which now presented itself before him, to pass by unnoticed. At once, and without hesitation, he afforded the stricken mourner relief, as effectual, as it was unasked and unexpected.-If then he was thus "found of her, who sought him not," neither knew him-will he hide himself from us, who both know him, and are known of him? if, at least, we are of that fold, and that flock of whom the Shepherd himself hath said, "I know my sheep, and am known of mine1." He is in us, and we in him. Can our sorrows be hid from him? He himself hath felt the burthen of the flesh, and in his agony once needed, and received the support of a ministering angel. Shall he not now "comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith he himself was comforted of God 2 ?” Remember what gracious titles he hath been pleased to apply to us, and say whether any more perfect assurance of love and interest could be imagined, than 1 John x. 14. 2 2 Cor. i. 4. was given by him, when "he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother '." But we must not be wanting to ourselves, my brethren. We must "do the will of God," before we can be admitted to the privileges of God's children in Christ. And this is the will of God concerning us, that through much tribulation we should enter into rest, and that in all our tribulation, we should possess our souls in patience. Let us beware that we fail not on this point. Grief, particularly that kind of grief, which is now more immediately before us, so far from having been forbidden, has been sanctioned and hallowed by the example of Christ, and by an eternal law of the God of nature. But this gives us no authority for an excessive indulgence in it. He who has implanted in our hearts that love of 1 1 Mark iii. 34, 35. kindred, from which are derived some of the purest and holiest of our joys, hath so ordained it, that in many cases more real advantage may be derived from the severing of our dearest ties, than could accrue from their uninterrupted continuance. But we must "hear the rod, and who hath appointed it," and then we shall perceive that though "no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous, yet afterwards it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness to them that are exercised thereby 2.' And who are the persons so exercised, my brethren? Surely they who, while they do "weep for the dead" with all that sincerity of woe, which nature dictates, and Scripture allows, yet "sorrow not, as them without hope," sorrow not as those to whom the Bible has not been opened -who know not that "as Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus, will God bring with him"." 1 Micah vi. 9. 2 Heb. xii. 11. 3 1 Thess. iv. 14. That this characteristic consolation of the Gospel is indeed the very truth, that Jesus is indeed "the resurrection and the life," having power over death and the grave, we have full evidence in the passage under review. "And he came and touched the bier, and said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise ; and he that was dead sat up, and began to speak." The day will come, my brethren, when the same voice shall be heard by all who are in the tomb,-when the grave shall restore those dear ones of whom it hath robbed us the sea shall give up the myriads she hath engulphed and from their appointed place, the ransomed spirits shall hasten to re-occupy the glorified bodies prepared for them. "The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first and then we which are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words '." Is there any one so far gone in grief, so wedded to woe, that these words will not comfort him? But here a harassing doubt may obtrude itself. Some one may say,say," I know that there will be a resurrection of the dead I know that we must all stand before the judgment-seat of Christ, and that afterwards, the just shall be admitted into the many mansions prepared for them in the house of their heavenly Father. But in that resurrection, shall we be raised not only to individual, but to social happiness? Shall we be restored to the company of those in heaven, through whom has been conveyed to us our greatest happiness on earth? Shall we know, and be known to each other hereafter?" We have no space left to argue this interesting question, but we will venture at once to assume it. On the mountain, at whose foot the incidents we have been examining occurred-on Mount Tabor-Christ was transfigured before a select number 1 |