praise was peculiarly acceptable, as it implied, that his miracles were so exceedingly illustrious, that they led the tender minds of children, illumi nated only with the dawnings of reason, to acknowlege him for the Messiah so earnestly desired, and so long expected, by all the descendants of Jacob. In the evening, our Lord with his disciples, left the city and retired to Bethany, where his benevolent miracle, in raising Lazarus from the dead, had procured him many friends, among whom he was always in safety. The next morning, as they were returning to Jerusalem, the disciples were astonished at beholding the fig tree that had been but the morning before declared barren, dried up from the roots:" they had, in all proba bility, forgotten what our Saviour had said to this fig tree, till it's dry and withered aspect brought it again to their memory, Peter, on seeing this astonishing phenomenon, said unto JESUS, Master behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away! To which JESUS answersed, that whoever had faith in the Almighty, or thoroughly believed in his semiracles, should be able to do much greater things than the withering of the fig-tree: And Jesus answering, saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, that whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe, that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith." Mark xi. 22,

He also added, that whatsoever they shall ask by faith, they should receive; and concluded, by giving them directions concerning prayer, which was necessary to increase the faith he mentioned: "And when ve stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any; that your Father also which is in heaven, may forgive, you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your father which is in heaven, forgive your trespasses. egzib During our great Redeemer's continuance in the temple, certain proselyted Greeks, who came up to worship at Jerusalem, desired to see him, having long cherished expectations of beholding the promised Messiah. Accordingly, they applied to Philip, a native of Bethsada, who mentioned it to Andrew, and he told it to JESUS. Upon which our blessed Saviour told his disciples, that he should soon be honoured with the conversion of: the Gentiles: The hour is come," said he, that the Son of man should be glorified." But declared, that before this glorious event happened, he must suffer death; illustrating the necessity there was of his dying, by the similitude of casting grain into the earth: Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground, and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." John xii, 21. Adding, that since it was absolutely necessary for him, their Lord and Master to suffer the pains of death before he ascended the throne of his glory; so they, as his followers, must also expect, to be persecuted and spitefully used for his name sake but if they persevered, and even he would reward their constancy with to lose their lives in his service, a crown of glory. And at the same time he tacitly insinuated, that the strangers, if their desire of conversingda with him proceeded from an expectation of obtaining temporal preferments, would find themselves greatly disappointed: If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any ai man serve me, him will my Father honour.".

Thus having surveyed his own sufferings, and proposed them as an example to his disciples, the melancholy prospect so greatly moved him, that he uttered in a very pathetic manner his grief, and addressed his heavenly Father for succour in his distress: Now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause come I unto this hour."

We should learn by this examale of our Lord, that prayer is the. only method of easing the mind overwhelmed with distress but, at the same time, to be always resigned to the divine will: for though

the weakness of human nature may shrink when persecutions or sqfferings of any kind appear in all their hideous forms; yet, by reflecting on the wisdom, goodness, and power of God, to deliver us, we ought to support every trial, however severe, with patience, as he doubtless proposes some happy end by these afflictions."

Our dear Redeemer, having given vent to his melancholy reflections, and made a short prayer to his heavenly father, begged of God to demonstrate the truth of his mission, by some token which should not be resisted : « Father, glorify thy name." Nor had the great Saviour of mankind hardly uttered these words, before he was answered by an audable voice from heaven, "I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again." The miracles thou hast already performed have glorified my name; and, by other miracles, to be wrought before the sons of men, I will still continue to glorify it.

This voice was evidently preternatural, resembling thunder in loudress, but sufficiently articulate to be understood by those who heard our blessed Saviour pray to his heavenly Father. And JESUS told his disciples, that it was not given for his sake, but to confirm them in their faith of his mission: " This voice," said he, came not because of me, but for your sakes." It came to confirm what I have told you relating to my sufferings, death, resurrection, and the conversion of the whole Gentile world to the Christian Religion.

A prospect like this, could not fail of being agreeable to that compassionate Being, who came down from heaven to redeem lost and undone mankind, and of removing the melancholy thoughts that afflicted his spotless soul; and accordingly he communicated this comfortable reflection to his disciples, telling them that the time was at hand when the kingdom of Satan would be destroyed, and the sons of men exalted with himself into the happy regions of the heavenly Canaan: Now is the judgment of this world : now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

But the people on hearing our blessed Redeemer affirm, that he was to suffer death on the cross, or as he termed it, “ be lifted up from the earth,” could not reconcile what he said with the prophecies made concerning the Messiah, whom they supposed was never to taste of death: "We have heard," said they," out of the law, that Christ abideth forever; and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up ?" To which our blessed Lord replied, that they should soon be deprived of his presence and miracle, and therefore they would do well to listen attentively to his precepts, firmly believe the doctrines he delivered, and wisely improve them to their eternal advantage; for otherwise they would be soon overtaken with spiritual blindness, and rendered incapable of inheriting the promises of the gospel that while they enjoyed the benefits of his preaching and miracles, which sufficiently proved the truth of his mission from the Most High, they should believe on him for by that means alone they should become the children of God: Yet a little while is the light with you; for he that walketh in darkness, knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light.

Having spoken these words to the people, our dear Lord retired privately from Jerusalem, probably to Bethany; but notwithstanding the many. miracles our great Redeemer had wrought in the presence of this perverse and stiff necked people, the generality of them refused to own him for the Messiah; being filled with vain expectations of a temporal prince, who was to rule over all the kingdoms of the earth, and place his throne in Jerusalem. Some indeed, even of the rulers, believed on him, though, valuing the good opinion of men above the approbation of the Almighty, they thought it prudent to conceal their faith, lest they should, like the blind man, be excommunicated, or put out of the synagogue.

But our great Redeemer being willing to cherish the least glimmeringsof faith, wherever it appeared, he soon returned to Jerusalem; to inspire such as believed on him with courage, he cried in the temple, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me." As if he had said the doctrine I preach to the children of men, is so evidently from God, that he who believeth on me, believeth more properly on the Almighty, whe sent me into the world, and by whose authority alone I preach the gospel: adding, he that seeth the miracles 1 perform, seeth the opperations of the omnipotent power by which I act: I am the Sun of Righteousness, whose beams dispel the darkness in which the sons of men are involved, and am come to deliver all who believe on me, out ofithat palpable darkness. You must not however expect, that I will at present execute my judgments upon those who refuse to embrace the doctrines of the gospel; for I am not come to condemn and to punish, but to save the world, and consequently to try every gentle and winning method to reclaim the wicked from the error of their ways and turn their feet into the paths of virtue, which lead to the happy mansions of my father's kingdom: they shall not however escape unpunished who neglect the instructions and offers of salvation now made to them; for the doctrines I have preached, shall bear witness against them at the awful tribunal of the last day; and as it has aggravated their sin, so it shell heighten their punishment. I wellknow, that the doctrines and precepts which the Father hath commanded me to preach, are the only conditions of eternal life; and therefore 1 have promised them with the greatest faithfulness, perspicuity, and confidence, consequently I am worthy of credit, both with regard to my mission, and the faithfulness with which I have executed the commands of the Most High.

A deputation of priests and elders was sent from the supreme council, while our Lord was thus preaching in the temple, to ask him concerning the nature of the authority by which he acted, whether it was as prophet, priest, or king, as no other person had a right to make any alterations either in church or state; and if he laid claim to either of those characters from whom he received it? But our blessed Saviour, instead of giving a direct answer to the Pharisees, asked them another; promising if they resolved his question he would also answer theirs: "I also will ask you one. thing, which if ye tell me, I in like manner will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven or from men 8" Matt. xxi. 14, 25.

The Priests were reduced by this question to an extricable dilemma: they considered on the one hand, that if they said it was from God, it would oblige them to acknowledge the authority of Jesus, John having more. than once publickly declared him to be the Messiah; and on the other, if they peremtorily denied the authority of John, they would be in danger. of being stoned by the people, who in general, considered him as a prophet: they therefore thought it the most eligible method to answer, that they could not tell from wherce John's baptism was. Thus by declining to answer the questions asked them by Jesus they left him at liberty to de. cline giving the council the satisfaction they had sent to demand; and at the same time, they plainly confessed, that they were unable to pass any sentence on John the Baptist, notwithstanding he claimed the character of a messenger fro God. and they had sent to examine his pretensions. This was in effect to acknowledge, that they were incapable of judging of any prophet whatsoever; well therefore, might the blessed Jesus say, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things."Ye have no right to ask, since you have confessed you are unable to judge; and for that reason, I shall not satisfy your inquiry ad

This deputation of the elders having said, that they were ignorant from whence the baptism of John was, our blessed Saviour sharply rebuked them, conveying his reproof in the parable of the two sons commanded to

work in their father's vineyard; and made them condemn themselves by asking their opinion of the two.

A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first and said son, go work to day in my vineyard." But this ungracious youth very roughly answered the kind command of his father, and without the least preface or appellation of respect, answered, "I will not:" but after reflecting on the impropriety and indecency of such behavior to his kind and indolgent father, he repented of what he had done, and went to work in the vineyard. The father having met with so harsh a reply from the former son, had recourse to the other, and in the same manner, ordered him to work that day in his vineyard. This son was very different from the former, and in a very dutiful manner said "I go Sir." But notwithstanding this seeming obedience he delayed to do as his father desired; he did not go to work in the vineyard. The temper and behaviour of this second son were exactly conformable to that of the Pharisees; they gave the Almighty the most honourable titles, and professed the utmost zeal for his service, in their prayers and praises; but at the same time refused to do any part of the work that he enjoined them. In the character of the other son, the disposition of the publicans and harlots is well discribed. They neither professed nor promised to do the will of their Creator; but when they came to reflect seriously on his conduct, and the offers of mercy which were so kindly made them, they submitted to our Saviour, and amended their lives in consequence of their faith.

Our Lord having thus finished the parable, asked the Pharisees, Whether of them twain did the will of his Father ? They say unto him, the first." They did not immediately perceive, that by his answer they condemned themselves, till our Saviour made a just application to the parable, in this sharp, but just rebuke: "Verily I say unto you, that the publicans and the arlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not," nor entered into your father's vineyard, though like the second son, you' promise in the most fair and candid manner; " but the publicans and the harlots believed him," repented of their former disobedience, and entered into the vineyardplan

Our blessed Lord did not rest satisfied with shewing the Pharisees the heniousness of their sin in rejecting the Baptist, but he thought proper also. to represent the crime of the nation in rejecting all the prophets which had been sent since they became a nation, and among the rest, the only begot ten Son of the Most High; warning them, at the same time, of their danger, and the punishment that would inevitably ensue, if they 'continued in their rebellion. The outward economy of religion, in which they gloried, would be taken from them; their relation to God, as his people, cancelled; and the national constitution destroyed; but because these topics were extremely disagreeable, he delivered them under the veil of the following parable: There was," said he, "a certain householder, which planted vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a wine press in it, and Built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country." We frequently find in the sacred Scriptures, the comparison of the church to a vineyard; but this particular parable, for the faller conviction of the Jews, is expressly taken from the fifth chapter of the prophet Isaiah, with which they could not fail of being well acquainted, nor ignorant of it's meaning, as the prophet at the end of it adds, "The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant and he looked for judgment, but beheld oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry." Our Saviour, therefore, continued the metaphor, telling them; "That when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the hus bandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned

another." The Almighty sent the prophets to exhort the Jews to enter tain just sentiments of religion, and tread the paths of virtue; but the Jews, extremely irritated at the prophets for the freedom they used in reproving their sins, persecuted and slew them with unrelenting fury. Their wickedness, however, in killing these messengers, did not instantly provoke the Almighty to pour down his vengeance upon them; he sent more prophets to exhort and reclaim them, but they met with no better fate than the forraer. His mercy however still continued; and that no means might be left untried, he sent unto them his own son, whose authority, being clearly established by undeniable miracles, ought to have been acknowledged cheerfully by these wicked men but how different was the consequence? "When the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. Whed the Lord, therefore, of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.

On hearing this answer made by the Pharisees, the people said, "God forbid surely these husbandmen will not proceed to such desperate iniquity; surely the vineyard will not thus be taken from them. But, to confirm the truth of this, our Saviour added a remarkable prophecy of himself, and of his rejection from the 118th Psalm: Did ye never," said he; "read in the Scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner; this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes."

The rejection of the Messiah by the Jews, and the reception he met with among the Gentiles, all brought to pass by the providence of God, are wonderful events; and therefore I say unto you, the kingdon of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.

The chief priests, perceiving the drift of our Saviotir's parable, were bighly incensed, and would gladly have apprehended him; but they feared the people, who acknowleged him as the Messiah while they surrounded him in the temple.

But as the rulers were afraid to apprehend JESUS, he was at liberty to proceed in the offices of his ministry; accordingly he delivered another parable, wherein he described on the one hand, the bad success which the preaching of the gospel was to meet with amongst the Jews; and, on the other, the cheerful reception given it among the Gentles. This gracious design of the Almighty, in giving the gospel to the children of men, our blessed Saviour illustrated by the behaviour of a certain king, who, in hon oar of his son, made a great feast, to which he invited many guests; The Kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king; which made a marriage for his son. This marriage supper. or great feast, signifies the joys of heaven, which are properly compared to an elegant entertainment, on account of their exquisiteness and duration; and are here said to be prepared in honour of the Son of God, being bestowed on men as a reward for their abedience.

But before the supper was ready, the servants were sent forth to call the guests to the wedding; that is, when the fulness of time approached, the Jews as being the peculiar people of God, were first called to the great feast of heaven by John the Baptist, and afterwards by CHRIST himself; but they refused all these benevolent calls of mercy, and rejected the kind invitations of the gospel, though pressed by the preaching of the Messiah, and his forerunner. After our Saviour's, resurrection and ascension, the apostles were sent forth to inform the Jews, that the gospel covenant was established; that mansions in heaven were prepared; and that nothing was wanting but their cheerful acceptance of the honour designed them: