tude who accompanied our Lord at His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, had cried, " Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord." (John xii. 13.) The current belief of all godly Jews was, that when Messiah, the Son of David came. He would come as a King. A kingdom of heaven and a kingdom of God was continually proclaimed by our Lord through- out His ministry. A King indeed He was, as He told Pilate, of a kingdom utterly unlike the kingdoms of this world, but for all that a true King of a true kingdom, and a Ruler of true subjects. As such He was born. As such He lived. As such He was crucified. And as such He will come again, and reign over the whole earth, King of kings and Lord of lords.
Let us take care that we ourselves know Christ as our King, and that His kingdom is set u^) within our hearts. They only will find Him their Saviour at the last day, who have obeyed Him as King in this world. Let us cheerfully pay Him that tribute of faith, and love, and obedience, which He prizes far above gold. Above all, let us never be afraid to own ourselves His faithful subjects, soldiers, servants and followers, however much He may be despised by the world. A day will soon come when the despised l^azarene who hung on the cross, shall take to Himself His great power and reign, and put down every enemy under His feet. The kingdoms of this world, as Daniel foretold, shall be swept aside, and become the kingdom of our God and of His Christ. And at last every knee shall bow to Him, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
We should observe, lastly, in these verses, how ten- derly our Lord took thougJit for Mary^ His mother.
We are told that even in the awful agonies of body and mind which our Lord endured, He did not forget her of whom He was born. He mercifully remembered