JESUS laments the unhappy Cafe of Jerusalem. 36 Verily I fay unto you, 367 impiously prefuming to intrude into the Court ofSect. 158. the Priefts, to perpetrate that most horrible Murther as near as poffible to God's most immediate Prefence. Verily I fay unto you, that even the Mat.XXIII, All these Things shall come Guilt of all this righteous Blood, and all thefe Things 36. that are included in Woes I have denounced, fhall come on this Generation of Men; fo dreadful are the Calamities which GoD will fhortly bring upon it. (Compare Luke xi. 49, 50, 51. pag. 103, 104.) upon this Generation. 37 O Jerufalem, Jerufalem, thou that killeft the Prophets, and stoneft them which are fent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy Children together, even as a Hen gathereth her Chickens under her Wings, and ye would not! Ob Jerufalem, Jerufalem, [thou] that killeft the 37 Prophets, and ftoneft them that are fent unto thee by GOD for thy Converfion and Salvation; thou unhappy City, who haft so often been stained with the Blood of the Martyrs, that it is grown into a Proverb, that a Prophet can hardly petish any where elfe; (Luke xiii. 33.) how often would 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 Affaults of any Bird of Prey, or whatever elfe might threaten their Safety; and yet ye would not hearken to my compaffionate Calls, but have hardened your Hearts against my Love, and repaid me 38 Behold, your Houfe is with Contempt, Hatred, and Perfecution? left unto you defolate. 39 For F fay unto you, Ye shall not fee me henceforth, Be- 38 hold, the Time is coming, when you will fee your For 39 unto us, that this good Man was murthered in the Temple; (fee Erafmus, in loc.) he has had few. Followers; and indeed the Story feems to have been made on the mistaken Authority of the Text in Queftion.Yet after all, it seems still more unreasonable, with Archbishop Tillotson, (Vol. i. pag. 197, 198) to understand these Words, as a Prophecy of that Zechariah, the Son. of Baruch, who, as Jofephus (Bell. Jud. lib. iv. cap. 5. (al. v. 1.) §. 4.) tells us, was affainated in the middle of the Temple, juft before the Romans befieged the City. Had we more Evidence of his being a righteous Man, it would be harfh to fuppofe Chrift in fuch a Connection to speak of a future Fact as what was already done; or to charge that Deed on the whole Jewish Nation, which was done contrary to the Decree of the Sanhedrim, by two refolute Villains. All the Martyrs from Abel to Zechariah, feems to have been a Proverb; and it might naturally arife from obferving, that Abel was the first, and Zechariah in Chronicles the last eminently good Man, of whofe Murther the Scripture fpeaks.. (b) Till Mat.XXIII. 39. 368 Sect. 158. unto you, that henceforth, fince you treat me fo ill, ye shall not fee me any more, till even ye Shall fay, as the Multitudes lately did, but with fublimer Paffions and nobler Views, Blessed [is] he that cometh in the Name of the Lord (h); i. e. till your Calamities have taught you eagerly to wish for the Meffiah, and Divine Grace shall have inclined you, as a Nation, gladly to receive me under that Character: But you little think, thro' what Scenes of Defolation, Exile, and Misery, you must pafs for fucceeding Ages, before that happy Time comes. (Compare Luke xiii. 34, 35. pag. 142.) And when he had thus fpoken, he went out of the Temple. Reflections on the Neceffity of Inward Purity, &c. M forth, till ye fhall fay, Bleffed is he that cometh in the Name of the Lord. IMPROVEMENT. AY we ever remember, how neceffary it is, that our Righteousness fhould exceed that of the Scribes and Pharifees, if we defire to Mat. xxiii. enter into the Kingdom of Heaven! (Mat. v. 20.) May our Zeal be employed on the great Ellentials of Religion, Justice, Mercy, and Fidelity, and not be laid out merely, or chiefly, on the Circumftantials of it! 23. Ver. 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 be, not like Ver. 27, 28. painted Sepulchres, beautiful without, and unclean within; but rather like the Veel laid up before the Lord, whofe Outfide fhone with polifhed Gold, while within it was replenished with Heavenly Manna! (Heb. ix. 4.) Ver. 29,-32. How many, like thefe Pharifees, condemn Perfecution, and yet themfelves are chargeable with the Guilt of it? May that never be our Character; left we be judged out of our own Mouths, and left we thereby fill up the Measure of our Iniquities! Behold (b) Till ye shall fay, Blessed is he that cometh &c.] This was doubtless spoken after Chrift's triumphant Entrance into Jerufalem, (tho' Heinfius moft unnaturally fuppofes it tranfplaced,) which fhews the Neceffity of giving the Words some fuch Turn as they have in the Paraphrafe. If we might be allowed, with Grotius, to tranflate sws av ele, till ye would be glad to fay, or wish you had faid, Bleffed is he that cometh &c. this would give a very plain and eafy Senfe, nearly parallel to Mat. xxvi. 64. where an' apl is perhaps used in the fame Senfe. And thus the Words might be explained, as if our Lord had faid, " From "the Time of my prefent Appearance at this Paffover, you shall not fee me any more, till "that awful Hour of Judgment, in which I fhall appear in fuch Pomp and Power, that "the proudeft of you all fhall have Reafon to wish, you had cordially joined in thofe Ho"fannah's, which you lately rebuked." This Interpretation, could the Verfion be juftified, I fhould vaftly prefer to any other. Ver. 37,-39. JESUS observes them cafting their Gifts into the Treasury. 369 Behold the repeated Tenderness of our compaffionate Redeemer, even Sect. 158. towards that guilty City, that killed the Prophets, and ftoned the Meffengers of GOD! He would, with the gentleft and moft folicitous 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 Obstinacy of their own perverfe and rebellious Wills may not finally withstand all the Overtures of his Grace; left eternal Desolation be their Portion, and they in vain wish for the Repetition of thofe Calls, which they once fo wantonly despised! SECT. CLIX. CHRIST applauds the Liberality of the poor Widow, whom he faw cafting her Two Mites into the Treafury. Mark XII. 41, to the End. Luke XXI. 1,-~-4. ND Jefus fat over-againft AND Jefus, having made an End of his Dif- Sect. 159. AND 4I. to the Scribes and Pharifees, went out And there came among the reft a certain poor 42 Mites, (a) The Treafury.] This Treasury received the voluntary Contributions of the Worshippers who came up to the Feafts; and the Money thrown into it was employed to buy Wood for the Altar, Salt, and other Neceffaries, not provided for in any other Way, VOL. II. Ааа 370 He commends a poor Widow that caft in Two Mites. Sect. 159. Mites, which both taken together only make a Mark XII. 43. And our Lord was fo impreffed with this generous Action of hers, that he took particular Notice of it, and even called his Difciples to him, to hear his Remarks upon it; and as they stood about him, he fays to them, Look upon yonder Woman, and obferve the Greatnefs of her Piety and Zeal; for affuredly I fay unto you, that this poor Widow, however the may feem to Men to have given but a very little inconfiderable Matter, has appeared in the Sight of GOD to have caft in more, than all they who have thrown fuch fumptuous Gifts 44 into the Treafury: And in Proportion to her Circumstances it is much more; for all thefe, who have presented fuch large Sums, threw in, comparatively, but a little Part out of their Superfluity and Redundancy of Poffeffions, into the Offerings of GOD; but fhe in the Midft of her Poverty, and the daily Straits to which he is expofed, has caft in all the little Stock of Money that she had, [even] all that she had by her for her Living; not knowing where the fhould get the next Mite for herself, to furnish out the neceffary Supports for her humble and indigent Life. which make a Farthing. [LUKE XXI. 2.] him his Difciples, and faith 43 And he called unto unto them, Verily I fay unto you, that this poor Widow hath caft more in, than all Treafury. [LUK E XXI. 3.] they which have caft into the 44 For all [these] did caft in of their Abundance [unto the of her [Penury] did caft in all that the had, even all her Living. [LU KEXXL4] the Offerings of GOD:] but IMPROVEMENT. Mark xii. 41. OUR Lord Jefus Chrift had his Eye on thofe, who were bringing their Gifts into the facred Treasury. Let us remember, his Eye is also upon us, to observe in what Degree we are ready, on proper Occafions, to contribute for the Glory of GoD, and the Good of Mankind; and in what Proportion to the Ability which God has given us. Let not the Pooreft be difcouraged from doing fomething for these good Purposes; fince Christ may acknowledge the nobleft Charity in the smallest Gift, as where-ever there is a willing Mind, it is accepted according to what a Man bath, and not according to what he hath not. (2 Cor. viii. 12.) Ver. 42. Ver. 43. Let us also imitate the Candour of our Bleffed Redeemer, and be ready to be pleased with little Services. The Circumftances of Mankind are fuch, that few have it in their Power to do great Matters frequently, for the Service of others: But the Defire of a Man is his Kindness; (Prov. xix. 22.) and a Multiplicity of little kind Offices, in Perfons frequently converfant with each other, are the Bands of Society and Friendship. We Reflections on the kind Acceptance of the fmalleft Charity. 371 We ought therefore to preferve an habitual Tenderness and Generosity of Sect. 159. Mind, and be mutually willing to oblige, and to be obliged by them. To conclude; let us not defpife the Poor, fince there are many of Ver. 44. them, who will in Chrift's Computation be found eminently rich in good Works; many, whofe Mite will, in the Treafury of GOD, have the Value of a Talent, and will condemn the fordid Parfimony, with which many of the Rich and Great have caft their Prefents into it. Happy is it for every truly pious and benevolent Mind, that it is to give up its final Account to him, who fearches 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 Deftruction of Jerufalem, aud bere infifts on the remoter Signs of its Approach. Mat. XXIV. 1,-14. Mark XIII. 1,——13. XXI. 5,-19. MAT. XXIV. 1. AN ND Jefus went out, and departed from the Temple: and his Difciples came how it was adorned with MAT. XXIV. 1. Luke AND when Jefus had thus confounded his Sect. 160. Adverfaries, and had foretold the Defolation to him for to fhew him the that their aggravated Sins would shortly bring Buildings of the Temple; both on the City and the Temple, (Mat. xxiii. 38. [LUK. and as fome fpake pag. 367.) he went out from thence, and was degoodly Stones and Gifts,] parting from the Temple, where he had been dif[one courfing to them. And as he was going away, his Difciples came to [him,] and took that Occafion to fhew him the fplendid Buildings and magnificent Decorations of the Temple: And fome obferving what a noble Structure it was, and speaking how it was adorned with beautiful Stones of a prodigious Size (a), and with coftly Gifts, which many Perfons, in Accomplishment of their Vows for Deliver (a) Beautiful Stones of a prodigious Size.] Jofephus fays, that fome of them were fortyfive Cubits long, five high, and fix broad. (Bell. Jud. lib. v. cap. 5. (al. vi. 6.) §. 6.) See his large and beautiful Description of the whole Temple, in that Chapter, which is one of the most entertaining Paffages of fuch a Kind I ever met with. Ааа 2 (b) Coftly Mat. XXIV. I. |