disciples, told them that his kingdom was very different from those of the present world, and the greatness of his disciples did not, like that of secular princes, consist in reigning over others in an absolute and despotic manner. "Ye know that the princes of the Geutiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great, exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you; but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant; even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a rausom for many." Matt. xx. 25, &c. Ye know that rank and precedence denote merit of character here; but Christian greatness and spiritual precedence consist in humility, of which Christ your Saviour was made an eminent pattern.

CHAP. XXVIII.

The benevolent Saviour restores Sight to the Blind. Kindly regards Zaccheus the Publican. Delivers the Parable of the Servants intrusted with their Lord's Money. Accepts the kind Offices of Mary. Makes a public Entry into Jerusalem.

ESUS, with his disciples, and the multi

JES

tude that accompanied him, were now arrived at Jericho, a famous city of Palestine, and the second in the kingdom. Near this town Jesus cured two blind men who sat by the road begging, and expressed their belief in him as the Messiah. And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way-side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David." Matt. xx.

29, &c.

This importunate request had its desired effect on the Son of God.He stood still, and called them to him, that, by their manner of walking, spectators might be convinced they were really blind. As soon as they approached him, he asked them, What they requested with such earnestness? To which the beggars answered, that they might receive their sight. "What will ye that I shall do unto you? (they say) Lord, that our eyes may be opened." This request was not made in vain; their compassionate Saviour touched their eyes, and immediately they received sight, and followed him, glorifying and praising God.

After conferring sight on these beggars, Zaccheus, chief of the publicans, having often heard the fame of our Saviour's miracles, was desirous of seeing his person; but the lowness of his stature preventing him from satisfying his curiosity," he ran before, and climbed up a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way. (As Jesus approached the place where he was) be looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zaccheus, make haste, and come down, for to day I must abide at thy house." Luke xix. 4, 5.

The publican expressed his joy at our Lord's condescending to visit him, took him to his house, and shewed him all the marks of civility in his power. But the people, when they saw he was going to the house of a publican, condemned his conduct, as not conformable to the character of a prophet. Zaccheus seems to have heard these unjust reflections; and, therefore, was willing to justify himself, before Jesus and his attendants. "And Zaccheus stood, and said unto the Lord, Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him four-fold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham." Luke xix. 8, &c.

Our Saviour, further to convince the people that the design of his mission was to seek and to restore life and salvation to lost and perishing sinners, adds, "The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."

While Jesus continued in the house of Zaccheus the publican, he spake a parable to his followers, who supposed, at his arrival in the royal city, he would erect the longexpected kingdom of the Messiah. "A certain nobleman (said he) went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. And it came to pass that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. And he saith unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound which I have kept laid up in a napkin; for I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou laidst not down, and reapest that thou didst not

SOW.

And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow: Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury? And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds (and they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds) For I say unto you, That

unto every one which hath shall be given, and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him. But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither and slay them before me.". Luke xix. 12, &c.

In this parable we have the characters of three sorts of men, delineated by our blessed Saviour himself: namely, the true disciples of the Messiah; the hypocrites, and the openly prophane. And the treatment these servants met with represent the final sentences that will be passed upon them, by the awful Judge of the whole earth. The true disciples shall be rewarded with the honours and pleasures of immortality: the hypocrites stripped of all the advantages they so often boasted, and loaded with eternal infamy; and the open enemies of Christ shall suffer punishment, severe in proportion to the degree of their guilt.

But though this is the general sense of the parable, yet it has also a particular relation to the time when it was spoken; and intended to teach the disciples, that though they might imagine the Messiah's kingdom was speedily to be erected, and they were soon to partake of its happiness, yet this was not to happen before the death of their Mas ter; that they themselves must perform a long and laborious course of services, before they received their eternal reward. That after his 'resurrection, when he had obtained the kingdom, he would return from his seat of majesty, and reckon with all his servants, and reward every one according to the improvements he had made in the trust committed to his care: and that he would execute in an exemplary manner, his vengeance on those who refused to let him reign. over them, and did all in their power to hinder the erection of his kingdom among others.

After speaking this parable, Jesus left the house of Zaccheus the publican, and continued his journey towards Jerusalem,

where he proposed to celebrate the passover he was earnestly expected by the people, who came up to purify themselves, and who began to doubt whether he would venture to come to the feast. This delay, however, was occasioned by the proclamation issued by the chief priest, promising a reward to any who would discover the place of his retirement. "Now both the chief priest and the Pharisees had given a com mandment, that if any man knew where he were, he should shew it, that they might take him." John xi. 57.

Six days before the passover Jesus arrived at Bethany, and repaired to the house of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. "There they made him a supper, and Martha served; but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. Then said one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. Then said Jesus, let her alone; against the day of my burying hath she kept this. For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always." John xii. 2, &c.

As Bethany was not above two miles from Jerusalem, the news of his arrival was soon spread through the capital, and great numbers of the citizens came to see Lazarus who had been raised from the dead, together with the great Prophet, who had wrought so stupendous a miracle, and many of them were convinced both of the resurrection of the former, and the divinity of the latter but the news of their conversion, together with the reason of it being currently reported in Jerusalem, the chief riests were soon se nsible of the weight so

great a miracle must have on the minds of the people; and therefore determined, if possible, to put both Jesus and Lazarus to death.

:

Our blessed Lord, though he knew the design of the Jews upon him, also knew that it became him to fulfil all righteousness; and was so far from declining to visit Jeru salem, that he even entered it in a public manner. When they were core to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, saying unto them, Go unto the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her loose them and bring them unto me. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughters of Zion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of au ass. And the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them, and brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way others cut down branches from the trees, and strewed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus, the Prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.-Matt. xxi. 2, 3, &c.

Some of the most strenuous of the deistical tribe have endeavoured to turn this circumstance into ridicule ; but in this they discover the heighth of ignorance, because they judge by the prejudices of our own times and country. And when those who look no farther than the manners and customs before them, examine this part of the sacred history by the