now, as I have so often, and so largely, dwelt upon them before; that, I trust, they occur to your own minds as I read the story, that the care of the soul is the "one thing needful," and that listening to the word of Jesus is that good part" which we must not suffer to be "taken away from us." Here, however, no mention is made of Lazarus: but St. John, at the beginning of the eleventh chapter says,

"Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) Therefore, his sister sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the son of God might be glorified thereby. Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. When he had heard, therefore, that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was. Then, after that, saith he to his disciples, Let us go into Judea again. His disciples say unto him, master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again? Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. But, if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him. These things said he and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth, but I go go that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit, Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. And I am glad, for your sakes, that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe: nevertheless, let us go unto him. Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellow-disciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him. Then, when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already. (Now Bethany

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was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off.) And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him but Mary sat still in the house. Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that, even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha said unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live : And whosoever liveth, and believeth in me, shall never die."

Jesus here calls himself THE RESURRECTION and THE LIFE, because it is through BIM that man will rise from the dead; and those who receive him as their Saviour will live for ever in the blessedness of heaven. And this he effects by a divine power residing in himself. Jesus said to the Jews, John ii. 19,"Destroy this temple," it is said, verse 21,"he spake of the temple of his body."" and, in three days, I will raise it up Again, John xi. 17, 18, he says, "Therefore, doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me," that is, against my will and consent,- but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again." And, in respect to us, he said, John vi. 40, "This is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life and I will raise him up at the last day."

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Jesus then is truly THE RESURRECTION, and THE LIFE. And he said to Martha, (verse 26) "Believest thou this? She saith unto him, Yea, Lord, I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world. And, when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee. As

soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him."Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him. The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily, and went out, followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there. Then, when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. When Jesus, therefore, saw ber weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, and said, Where have ye laid him? They say unto him, Lord, come, and see. Jesus wept. Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him! And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused, that even this man should not have died? Jesus, therefore, again groaning in himself, cometh to the grave. (It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.) Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time, he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid.

"And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou has heard me: And I knew that thou hearest me always but because of the people which stand by, I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And, when he had thus spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave-clothes and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let' him go. Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him."

This narrative is at once so simple, so sublime, so beautiful, and so affecting, that it would bave injured,

and not have improved it, to have added any explanatious or paraphrase. I have been led to the choice of it this day, partly as being suitable to the great subject of the day, THE RESURRECTION and THE LIFE,—the life to come,—and partly on account of the presence of the members of The United Friendly Society at their Anniversary, and who, eight weeks ago, this day, attended together, in this church, upon the corpse, and stood as mourners round the grave of one, whom they and I called our Friend. Our friend sleepeth,-sleepeth in death. Not indeed in a sleep from which we expect to see him awakened, and raised to life again in this state of things; but He who raised Lazarus from the sleep of death, hath said, John v. 24-29, " Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word; and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shail hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For, as the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of Man. Marvel not at this for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation."

This is an awful, an all-important alternative! And how may we think that it stands with our friend ? Did he so hear the word of Jesus, and believe on Him that sent him, and so do good, that we may reasonably trust hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life?" A short review of his life, as the remainder of our time may allow, will, I trust, convince us, that we " should

be

The yearly feast of the Society is on Easter Monday, and the Society meet in the afternoon of the day preceding, and walk in procession to the Church to attend divine service.

not sorrow as those which have no hope:" (1 Thes. iv 13) but rather rejoice in hope." (Romans v. 2. xii. 12.)

II. Cur friend THOMAS LANTAFFE was born in the neighbouring parish of Croxton, on the 21st of December, St. Thomas's day, 1779. His parents were most respectable. His pious widowed mother lived among us for many years, and died, a few years since, at a good old age. So long as her health permitted her, she was constant in her attendance upon the ordinances of religion, at Church and Sacrament. Our friend was brought up wholly by his father, (who kept a school, and was besides steward to Edward Leeds, Esq., and clerk to the Justices of Peace in the neighbourhood)* except that he was for one quarter of a year at a boarding school at St Neots, when at the age of 14 or 15.

His turn was always for books. But, being of a delicate constitution, and it being judged that a confined and sedentary occupation was not advisable for him, he was put apprentice to a butcher. I have heard him say what it was that determined his father and himself to an Occupation which seemed so little suited to his natural disposition; but I do not recollect the preci e circumstance: I think it was his father being intimate with a very respectable person in that business at Cambridge. He was put apprentice in February 1797, and continued till April 1801, when he came to this parish, to set up in his business, and to live with his sister and her husband and his mother. But he was unable to begin his business at first, on account of ill health, weakness of constitution, and a spitting of blood. He began, however, in the August of that year.

I myself came into this parish at Lady Day 1812, under circumstances of some difficulty It will be remembered by many of my bearers, that the Vicarage House was in a ruinous state; and being obliged to repair it at my own expense before I could inhabit it,

Mr. Thomas Lantaffe died February 26, 1798, aged 62 years. Elizabetit, his wife, died May 11, 1822, aged 79.