was the Son of God. They sought to kill him, not only because he had
broken the Sabbath by healing a man on that day, but also because he
said that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. In his
reply to them he uttered some of the most wonderful truths the world
has ever heard. He said: "THE DEAD SHALL HEAR."

In the ear of a Jew these words had an ominous ring. They could not
gainsay them in a direct way, because the Lord had, that very day, and
before their eyes, wrought a miracle which was almost equal to that of
making a dead man hear. It appears strange to us that any class of
people could harbor feelings of enmity toward one so kind and good as
Jesus was. But the Jews were a very proud people, and exceedingly
_vain_ in their imaginations. And because the Lord would not flatter
them, and give them credit for great knowledge and wisdom in divine
things, they fell out with him and hated him.

Jesus does not say that _all the dead shall hear_. But he does mean
that all shall have a chance and the power to hear if they will. But
who are the DEAD of whom he speaks? They are all who are not spiritually
alive; Jews and Gentiles. The Scriptures in many places speak of men
as _dead_ who are bodily alive. They are dead in one way, and alive in
another. I will explain this. In respect to faith in the Lord and love
to him, the Jews were dead. There was no spiritual life in them.
Jewish worship was all an outward, external thing. But God regards a
man's spirit, his heart. "For they that worship him must worship him
in spirit and in truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship him."

There stands a tree. It is just now in full bloom, and the sight is
beautiful. A few months ago that tree was dead in one sense and alive
in another. It was winter-dead. There were neither leaves, blossoms