striking manner by our Lord Jesus Christ's conduct, when He went into the temple. We are told that " He cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of them that sold doves." And we are told that He enforced this action by warrant of Scripture, saying, " Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer ? but ye have made it a den of thieves/'
We need not doubt that there was a deep meaning in this action of our Lord on this occasion. Like the cursing of the fig tree, the whole transaction was emi- nently typical. But in saying this, we must not allow ourselves to lose sight of one simple and obvious lesson which lies on the surface of the passage. That lesson is the sinfulness of careless and irreverent behavior in the use of buildings set apart for the public service of God. It was not so much as the house of sacrifice, but as the " house of prayer," that our Lord purified the temple. His action clearly indicates the feeling with which every " house of prayer" should be regarded. A Christian place of worship no doubt is in no sense so sacred as the Jewish tabernacle, or temple. Its arrangements have no typical meaning. It is not built after a divine model, and intended to serve as an example of heavenly things. But it does not follow because these things are so, that a Christian place of worship is to be used with no more reverence than a private dwelling, or a shop, or an inn. There is surely a decent reverence, which is due to a place where Christ and His people regularly meet to- gether and public prayer is offered up — a reverence which
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