stifling convictions, and not quenching the workings of conscience. He that resists the voice of conscience may be throwing away his last chance of salvation. That warning voice may be God's "day of visitation." The neglect of it may fill up the measure of a man's iniquity, and provoke God to let him alone for ever.

We learn, lastly, from these verses, how much Christ disapproves of the profanation of holy things. We read that He cast the buyers and sellers out of the temple, and told them that they had made God's house "a den of thieves." He knew how formal and ignorant the ministers of the temple were. He knew how soon the temple and its services were to be destroyed, the veil to be rent, and the priesthood to be ended. But He would have us know that a reverence is due to every place where God

is worshipped. The reverence He claimed for the temple, was not for the temple as the house of sacrifice, but as "the house of prayer."

Let us remember this conduct and language of our Lord, whenever we go to a place of public worship. Christian churches no doubt are not like the Jewish temples. They have neither altars, priesthood, sacrifices, nor symbolical furniture. But they are places where God's word is read, where Christ is present, and where the Holy Ghost works on souls. These facts ought to make us grave, reverent, solemn and decorous, whenever we enter them. The man who behaves as carelessly in a church as he would in an inn, or a private dwelling, has yet much to learn. He has not the "mind of Christ."

NOTES. LUKE XIX. 41-48.

41.-[Wept over it.] This is a remarkable expression. Gualter

W

and Gerhard call attention to it, as a conclusive argument against the doctrine of reprobation. Christ loves and pities all, even those who are His open enemies. None are hated, though none but believers are finally saved.

Wordsworth remarks," Christ here proves His twofold nature by shedding tears as man, for what He foretold as God." 42.-[If thou hadst known.] The Greek expression so translated is equivalent to saying, "I wish that thou hadst known.”—“ Oh that thou hadst known." It is like Isaiah xlviii. 18.

[Now they are hid.] Poole remarks, "God will not allow His Spirit always to strive with man, because he is but flesh, not fit to be always waited on by the Majesty of heaven. First, men shut their eyes against the things belonging to their peace, and then God hideth them from them."

43. [The days shall come, &c.] The predictions of this and the following verse were fulfilled with most literal completeness at the siege of Jerusalem under Titus. Not one word failed. 44.-[The time of thy visitation.] Poole remarks, “God's visitations are either of wrath, or mercy;-of wrath, Exodus xxxii. 31., of mercy, Jeremiah xxix. 10. It is plain that our Saviour useth the term here in its latter, not its former sense; and that by God's visitation is meant His visiting them by the prophets, John the Baptist, and Himself."

45.-[He went into the temple.] Let it be noted, that our Lord purified the temple from profane uses twice, once at the beginning of His ministry, and once at the end. Jerome considers it the greatest miracle that Christ ever wrought.

[Them that sold...and bought.] To account for the presence of those buyers and sellers, we must remember that Jews came to Jerusalem at the passover from every part of the world, and required animals to offer as sacrifices. The buying and selling of these sacrifices, in the outward court of the temple, was doubtless the proceeding which called forth our Lord's righteous indignation.

We can hardly question that a mighty divine influence must have accompanied our Lord's action on this occasion. Otherwise it is difficult to understand the apparent ease with which one person succeeded in producing so great an effect on a multitude without resistance.

46.—Saying unto them, It is written.] The remark has been made that even in purifying the temple from profane uses, our Lord supports His conduct by a text of Scripture. All reformation of abuses in Churches should be built upon God's Word. 47.-[He taught daily in the temple.] The connection between this verse and the preceding one ought not to be overlooked. Our

Lord had just called the temple "the house of prayer." Yet He proceeds to show, by His own example, that it is to be the house of "teaching" as well as praying.

48.-Were very attentive.] The Greek word so rendered is remarkable. It is only used in this place in the New Testament. The marginal reading is more literal. They "hanged on him."

LUKE XX. 1-8.

1 And it came to pass, that on one of those days, as he taught the people in the temple, and preached the Gospel, the Chief Priests and the Scribes came upon him with the elders,

2 And spake unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority?

3 And he answered and said unto them, I will also ask you one thing; and answer me:

4 The baptism of John, was it from

LET us notice, firstly, in this passage, the demand which the chief priests and scribes made upon our Lord. "Tell us," they said, "by what authority thou doest these things? and who gave thee this authority?

The spirit which prompted this demand is too evident to be mistaken. These men hated and envied Christ. They saw His influence increasing. They saw their own power waning. They resolved, if possible, to stop the progress of this new teacher; and the point on which they made their assault was His authority. His mighty works they ought to have examined. His teaching they ought, in all fairness, to have compared with their own Scriptures. But they refused to take either one course or the other. They preferred to call in question His commission.

Every true-hearted Christian who tries to do good in

the world, must make up his mind to be treated like his Master. He must never be surprised to find, that the self-righteous and the worldly-minded dislike His ways. The lawfulness of his proceedings will be constantly called in question. He will be regarded as meddlesome, disorderly, and self-conceited, a pestilent fellow, and a troubler of Israel. (Acts xxiv. 5; 1 Kings xviii. 17.) Scripture-readers, district-visitors, lay-agents, and unordained missionaries, are specially liable to meet with such treatment. And worst of all they will often meet with enemies, where they ought to find friends.

Let all who are attacked by the world for trying to do good, take comfort in the thought that they are only drinking of the cup which Christ drank. Their Master in heaven sympathizes with them. Let them work on patiently, and believe that, if they are faithful, their work will speak for itself. The world's opposition is sure to attend every really good work. If the servants of Christ are to cease from every movement which the world calls in question, they will soon come to an entire stand-still. If we are to wait till the world approves our plans, and is satisfied with the propriety of our efforts, we shall never do anything on earth.

Let us notice, secondly, in this passage, the manner in which our Lord speaks of John the Baptist's ministry. He refers those who questioned His authority to John's constant and unvarying testimony to Himself. "Ought they not to remember how John had spoken of Him as the Lamb of God,-as One whose shoe-latchets he was not worthy to bear,-as One who had the fan in His hand, and had the Spirit without measure? Ought they

not to recollect that they and all Jerusalem had gone out to John's baptism, and confessed that John was a prophet? Yet John had always told them plainly that Christ was the Messiah! Surely, if they were honest they would not come now to demand His authority. If they really believed John to be a prophet sent from God, they were bound to believe that Jesus was the Christ."

It may reasonably be doubted whether the importance of John the Baptist's ministry is generally understood by Christians. The brightness of our Lord's history overshadows the history of his forerunner, and the result is that John's baptism and preaching do not receive the attention which they deserve. Yet it should never be forgotten, that the ministry of the Baptist was the only New Testament ministry foretold in the Old Testament, excepting that of Christ. It was a ministry which produced an immense effect on the Jewish mind, and aroused the expectation of Israel from one end of Palestine to the other. Above all, it was a ministry which made the Jews without excuse in their rejection of Christ, when Christ appeared. They could not say that they were taken by surprise when our Lord began to preach. Their minds had been thoroughly prepared for His appearing. To see the full sinfulness of the Jews, and the entire justice of the judgements which came on them after crucifying our Lord, we must remember the ministry of John the Baptist.

However little man may esteem the work of faithful ministers, there is One in heaven who sees it, and keeps account of all their labour. However little their proceedings may be understood, and however much they