 514. Relandi Palæst., 765. Grotii Annot. in Evang., p. 536. Archbishop Newcome's Harmony, Notes, p. 35. Osiandri, Harm. Evang., lib. iv. cap. 1. Chemnitius, Harm. Quat. Evang., vol. ii. cap. cxli. p. 15. Josephus, Bel. Jud., iv. 9. 9.

:

1 See chap. xliii. of the Narrative, pp. 350-355. "As on a former occasion, (John, vii. 1) Christ' would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill Him,' so now again He retired from Bethany into Upper Galilee, or Galilee of the Gentiles." "To this despised region of the Gentiles, darkened by the mists of ignorance, Jesus departed after leaving the neighbourhood of Jerusalem; as He had done before, teaching and working miracles principally throughout Galilee, and round Capernaum, in the Tribes of Zabulon and Naphthali." Chemnitius, vol. ii. cap. cxli. p. 17.

2 At xviii. 14, St. Luke rejoins St. Matthew, ch. xix. 1, and St. Mark, ch. x. 1, at some place near to Bethabara. From thence (as we shall afterwards see) their three Gospels unite in the journey to Jerusalem for the last Passover;— and so to the end. See chap. xxxviii. of the Narrative, pp. 317, 318, note. Osiander is of opinion that our Lord began His last Circuit at Ephraim, avoiding Jerusalem, and going about in Samaria and Galilee; and from Galilee returned to Judæa, for the Passover, through Jericho to Bethany, where He was anointed by Mary, the day before His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. He says, That part of the history is given only by St. Luke, from ch. xi. 1, to ch. xvii. Hence it will be seen how nearly, in that respect, the Narrative coincides with Osiander : nevertheless, I consider, with Greswell, ("Dissertations," vol. ii. p. 526), that our Lord, after leaving Ephraim, only passed through Samaria, as being the nearest way to Galilee. Osiander would include Samaria in the Circuit; but against that opinion many reasons might be given. See Osiander, Annotationes in Harm. Evang., lib. iii. Some Commentators think that the Seventy were sent forth from the Mount of Olives; but this opinion involves difficulties perfectly irreconcilable.