And should answer for all the righteous blood that had been shed. 225 slew between the temple and the altar. 36 Verily I say unto you, All these things clviii. Mat. of Zecharias, son of the last of the prophets, whom ye murdered while SECT. Barachias, whom ye he was ministering between the temple and the altars, impiously presuming to intrude into the court of the priests, to perpetrate that most hor- XXIII, rible murder as near as possible to God's most 35 immediate presence. Verily I say unto you, 36 That even the guilt of all this righteous blood, and all these things that are included in the woes I have denounced, shall come on this generation of men; so dreadful are the calamities which God will shortly bring upon it. (Compare Luke xi. 49, 50, 51. sect. cx.) shall come upon this generation. thered thy children to. 57 O Jerusalem, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, [thou] that killest the 37 Jerusalem, thou that prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee kiliest the prophets, and stonest them which by God for thy conversion and salvation; thou are sent unto thee, how unhappy city, who hast so often been stained often would I have ga- with the blood of the martyrs, that it is grown gether, even as a hen into a proverb, That a prophet can hardly perish gathereth her chickens any where else (Luke xiii. 33.) how often would under her wings, and I have gathered thy children together unto me, even with as much tenderness as a hen gathereth her chickens together under her wings, to protect them from the assaults of any bird of prey, or whatever else might threaten their safety, and ye would not! To the blood of Zechariah, the son of Barachiah, &c.] Though very learned men have interpreted this of four different persons, I do not, with the learned and candid Witsins (Misc. Vol. I. p. 269), think it an inexplicable difficulty which of these is referre i to. I scruple not, with Grotius, Drusius, Casaubon, Erasmus, and many more, to explain it of that Zechariah who is expressly said to have been slain in that remarkable manner between the temple and the altar (2 Chron. xxiv. 20, 21), though I take not upon me to determine whether (as Chrysostom asserts) Jehoiada his father was also called Barachiah, which signifies one that blesses the Lord, as Jehojada does one that confesses him; or whether the original reading was different from ours, as Jerom says he found in the gospel of the Nazarenes, or the Hebrew version of Matthew. It is by no means necessary, with Cappellus, to allow that it was a slip in the evangelist's memory; but much more decent to suppose it an officious addition of some early transcriber, who mightconfound this martyr with Zechariah, one of the treke minor prophets, who teas indeed the son of Brachiah, but who does not by any means appear to have of en inurdered; nor is there any reason to imagine the Jews, so soon after their return from captivity, yet would have attempted so flagitious an act. 226 clviii. Mat. Reflections on the iniquity of the Pharisees. 38 Behold, your house is left unto you 39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the SECT. yet ye would not hearken to my compassionate Mat. xxiii. 23 IMPROVEMENT. And name of the Lord. MAY we ever remember how necessary it is that our righte ousness should exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, if we desire to enter into the kingdom of heaven! (Mat. v. 20.) May our zeal be employed on the great essentials of religion, justice, mercy, and fidelity, and not be laid out merely or chiefly on the circumstantials of it! 25, 26 May we be concerned about the purity of our hearts, and not merely attend to the decency of our external behaviour! May we h Till 'al is perhaps used in the same sense. be, Jesus commends the liberality of the poor widow. 227 clviii. be, not like painted sepulchres, fair and beautiful without, and full SECT. of all uncleanness within; but rather like the vessel laid up before the Lord, whose outside shone with polished gold, while within it was replenished with heavenly manna! (Heb. ix. 4.) How many, like these Pharisees, condemn persecution, and yet 29--32 themselves are chargeable with the guilt of it! May that never be our character, lest we be judged out of our own mouths, and lest we thereby fill up the measure of our iniquities! Behold the repeated tenderness of our compassionate Redeemer 37--39 even towards that guilty city that killed the prophets, and stoned the messengers of God! He would with the gentlest and most solicitous care have gathered them, even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings! Thus does he still call and invite perishing sinners. Oh that the obstinancy of their own perverse and rebellious wills may not finally withstand all the overtures of his grace; lest eternal desolations be their portion, and they in vain wish for the repetition of those calls which they once so wantonly despised! SECT. CLIX. Christ applauds the liberality of the poor widow whom he saw casting her two mites into the treasury. Mark XII. 41, to the end. Luke XXI. 1—4. MARK XII. 41. AND Jesus sat overagainst the trea sury: [and he looked AND MARK XII. 41. clix. Mark D Jesus, having made an end of his dis- SECT. course to the scribes and Pharisees, as he up]: and beheld how was going out of the temple, sat down at a the people cast money little distance, over-against that part of it which XII. 41. [end their gifts] into the treasury: and ma- was called the treasury', because there the chests by that were rich cast for collecting the contributions of the people in much. [LUKE XXL. 1.] stood, and in the chambers over that clovster the sacred stores were kept; and he looked up, and beheld, with attentive observation, how the people cast their money, [and] brought their offerings and free gifts, into the treasury, at this public time; and many rich men cast in much; there being still this remainder of national goodness among them, though true religion was sunk to so very low an ebb. 42 And there came and And there came among the rest a certain poor 42 a certain poor widow, widow, whose character and circumstances he well knew; and she cast in there two of the smallest a The treasury. This treasury received the voluntary contributions of the worshippers who came up to the feasts; and the VOL, VII. F money thrown into it was employed to buy f 228 and Reflections on the kind acceptance of the smallest charity. XII, 43. 44 Mark she threw in [thither] two mites, which make a farthing. [LUKE XXI. 2.] 43 And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury. [LUKE XXI. 5]. 44 For all [these] did cast in of their And our Lord was so pleased with this generous action of hers, that he took particular notice of it, and even called his disciples to him, to hear his remarks upon it; and as they stood about him, he says to them, Look upon yonder woman, and observe the greatness of her piety and zeal; for assuredly I say unto you, That this poor widow, however she may seem to men to have given but a very little inconsiderable matter, has appeared in the sight of God to have cast in more than all they who have thrown such sumptuous gifts into the treasury: And, in proportion to her circumstances, it is much abundance {unto the more; for all these, who had presented such offerings of large sums, threw in, comparatively, but a little but she of her [penupart of their superfluity and redundancy of pos- she had, even all her sessions into the offerings of God; but she, in living. [LUKE XXI. the midst of her poverty, and the daily straits to 4.] which she is exposed, has cast in all the little stock of money that she had [even] all that she had by her for her living; not knowing where she should get the next mite for herself to furnish out the necessary supports for her humble and indigent life. IMPROVEMENT. God:] ry] did cast in all that OUR Lord Jesus Christ had his eye on those who were bringing xii. 42. their gifts unto the sacred treasury. Let us remember his eye is also upon us, to observe in what degree we are ready, on proper occasions, to contribute for the glory of God and the good of mankind; and in what proportion to the ability which God has 42 given us. Let not the poorest be discouraged from doing something for these good purposes, how ever little they may have it in their power to perform; since Christ may acknowledge the noblest charity in the smallest gift, as wherever there is a willing mind, it is accepted according to what a man hath, and not according ta what he hath not. (2 Cor. viii. 12.) 43 Let us imitate the candour of our blessed Redeemer, and be ready to be pleased with little services. The circumstances of mankind are such that few have it in their power to do great matters frequently for the service of others: but the desire of a man is his kindness, (Prov. xix. 22.) the principles and circumstances of an action recommend it more than the appearance it may make; and a multiplicity of little kind offices, in persons frequently conversant with each other, are the bands of society and friendship. The stately buildings of the temple shewn him. 229 clix. friendship. We ought therefore to preserve an habitual tender- SECT. ness and generosity of mind, and be mutually willing to oblige and to be obliged by them. To conclude; let us not despise the poor, since there are many 44 of them who will in Christ's computation be found eminently rich in good works; many whose mite will, in the treasury of God, have the value of a talent, and will condemn the sordid parsimony with which many of the rich and great have cast their presents into it; while what the latter part with out of their abundance bears no proportion in the account of God to what the former freely spare from their necessity. Happy is it for every truly pious and benevolent mind that it is to give up its final account to him who searches the heart, and who is witness to those devout and charitable purposes which will always stretch themselves out beyond the limit of actions, and engage the charitable soul to wish more good than the power and revenues even of kingdoms could effect. SECT. CLX. Our Lord foretells the approaching destruction of Jerusalem, and here insists on the remoter signs of its approach. Mat. XXIV. 1-14. Mark XIII. 1—13. Luke XXI. 5—19. MAT. XXIV. 1. AND Jesus went out, the temple: and his MAT. XXIV. 1. and departed from AND when Jesus had thus confounded his SECT. adversaries, and had foretold the desolation clx. disciples came to him that their aggravated sins would shortly bring Mat. for to shew him the both on the city and the temple, (Mat. xxiii. 38,) XXIV.Į ple; [LUKE, and p. 226,) he left the place, and going out from buildings of the ten was goodly stones and as some spake how it thence, departed from the temple, where he had adorned with been discoursing to them. And as he was going gifts,] [one of them away, his disciples came to [him], and took that saith unto him, Mas- occasion to shew him the splendid buildings and ter, see what manner magnificent decorations of the temple and some here.] observing what a noble structure it was, and 1. speaking how it was adorned with beautiful stones, are of stones and what of a prodigious size, and with costly gifts, a Beautiful stones of a prodigious size.] Josephus says that some of them were forty-five cubits long, fice high, and six broad: (Bell. Jud. lib. v. cap. 5 (al. vi. 6.) § 6.) See his large and beautiful descrip tion of the whole temple in that chapter, b Costly gifts, &c.] Hanging up such mon |