And may we not suppose that Jesus is now looking, as it were, upon them with tender compassion ?
[He has not now indeed the same susceptibility of grief and sorrow which once he had : but does he not long for the salvation of sinners as much as ever ? Does he not look on some, whose day of grace is nearly passed, and say, " O that
thou mightest know, at least in this thy day, the things that belong unto thy peace ? " Does he not behold even the proudest Pharisee, and the most abandoned profligate, and without ex- cluding either of them from his mercy, say, O that thou, even thou, wouldest turn unto me, that I might save thee! Yes surely, his address to every sinner is, " Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways, for why will ye die, O house of Israel ? " Let us suppose for a moment that he were to come into this assembly, and to look round about upon us all ; what would be the feel- ings of his benevolent heart ? Methinks, when he beheld so many ignorant of his salvation, and perishing in the midst of mercy, he would burst into a flood of tears. A sight of so many, who by disease or accident will soon be hurried into the eternal world, while yet they are unprepared to meet their God ; a sight of so many continuing gay and thoughtless, or careful only about this present world, would pierce him with the deepest sorrow, and extort from him a lamentation similar to that before us. Yea, at this moment is he inspecting all our hearts, and, as far as his situation admits of it, is grieved on our account : nor can all the anthems of saints around the throne so occupy his attention, as to make him regardless of our deplorable condition.]
Let us then see the folly of an inconsiderate and careless state —
[Perhaps many in that day might wonder at this exercise of Christ's compassion, and consider his weeping over the people as a mark of folly and extravagance : and many at this time, if they should behold a servant of Christ expressing a concern for immortal souls in the same way, would laugh at him as a weak enthusiast. But who that knows the value of a soul, and sees in what a delusive security the generality are living, must not confess, that there is just occasion for all the compassion we can exercise, and all the zeal we can put forth? Can we imagine that Jesus would have felt so much, or given such vent to his feelings on this occasion, if there had not been sufficient reason for it. Suppose we knew for certain, that one amongst us had lost his day of grace ; would it not become us all to weep over him? Let us then learn to weep for ourselves ; and seek the things belonging to our peace, lest they be speedily, and for ever, hid from our eyes.]
Let us also acknowledge the blessedness of a con- verted state —
[If our Lord wept over the ignorant and ungodly, we may well conceive that he would rejoice over those who are divinely instructed, and walking in the way of godliness. Indeed he has represented himself as the shepherd rejoicing over his