LORD and SAVIOUR, .7E S US CHRIST. 75 prime, and followed to the grave by his weeping parent. With flow and folemn fteps, fcarce able to bear up under the load of herwoes, the mourning matron 'follows the dead to interment, attended by her affeaed friends and neighbours, who had firove in vain to comfort her for the lofs of her only fon ; for the young man was the only fon of his mother, on whom per- haps the depended for fupport ; and to render her affliEtion to the last degree heavy and infupportable, fhe was a widow. With tender pity our great Redeemer beheld this daughter of affliaion, and immediately exerted his divinepower for her relief. There was no need of any interceffor to prevail with the bleffed JEsus to attend to fuch a cafe as this ; his own compaffion was fufficient to excitehim to relieve her. The evangelift informs us, that when the Lord law her he had compagion on her, and gently approaching, he bid her forbear to weep. But fo great was her lofs that,it.had opened all the flukes of forrow, and it in vain tobid her refrain from tears. Her hufband was no more, and now the had loft her only fon, the furviving image of his de- parted father, and the-Haft hope of her affliaed foul, What comfort in the ordi- nary courfe -ofnature could be adminiflered to this mournful widow?' She had loft her hufband ; the had loft her fon. What diffrefs could be more overwhelming ? What cafe could be more deplorable? And how natural is it to fuppofe that the fhould refufe to be comforted ; and to determine to go down to the grave with mourning. Our Lord well knew the weight of her affliaion, and the heavy preffure of her prefent grief, and therefore ufed no. arguments to comforther ; but approaching the corps, he touched the bier. The funeral proceffion immediately flood Rill, and the whole train in filent expeltation awaited the event whenthat powerful voice,which one day the dead !hall hear, and they that hear Riall live, foon uttered thefe remarkable wdrds, Young man, .Ifay to thee, arfe. No fooner had our great Redeemer fpoke, but the joyful event followed ; he that was deadfat up, and began to fieak, and he reliored him to his mother. With what emotions of joy muff we fuppofe this mournful mother 'would receive her only fon thus unexpeEt- edly refcued from the cold arms of death ! What a flood oftendernefs wouldburn upon the foul, and with what gratitude and joy would the behold his great deliverer, who did not make any thew of this flupendous miracle amongft the multitude of his fol- lowers and the attendants on the funeral, but immediately delivered the revived young man to his late affliaed, but now wondering and rejoicing mother, as a teffi- mony"that-this great work was wrought in compaffion to her diftrefs. The furround- ing multitudes beheld this wonderful event with a mixture of aftonifhment, pleafure, holy awe, and fear; and they glorified God, laying, that a greatprophet is rifen among/l us, and that God bath 4fted his people. If we take a review of this miracle, we may obferve that it is liable fo no objeaion, and abundantly proves the exertion of divine power. It is to be obferved that it was wrought in the open field amongft a vaft number of fpeEtators. A great number of the inhabitants of the city attended the funeral ; they all bewailed the difconfolate Rate of the affliaed widow, and had the opportunity ofbeing fatisfied that the youth was really dead. Thepowerful word which called the dead man to life was delivered in an audible voice before all the company ; and this was done at the gate of the city, a place of general retort: every one had the opportunity of fatisfying themfelves that the young man was really reftored to life. There was no poflibilityof deception. nor room for objeaions of any kind ; and this miracle, joined with the rel wrought by the fame divine perron, abundantly proves that he was the Son of God, and the Saviour of finners. The fame of the wonderful works which JEsus conflAntly performed, was rapidly proclaimed
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