glory, a "King," "just and having salvation," i.e., judging the world, and saving the righteous.

There is in Rev. xix. 11-16 a grand description of Christ's coming to judge the world, which appears meant as a contrast to the circumstances of His entering Jerusalem on the

ass:

"And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."

As King of Kings and Judge He is here represented not on an ass, a lowly and mean animal; but on the warlike and noble "horse."

"Branches from the trees," John tells us they were palmbranches these were symbols of victory.

In memory of this event we celebrate Palm Sunday.

"Hosanna" = "Save now"! It was an expression used by persons appealing to the King for help, or redress. Its use by the people, therefore, acknowledged Him as the

Messiah.

The word Hosanna is from the Hebrew "Hoshiah na!"

"Saying, "Who is this ""?-The inhabitants of Jerusalem were, doubtless, most of them acquainted with Christ's appearance: it would then be, probably, the visitors to the city, (of whom there were always multitudes at the Passover), who would ask the question.

"The prophet."-The original requires, "THE Prophet," -ie., that Great Prophet, the Messiah, foretold by Moses.

Christ enters the Temple, and is there greeted by Children, and heals: the Sanhedrin remonstrate with Him: He returns (in the evening) to Bethany.

(c. xxi. 14-17.)

"And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.

And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the son of David; they were sore displeased, and said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise ?

And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there."

Christ, the Lamb, now presented Himself in the Temple, as the Law required that a victim should be thus set apart four days before being slain.

"The children crying," &c.-The children were in the habit of thus saluting the chief doctors, &c., in the Temple. "Have ye never read,"-Ps. viii. 1, 2,—

"O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger."

This Psalm appears "designed for the time when the knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth; and when, as upon our Lord's last visit to the Temple, the children shall take an important part in the praise of the Redeemer.” TUESDAY.

Christ curses the Barren Fig-Tree, on the way from Bethany to Jerusalem.

(c. xxi. 18, 19.)

"Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he

hungered. And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.”

"Presently," &c.—The fig-tree began immediately to wither away.

Mark says that by the next morning it was "dried up from the roots."

He also tells us that the season for figs had not yet come. But, as the fig-tree shews its fruit before its foliage, it was reasonable to expect that this particular tree was in advance of the season, and might be bearing fruit.

The cursing of it was intended to symbolize the terrible fate awaiting the hypocritical Jews, who abounded in the leaves of profession, but brought forth no fruit to God's glory.

The tree made an appearance of being in advance of all others, while it not only had nothing wherewith to justify its pretensions, but had not even what it vaunted.

So with the Jews in regard to their pretensions to right

eousness.

The act was also intended to shew that Christ had the power to punish.

It may well serve, finally, as a warning to all professors of religion, to see whether they are fruit-bearing or not.

Christ cleanses the Temple.

(c. xxi. 12, 13.)

"And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves. And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves."

Matthew, Mark, and Luke narrate the cleansing of the Temple at the close of Christ's ministry.

John records a similar event at the commencement of His ministry.

"None but a prophet of acknowledged dignity, none

perhaps, at this period of Jewish history, but the Messiah Himself, could lay claim to, or exert as his own, such a jurisdiction as this; and by asserting His right to this our Lord virtually asserted Himself to be the Messiah." Hence this act was equally appropriate at the commencement, and at the end, of His ministry.

"The temple of God."-It was in the Court of the Gentiles that the merchandize was carried on.

"Moneychangers," &c.—The origin of this merchandize in the Temple is to be found in the Law :—

"Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always. And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee: then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose and thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household," (Deut. xiv. 22-26).

:

For the convenience of those coming from a distance, accordingly, the traffic mentioned in the preceding passage was allowed in the Temple. To it was afterwards added the sale of "doves" and other sacrificial animals, and the "money-changers" became necessary to change "common and foreign coins for the sacred shekel, alone current in the Temple precincts."

But it is evident that a necessary and lawful practice had become corrupted, and that the Court of the Gentiles had become a species of huge mart and exchange, where "the noisy huckstering of merchants and traders disturbed the devotions of the worshippers."

"It is written," &c.-This passage is compounded of portions of two prophets,—

"My house shall be called a house of prayer for all people."-(Is. lvi. 7.)

"Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes?"—(Jer. vii. 11.)

WEDNESDAY.

On the way from Bethany to Jerusalem, Christ discourses about the Withered Fig-Tree. (c. xxi. 20-22.)

("And presently the fig tree withered away.") "And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away.

Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."

Matthew's account would lead us to suppose that the Figtree withered away visibly before the disciples' eyes, and that Christ's discourse here recorded immediately followed.

Mark, however, distinctly states that Christ cursed the Tree on returning to Bethany; and that it was the next morning the disciples perceived that the curse had taken effect, and that our Lord's address was delivered.

"This mountain,"-probably the "mount of corruption," or of "offence," whereon Solomon built "high places" for Chemosh and Molech. Christ here figuratively declares that faith will remove all "offences" or stumbling-blocks.

The Chief Priests demand of Christ by what authority He acts: His answer. (IN THE TEMPLE.)

(c. xxi. 23-27.)

"And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority? And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if