children, when they saw the many miraculous cures he performed, proclaimed him to be the great Son of David, the long-expected Messiah. Such behaviour not a little incensed the Pharisees; but they feared the people, and therefore only asked him if he heard what the children said; insinuating that he ought to rebuke them, and not suffer them thus to load him with the highest praises. But Jesus, instead of giving a direct answer to their question, repeated a passage out of the eighth Psalm. Have ye never read," said the blessed Jesus, "out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise ?" Giving them to understand, that the meanest of God's works have been made instrumental in spreading his praise. The evening being now come, Jesus 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 probability, forgotten what our Saviour had said to this figtree, till its 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 answered, that whoever hath faith in the Almighty, or thoroughly believed in this miracle, 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, 23. Our Lord added, that whatsoever they should ask by faith, they should receive; and concluded by giving them direction concerning prayer, which was necessary to increase the faith he mentioned. "And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any; that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses." --Mark xi. 25, 26.

During the time the blessed Jesus remained 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 Bethsaida, 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. 24. 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's sake; but if they persevered, and even resolved to lose their lives in his service, he would reward their constancy with a crown of glory; and at the same time he intimated to the strangers, that if their desire of conversing with him proceeded from a hope of obtaining from him temporal preferments, they

would find themselves sadly disappointed. "If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour."-John xii. 26.

Our blessed Lord was now so affected, 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 came I unto this hour."--John xii. 27. This should teach us, 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 persecution or sufferings of any kind appear, 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 ends by these afflictions.

Our blessed Lord having made a short prayer to his Father, begged him to demonstrate the truth of his mission by some token which could not be resisted. "Father, glorify thy name." Nor had he hardly uttered these words, before he was answered by an audible voice from heaven: "I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again." The miracles thou hast already performed have glorified my name; and I will still continue to glorify it, by other miracles to be wrought before the sons of men. This voice was evidently supernatural, resembling thunder in loudness, but sufficiently articu late 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 Gentile world to the Christian religion.

Accordingly he communicated this comfortable reflection to his disciples, telling them that the time was at hand, when the kingdom of Satan should be destroyed, and that of the Messiah exalted. "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.”—John xii. 31, 32.

The people, not understanding the meaning of this affirmation, replied, "We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up."-John xii. 34.

Our Lord, in answer, told them that they should soon be deprived of his presence and miracles; 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 benefit 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 could become the children of God: "Yet a little while is

the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon 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."-John xiii. 35, 36.

Having thus addressed the multitude, he retired privately. But, notwithstanding the many miracles our great Redeemer had wrought in presence of this perverse and stiff-necked people, the generality of them refused to own him for the Messiah, being filled with the 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 they thought it prudent to conceal their faith, lest they should, like the blind man, be excommunicated, or put out of the synagogue: valuing the good opinion of men above the approbation of the Almighty.

Nevertheless, 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." He that acknowledges the divinity of my mission, acknowledges the power and grace of God, on whose special errand I am thus sent. Adding, He that seeth the miracles I perform, seeth the operations of that omnipotent Power by which I act. I am the Sun of Righteousness, whose beams dispel the darkness of ignorance in which the sons of men are involved, and am come to deliver all who believe on me out of that palpable darkness. You must not, however, expect that I will at present execute my judgment upon those who refuse to embrace the doctrines of the gospel; for I am not come to condemn and 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 life and salvation. 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 shall then heighten their punishment.

While Jesus was thus preaching in the temple, a deputation of priests and elders was sent from the supreme council, to ask him concerning the nature of the authority by which he acted, whether it was as