attend to the duties of our day, station, and calling, and then leave the event to God. In the path of duty all will turn out right. Calvin, Bullinger, Gualter, and Brentius, take much the same view.

Leigh remarks, "Christ comforts from God's providence. God made the day twelve hours. Who can make it shorter? Who can shorten man's life?"

Does it not come to this, that our Lord would have the disciples know that He Himself could not take harm till His day of work was over, and that they could take no harm while He was with them? (Compare Luke xiii. 32, 33.) Bishop Ellicott suggests that this was the very time in our Lord's ministry when He said to the Pharisee, "I do cures to-day and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. Nevertheless I must walk to-day and tomorrow and the day following." But I doubt this.

It is certain that there came a time when our Lord said, "This is your hour, and the power of darkness," to His enemies. Then He was taken, and His disciples fled.

11.-[These things...our friend Lazarus...sleepeth.] In this verse our Lord breaks the fact that Lazarus is dead, to His disciples. He does it in words of matchless beauty and tenderness. After saying "these things" about the twelve hours of the day, which we have considered in the last verse, He seems to make a slight pause. Then, "after that," comes the announcement, which would be more literally rendered, "Lazarus, the friend of us, has been laid asleep."

The word " sleepeth” means, "is dead." It is a gentle and pathetic way of expressing the most painful of events that can befall man, and a most suitable one, when we remember that after death comes resurrection. In dying we are not annihilated. Like sleepers, we lie down, to rise again. Estius well remarks, "Sleeping, in the sense of dying, is only applied to men, because of the hope of the resurrection. We read no such thing of brutes."

The use of the figure is so common in Scripture, that it is almost needless to give references. (See Deut. xxxi. 16; Daniel xii. 2; Matt. xxvii. 52; Acts vii. 60; xiii. 36; 1 Cor. vii. 39; xi. 30; xv. 6—18; 1 Thess. iv. 13, 14.) But it is a striking fact that the figure is frequently used by great heathen writers, showing clearly that the tradition of a life after death existed even among the heathen. Homer, Sophocles, Virgil, Catullus, supply instances. However, the Christian believer is the only one who can truly

regard death as sleep, that is, as a healthy, refreshing thing, which can do him no harm. Many among ourselves, perhaps, are not aware that the figure of speech exists among us in full force in the word "cemetery," applied to burial ground. That word is drawn from the very Greek verb which our Lord uses here. It is literally a "sleeping place."

The word "friend," applied to Lazarus, gives a beautiful idea of the relation between the Lord Jesus and all His believing people. Each one is His "friend,”—not servant, or subject only, but "friend." A poor believer has no cause to be ashamed. He has a Friend greater than kings and nobles, who will show Himself friendly to all eternity. A dead saint lying in the grave is not cut off from Christ's love: even in his grave, he is still the friend of Christ.

The expression "our," attached to friend, teaches the beautiful lesson that every friend of Christ is or should be the friend of all Christians. Believers are all one family of brothers and sisters, and members of one body. Lazarus was not "my" friend, but 'our" friend. If any one is a friend of Christ, every other believer should be ready and willing to hold out his hand to him, and say, "You are my friend."

When our Lord says, "I go that I may awaken him out of sleep," He proclaims His deliberate intention and purpose to raise Lazarus from the dead. He boldly challenges the attention of the disciples, and declares that He is going to Bethany, to restore a dead man to life. Never was bolder declaration made. None surely would make it but One who knew that He was very God.

"I go," is equivalent to saying, "I am at once setting forth on a journey to Bethany." The expression that "I may awake him out of sleep," is one word in Greek, and is equivalent to "that I may unsleep him." What our Lord went to do at Bethany, He is soon coming to do for all our friends who are asleep in Christ. He is coming to awaken them.

Some commentators have thought that Lazarus died in the very moment that our Lord said, "Our friend sleepeth," and that it means, "Lazarus has just fallen asleep and died." But this is only conjecture, though doubtless our Lord knew the moment of his decease.

Let it be noted that our Lord says, "I go," in the singular number, and not "Let us go.' Does it not look as if He meant, "Whether you like to go or not, I intend to go"?

Hall remarks, "None can awaken Lazarus out of this sleep, but He that made Lazarus. Every mouse or gnat can raise us up from that other sleep; none but an omnipotent power from this." 12. [Then said...disciples...sleep...well.] It seems strange that the disciples should misunderstand our Lord's words, considering how commonly death was called sleep. But their unwillingness to go into Judæa probably made them shut their eyes to our Lord's real meaning.

Most writers think that the disciples referred to the general opinion, that sleep in a sickness is a sign of amendment. Some, however, suggest that they had gathered from the messenger sent by Martha and Mary what was the precise nature of Lazarus' illness, and therefore knew that it was one in which sleep was a favourable symptom.

The Greek word for "he shall do well," is curious. It is the same that is often rendered, "shall be made whole." Sometimes it is "healed," and generally "saved."

The latent thought is manifest: "If Lazarus sleeps, he is getting better, and there is no need of our going to Judæa."

13.-[Howbeit Jesus spake, etc.] This verse is one of those explanatory glosses which St. John frequently puts into his narrative parenthetically. The three first words of the verse would be more literally rendered, "But Jesus had spoken."

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How the disciples could have "thought" or 'supposed" that our Lord meant literal sleep, and not death, seems strange, when we remember that Peter, James, and John, had heard Him use the same expression after the death of the ruler's daughter : "The maid sleepeth." (Matt. ix. 24.) Two probable reasons may be assigned :-one is that they had heard from the messenger that Lazarus' recovery turned on his getting sleep, and that if he only got some sleep he might do well; the other is that they were so afraid of returning to Judæa, that they determined to believe Lazarus was getting better, and to construe our Lord's words in the way most agreeable to their fears. It is common to observe that men will not understand what they do not want to understand.

Quesnel remarks here, "The misunderstanding of the Apostles was a great instance of stupidity, and shows plainly how sensual and carnal their minds still were. The knowledge of this is useful in order to convince incredulous persons that the Apostles were

not of themselves capable either of converting the world, or of inventing the wonderful things and sublime discourses which they relate."

The readiness of the disciples to misunderstand figurative language is curiously shown in two other places, where our Lord spoke of "leaven" and "meat." (Matt. xvi. 6; John iv. 32.) 14.-[Then said...plainly...Lazarus...dead.] Here at last our Lord breaks the fact of Lazarus' death to His disciples openly, and without any further reserve. He had approached the subject gently and delicately, and thus prepared their minds for something painful, by steps. First He said simply, "Let us go into Judæa,’ without assigning a reason. Secondly He said, "Lazarus sleepeth." Lastly He says, "Lazarus is dead." There is a beautiful consideration for feelings in these three steps. It is a comfortable thought that our mighty Saviour is so tender-hearted and gentle. It is an instructive lesson to us on the duty of dealing gently with others, and specially in announcing afflictions.

The word rendered "plainly" is the same as in John x. 24. Here, as there, it does not mean "in plain, intelligible language” so much as "openly, unreservedly, and without mystery.” 15.-[And I am glad...not there...believe.] This sentence would be more literally rendered, "And I rejoice on account of you, in order that ye may believe, that I was not there. Our Lord evidently means that He was glad that He was not at Bethany when Lazarus became ill, and had not healed him before his death, as in all probability He would have done. The result now would be most advantageous to the disciples. Their faith would receive an immense confirmation, by witnessing the stupendous miracle of Lazarus being raised from the dead. Thus great good, in one respect, would come out of great evil. The announcement they had just heard might be very painful and distressing, but He, as their Master, could not but be glad to think how mightily their faith would be strengthened in the end.

Let us note that our Lord does not say, "I am glad Lazarus is dead, but I am glad I was not there." Had He been there, He seems to say, He could not have refused the prayer of Martha and Mary, to heal His friend. We are not intended to be so unfeeling as to rejoice in the death of Christian friends: but we may rejoice in the circumstances attending their deaths, and the glory redounding to Christ, and the benefit accruing to saints from them.

Let us note that our Lord does not say, "I am glad for the sake of Martha and Mary and Lazarus that I am not there, but for your sakes." It is no pleasure to Him to see His individual members suffering, weeping, and dying; but He does rejoice to see the good of many spring out of the suffering of a few. Hence He permits some to be afflicted, in order that many may be instructed through their afflictions. This is the key to the permission of evil in the world: it is for the good of the many. ourselves are allowed of God to suffer, we must remember this. We must believe there are wise reasons why God does not come to our help at once and take the suffering away.

When we

Let us note our Lord's desire that His disciples "may believe." He did not mean that they might believe now for the first time, but that they might believe more firmly, heartily, and unhesitatingly; that their faith in short might receive a great increase by seeing Lazarus raised. We see here the immense importance of faith. To believe on Christ, and trust God's word, is the first step towards heaven. To believe more and trust more, is the real secret of Christian growth, progress, and prosperity. To make us believe more is the end of all Christ's dealings with us. (See John xiv. 1.)

[Nevertheless let us go unto him.] The first word here would be more literally rendered "But." It is as though our Lord said, "But let us delay no longer : let us cast aside all fears of danger; let us go to our friend."

It is note-worthy that our Lord says, "let us go to Lazarus," though he was dead, and would be buried by the time they reached Bethany. Can it be that the disciples thought He had David's words about his dead child in His mind, "I shall go to him"? The words of Thomas, in the next verse, seem to make it possible.

We may notice three gradations in our Lord's language about going to Bethany. The first, in the 7th verse: there He says in the plural, "Let us all go into Judæa."-The second, in verse 11 : there He says in the singular, "I go to awake him :" as though He was ready to go alone.—The third is here in the plural, "Let us all go."

Toletus thinks that by these words our Lord meant to hint His intention of raising Lazarus.

Burkitt remarks, "O love, stronger than death! The grave cannot separate Christ and his friends. Other friends accompany