صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and saw him, and said unto him, Zaccheus, make haste, and come down; for to-day I must abide at thy house. And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, that he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. And Zaccheus stood, and said unto the Lord, Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house; forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham ; for the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

REFLECTIONS.

"Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?" How different is the spirit which these words evince, from that which one of the speakers afterwards inculcated;-—" Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth, not knoweth not God; for God is love.-He that loveth not his brother, whom he hath seen, how can he love God, whom he hath not seen?" (1 John, iv. 7. 8. 20.) The apostle John is considered, and justly, as exemplifying, more than any, save Jesus himself, the spirit of Christian gentleness. Love to God and man seem personified in him. Whence was this change? Whence did the ardent partisan, designated by his Lord as a "Son of thunder," who was ready to call down fire from heaven on the Samaritan village, acquire the meekness which beams, like a glory, round “the disciple whom Jesus loved?"-Whence, but from drinking deeply of the spirit of his Master? Bright example of the

influence of Christianity! Blessed power of Religion, to breathe into the fiery zealot the gentleness of the dove!

HYMN.

ANONYMOUS.

Great God, whose all pervading eye
Sees every passion in my soul!
When sunk too low, or raised too high,
Teach me those passions to control.

Temper the fervours of my frame;
Be charity their constant spring:
And O, let no unhallow'd flame
Pollute the offerings which I bring.

Let love with piety unite

To mend the bias of my will;

While hope and heaven-eyed faith excite,

And wisdom regulates my zeal.

That wisdom which to meekness turns,

Wisdom descending from above;

And let my zeal, whene'er it burns,

Be kindled by the fire of love.

SECTION XXXVIII.

CHRIST'S ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM.

LUKE XIX. 28.

AND when he had thus

cending up to Jerusalem.

spoken, he went before, asAnd it came to pass, when

he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his

[ocr errors]

disciples, saying, Go ye into the village over against you ; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat; loose him and bring him hither. And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him. And they that were sent went their way, and found even as he had said unto them. And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt? And they said, The Lord hath need of him. And they brought him to Jesus; and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon. And as they went, they spread their clothes in the way. And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice, for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord; peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. And he answered and said unto them, I tell you, that if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side; and shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

REFLECTIONS.

Holy Saviour, what are thy thoughts, as weeping in thy hour of triumph, thou passest onward to the city of thy fathers? It was not for his own approaching death; it was not for the scorn that awaited him,-for the clamours of the crowd, Crucify him, crucify him," that the tears of Jesus were shed. It was for his countrymen, the chosen people of God, about to be cast out from among the nations for their rejection of him.

[ocr errors]

But now the band assumes more the appearance of a triumphal procession. The followers of Jesus wave their palm-branches in the air; the path is spread with their garments in honour of him whom they accompany, and the whole city is moved to meet him. He meantime, performs his part, now as in times of suffering and danger, with calm, collected dignity. He knows the fate that in a few days must be his, and he goes on to meet it as firmly as though he believed, with his exulting followers, that this was the commencement of a temporal reign. Let his equal mind afford an example to those who bear his name, to pass through every scene with unshaken self-control, never elated by prosperity beyond the bounds of moderate and grateful enjoyment, never depressed by adversity so far as to forget the Providence of God, or to swerve from the path of duty.

HYMN.

BISHOP HEBER.

Ride on, ride on in majesty!
Hark! all the tribes Hosannas cry!

Thine humble beast pursues his road,

With palms and scattered garments strewed.

Ride on, ride on in majesty !
In lowly pomp ride on to die!
Oh Christ, thy triumphs now begin
O'er captive death and conquered sin !

Ride on, ride on in majesty!
Thy last and fiercest strife is nigh ;
The Father on his glorious throne
Expects his own anointed Son.

Ride on, ride on in majesty !
In lowly pomp ride on to die!

Bow thy meek head to mortal pain,

Then take, O Christ, thy power and reign!

SECTION XXXIX.

JESUS ANOINTED AT BETHANY.

MATT. XXVI.

AND it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples, Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover; and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.

Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the Elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas; and consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him. But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people.

Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, there came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and

« السابقةمتابعة »