Greeks and there were many such, who, never having been circumcised, were not reckoned as Jews, but, having been converted from idolatry, came to worship at Jerusalem'. It is not improbable that the "certain Greeks that came to worship at the feast," were from Bethsaida of Galilee; as, in their desire to “see Jesus,' they address themselves to their fellow-townsmen, Philip and Andrew, who "tell Jesus." Christ had forbidden His Apostles to "go into the way of the Gentiles ;" and, on this account, they appear to have hesitated whether such uncircumcised persons might be admitted to converse with Him; and, therefore, they consult Him, before they bring them to Him o. Our Lord seems to reply, Is it so indeed? Do the Gentiles desire to see Me? The time draws on when I must be glorified in the conversion of the Gentiles; yet as a corn of wheat doth not bring forth fruit except it first "fall into the ground and die;" "but if it die it bringeth forth much fruit;" so I must die first, and be thrown into the earth; and then a mighty harvest of the Gentile world will grow up, and be the produce of My death'. As ye see, He continues, that the way by which I Myself must extend My kingdom is by suffering and death; so ye must take notice that the way by which you may "serve Me," is to "follow 7 Dr. Lightfoot.

Bishop Mann.

Dr. Whitby.

Me" by the by the way of suffering and affliction. Our Lord, then, adverting to His approaching sufferings, is, for the moment, overcome by His mortal nature at the terrors of death, and exclaims, "Now is My soul troubled." He seems for a moment confounded, and ready to petition : "Father, save Me from this hour"." Perhaps it was, that it might not be thought by those who were called upon to follow His example, that He had not the same sense of pain and sorrow which men ordinarily have; He here shows that He had the same natural feelings as other men; but that they were overruled by the desire of promoting His Father's glory'; for, He adds, For this end was I born into the world to suffer. I took up My life, in order thus to lay it down; and was made a living Man for the express purpose that I might be crucified and slain 2. Father, I resign Myself entirely to Thy allwise disposal. Glorify Thy name in Me, by what means, and in what manner soever, Thou thinkest fit 3.

This petition of our Saviour was answered from heaven by an audible voice: "I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again." I have glorified Thy name already in the victory Thou hast obtained over the temptations of life, and by the miracles which I have given in testimony of Thy Divine mission, and more Dr. Whitby.

8 Dr. S. Clarke.

2 Dr. Ogden.

9

Dr. Robinson.

1

3 Dr. S. Clarke.

particularly by that recent exercise of exalted power in the raising of Lazarus from the grave. "I will glorify it again," by Thy resurrection and ascension at the right hand of God, by the mission of the Holy Ghost, and by giving Thee a name which shall be above every name1. This was the third time the Messiah was proclaimed by a witness and a voice from heaven. At His baptism, He had been honoured in the priestly office; at His transfiguration, in His prophetic office; and now, in His kingly office. We are not informed what effect this wonderful miracle had upon the inquiring Greeks; yet of the multitude it is again recorded, “they believed not on Him, though He had done so many miracles before them." Nevertheless, among the chief rulers many believed on Him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue." Thus, says the Evangelist, the saying of Esaias was fulfilled: "Lord, who hath believed our report?" Again, They could not believe;" they were very unwilling to believe, because the same prophet had foretold what is thus shown to be true, that their eyes would be blinded, and their hearts hardened. It is not meant that they had a will to believe, and could not; but that they had set themselves against having such a will'. We are not to understand by the pas

6

4 Dr. Whitby.

66

Archbishop Newcome.

66

sage in this place or elsewhere (for there are many passages in the Gospels similar to this), that the events took place merely for the purpose that the sayings of the ancient prophets might be fulfilled; or that God, by hardening the hearts, and blinding the understandings of the Jews, made it impossible for them to believe. God foresaw that a very large proportion of the Jews would reject the Gospel; and He was pleased to foretell this, among other events relative to the advent and ministry of Christ. It was designed that the fulfilment of these various predictions should form a part of the evidence of the Divine authority of the Gospel. What the prophets had predicted was certain to come to pass; but this certainty by no means caused these events to be determined by the decrees of God. They did not happen because they were foretold; but they were for the wisest purposes foretold, because it was foreseen that they would happen. Individual examples of exception to the general prevalence of these prejudices was the foundation of the Christian Church; but the prejudices themselves were the consequence of a shallow pride, that blinded and hardened the understanding. The foreknowledge of God does not affect the free agency of man, and must be considered as perfectly distinct from His will 3.

SECT. CXXII.-Christ curseth the Fruitless Fig-Tree.Matt. xxi. 18-22; Mark xi. 12-14; 20-26.

"In the morning" after His triumphant entry into Jerusalem, Jesus "returned into the city." The village of Bethphage lay between Bethany and Jerusalem: this village derived its name, which means house of figs, from the prevalence of fig-trees in the neighbourhood. In passing through this district, at a season when the ordinary "time of figs was not," Jesus observed one tree with leaves, which warranted the expectation that it was of a peculiar kind, known to Palestine, on which figs in an eatable state might be found thereon. As the fruit of the fig-tree precedes its leaves, it is probable that our Saviour, on seeing the tree in full vigour, and covered with leaves, might justly look for fruit; either a few ripe figs of the early crop, or a forward tree some weeks before the proper season, or else some winter figs remaining on the tree 10. It is noted that the tree had leaves; and that "the time of figs was not yet," that is, the time of gathering figs. If the season had been over, the finding no fruit would not have proved the barrenness of the tree; it might have been gathered. "He found nothing but leaves;" and this was a proof that the tree was barren; for, as "the time of figs was not yet," they had not been gathered '.

" Pictorial Bible.

10 Dr. Shaw.

1 Bloomfield.