to the devil, and were totally estranged from the knowledge of the true God, among whom such things might have occurred consistently with the religion they professed the deities they worshipped. "He came unto HIS OWN." He walked up and down his Father's vineyard. What could have been done more for that vineyard which he had not done for it? He had digged it—he had hedged it—he had tended it, and now, when he came to look for grapes, it brought forth wild grapes. He looked for judgment, but behold! oppression; for righteousness, but behold! a cry. We have an illustration of this when he came into the temple and found those that sold and bought therein, and exclaimed, "Make ye my Father's house a house of merchandise?" My Father's house-this was that which grieved him this was what penetrated his heart with holy indignation, and pierced his righteous soul with sorrow- -these things were done in that house which was dedicated to his Father's name, and consecrated to his worship and glory. But he must be tried not only by the wickedness of his professing people, but also by the inconsistencies of his own disciples. And, oh! believer in Jesus, ever remember this-if sin in the abstract was painful— if sin as practised by professors was still more so, how much, how infinitely more grievous must have been his trial when forced to contemplate the inconsistencies of those who loved

him! See, for an illustration of this the occasion when they were unable to cast out the spirit from the oppressed demoniac who was brought to them in his temporary absence-you remember the almost impatience with which he gave vent to his feelings, and exclaimed, "Oh! faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me?" Let us, moreover, bear in mind

3rd. The view which he must have had of the consequences of sin to the sinner himself, combined with his love to the sinner. All his people can, in a measure, sympathise with this wherever the Spirit of God is, there must be a love of souls, an anxiety for their salvation, and grief at the prospect of the ruin which sinners bring upon themselves. "God is love; and he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him." Jesus was, as he is, love; and yet his eye was open wide to all the fearful results of human iniquity in time and in eternity to those he loved. Imagine him, when invested with all sinless infirmity, combined with all the sensitiveness of perfect human nature, looking at self-destroying sinners, and beholding the yawning gulf down which they were precipitating themselves headlong. For example, behold him, as, from the summit of Mount Olivet, he looked down, and contemplated the Holy City spread before him. He sees the busy streets-the dwellings thronged

with thoughtless sinners, and as he looks at them he loves them. But he realises the change which before long was to pass over the busy scene the desolation of the city, and the sanctuary-the miseries of the famine and the sword-and, at the thoughts suggested by the scene before him, he lifts up his voice and weeps: "Oh! Jerusalem, Jerusalem, if thou hadst known, even thou, in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes; for, behold! the day shall come when thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and shut thee in on every side, and lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation." Again, we must suppose a similar train of thoughts must have been evoked by every afflicted object, the halt, the lame, the maimed, and the blind which were continually brought into his presence. There can be no question that he would connect in his mind the eternal results of sin with the temporal calamities that met his eye; and this will throw light upon many passages in his history, Thus, for example, when about to perform his work of mercy upon the deaf mute, we are told that,

that

looking up to heaven, he sighed, and said, Ephphatha, be opened."-(Mark vii. 34.) This, too, explains his perturbation at the grave of Lazarus; for you remember the mental trouble he manifested there. He not only shed tears of

sympathetic sorrow, but he "groaned in spirit, and was troubled." His feelings did, indeed, find vent in tears, but the relief was but momentary, for we read that " Again groaning in himself, he cometh to the grave." Why, then, this grief at such a time as this? Why does he groan in spirit at the sight of the congregated mourners round the tomb?

Whence that other

groan as he arrives at the grave? It could not have been the mere temporal and temporary affliction in which he found his friends, and from which he was so soon about completely to deliver them. Oh! no; the mind of Jesus evidently connected all these things with sin, from which they all originated, and in the temporal, he beheld the type and earnest of eternal death.

4th. Intimately connected with this was another source of trouble to the Saviour's mind-I mean the opposition which he experienced at the hands of sinners. To this St. Paul refers when he says, "Consider him who endured such contradiction of sinners against himself.”—Heb. xii. 2. Observe, the inspired writer expressly refers to this as a part of his endurance. And when we again revert to the narrative of the evangelists, we are supplied with many and deeply-affecting illustrations of this. Thus, for instance, when the rich nobleman came to him to inquire how he was to be saved, and went away sorrowful because he had great possessions, how feelingly Jesus laments over his

ruined soul, "How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! Children, how hardly shall they which trust in riches enter into the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, it is easier for a camel to pass through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."-(Mark x. 17-22.) To take a case of more direct opposition to him. See him as he stands in the synagogue on the Sabbath-day, with the man with the withered hand before him, and the Pharisees, with latent murder in their hearts, wishing for an opportunity to accuse him, watch to see whether he would heal him upon the Sabbath-day. Jesus looks round on them "with anger, being grieved at the hardness of their hearts." There is an anger which is not connected with sin-which is not the development of enmity, but of love, in proportion as we feel a sincere regard to our friend will be our anger with him, when we see him behave in a manner calculated to do him injury. And such was the anger of the meek and holy Jesus. He was angry with sinners because he loved and pitied them; and was, therefore, "grieved at the hardness of their hearts." (Mark iii. 5.) Again, when in stupid insensibility they demand of him a sign from heaven, you remember his pathetic remonstrance-"Why does this generation seek after a sign? Verily I say unto you, there shall no sign be given to this generation."-(Mark viii. 12.)