dead, bare record. And cry, Hosannah to the Son of David. 159 cxlvi. John raised him from the had lain part of four days, testified [it] to the SECT. strangers who were come up out of the country, and told them what a glorious miracle they had 18 For this cause been eye-witnesses to. [And] for this cause, XII. 18. among others, and indeed with a peculiar regard to this, the people also met him from the city in the manner which has been described above; be cause they heard that he had done this astonishing miracle, which, in some circumstances, exceeded any which he had wrought before. the people also met him, for that they heard that he had done this miracle. LUKE XIX. - 37. God with a loud voice, -MARK XI. 9.-1 name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. XIX. 37 And the whole multitude of the disciples that Luke [And] the whole mul- had attended him from Bethany, both they that titude of the disciples [that went before, and went before him, and they that followed after, in that followed,] began his triumphant procession, began greatly to reto rejoice and praise joice, and to praise God with a loud voice for all for all the mighty the mighty works and glorious miracles which works that they had they had seen performed by him on a great variety seen: [MAT. XXI. 9. of occasions, and which they now particularly 58 [And cried,] say. Called to mind. [And] as they now were met 38 ing, Hosanna to the by a vast concourse of people from Jerusalem, Son of David;] blessed they joined together in their triumphs and con[is he, even] the king that cometh in the gratulations; and cried with all their might, saying, "Hosannah to the great illustrious Son of David, who now vouchsafes to make his public appearance among us; blessed be he, [even] the long-expected King and Sovereign of God's people, who now comes to us in the name of the Lord! May the most exalted honours be paid him! May continued prosperty attend him! Let there be peace in heaven, and a rich variety of Divine favours be dispensed from thence; and, in return for them, let glory be given to God in the most exalted strains, and let all the highest orders of angels join in his praises! MARK XI. 10. Bless- Blessed and prosperous be the sacred kingdom of Mark our father David, that our father David! May it speedily be establish- XI. 10 cometh in the name ed, and may it long flourish; even that kingof the Lord: Hosanna dom which is not gained by the alarms of war in the highest. [MAT. and garments rolled in blood, but which comes XXI.-9.] [MAT. XXI.-9.MARK XI.-9.] ed be the kingdom of in the name of the Lord, and renders itself, by sentment 136 cxlii. Reflections on Christ's readiness to meet his sufferings. SECT little fraternity, but of all that are about himh; with all humility submitting to the meanest serMat. vices, by which he may promote the spiritual XX. 27. interest and benefit of others. Mark And wonder not that this should be required X. 45. of you, when you consider how great an exam 46 MARK X. 45. For even the Son of man came not to be minis [MAT. XX. 28.] ple you have of this temper in him who is so tered unto, but to mi- And, quickly after this, they came to Jericho, 46-And they came to Jericho. Mark IMPROVEMENT. ASTONISHING grace and compassion of the Son of God in going X. 33,34 up to Jerusalem at this passover, when he so circumstantially knew all the things which were to befall him there! not only that he should be put to death, but in what manner he should suffer; and what cruelty and what scorn should introduce the last scene of his agonies! Yet, with so sad a prospect in his eye, he marched on with distinguished alacrity, leading the company, 32 as if he longed to encounter what they could not bear to see, or even to hear of. Glorious Captain of our salvation, give us the like alacrity in all the sufferings we are called to bear for thee! 35--37 Who would not grieve to see these good apostles still so much possessed h The servant of all] There is a gradation here not commonly observed. The word das in the former verse, which, for want of a better word, we render minister, is a name which might be given to any who occasionally attended others, or was statedly employed to render them any particular kind of service; but —, servant, signifies one whose whole business it is to serve, and who is indeed the property of another. The words, of all, do likewise increase the gradation. a As When he came near the city, Jesus weeps over it. 161 better for a bridle than a cord, which might have tied the foal SECT. at the door. cxlvi. Let us imagine that we saw the Son of God, and the King of John Israel, thus proceeding towards Jerusalem, and the people meeting xii. 13. him, and surrounding him with their acclamations: Hosannah! Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord! Do not our hearts spring at the sound? Do we not, as it were in spirit, go forth with them, and join in their sublime, though simple song? Thus let us welcome him into our hearts! Let us echo it back! Blessed be Mark he that cometh in the name of the Lord, with Divine authority, and xi. 10 Divine blessings in his hands! And blessed be the kingdom he hath erected! May perpetual prosperity attend it! May the north give up a swarm of subjects to it; and may not the south keep back her swarthy sons! May nations be born at once, and thousands together made willing in the day of his power! Surely if these are not our affectionate wishes, the warm and zealous sentiments of our very hearts, it may almost be expected that the very stones should out, to accuse and condemn our ungrateful stupidity. сту Luke xix. 40 xii. 19 Unhappy Pharisees, who looked on these triumphs with envy and rage, and grieved that the world was gone after him! Yet less John unhappy had they not renewed their attempts against him, those fatal attempts which ended in their ruin! But who, that had seen the procession, and heard the shouts of the transported multitude, could have imagined or believed, that before the end of the week they should have turned their voices against him, and instead of Hosannah, should have cried out, Crucify him? Yet so it was, and Christ knew it would be so. Such is the uncertainty of popular applause! Who would then purchase it at the expence of his con. science, or even of his ease? xi. 10 These transports were raised by the hopes of a temporal king- Mark dom; and when those hopes were disappointed, these transports were turned into rage. Oh that there may be none, under all the engagements of a Christian, and even of a ministerial profession, who proclaim Christ with great appearances of zeal, only that they may exalt themselves; and wish prosperity to his kingdom, only as it may promote their own interest in a world from which it was the great design of his death to redeem his servants. SECT. CXLVII. Christ having wept over Jerusalem, enters into it, and vindicates the temple a second time from the profanation of the traders. Mat. XXI. 10-16. Mark XI. 11.—Luke XIX. 41, to the end. LUKE XIX. 41. AND when he was come near, he beheld THUS LUKE XIX. 41. SECT. HUS our Lord went on in his triumphant cxlvii. progress toward Jerusalem; and when he was Luke XIX. 41 162 SECT. He foretells the ruin that was coming upon it. was come near it, and had now the view of it held the city, and wept cxlvii. before him (the place where he was command- over it. Luke ing an extensive prospect of it), beholding the XIX. 41 city in all its present beauty and glory, and con sidering the calamities which would shortly be hadst known, even are hid from thine 42 its ruin, he tenderly wept over it, Saying, Oh 42 Saying, If thou that thou hadst known, even thou unhappy city, thou, at least in this which art now on the very point of being devo- thy day, the things ted to final destruction! Oh that at length, which belong unto thy though with the greatest obstinacy thou hast peace! but now they despised the messages of all thy prophets, thou eyes. hadst but known and seriously regarded, at least in this thy latest day and opportunity of grace, the important things which belong to thy peace, and on which thy final happiness depends! But now, alas, they are hid from thine eyes, and God will leave thee in his righteous judgment to this affected ignorance and obstinate perverseness, 43 till it end in thine utter ruin. For the time hastens on, and in a little while the days shall come upon thee, that come upon thee, when thou shalt suffer all the cast a trench about hardships of the closest siege, and thine enemies thee, and compass thee shall draw a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee round, and press thee in on every side, so that with all thy numerous inhabitants thou neither 44 shalt be able to resist nor to escape them: And they shall level thee with the ground on which thou standest, and crush thy children within thee O that thou hadst known.] It is certain (as we have observed elsewhere, note a, on Luke xii. 50. Vol. VI. p. 586) that the particle is sometimes used to express an ardent wish (compare Numb. xxii. 29. and Josh. vii. 7. Septuag.) and the connection here will very well bear it. If our translation be retained, it must be acknowledged that the broken manner of speaking is very emphatical: our Lord will then seem to pause in a silent reflection on the happy consequences that would have attended their obedient regard to his invitations and addresses.-But to add the words [it had been well], which some have proposed, would rather enervate than help the sense; as I think it would do in most of the passages which learned critics have produced from the Greek writers as instances of a like figure of speech. See Mr. Hallet on Script. Vol. I. p. 11. b Thine enemies shall—compass thee round, &c.] Josephus says expressly, that though it was thought a great and almost impracticable work to encompass the city with a wall, yet Titus animating his soldiers to attempt under 43 For the days shall thine enemies shall in on every side, 44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, it, they in three days surrounded it with a wall of thirty-nine furlongs in circumference, with thirteen castles in its circuit; and by this means all hope was cut off that any of the Jews within the city should escape. (Bell. Jud. lib. v. cap. 12 [al. 13], § 1, 2.)—He also tells us, that when Titus had taken the city, and contrary to his will the temple was consumed with fire, he caused the foundations both of the temple and the city to be dug up and levelled with the ground, leaving only three towers and part of the wall to be a specimen of its former strength and grandeur: (Bell. Jud. lib. vii. cap. 1 [al. 18], § 1.) And afterwards the whole, was so entirely destroyed that not one stone was left upon another; as Socrates relates, Hist. Eccl. lib. iii. cap. 20.-In short, the accomplishment of every part of this prediction is recorded by Josephus in so affecting and particular a manner, especially in the Sixth Book of his Jewish War, that I cannot but recommend the perusal of it to every Christian who has an opportunity of reading it. © When He enters the city, and goes to the temple. ground, and thy chil dren within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another: because thou koewest not the time of thy visitation. MAT. XXI. 10. 163 SECT. cxlvii. Luke under thy ruins; and shall not leave so much as And Jesus entered into Jerusalem with great Mat. [And Jesus entered solemnity, amidst the joyful acclamations of the XXI. 10. into Jerusalem: ] and when he was come, people; and as he made his entrance in such a all the city was moved, public and remarkable way, the whole city was saying, Who is this? in a great commotion at so uncommon an appear[MARK XI. 11.] ance, saying, Who is this that comes in all this pomp, and is attended with these high congra11 And the multi- tulations? And the multitude that came with 11 tude said, This is Jesus him said, This is Jesus the great Prophet, who is of Nazareth in Galilee, even be that is so celebrated all over the country for the fame of his doctrine and miracles. the Prophet, of Nazareth of Galilee. 19 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and (when he bad looked round about upou them that sold, and And Jesus having come into the city by the 12 eastern gate, alighted from the colt, and went directly into the temple of God, whither the peoall things,] [LUKE, ple followed him: and when he had looked round began to cast out all about, and made his observation upon all things (LUKE, there, as he perceived those profanations were again renewed which he had formerly so solemnly chastised soon after he entered on his public ministry, he began with a holy indignation. to animadvert upon them, as he had done three years before, and to drive out all them that When he had looked round about upon all things. It is plain from this expression of St. Mark, that Jesus, when he went into the temple on the day of his public entry, took particular notice of all things there; when it is hardly probable that he would do without reforming the abuses with which the Jews so shamefully profaned it; and Matthew so expressly joins his driving out the traders with the transactions of this dry, that howsoever it appears from several instances that the evangelists are not always exact in observing the order of time, it is highly reasonable to suppose that Jesus purged the temple on this day. Yet it appears so evident from Mark's account (ver. 12-17.) that the traders were driven out on the next day, when Christ returned from Bethany to the temple, after he had sed the fig-tree, that I cannot but suppose with Mr. Whiston (in his View of the Harmany, p. 150, 131.) that this occurrence VOL. VII. sold happened twice: and therefore I have only d As he had done three years before.] |