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give the Word of Command, and it would be presently done. Chrift perceiving his Faith, marvell'd and commended it, faying, He had not found fo great Faith, no not in Ifrael. Whereupon they that were fent, returning to the House, found the Servant whole that had been fick. And then follow thefe words, And it came to pass the day after, that Jesus went into a City call'd Nain. Which leads us,

Secondly, From the Circumftance of Time to that of Place, where this Miracle of raifing the dead Man was perform'd: it was in the City of Nain, a City in Galilee famous for little elfe than the Prefence of our Saviour, and this Miracle there wrought by him; and 'twas enough to make any Place remarkable in thofe days, where Christ or his Apoftles did any of their wonderful Works. When Chrift went to this City, 'tis faid that many of his Difciples went with him, and much People. His Difciples attended him of courfe, and the Fame of his great Works drew many more after him, who were all Spectators and Eye-witneffes of his Miracles: for they were not done in a corner, where Men may be eafily impos'd upon, but in the face of the Sun, and in the fight of great Multitudes. Accordingly this was done here before much People, to fatisfy them in the Truth of the Fact, and to confirm their Faith in him. From the Place and Perfons prefent, pass we,

Thirdly, To the Occafion or Motive of Chrift's working this Miracle; and that was, his feeing fome carrying a dead Man to his Grave, the Mother and others following the Corps with Weeping and fad Lamentation. This is held forth in the next words; Now when he came nigh to the Gate of the City, behold there was a dead Man carry'd out, the only Son of his Mother, and he was a Widow; and much People of the City was with her. This dead Man was carry'd out of the City, according to the Cuftom of those days, which was to carry and bury dead Corps out of the City, to preferve the Inhabitants from the noifom Air and Scent of dead Carcafes,

The dead Perfon that was carry'd out, was the only Son of his Mother; which you know is a matter of great Grief and Sorrow, especially to the tender Bowels of a Mother. The Lofs of a Child, even where there are more left, is commonly attended with Tears and great Lamentation:

Nature

Nature it felf fuggefts this to Parents, to be fenfibly touch'd and affected with the Death of a Child, having thereby loft a Limb or Part of themselves; but the Lofs of an only Child is far more grievous and afflicting, being in effect the Lofs of all.

Moreover, to enhance the Sorrow, 'tis added, And the was a Widow. It feems fhe had loft her Husband before, and that was follow'd here with the Lofs of her only Son; which was enough to overwhelm her with Grief, and to drown her in Tears of Sorrow.

Again, 'tis faid, And much People of the City was with her; partly to comfort her in her great Affliction, which is an Office of great Charity, to relieve the Spirits of the Afflicted under their deep Mourning and Sadness, and to bear off fome of the Burden, by lamenting and mourning with them; and partly likewife to attend the Funeral, and to accompany the deceas'd Party to the Grave, his Bed of Reft; which is an Act of Piety and great Civility, generally practis'd in all civiliz'd Places and Countries; which is done partly out of refpect to the Dead, and partly as a Warning and Example to the Living, to let them know that they must all fhortly follow him to the fame place. But to proceed,

When our Lord faw her in fo much Sorrow and Sadness, bemoaning her defolate and difconfolate Condition, bedewing her Face with Tears, and filling the Air with Sighs and Outcries for the lofs of her dear and only Child; 'tis faid, be bad compaffion on her. His Bowels yearn'd towards her, which fhew'd it felf in pitying her fad and mournful State, and fpeaking kindly and comfortably to her. Where his Carriage towards her teaches us to have compaffion one of another in like cafes, to fympathize in each others Af flictions, and to adminifter Comfort and Cordials fuitable to all Mens Diftreffes. This we find our Saviour did on all occafions: He wept over Jerufalem, when he faw them obftinately refufing all the Offers of their Peace and Welfare. He wept at the beholding the extreme Grief and Tears of Mary and Martha, for the Death of their Brother Lazarus. And here he fhew'd great Pity and Compaffion at the diftreffed Condition of this afflicted Widow, St. Paul wills us to weep with them that weep, as well as to rejoice with them that rejoice, and to bear a share, as in the Joys, fo in the Sorrows of one another. Rom. 12.

But

But our Saviour's Compaffion did not vent it felf in Tears only, but difcover'd it felf in kind Words, and kinder Actions: He faid unto her, weep not; that is, cease lamenting the Lofs of thy Son, and be of good cheer: He that hath taken him from thee, is able to restore him, or give thee another. Therefore wipe away thy Tears, and take comfort; immoderate Grief may hurt thy felf, but cannot recal thy Son: if thou put thy Faith and Truft in God, he will either repair thy Lofs in the fame kind, or recompenfe it with greater Gain. From fuch comfortable Speeches, he proceeded to more cheering and reviving Actions: which will lead us,

Fourthly, To the Miracle it felf, and the Manner of his performing it; which, as the next words declare, was on this wife As they were carrying this dead Man out of the City to the place of his Burial, our Saviour being then nigh to the Gate of the City, came to them, and touch'd the Bier; the Bearers the mean time ftanding ftill. And while his Hand was on the Bier, he utter'd these words, saying, Young Man, I fay unto thee, Arife. Upon which, he that was dead immediately fate up, and began to speak; and he deliver'd him to his Mother. Where we may observe,

Ift, The Manner or Means used in effecting this Miracle. It was by a Touch of the Bier, and a Word of his Mouth; Means no way proportion'd to fuch an End, if they were not feconded by a Divine Power, that is able to do all things. 'Tis all one to Omnipotence, to work by any or no means; all things, whether living or dead, upon or under the Earth, readily obey his Call, and come forth at his Word of Command: if he fay the Word, the Effect muft and will come to pafs, for nothing can hinder the Influence of his Power, or refift his Will.

2dly, We may obferve here the Certainty of this Miracle. That the dead Man came to Life again, was evident by the vital Actions perform'd by him, for he fate up, and began to speak, things out of the power of a dead Carcafe: and all this in the fight of a great Multitude, who were then doing the laft Office of carrying and waiting on him to his Grave.

3dly, We may obferve the Kindness of our Saviour to the mournful Mother, in thefe words; And be deliver'd him to his Mother. With what Joy fhe receiv'd him at his hands, is a matter better to be imagin'd than exprefs'd:

how

how her Heart leap'd for joy, when the faw him fit up, and with what pleafing and greedy Attention fhe hearken'd unto him when he began to fpeak; how her Paffions were mov'd and heighten'd, no Tongue can utter; and what Exultation of Spirit fhe felt within her, is out of the reach of words to declare. The Death of her Son had almost brought her to Death's door, and his coming to Life again, put in a manner a new Life into her; fhe that was before overwhelm'd with Grief, now became tranfported with Joy; and our Saviour's Compaffion for her former Trouble, was no doubt turn'd into a Sympathy of Rejoicing with her.

This is, in brief, the Miracle here recorded in the Gospel for this Day, together with the many remarkable Circumftances that attended it.

But what were the Effects that follow'd after it? Why that the next words declare. As, Ift, There came a Fear on them all. 2dly, They all glorify'd God.

3dly, They all faid, that a new Prophet was rifen up among them, and that God had vifited his People. And, Laftly, That this Rumour went of him throughout all Judea, and the Regions round about.

Ift, 'Tis faid that a Fear came on them all. But why fo? One would think rather, that Love fhould have feiz'd them all upon the fight of fo much Goodness; and fuch a Love too, as fhould have caft out Fear, and fill'd them with all manner of Joy and Rejoicing.

True, the Goodness of his Works no doubt poffefs'd them with a great Love of his Perfon, but the Greatness of his Works ftruck them with no fmall Awe and Dread of his Power. They were furpriz'd with Wonder at what they faw, and were fill'd with Aftonishment at his great and marvellous Works. This effect we find the Miracles of Chrift generally had upon the Minds of the People, to feize them with Amazement and Terror. Upon his curing the deaf and dumb Man, 'tis faid the People were beyond measure aftonish'd, Mark 7. 37. and here, that Fear came upon them all, i. e. they were taken with a fudden Affrightment at that Divine Power, that was able to do fuch ftrange and wonderful Works.

But yet, zdly, their Fear was not fo great, as to hinder their Devotion; for the next Words tell us, that they glo

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rify'd God: meaning, that the Awe and Dread with which they were ftruck at the fight of this Miracle, put them upon Praises and Acknowledgments unto God of his infinite Power and Goodness, giving him all the Glory of thefe marvellous and miraculous Acts, and rendring all due Thanks for the Good and Benefit they receiv'd by them. This is a Tribute we owe for all the daily and common Favours of Providence, but much more for these extraordinary and aftonishing Acts of his Bounty; faying with the Pfalmift, Unto thy Name be all the Glory; and how excellent is thy Name in all the World!

3dly, The fight of this Miracle done by our Saviour, mov'd all the People with one Voice to fay, that a great Prophet was rifen up among them, and that God had visited his People. That a great Prophet was to come, they learnt from the Prophecy reveal'd to Mofes, Deut. 18. 18. A Prophet hall the Lord thy God raife up like unto thee, and to him they shall hearken: which is quoted by the Apostle, Acts 3. 22. & Chap. 7. 37. That this Prophet fhould come with a Power of working Miracles, fuch as raising the Dead, and healing all manner of Difeafes, they had learnt from the other Prophets; and that the time of his coming was then at hand, they concluded from fundry Prophecies to that purpose.

Now when Chrift came doing fuch great and wonderful Works, and fhewing himself a Prophet fo mighty in Word and Deed, fome faid, We have found him of whom Mofes in the Law and the Prophets did write, John 1.45. Others faid, Of a truth this is that Prophet that should come into the World, John 6. 14. And thefe in our Text, that a great Prophet is rifen up among us. This they gather'd partly from the Excellency of his Doctrine, for no Man (fay they) ever Spake like him, and partly from the Greatness of his Works, for no Man (fay others) ever did the Works that he doth. And being thus mighty in Word and Deed, they well enough concluded from both, that this was that Prophet or promis'd Meffiah, that was to come for the revealing of God's Will, and the Redemption of Mankind: by both which God is here faid to have vifited his People; that is, he hath fent one in our own Nature to pity our Condition, to relieve our Wants, and to vifit us with his Salvation which made Zachariah fall a blessing of God, for thus vifiting and redeeming his People, and raifing up a Horn of Salvation for them, out of the House of his Servant David; Luke 1. 68, &c.

The

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