God in his infinite Wisdom has determined and appointed.

41. Thus Jefus with great Meeknefs reproved the Ambition and Weakness of thefe Two Brothers. But when the other Ten Apoftles knew what it was that thefe Two had asked, they began to be very angry at them for their ambitious Defires; not without having fomething of the fame Ambition and Envy themselves, for fear the two Brothers fhould have been preferred before them.

42. Then Jefus calling them all to him, faid: Ye have all of you ftill very wrong Apprehenfions of the Nature of my Kingdom. Among the Gentiles indeed, and in the Kingdoms of this prefent World, Men ftrive ambitiously to get the Dominion one over another; and they who can furtheft extend their Power, and rule with the largest and moft abfolute Authority, are counted the greatest Men, and have the moft Honour and Refpect paid them.

43. But in the Kingdom of God, Things fhall be ordered by quite different Measures. He that defires to be greatest and most honourable among you, let him endeavour to become fo by an extraordinary Degree of Meeknefs and Humility; and let him exercife his Power, not in domineering over any, but in affifting and doing good to all.

44. And he that defires to have the greateft Dignity and Preheminence among you, let him become eminent by his Modefty and Humility, and Readinefs to ferve all Men.

45. For thus even I my felf, whom ye ought to obey and to imitate,

came not into the World to exercife
Power and Dominion, to rule over Men,
and to be ferved by them: but to serve
and do good to all Men, to aflift and
relieve the Needy, to ftrengthen and
fupport the Weak, to inftruct the Ig-
norant, to reclaim the Wicked, and to
lay down my Life to procure Pardon
and Reconciliation for the Penitent.

46. After thefe Inftructions given to the Difciples, Jefus continued when he was paffed through Jericho, on his Journey towards Jerufalem. And with his Difciples and a great Multitude of others following him; there fat by the fide of the Road, thro' which Jefus was to go, a blind Man One of called Bartimeus, who ufed to fit there the Two, and beg. mentioned 47. This Man, enquiring of the Matt. xx. Multitude, and being told that Jefus was paffing by, cried out aloud to Jefus, faying; Lord, I have heard of the many wonderful Works that you have done, and I believe you to be the promifed Meffiah, fent of God to redeem his People; I beseech you, pity my fad Condition.

48. And the People rebuked him, bidding him forbear making fuch a Noife, to difturb Jefus and ftop him upon the Road. But the blind Man continued to cry out with the greater Earneftnefs; O thou Son of David, I beseech thee, have Compaffion on

me.

49. Then Jefus ftopping, bad thofe who were about him bring the blind Man to him. And they told the blind Man, faying; Come, rife up, and be chearful; Jefus calls for you to come to him.

50. Upon

50. Upon which, the blind Man ftarting up with great Joy, and throw ing off his loofe Coat, went with all hafte to Jefus.

51. And when he was come, fefus asked him; What is it that you defire I fhould do for you? The blind Man answered; Lord, I defire that I may receive my Sight.

52. Then Jefus faid; According as you have believed that I have Power to effect this Thing, fo be it done to you. And immediately his Sight came to him, and he saw all Things diftinctly; And he went with the reft of the People after Jesus.

50 And he cafting away his garment, rofe, and came to Jefus.

fwered, and faid un51 And Jefus anto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man faid unto him, Lord, that I might receive my fight.

52 And Jefus faid unto him, Go thy way, thy faith hath made thee whole.

And immediately he received his fight,and followed Jefus in the

way.

Jefus rideth into Jerufalem, ver. 8. Curfeth the Fig-Tree, ver. 13. Cafeth the Traders out of the Temple, ver. 15. Of the Difpofition of Mind neceffary to Prayer, ver. 24, 25. Jefus confoundeth the Jews with a Question about John's Baptifm, ver. 27.

1 & 2. NOW when Jejus and his

Disciples drew near to Jerufalem, and were over-against the Villages Bethphage and Bethany, at the Foot of the Mount of Olives; Jefus, knowing that the Time of his Suffering was now come, and therefore no longer endeavouring to conceal himfelf, but refolving to enter into the City publickly, he bad Two of his Difci ples go into the Village Bethphage, and take a young Afs, which they fhould

AND when they came nigh to Jerufalem,unto Bethphage, and Bethany,

Olives, he fendeth at the mount of forth two of his dif ciples,

2 And faith unto

them, Go your way into the village over against you; and tred into it, ye shall

affoon as ye

be en

find a

colt tied,

whereon never man

fat; loose him, and bring him.

find tied by a Door in the Street at their entrance into the Town, and bring it to Him.

3. And if any Man, faith he, queftions you by whofe Order ye take away the Afs; tell him, The Lord has need of it. And Providence shall fo order things, that you fhall be suffered to bring it away unmolested.

3 And if any man fay unto you, Why do ye this? fay ye that the Lord hath need of him; and ftraightway he will fend him hither. 4 And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without, in a place where where two ways met and they away. : loose him.

5 And certain of

them that flood

there, faid unto
them, What do ye
loofing the colt?
6 And they faid

unto them even as

Jefus had commanded and they let them go.

7And they brought the colt to Jefus, and caft their garments on him and he fat upon him,

8And many fpread their garments in the way and others cut down branches off the trees, and trawed them in the way. 9 And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, faying, Hofanna, bleffed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

10 Bleffed be the kingdom of our fa

4. Accordingly the Two Difciples went into the Village; and finding the young Afs, as Jefus had told them, tied by a Door at the Top of the Street; they untied him, and began to lead him

56. And when the People that ftood by, seeing two Strangers taking away the Afs, asked them, What they had to do with it, and by whose Orders they took it away? The Difciples anfwered in the words which Jefus commanded them, The Lord has need of it. And they let the Difciples go away with it undisturbed.

7. Then they brought the Afs to

Jefus, and having laid their Cloaths upon the back of it, they fet Jefus up, and he rode upon it towards erufalem.

8. And fome fpread their Cloaths in the Road, as at the triumphal Entrance of a great Prince; and others ftrewed the Way with Boughs cut down from the Trees.

9 & 10. And all the People both before and behind, made great Acclamations, faying, Bleffed and profperous be this great Prophet, whom the Lord hath sent to vifit his People. God preserve and establish the Kingdom of the Meffias, as he established the Kingdom of our Father David

;

And let Peace and Glory attend it for

ever.

II. Then Jefus entred into the City openly and with great Solemnity. And he went directy to the Temple; where he taught the People, and cured feveral difeafed Perfons, and took a View of the Temple and its Service all Day; and at Night he retired with his Twelve Apostles to Bethany.

12. And in the Morning he returned again with his Difciples from Bethany to Jerufalem; and as he was in the Way, he grew hungry.

13. And obferving at a distance a Figtree full of Leaves, he went up to it to fee if he could find any thing upon it, wherewith to fatisfie his Hunger: But when he came to it, it had no

thing but Leaves, without any Fruit

at that Season.

14. Jefus therefore curfed it, faying: Let nothing ever grow on thee more: Signifying thereby to his Difciples That Curfe which fhould fhortly fall upon the Jews, for their making only outward Pretences of Religion, without any real Holinefs; like to bearing of Leaves without Fruit. And the Difciples obferved, when Jefus thus curfed the Tree.

ther David, that cometh in the name

of the Lord; Hofanna in the highest. into Jerufalem, and 11 And Jefus entred into the temple; and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the even-tide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.

12 And on the morrow when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry.

13 And feeing a fig-tree afar off, having leaves, he came, if haply he

might find any thing thereon and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for the time of figs was not yet. fwered and faid unto 14 And Jefus anit. No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.

* 'Tis most probable and natural to fuppofe, that the Tree was barren, or at least failed that one Season; or that it had none of the laft year's Fruit ftill upon it, as might poffibly have been expected Or the words, if part of them be inclofed in a Parenthefis, may mean that the Time of gathering the Figs being not yet come, was the Reafon of Jefus's expecting Fruit. But however this be, 'tis by no means abfurd to imagine, that our Saviour might at any time caufe a Tree full of Leaves without Fruit to wither, (though it were no Defect in the Tree, but only on account of the Season that it had no Fruit on it;) to represent the Fate of the hypocri tical Jews. For Similitudes are not to be carried on beyond the main thing intended; at leaft there is no Neceffity of doing it.