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pent, unless God, by some extraordinary methods, once more in mercy awakens in him some spiritual sense and feeling, which is but very seldom done, and more than can be hoped for; yet it is the man's improving these enlivening touches by a deep repentance, and thorough reformation, that must complete the cure.

It concerns us all, therefore, when we find God's rod upon us, with the greatest humility and unfeigned repentance to address ourselves to him who only hath power to forgive our iniquities and remove their punishments, Jesus that Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world; and with a constant importunity spread our sad case before him, begging his help and mercy as we would beg for life, and professing our most firm assurance, that, would he but speak the word only, we should be healed and then we need not doubt but that at length his bowels will yearn over us, and incline him to take off his correcting hand, and renew our strength, and set our hearts at liberty, and enable us to run with cheerfulness and patience the race that is set before us1.

And when, by his Divine assistance, we have fought the good fight, and finished our course, we shall, by his mercy and through his merits, receive the crown of righteousness at the day of retribution.

Lord, let thy merciful kindness be upon us, as we do put our trust in theen! Amen, Amen!

1 Heb. xii. 1.

m 2 Tim. iv. 7.

n Psalm xxxiii. 22.

THE SEVENTH MIRACLE.

The widow of Nain's son restored to life.

LUKE vii. 11.

And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people. Now when he came to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, &c.

AFTER our Saviour had cured the centurion's paralytic servant at Capernaum, and that at a distance, by saying only to the centurion, Go thy way, and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee, he went the next day to another neighbouring city called Nain, that there also he might preach the kingdom of God, and, as occasion offered, confirm the truth of his doctrine by miracles of mercy.

And when he drew nigh to the gate of the city, attended by many of his disciples, and much people from Capernaum, who, hearing of the miraculous cure he had wrought upon the centurion's servant, followed him to Nain, in hopes to see more of his wondrous works; he met with a new opportunity of shewing his Divine power, and convincing every man that he was the sent of God.

For behold, there was a dead man carried out of the city to be buried; he was the only son of his

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mother, and she was a widow, and much people of the city was with her, paying their last respects to the deceased, and attending the sad solemnities of so truly mournful a funeral. Nothing could be more affecting than such a sight as this; here was every thing that was apt to cause a mighty grief in the unhappy mother, and great compassion in every body else of any bowels.

The woman, it seems, had lost her husband before; and, I believe we may take it for granted, was thereby brought into a state of sorrow and trouble, in which her cares were doubled, and her best friend gone but God, with his usual goodness, had very much tempered and allayed this loss, by blessing her with a son, who grew up with her till he became capable of supplying his father's place, in all the instances of filial love, and duty, and assistance, which were owing to a most affectionate and indulgent mother, who had been to him a father and a mother both.

How passionately she loved this her son and only child, (as the original imports,) how all her comforts upon earth were centred in him, we may better imagine than express; especially if he was hopeful and promising, as we have reason to think he was, (though the gospel indeed says nothing of his character,) because it is observable that Jesus never restored any to life that were dead, but those who were pious and good, as Lazarus, and those saints that arose immediately after his own resurrection; or else whose tender age rendered them harmless and innocent, as Jairus's daughter, who was but twelve years old. For a second life would be too great a c Matt. xxvii. 52.

favour to be granted to such as had abused their first by wicked practices; and therefore they were always left to the common fate of sinful mankind, which is to live and die but onced, and then to come to judgment.

Now if this widow's son did thus deserve her tenderest affection, if she had reason to promise herself so much happiness in him, and her life was bound up in the life of the young man, as old Jacob's was in Benjamin, (for no love can be wanting in such a case as this, and it is well if it proceeds not to excess,) who can conceive the extremity of her grief when this joy of her life was dead? None, certainly, but such another sufferer.

To have the son of her vows, the only fruit of her womb, the stay of her widowhood, the staff of her age, the delight of her eyes, all that was lovely and dear to her on earth, snatched away from her in the very bloom of his years! to find those hopes, in which she lately pleased herself so much, all vanished in an instant, and in their room nothing but black and cutting thoughts, and a dismal prospect of a most uncomfortable life! such a sad change as this must needs fill the soul of so fond a mother with an unmeasurable sorrow, beyond what even she herself could be able to express, otherwise than by her sighs and tears and mournful accents. And therefore, when the prophet Jeremy called the Jews to the deepest and undissembled mourning for their sins, he words it thus: O daughter of my people, gird thee with sackcloth, and wallow thyself in

d Heb. ix. 27.

e Gen. xliv. 30.
K 4

f Prov. xxxi. 2.

ashes: make thee mourning, as for an only son, most bitter lamentations.

Nor can we blame the first motions even of an extraordinary grief upon such an extraordinary occasion; for religion does by no means oblige us wholly to divest ourselves of those affections which God himself hath given us, nor indeed would it be practicable, if it should. As long as we continue to be what now we are, that is, a composition of soul and body, our passions are as natural to us as our appetites, and, do what we can, will be excited by their proper objects: and we may as well pretend to be without hunger and thirst, or any inclination to eat and drink, when agreeable food and liquor is set before us, and nature wants a supply, as to be without any of our passions when such things occur as are apt to raise and move them.

There is the same foundation in nature for them both; and both are equally useful, and would be equally innocent, did we not indulge and humour them too much; for it is that only that makes either of them criminal and hurtful, and it makes them both so alike.

No wonder, therefore, if in such really sad circumstances, this poor woman here was in very great affliction; and that without any just reflection upon her religion, and submission to the will of God, provided she did not suffer it to proceed too far: for indeed the best people are always of the most tender impressible disposition, and our Saviour himself was remarkably so, as is evident from the whole story of his life, particularly when he saw this mournful

g Jer. vi. 26.

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