Volume II Part 9 (1/2)

The value of the mercies we are required to seek is such as ought to excite our utmost importunity. If the Syrophenician woman were so eager and so persevering in order to obtain a temporal blessing, surely it becomes us to manifest at least an equal zeal for spiritual good. She entreated the cure of her possessed daughter; we are a.s.sured that ”ALL things whatsoever we ask in prayer, believing, we shall receive.” At the voice of prayer the treasures of grace are unlocked, the windows of heaven opened, the riches of eternity dispensed. The language of _pet.i.tion_ ascends above the language of _praise_, and is heard amidst the songs of angels. ”O thou that hearest _prayer_, unto thee shall all flesh come.”

The interesting consideration, that this woman was a _Canaanite_, ought not to be overlooked. This people was particularly denounced by Noah in the person of their guilty progenitor, and in the following terms: ”Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.” The descendants of Canaan, that is, primarily of Ham, were remarkably wicked and idolatrous. ”Their religion,” as bishop Newton observes, ”was bad, and their morality, if possible, worse; for corrupt religion and corrupt morals usually generate each other, and go hand in hand together.” Some centuries after their predicted subjugation to the yoke of Shem and j.a.pheth, the Israelites, under the command of Joshua, smote thirty of their kings, and Solomon made such as were not before extirpated or enslaved his tributaries. The Greeks and Romans afterward subdued Syria and Palestine, and conquered the Tyrians and Carthaginians. Subsequently to this period, the Saracens, and finally the Turks, fastened upon them the iron yoke of servitude.

Behold, then, from among the accursed Canaanites, a woman outstrips in zeal and faith thousands, and tens of thousands, who were her superiors in birth and privilege; and Jesus withholds not his blessing from this insignificant Gentile! What an encouragement to the meanest, the obscurest, and the most unworthy, to apply with instant haste to this Almighty Saviour! His free and abundant salvation is dispensed to penitents irrespectively of national distinctions or individual demerit; and, instead of its being derogatory to his dignity to condescend to persons of low estate, he chose to publish his Gospel to the poor, and to ”save the children of the needy.” ”His blood cleanseth from _all_ sin.” He came ”not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” We have here a specimen and pledge of the influence of Christ and his salvation.

He is become the centre of universal attraction, the powerful magnet of the world, pervading by his influence the moral creation, and gradually drawing all into himself. The designs of mercy were now enlarging, the scale of its operations extending, and the ancient lines of demarcation between Jew and Gentile were overstepped by the zeal of the Lord of Hosts.

In the person of this Canaanite we witness the first ”lively stone”

brought from the Gentile quarry, and placed on the chief corner-stone of the great spiritual edifice of the Christian church. ”They shall come,”

said our Saviour, ”from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.”

The present condition of the Jews forms an awful contrast, to those clays of boasted pre-eminence, How are they, who once regarded all other nations as dogs, become contemptible in consequence of their treatment of the Son of G.o.d, while the cordial reception given him by many Gentile nations has elevated them into the dignity of children! For nearly eighteen centuries the once honored people of the Jews have been dispersed in every direction upon the surface of the globe. They furnish an example of one of these dreadful recriminations of Providence which have sometimes been inflicted on atrocious sinners in their collective and national capacities. Never did the universe before witness so astonis.h.i.+ng a spectacle, as a nation destroyed as a nation, but preserved as individuals--preserved to suffer, and to be accounted the offscouring of all things. At this moment they are dest.i.tute of a temple, a priest, a sacrifice, a country, and a king. The temporal dominion of their rulers and the succession of their priests have ceased since the destruction of Jerusalem. No oblations and sacrifices now exist. The fire burns no longer on the holy altar--the incense ascends no more from the demolished temple--the flood of ages has swept away the sacred edifices, and Desolation sits enthroned upon their ruins. The house of Israel is, in consequence of the rejection of Christ, become a spectacle to angels and to men--a melancholy monument of wo, on which the hand of recriminating justice has inscribed in legible characters a condemnatory sentence, which is read with silent awe by the inhabitants of heaven, and by every king, and people, and nation of the globe.--But the period of Jewish dispersion is hasting to its close. Party names and ancient prejudices shall soon disappear, and mankind of every cla.s.s and country be eternally united in one blessed fraternity. ”And it shall come to pa.s.s in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from a.s.syria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from s.h.i.+nah, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall a.s.semble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.”--”Other sheep,” said Christ, ”I have, which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice: and there shall be one fold and one shepherd,”

Martha and Mary.

Chapter VII.

Bethany distinguished as the Residence of a pious Family, which consisted of Lazarus and his two Sisters--their diversity of Character--the Faults of Martha, domestic Vanity and fretfulness of Temper--her counterbalancing Excellences--Mary's Choice and Christ's Commendation--Decease of Lazarus--his Restoration to Life at the Voice of Jesus--Remarks on Death being inflicted upon the People of G.o.d as well as others--the Triumph which Christianity affords over this terrible Evil--Account of Mary's anointing the Feet of Jesus, and his Vindication of her Conduct.

Almost every spot in the vicinity of Jerusalem may be regarded as ”holy ground.” The enraptured imagination cannot traverse this district without recalling the many wonderful transactions that occurred there in different periods of the Jewish history, but especially during the personal residence of the Son of G.o.d upon the earth. Within the small circ.u.mference of a few miles round the city, what a mult.i.tude of great events have taken place! What miracles have been wrought! What mercies have been distributed! What doctrines have been revealed! What characters have appeared! What a development has been made of human nature! What a surprising display of the perfections of the blessed G.o.d! What an exhibition of the love of the incarnate Redeemer! Who, then, can think without emotion, of Bethlehem--of Bethpage--of Bethany--of Mount Olivet--of the brook Kedron--of Emmaus--and of Calvary?

Excepting only that mountain where Jesus ”suffered, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to G.o.d,” and where ”once in the end of the world” he ”put away sin by the sacrifice of himself,” the village of Bethany may, perhaps, be considered as the most interesting point in this all-attractive scene. It is situated at the foot of the Mount of Olives, on the way to Jericho. To this neighborhood the Son of G.o.d frequently retired for meditation and prayer; thence he began to ride in triumph to Jerusalem; thither he repaired after eating the last supper with his disciples, and there they witnessed his ascending glory and heard his last benediction--for ”he led them out as far as to Bethany; and he lifted up his hands and blessed them. And it came to pa.s.s, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. And they wors.h.i.+pped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and were continually in the temple, praising and blessing G.o.d.”

Bethany, however, claims our present attention chiefly as being the residence of one of the ”households of faith,” with whom our Saviour was particularly intimate, and with whose history some remarkable circ.u.mstances are connected. It was a small but happy family, consisting of only three members, Lazarus, Martha, and Mary. The two sisters, though united by the ties of nature, and the still dearer bond of grace, were distinguished by a considerable dissimilarity of character, which will furnish us with some instruction. While charmed into an effort to imitate remarkable persons by a description of their excellences, it is of great importance to notice their defects, not only for the purpose of avoiding them, but that we may not be overawed into despondency and paralyzed into inaction by their superiority. Biography, to be useful, must be brought to our level, capacities, and circ.u.mstances. We must see excellence that is _attainable_, and view the same infirmities which are incident to our nature, acting in our sphere, and struggling with perplexities, resistance, vicissitude, and trial, similar to what we ourselves experience. The appeal is powerful when we are called upon to be ”followers of them who,” though circ.u.mstanced as we are, ”through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

”Once they were mourners here below.

And wet their couch with tears; They wrestled hard, as we do now, With sins, and doubts, and fears.”

A history of angels might, indeed, excite our admiration, but would conduce less to our real improvement than a history of our fellow-creatures. We wish to witness the actions, and to be admitted into the secret feelings, of those who, whatever elevation they may have since obtained, were once in the same probationary state with ourselves, and subjected to the same course of moral discipline. In this view it is desirable to be introduced into the privacies of domestic life. It is in the family and at the fireside we all occupy some station, and have some appropriate duties to discharge; and on this account the narrative before us is pre-eminently attractive. We are led to the native village--the chosen residence--the family--the fireside--the _home_--of Martha and Mary. We see them in all the undisguised reality of private life, and partic.i.p.ate at once their pleasures and their pains. We join the social circle. We hear the Saviour conversing with them. We see them in affliction--the common lot, the patrimony to which are all born--and while we partic.i.p.ate their sorrows, learn to sustain and profit by our own.

In vain, to the great purposes of spiritual improvement, do we read the lives of statesmen, heroes princes, philosophers, poets, orators, and the mighty dead that emblazon the historic page. They excite our astonishment, and perhaps our pity, and some moral lessons may be gained from their reverses or the varieties of their characters; but the most useful history is the history of religion--religion in the village, and in the family--religion as exhibited at Bethany, in the house of Martha and Mary.

It is a pleasing peculiarity of this household, that they were _all_ the devoted disciples of Jesus Christ. Lazarus appears to have been a solid, established professor of religion, and of the two sisters it is recorded, they ”sat at Jesus's feet.” We do not hear of another disciple in the whole village, and all Judea could furnish but few, if any, similar instances of three in a single dwelling; three solitary lights amidst surrounding darkness; three flowers expanding to the newly risen Sun of Righteousness, and blooming in a desolate wilderness. The dispensations of providence and of grace are sometimes mysterious to the human eye, and we feel disposed to inquire into the reasons why so few were touched by divine influences, and bidden to follow Christ during his incarnation?

Could not that same commanding authority which drew twelve apostles and seventy disciples into his train, and that same power which kindled the lamp of truth in one village or city, and left another in moral darkness, have filled Judea and the world with the glory of the Lord? Could not that energy which pervades the universe, and imparts such inconceivable fleetness to the morning beam when it irradiates the earth, have spread the knowledge of salvation with equal rapidity, and multiplied the disciples like the drops of dew?--Undoubtedly. No limits can be a.s.signed to divine efficiency; but in the present state no explanations are afforded of the secret principles of his eternal government. Curiosity may often be disposed to inquire, with one of the hearers of Christ, ”Lord, are there few that shall be saved?” But Scripture checks such investigations, and admonishes us rather to cherish an availing solicitude for our personal salvation: ”Strive to enter in at the strait gate.”

The state even of the civilized world at this day is truly deplorable.

Although whole nations profess the Christian faith, yet every city, every village, and almost every hamlet, contains families in which there is not a single disciple of Jesus. The sun rises and sets upon a prayerless roof.

No altar is erected to G.o.d--no love exists to the Saviour--nothing to attract his attachment or to furnish a subject for angelic joy--no repentance--no faith--and none of ”the peace of G.o.d which pa.s.seth all understanding.” Whatever may be the temporal circ.u.mstances of such families, Christian benevolence cannot avoid weeping over their spiritual condition. In many cases, the society admitted into their houses is of a most pernicious cla.s.s. Uninfluenced by the sentiments of David, who said, ”I am a companion of all them that fear thee,” the friends.h.i.+ps they form are but too plainly indicative of their own principles. You will not see them, like Martha and Mary, choosing the excellent of the earth, and welcoming Christ or his disciples to their tables, to share their comforts, to refine and improve their intercourse; but if they occupy a high station in life, the gay, the dissipated, or the thoughtless--if in an inferior situation, the vulgar, the sordid, the intemperate, and the profane, frequent their dwellings. Religion is in both cases too often treated with ridicule and contempt, vilified as mean-spirited in its principle, and enthusiastic in its pretensions; and the truth of the Gospel treated, as its Author was when upon earth, and would be were he still incarnate, with contemptuous rejection.

Some pleasing exceptions may be found to these observations. In many families exist at least _one_ example of genuine piety--an Abijah in the impious family of a Jeroboam. There is reason to congratulate young persons especially who dare to be singular, to incur reproach, and to dismiss prejudices. The conquest in such instances is proportionably honorable as the propensity in human nature is powerful to follow a mult.i.tude to do evil. Such holy daring possesses great attractions, and the most beneficial consequences have been known to result. The child has become instrumental to the conversion of the parent, the parent to that of the child; the brother has proved a blessing to the sister, the wife to her husband: ”for what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shall save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shall save thy wife?” In other instances the sword of division is sharpened, and the discordances already existing become more settled, more irreconcileable, and more violent. The natural mind betrays its malignant animosity against the spiritual principle, ”and he that is born after the flesh persecutes him that is born after the Spirit.” But here the whole family was of ”one heart and of one soul.” Religion was the law of the family, and the bond of delightful union. They were possessed of one spirit; and, as Bishop Hall observes, ”jointly agreed to entertain Christ.”

Can it be doubted, that the favored dwelling of Martha and Mary contained a very large portion of domestic felicity--a felicity founded on the n.o.blest basis, cemented by the tenderest affection, and stamped with an immortal character? The religion of Jesus is indeed calculated to diffuse real happiness wherever it prevails; although, as we have intimated, it may become the _occasion_ of discord in consequence of the perverseness of human nature. Sin has disordered the mental and moral const.i.tution of man, and thrown the world into a state of anarchy. The unbridled dominion of the pa.s.sions disturbs the peace of the individual, and the harmony of society. Sin makes a man at variance with himself, with his neighbors, with his nearest connections, and with the whole const.i.tution of the universe. He becomes restless as the ocean, impelled by every contrary wind, and tost about by every sportive billow. The desire of happiness exists, but he is ignorant how to obtain it, and pursues those means which only plunge him into greater misery. To this cause may be attributed all the mental distresses and all the bodily afflictions of individuals--the disturbances which too often prevent domestic enjoyment--the bickerings and jealousies of families with their various alliances--the animosities that annoy social life--the intestine broils, ambitious emulations, and endless contentions, that distract a state, with every other form and mode of evil. Hence the importance of promoting that kingdom which is ”righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost;” the basis of which is the truth which Christ came into the world to propagate. It is this, and this only, which renders mankind happy in every connection. It will harmonize and felicitate to whatever extent it is diffused. It will allay the discord of families, pacify the turbulence of nations, and silence the din of war. There will be ”great joy” in the heart, in the family, in the city, and in the world. Under this influence ”the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf, and the young lion, and the fattling together, and a little child shall lead them.... They shall not hurt nor destroy in all G.o.d's holy mountain.”

One, however, as Martha and Mary were in principle, they differed in character. When our Saviour first entered the house, it appears that they both welcomed him, and listened for a time to his instructions. He was in no haste for any refreshment, but eagerly improved every moment to benefit his beloved friends. It was his meat and drink to do the Father's will, and no kindness could afford him such satisfaction as a devout attention to his words. It was, in fact, less to receive than to communicate that he turned aside on his journey to visit these happy sisters. But if, at first, they both attended to the ”gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth,” Martha, anxious to furnish a suitable repast for their guest, withdrew to make what she deemed the necessary preparations. Mary continued riveted to the spot by a conversation which she could on no terms relinquish. She would not lose a word. Every faculty was absorbed in attention. Her eldest sister busied herself for sometime with her preparations, till at length becoming impatient, she hastily demanded of Jesus to send Mary to her a.s.sistance. This intrusion incurred the memorable censure, ”Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things, but one thing is needful; and Mary hath chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her.”

The defective points of Martha's character seem to have been two. The first of these was domestic vanity and parade. Upon the arrival of her divine guest she is ”c.u.mbered about much serving,” anxious not only to show a becoming hospitality, but to provide a great entertainment. In this she betrayed a false estimate of our Saviour's spirit. He who willingly submitted to every deprivation during his earthly career--who suffered hunger, and thirst, and peril, and wretchedness, in every form, although he could have commanded ten legions of angels to guard his life, or to supply his necessities, could not have felt a moment's anxiety respecting the abundance or the quality of the provision. This worthy woman not only knew that he could have turned every stone of the wilderness into bread, had he wished to pamper his appet.i.te by luxurious living, but she had surely sufficient opportunities to perceive his disposition, and the perfect exemption of his mind from any kind of concern about his own accommodation. Her anxiety was therefore mistaken in its object, as well as excessive in its degree. And while remarking upon this subject, O that we could impress upon all the ministers of his word the necessity of imitating the conduct of their Master! It becomes them, as his avowed disciples, and as persons who are perpetually exhorting others to self-denial and courteousness, to manifest no care about their own convenience, to give as little trouble as possible to those who, for the sake of their office and their Master, treat tthemwith kind hospitality, and to receive even a cup of cold water in a spirit corresponding to that in which humble piety bestows it.

While thus betraying a false estimate of Christ, Martha's princ.i.p.al fault becomes glaringly conspicuous. She is full of bustle, full of eagerness.

Her servants were, probably, dispatched in every direction to prepare a sumptuous meal. Every thing must be in order; every dish in place. The food, the arrangement, the preparation of every description, she was probably solicitous should do her credit, as well as display the undoubted affection which she cherished for her Lord. Who can tell what she lost by her excessive care! He, ”in whom dwelt all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,” was, during all this time, conversing with her sister; and would have freely communicated the same instructions to her, had not she precluded herself by needless anxieties.