unnoticed that tender compassion which our LORD shewed towards the ill-fated city of Jerusalem. For when he was come near to it, having probably before him, as he was coming down the descent of the hill from the mount of Olives, a full view of its stately buildings, and of the extent of the city, his heart was so affected at the thoughts of what should certainly befall so much magnificence of structure, that he even wept over it, and in language most affectionate lamented' the destruction, which should, not many years after, undoubtedly fall upon it. Instead of rejoicing in the foresight of the ruin and desolation of a city, in which he was to suffer the most ungrateful and inhuman treatment, and in which he should at last undergo a cruel and ignominious death; from the prospect of her calamities the tender heart of JESUS could be inspired with no other sentiments than those of pity: If thou hadst known, said he, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, and shall lay thee even with the

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ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another, because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. These last words give us the reason, why the Saviour of the world wept so mournfully over this great and beautiful city. It was not because that was the city in which he was to be betrayed and bound, scourged and spit upon, condemned and crucified; (all which he well knew that he should there incur,) but it was because she had in a most ample manner enjoyed the means of grace, and had not concerned herself to improve them. Remember, my Brethren, that these things are written for our admonition*: If there be among you any hardened impenitent sinner, any one who refuses to derive from the means of grace the advantages which were offered by JESUS CHRIST, which were repeated to you by his apostles, and which are still continually held out to you by their successors the ministers in his Church; for you also these tears of your Saviour are shed, if you embrace not the proffered mercy. This is the time of your visitation also. They did not know it; that is, they would not take care to improve

* 1 Cor. x. 11.

it, and therefore were most miserably destroyed: This is the time of your visitation, which if you will not regard, and avail yourselves of these overtures of mercy and pardon, on the conditions of faith and obedience; the consequence will be as fatal to you, as it was to Jerusalem. The same infallible voice, which declared the calamities that then hung over, and did afterwards fall on that city, has also declared, that, if you believe not the Gospel, but continue in infidelity and impenitency, the things which belong to your peace shall for ever be removed from your eyes; and you shall, when too late, miserably bewail your own folly in those regions, where shall be eternal weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The next occurrence which offers itself to our notice on this day is indeed a very remarkable one. We have seen JESUS entering into the city of Jerusalem; amidst the acclamations of the multitude, accomplishing, as has been before observed, the prophecy of Zechariah concerning the coming of CHRIST, Rejoice greatly O daughter of Zion, shout O daughter of Jerusalem: behold thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the fole of an

ass*. Whither did he chuse to have himself conveyed, amidst these shouts, these reiterated Hosannas? Not to a palace, as perhaps the numbers who followed him, conceived he would be, to take possession of an earthly kingdom :—but having alighted from the colt, he went immediately into the temple: where, by virtue of his Divine authority, which so awed the astonished spectators, that no one durst resist him, he instantly began to reform the abuses, which he saw were there prevailing. Strange must it appear to you, to read, (but what but a miracle could effect it!) that one man, without any commission from his king to warrant him, or letters from the high priest and elders to depute him; without a guard of soldiers to defend him; and, in a word, without any human authority whatever for his support, unarmed himself, and with not so much as a scourge of small cords in his hands, as he had on a former similar occasion-strange, I say, to read, that any one, so circumstanced, should attempt to drive out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and to overthrow the tables of the money-changers and the seats of them that sold doves: and to do it effectually without meeting

* Zec. ix. 9.

with any resistance. It therefore cannot be considered in any other light, than that of a miracle.-But perhaps you may ask, and desire to be informed, What had buyers and sellers, and money-changers, oxen, sheep, and doves, to do in the tem ple? The Jews, though dispersed over the world, were once a year, required to offer sacrifices to the LORD at Jerusalem; and the same law by which this was enjoined, required of those who lived at a distance, to sell their tythes and oblations at home, and to buy sacrifices at Jerusalem. A place therefore was necessary to buy and sell in, to prevent unnecessary trouble, and to hinder the people from running about from place to place in search of proper animals for sacrifice; a situation for this purpose had accordingly been appointed without the temple, and near its gates. But several abuses had arisen from this practice; for this market was brought into a sacred place, the outward courts of the temple, dedicated to GOD only; by these means the priests engrossed the whole traffick; and by reason of the sacredness of the place enhanced the rates of the sacrifices, and the same oblations were circularly sold, and offered over and over again. Thus GOD was dishonoured, his service pro