294 1 They cry Hosannah to the Son of David; Sect. 146. rus out of his Grave, and by that Almighty Voice 17. 18 Eye-witnesses to. [And] for this Caufe, among Luke XIX. 37. And the whole Multitude of the Disciples that had attended him from Bethany, both they that went before him, and they that followed after, in his triumphant Proceffion, began greatly to rejoice, and to praise GOD with a loud Voice, for all the mighty Works and glorious Miracles, which they had feen performed by him on a great Variety of Occafions, and which they now particularly 38 called to Mind. [And] as they now were met by a vast Concourse of People from Jerufalem, they joined together in their Triumphs and Congratulations, and cried with all their Might, faying, “ Hofannah to the great illustrious Son of David, who now vouchsafes to make his pub" lick Appearance among us; bleffed be He, [even] "the long expected King and Sovereign of GOD'S 66 People, who now comes to us in the Name of "the Lord! May the most exalted Honours be paid him! May continued Profperity attend him! "Let there be Peace in Heaven, and a rich Variety " of Divine Favours be dispensed from thence; and " in Return for them, let Glory be given to GOD " in the most exalted Strains, and let all the highest Bleffed MarkXI. 10. " Orders of Angels join in his Praises ! " and profperous be the facred Kingdom of our . called Lazarus out of his Grave, and raifed him from the Dead, bare Record. ،، therefore, (and it is very material to observe it,) that ev [therefore,] is sometimes used in a loofer Sense, so as to answer to [and] or [now] in our Language. and are defended from the Censure of the Pharisees. the Name of the Lord: Hofanna in the Highest. [MAT. XXI. -9.] LUKE XIX. 39. And fome of the Pharifees from unto him, Master, rebuke among the Multitude, faid thy Difciples. : 295 "the Name of the Lord, and renders itself, by Sect. 146. Strains! Repeat again, and again, your Songs, "and your Congratulations." Thus they expressed their joyful and rapturous Expectations of his affuming the Royal Dignity, and vindicating Ifrael from the Roman Oppreffion; and emboldened by the Display of his Power in the Resurrection of Lazarus, they feared not the Resentment of their present Masters, for declaring themselves thus openly in his Favour. Mark XI, 10. And fome of the proud and envious Pharifees, Luke XIX.. who were among the Multitude as Spies rather than 39. Friends, were much offended at the high Honours that were paid to Jesus, and malicioufly faid to him, with an Intent to embarrass and expose him, Master, canst thou be pleased with all this Noise? or can it be consistent with thy great Humility to fuffer it? Why dost thou not rebuke thy Difciples for fuch dangerous Acclamations as these? Doft thou intend to give Encouragement to such seditious Speeches, and to stand by the Consequences which may follow them? And Jefus, who was now determined to lay 40 40 And he answered and faid unto them, I tell you, aside that Referve, which for wife Reasons be had that if these should hold their Peace, the Stones would i formerly used, answered and faid unto them, 1 tell mediately cry out. JOHN XII. 19. The Pharifees therefore faid among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the World is gone after him, 20-6.303 you, that the Reason for these Acclamations is fo : The Pharisees then turning from him, with John XII. Envy and Rage, faid to each other, Perceive ye 19. not, that you gain no Manner of Advantage by all your Confultations, and the Decrees of your Sanhedrim? Behold, the whole World is gone after him, till he has now thrown off the Mafk, and 296 Reflections on CHRIST's riding in Triumph to Jerusalem. Sect. 146. and declares his Pretences; which, if the People. John xii. 14. Mat. xxi. 4, 5. Mark xi. 4, 7. L IMPROVEMENT. ET us behold this meek Triumph of the Great Redeemer with Pleafure! He entered the Capital of his Kingdom, riding upon an Afs: A Circumstance, in which he made, tho' by no means a ridiculous, yet to be sure, a very humble Figure: Yea, he appeared exactly as the Prophet described him, upon a Colt, the Foal of an Afs, not yet grown up to its best Form, nor adorned with any sumptuous or elegant Furniture, but only covered with the Mantles of his poor Attendants, and perhaps with nothing better for a Bridle than a Cord, which might have tied the Foal at the Door. Let us imagine, that we saw the Son of GOD, and the King of Ifrael, Johnxii. 13. thus proceeding towards Jerufalem, and the People meeting him, and furrounding him with their Acclamations: Hofannah! Bleffed be be that cometh in the Name of the Lord! Do not our Hearts spring at the Sound? Do we not, as it were in Spirit, go forth with them, and join in their sublime, tho' fimple Song? Thus let us welcome him into our Hearts! Mark xi. 10. Let us echo it back! Bleffed be-be that cometh in the Name of the Lord, with Divine Authority, and Divine Blessings in his Hands! And bleffed be the Kingdom he hath erected! May perpetual Profperity attend it! May the North give up a Swarm of Subjects to it; and may not the South keep back her swarthy Sons! May Nations be born at once, and Thousands together made willing in the Day of his Power! Surely if these are not our affectionate Wishes, the warm and zealous Sentiments of our very Hearts, Luke xix.40. it may almost be expected, that the very Stones should cry out, to accuse and condemn our ungrateful Stupidity. Unhappy Pharifees, who looked on these Triumphs with Envy and John xii. 19. Rage, and grieved that the World was gone after him! Yet less unhappy, had they not renewed their Attempts against him, those fatal Attempts, which ended in their Ruin! But who, that had seen the Proceffion, and heard the Shouts of the transported Multitude, could have imagined or believed, that before the End of the Week they should have turned their Voices against him, and instead of Hosannah, should have cried out, Crucify kim? Yet so it was; and Chrift knew it would be so. Such is the Uncertainty of popular Applause! Who would then purchase it at the Expence of his Confcience, or even of his Eafe? These Transports were raised by the Hopes of a Temporal Kingdom; and when those Hopes were disappointed, these Transports were turned JESUS weeps over Jerufalem. 297 into Rage. Oh that there may be none, under all the Engagements of a Sect. 146. Chriftian, and even of a Minifterial Profession, who proclaim Christ with great Appearances of Zeal, only that they may exalt themselves; and wish Profperity to his Kingdom, only as it may promote their own Interest in a World, from which it was the great Design of his Death, to redeem his Servants ! SECT.CXLVII. CHRIST having wept over Jerufalem, enters into it, and vindicates the Temple a fecond Time, from the Prophanation of the Traders. Mat. XXI. 10,---16. Mark XI. 11.- Luke XIX. 41, to the End. LUKE XIX. 41. AND when he was come near, he beheld the City, and wept over it, 42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy Day, which belong unto thy Peace! the Things but T LUKE XIX. 41. Luke XIX. 41. HUS our Lord went on, in his triumphant Sect. 147. Progress toward Jerufalem ; and when he was come near it, and had now the View of it before him, (the Place where he was commanding an extensive Prospect of it,) beholding the City in all its present Beauty and Glory, and confidering the Calamities which would shortly be its Ruin, he tenderly wept over it, Saying, Oh 42 that thou hadst known (a), even thou unhappy City, which art now on the very Point of being devoted to final Destruction! oh that at length, tho with the greatest Obstinacy thou hast despised the Messages of all thy Prophets, thou hadst but known and seriously regarded, at least in this thy latest Day and Opportunity of Grace, the important Things which belong to thy Peace, and on which (a) Ob that thou hadst known.] It is certain, as we have observed elsewhere, (Note (a) on Luke xii. 50. pag. 125.) that the Particle es is sometimes used to express an ardent Wish; (compare Numb. xxii. 29. and Josh. vii. 7. Septuag.) and the Connection here will very well bear it. If our Translation be retained, it must be acknowledged, that the broken Manner of speaking is very emphatical: Our Lord will then seem to pause, in a filent Reflection on the happy Consequences, that would have attended their obedient Regard to his Invitations and Addresses. But to add the Words, [it had been well,] which some have proposed, would rather enervate, than help the Sense; as I think it would do in most of the Paffages, which learned Criticks have produced from the Greek Writers, as Instances of a like Figure of Speech. See Mr. Hallet, on Script. Vol. i. pag. 11. VOL. II. Pp (b) Shall 298 He enters the City, and goes to the Temple, Sect. 147. which thy final Happiness depends! But now, but now they are hid from Luke XIX. 42. alas, they are bid from thine Eyes, and God will thine Eyes. 43 it end in thine utter Ruin. For the Time 44 And they shall level thee with the Ground on which 43 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, 44 And shall lay thee even with the Ground, and thy Children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one Stone upon ano ther : because thou knewest not the Time of thy Vifie tation. MAT. ΧΧΙ. 10. [And Jesus entred into Jerusa+ lem:) and when he was come, all the City was moved, saying, Who is this? [MARK XI. 11.-] II And the Multitude faid, This is Jesus, the Proof Gali- of phet, of Nazareth him faid, This is Jefus the great Prophet, who is And Jefus having come into the City by the 12 And Jesus went into the Temple of GOD, and [when he had looked round about (b) Shall not leave one Stone upon another in thee.] Jofephus has fo particularly and affectionately recorded the Accomplishment of every Part of this Prediction, especially in the Sixth Book of his Jewish War, that I cannot but recommend the Perufal of it to every Chriftian, who has an Opportunity of reading it. ... (c) Wom |