be executed for Examples of Rebellion and Ingratitude: Thus Chrift deftroyed the rebellious Nation of the Jews, who opposed his Gofpel and the Establishment of his Kingdom, with a most fevere and exemplary Temporal Vengeance: And at the Day of Judgment, He will likewise condemn all his open Enemies, who have wilfully rejected and oppofed his Gofpel, as well as his wicked Servants who have neglected and difobeyed it, to Eternal Death. 28. Having inftructed his Difciples with this and many other the like Difcourfes, Jefus continued to go on towards Jerufalem. 29. And when he was come as far as the Mount of Olives, near to Bethphage and Bethany; knowing that the appointed Time of his Sufferings approached, he fought now no longer to conceal himself; but refolved to enter publickly into Jerufalem, and to take upon him in the Sight of the Pharifees and of all the People, a meek Refemblance of that Honour and Worship, which was due to him from the Nation of the Jews, as their King and Sa viour. 30 Saying, Go ye into the village over against you in the which at your encolt tied, whereon tering ye fhall find a yet never man fat : loofe him, and bring him hither. 31 And if any man afk you, Why do ye loofe him? thus fhall ye fay unto him, Be need of him. caufe the Lord hath 32 And they that were fent, went their way, and found even as he had faid unto them. 33 And as they were loofing the colt, the owners thereof faid unto them, Why loofe ye the colt ? 34 And they faid, The Lord hath need of him. 35 And they brought him to Jefus: and they caft their garments upon the colt, and they fat Jefus thereon. 36 And as he went, they fpread their clothes in the way. 37 And when he was come nigh, even now at the defcent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the difciples began to rejoyce and praife God with a loud voice, for all the mighty works that they had feen, 38 Saying, Bleffed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. 32. Accordingly, the two difciples went into the Town; and obferving Jefus's Directions, they found every thing happen exactly as He had foretold them. 33 34. For as they were untying & the Colt, the Men to whom it belonged demanded of them, What Authority they had to meddle with it? And they anfwered, as Jefus had appointed them, That the Mafter had occafion for it: And thereupon the Men let them take it away. 35. Bringing the Colt therefore to Jefus, they fpread their Cloaths on it, and fet Jefus thereon. And he rodə upon it towards ferufalem. 36. And the People that went along with him, ftrewed the way before him, fome with their Cloaths, and others with Branches of Trees; as upon fome high Festival, or at the folemn Entry of a great Prince. And in this Manner Jefus rode, with great Lowliness and humble State, from Bethphage to Jerufalem. 37. And when he was within a few Furlongs of the City, being now at the Bottom of the Defcent from the Mount of Olives; the Difciples which came along with him from Galilee, begun to exprefs their Joy in loud Acclamations, praifing God for the many great and beneficial Miracles which Jefus from time to time had worked amongst them. 38. And they faid, Bleffed be He whom God hath fent to be our King and Deliverer; Heaven preserve and profper the Kingdom of the Meffiah, and establish it in Peace and great Glory. 39. But 39. But fome of the Pharifees which were in the Company, were offended at thefe joyful Acclamations of the People; envying Jesus's Honour, and fearing to lofe their own Authority and Efteem: And they fpake to Jefus, that he would rebuke his Diples, and not fuffer them to make fuch an indecent Noife. 40. But Jefus replyed; Nay, fince you, who ought to fhow forth the Praifes of God, do through Envy and Malice refufe to do it; 'tis very fit and reafonable that others fhould be permitted to perform fo necefiary a Duty, And verily, if thefe Perfons should forbear doing it, God would even work a Miracle to raise up others to glorify his Name, rather than Silence fhould be kept at fo extraordinary a Seafon as this. 41. Now when Jefus was come very nigh, so that he could diftinctly view the City; he fixed his Eyes upon it, and confidering the unparallelled Defruction that was fhortly to come upon it for the Incorrigiblenefs and Impenitency of the Jews, he wept over it; and faid: 42. O thou once happy and beloved, but now moft miferable and curfed City! That thou hadst been but fo wife and happy, as to have confidered thy Condition, even in this very laft Extremity; and by an immediate Repentance, have accepted the laft gracious Offers of God's Mercy and Salvation! But alas, it is now too late: God has peremptorily and unalterably decreed thy Destruction, and will afford thee no more Means of Salvation. 39 And fome of the Pharifees from among the multitude, faid unto him, Mafter, rebuke thy disciples. 40 And he anfwered and faid unto them, I tell you, that if these should ftones would immehold their peace, the diately cry out. 41 And when he was he beheld the city, and wept over it. come near, 42 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. 43 For 43 For the days Thall come upon thee, that thine enemies fhall caft a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every fide, 44 And fhall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they fball not leave in thee one stone upon another: because thou knewest not the time of thy vifitation. 45 And he went into the temple, and began to caft out them that fold therein, and 47 And he taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the fcribes, and the chief of the people fought to destroy him, 48 And could not find what they VOL. II. 43 44. For within a very little time, thy Enemies fhall befiege the clofe, and famifh thee; and thou fhalt be taken by them and demolished to the very Ground; So that of thy moft ftately Buildings, not fo much as one Stone fhall be left upon another, nor remain even any Ruins of thy ancient Greatnefs: And all thy Inhabitants shall be miferably deftroyed, and perifh by unheard-of Calamities: Because thou waft not moved by God's repeated Threatnings, nor prevailed upon by any Offers of his Mercy, to repent and return to Obedience. 4546. Then Jefus rode into the City and as foon as he alighted, he went into the Temple to teach the People. And finding the outward Court, which is the Court of the Gentiles appointed for Profelytes to worship in, filled like a Market with MoneyChangers Stalls, and Sellers of Cattle and Doves, and the like; who fat there under Pretenfe of having thefe Things near at Hand for the Convenience of fuch as came up to Sacrifice: he turned them all out, and cleared the Place, faying; It is a moft profane and unfufferable Thing, to turn any Part of that Holy Place into a Market, and to fill it with Covetoufnefs and Extortion; which was fet apart and confecrated to the Service of God. 47 48. And he continued to teach in the Temple daily, exhorting the People to repent; and that, forfaking the vain Traditions of their hypocritical Teachers, they would apply themselves fubftantially to obey the great and eternal Laws of God, by Sobriety, Juftice, Equity, Piety and Charity. By which Means the Chief O Pricfts Priefts and Pharifees, the Scribes and principal Rulers of the Jews, were greatly enraged against him, as an Underminer of their Efteem and Authority among the People. Wherefore they contrived all poffible Ways to apprehend him, and take away his Life. But they could not easily find any plausible Occafion; because the common People had a very great Opinion of him, and were very diligent and attentive to hear him. might do: for all the people were very attentive him. to hear CHA P. XX. Jefus filences the chief Priests with a Question about John's Baptifm, ver. 1. The Parable of the Vineyard, ver. 9. Of Obedience to Civil Powers, ver. 21. The Refurrection proved against the Sadducees, ver. 27. Of Chrift's being David's Son, ver. 41. Of Hypocrify, ver. 45. 1. THE Chief Priefts therefore, and Pharifees, and Elders of the Jews, refolving to deftroy Jefus; but not daring to apprehend him by Force in the Prefence of the People, without fome Pretence of Reafon and Juftice; the only Way they had left, was to endeavour by captious and enfnaring Queftions to provoke him to fay fomething, which might offend the People, and bear an Accufation. Accordingly one Day, as he was teaching the People, and preaching the Gospel in the Temple, they came about him, and demanded of him in the following Manner. 2. By whofe Commiffion, faid they, do you attempt all thefe Things? Who authorized you to be a Preacher of |