The miracles divine, with divine meaning: the three dead. 383

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their own will are not able to yield fruit. And barrenness is SERM. their fault, whose fruitfulness is their will. The Jews then [98. B.] who had the words of the Law, and had not the deeds, were full of leaves, and bare no fruit. This have I said to persuade you, that our Lord Jesus Christ performed miracles with this view, that by those miracles He might signify something further, that besides that they were wonderful and great, and divine in themselves, we might learn also something from them.

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4. Let us then see what He would have us learn in those iv. three dead persons whom He raised. He raised again the dead daughter of the ruler of the synagogue, for whom when she was sick petition was made to Him, that He would deliver her from her sickness. And as He is going, it is announced that she is dead; and as though He would now be only wearying Himself in vain, word was brought to her father, Thy daughter is dead, why weariest thou the Master Mark 5, any further? But He went on, and said to the father of the damsel, Be not afraid, only believe. He comes to the house, ver. 36. and finds the customary funeral obsequies already prepared, and He says to them, Weep not, for the damsel is not dead, ver. 39. but sleepeth. He spake the truth; she was asleep; asleep, that is, in respect of Him, by Whom she could be awakened. So awakening her, He restored her alive to her parents. So again He awakened that young man, the widow's son, by Luke 7, whose case I have been now reminded to speak with you, Beloved, on this subject, as He Himself shall vouchsafe to give me power. Ye have just heard how he was awakened. The Lord came nigh to the city; and behold there was a dead man being carried out already beyond the gate. Moved with compassion, for that the mother, a widow and bereaved of her only son, was weeping, He did what ye have heard, saying, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. He ver. 14. that was dead arose, and began to speak, and He restored ver. 15. him to his mother. He awakened Lazarus likewise from the tomb. And in that case when the disciples with whom He was speaking knew that he was sick, He said, (now Jesus loved him,) Our friend Lazarus sleepeth. They thinking of John11, the sick man's healthful sleep; say, Lord, if he sleep he is well. 11. &c. Then said Jesus, speaking now more plainly, I tell you, our

12.

384 The dead within, who sin in mind only; without, sin in overt act;

SERM. friend Lazarus is dead. And in both He said the truth; "He is dead in respect of you, he is asleep in respect of Me."

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[98. B.]

28.

V.

5. These three kinds of dead persons, are three kinds of sinners whom even at this day Christ doth raise. For that dead daughter of the ruler of the synagogue was within in the house, she had not yet been carried out from the secresy of its walls into public view. There within was she raised, and restored alive to her parents. But the second was not now indeed in the house, but still not yet in the tomb, she had been carried out of the walls, but not committed to the ground. He Who raised the dead maiden who was not yet carried out, raised this dead man who was now carried out, but not yet buried. There remained a third case, that He should raise one who was also buried; and this He did in Lazarus. There are then those who have sin inwardly in the heart, but have it not yet in overt act. A man, for instance, is disturbed by any lust. For the Lord Himself Matt. 5, saith, Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. He has not yet in body approached her, but in heart he has consented; he has one dead within, he has not yet carried him out. And as it often happens, as we know, as men daily experience in themselves, when they hear the word of God, as it were the Lord saying, Arise; the consent unto sin is condemned, they breathe again unto saving health and righteousness. The dead man in the house arises, the heart revives in the secret of the thoughts. This resurrection of a dead soul takes place within, in the retirement of the conscience, as it were within the walls of the house. Others after consent proceed to overt act, carrying out the dead as it were, that that which was concealed in secret, may appear in public. Are these now, who have advanced to the outward act, past hope? Was it not said to the young man in the Gospel also, I say unto thee, Arise? Was he not also restored to his mother? So then he too who has committed the open act, if haply admonished and aroused by the word of truth, he rise again at the Voice of Christ, is restored alive. Go so far he could, perish for ever he could not. But they who by doing what is evil, involve themselves even in evil habit, so that this very habit

The buried, habitual sin; consent, act, habit, degrees in death. 385

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of evil suffers them not to see that it is evil, become defenders SERM. of their evil deeds; are angry when they are found fault with; to such a degree, that the men of Sodom of old said to the righteous man who reproved their abominable design, Thou Gen. 19, art come to sojourn, not to give laws. So powerful in that 9. place was the habit of abominable filthiness, that profligacy now passed for righteousness, and the hinderer of it was found fault with rather than the doer. Such as these pressed down by a malignant habit, are as it were buried. Yea, what shall I say, Brethren? In such sort buried, as was said of Lazarus, By this time he stinketh. That heap placed upon the grave, John11, is this stubborn force of habit, whereby the soul is pressed 39. down, and is not suffered either to rise, or breathe again.

Ibid.

6. Now it was said, He hath been dead four days. So in vi. truth the soul arrives at that habit, of which I am speaking by a kind of four-fold progress. For there is first the provocation as it were of pleasure in the heart, secondly consent, thirdly the overt act, fourthly the habit. For there are those who so entirely throw off things unlawful from their thoughts, as not even to feel any pleasure in them. There are those who do feel the pleasure, and do not consent to them; death is not yet perfected, but in a certain sort begun. To the feeling of pleasure is added consent; now at once is that condemnation incurred. After the consent, progress is made unto the open act; the act changes into a habit; and a sort of desperate condition is produced, so as that it may be said, He hath been dead four days, by this time he stinketh. Therefore, the Lord came, to Whom of course all things were easy; yet He found in that case as it were a kind of difficulty. He groaned in the spirit, ver. 38. He shewed that there is need of much and loud remonstrance to raise up those who have grown hard by habit. Yet at the voice of the Lord's cry, the bands of necessity were burst asunder. The powers of hell trembled, and Lazarus is restored alive. For the Lord delivers even from evil habits those who have been dead four days; for this man in the Gospel, who had been dead four days, was asleep only in respect of Christ Whose will it was to raise him again. But what said He? Observe the manner of his arising again. He came forth from the tomb alive, but he could not walk. said to the disciples; Loose him, and let him go.

сс

And the Lord

He raised ver. 44.

386 Xt gives life, His Apostles set free; penitents wholly cleansed.

SERM. him from death, they loosed him from his bonds. Observe [98. B. how there is something which appertaineth to the special

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18.

vii.

Majesty of God Who raiseth up. A man involved in an evil habit is rebuked by the word of truth. How many are rebuked, and give no ear! Who is it then who deals within with him who does give ear? Who breathes life into him within? Who is it who drives away the unseen death, gives the life unseen? After rebukes, after remonstrances, are not men left alone to their own thoughts, do they not begin to turn over in their minds how evil a life they are living, with how very bad a habit they are weighed down? Then displeased with themselves, they determine to change their life. Such have risen again; they to whom what they have been is displeasing have revived: but though reviving, they are not able to walk. These are the bands of their guilt. Need then there is, that whoso has returned to life should be loosed, and let go. This Mat. 18, office hath He given to the disciples to whom He said, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven also. 7. Let us then, dearly Beloved, in such wise hear these things, that they who are alive may live; they who are dead may live again. Whether it be that as yet the sin has been conceived in the heart, and not come forth into open act; let the thought be repented of, and corrected, let the dead within the house of conscience arise. Or whether he has actually committed what he thought of; let not even thus his case be despaired of. The dead within has not arisen, let him arise when he is carried out. Let him repent him of his deed, let him at once return to life; let him not go to the depth of the grave, let him not receive the load of habit upon him. But peradventure I am now speaking to one, who is already pressed down by this hard stone of his own habit, who is already laden with the weight of custom, who has been in the grave four days already, and who stinketh. Yet let not even him despair; he is dead in the depth below, but Christ is exalted on high. He knows how by His cry to burst asunder the burdens of earth, He knows how to restore life within by Himself, and to deliver him to the disciples to be loosed. Let even such as these repent. For when Lazarus had been raised again after the four days, no foul smell remained in him when he was alive. So then let them who are alive, still

H. Scr. pictures stories to y heart; devotion of penitent at feast.387

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live; and let them who are dead, whosoever they be, in SERM. which kind soever of these three deaths they find themselves, [98. B.J see to it that they rise again at once with all speed.

SERMON XLIX. [XCIX. BEN.]

On the words of the Gospel, Luke vii. " And behold a woman in the city which was a sinner," &c. On the remission of sins, against the Donatists.

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i.

1. SINCE I believe that it is the will of God that I should speak to you on the subject, whereof we are now reminded by the words of the Lord out of the Holy Scriptures, I will by His assistance deliver to you, Beloved, a Sermon touching the remission of sins. For when the Gospel was being read, ye gave most earnest heed, and the story was reported, and represented before the eyes of your heart. For ye saw, not with the body, but with the mind, the Lord Jesus Christ Luke 7, sitting at meat in the Pharisee's house, and when invited by him, not disdaining to go. Ye saw too a woman famous in the city, famous indeed in ill fame, who was a sinner, without invitation force her way into the feast, where her physician was at meat, and with an holy shamelessness seek for health. She forced her way then, as it were unseasonably as regarded the feast, but seasonably as regarded her expected blessing; (for she well knew under how severe a disease she was labouring, and she knew that He to Whom she had come was able to make her whole; she approached then, not to the Head of the Lord, but to His Feet; and she who had walked long in evil, sought now the steps of Uprightness. First she shed tears, the heart's blood; and washed the Lord's Feet with the duty of confession. She wiped them with her hair, she kissed, she anointed them: she spake by her silence; she uttered not a word, but she manifested her devotion.

2. So then because she touched the Lord, in watering, ii. kissing, washing, anointing His feet; the Pharisee who had invited the Lord Jesus Christ, seeing He was of that kind of proud men of whom the Prophet Isaiah says, Who say, Isa. 65, Depart far from me, touch me not, for I am clean; thought 5. Sept.