How peevith were theſe wretched Phariſees 2 to envy our Savi- our this little Trtumph ot c:-nung into the City upon an Aſſes colt, with Garments under him infte-d of a Saddle, or any ſtately furni- tore, and tr:ppings, and attended by a company of pour People throwing their Garments, and boughs of Trees in the way 4 yet theſe they would have fi!enced. Our Saviours Reply, If theſe ſhould hold thetr peace, the ſlones would immediately cry out, ſeemeth to have been a Proverbial Speech uſed amongſt them, to f1gnifi? a thing that could not be. Thns Day was accompliſhed God's Decree in that par- ticalar paſſzge of Providence, concerning our Saviour, which could not be defeated.
41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city,
and wept over it,
Thoie wh-1 of ©1d blotted out this Sentence, as thinkin: that weep- ing was not becoming Chrifts Perfettion, ſeems to hn4ve forgotter; that hc was perfe& an, and a ſharer in all the natural Infirmities of Humane Mature, (if weeping upon the proſpet of humane miſeries, deſerveth no better name than an Infirmity, being an indication of Love and Compaſſion.) Thoſe who think that it was idle for him to weep, for that which he might eafily have helped, ſeetn to oblige Go to give out of his Grace, whether men do what he hath com- minded them, and is in tp:ir Power to do yea or no. Chriſt wept over Feruſalem as a man compatfionating theſe poor Jews, with re- ſpet to the miſeries he ſaw coming upon them 3 as a Miniſter of tie Goſpel pitying the People to whom: he was primarily ſent.
42 Saying, if thou hadſt known, even thou, at leaſt in this thy day, the things whicb belong unto thy peace !
but now they are hid from thine eyes.
Speeches which are the produtts of great Paſſion, are uſually abrupt and imperfedt. [ thou hadſt knwn,) That is, O that thou had(t bnwn, or, I wiſh that thou hadit known, We are ſaid in Scrip/ure tO know more than we believe, are affetted with, and live up to the knowledge of, They had heard enough of the things which concern: ed their Peace : Chriſt had told them to them, but they attended not to them, they helieved them not, and ſo cared not to dirett their lives according to any ſuch netions. | At leaſt in this thy dav.) The time in which I heve been preaching the Goſpel to thee, (for fo 1 had rather interpret it, than of this laſt Journey of our Saviours to Feruſalem. ) This was properly the Jews day ; for the firſt Preachers of the Golpe] ſpent all their time and pains amongſt them. [ The things which belong t» thy Peace.) That is, to thy happinefi, for fo the turm often ſignifies, and it referreth as well to the happineſs of the outward, as of their inward man, | But now they ar? hid from thine Eyes.) God will not ſuffer his Spirit always to ſtrive with man, becanſe he is but Fleſh, not fit to be always waited on by the great Majeſty of Heaven. Firſt, Men thut their Eyes apainit the things tnat do concern their Peace, then God hideth them from them. No man hath more than his dav, his tithe of Grice ; how long that is =o can tell, if he ſleepeth out that, his cafe is deſperate, paſt re-
edy,
43 For the days ſhall come upon thee, that thine ene- mies ſhall caif a rrench about thee, and compals thee
44 And * ſhall lav thee even with the ground, and thy Children wirhin thee : and they * ſhall not leave in thee one ſtone upon another : becauſe thou kneweſt not the "me of thy viſitation,
S LURE
Bathphage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of
It is a plain Prophecy of the final DeſtruQtion of 7erv Roman Armies, which came to paſs within 3 qty ter. The cauſe of that dreadful neweſt not the time of thy Wrath or Mercy ; of Mercy,
Viſitation, Fer. 29. 10.
of this People here, is
intended_) was their not making uſe vi
, g uſe of 1t, not receiving, and imbra- pet. ine contempt of the Goſpel is the great cauſe
of all thoſe miſeries which come upon People in this Life, or all
come upon them in that Life which is to come. -
out chem that ſold therein, and them that boughr, the houſe of prayer - thieves.
We have met with this before more fully. Matth. 21. 12,13. Marb. ts. 15, 15, 17.
47 And he taught daily in the temple. chief prieſts and the ſcribes, and the chief of the people {ought to deſtroy him,
48 And could not find what they might do : for all the people were || very attentive to hear him.
See the Notes on
few days, for it appearcth from John x2. c. that he came to Bethany but ſix doys before the Paſſhver, now upon the Paſſover-day he died, but tor the intermediate time, it is plain from the other Eranze<liſts, that he was wont to ſpend the Day-time at 7eryſalem in the Tem- ple, and at Night to return to Bethany. The chief Prieſts and the Scrihes, and toe chi-f of the perle, ; 3+ ;5* to deſtroy him, only they : rood 11 a little aw of the people, who were very attentive to hear him.
CHAP. XX.
Toe Phariſees as Chriſt by what Authority he doth theſe things; which he anſwers by another queStion, concerning the Baptifm of fobn, 1—8. Threatneth them with heavy Fuslgment, by a Parable of a Vinezard, 9——19. Of gtving Tribute ro Ceſar, 20 -— 26. and of the Reſur- reetion, proved out of the Law of Moſes, 27 40. He anſwereth, whether Chriſt be the Sin of David, 41——44. and dehorteth from Ambition and Hypacriſie, 45 47»
the goſpel, the chief with the elders.
authority doeſt thou theſe things ? or who is he that gave
thee this authority ? |
We have 4.00g the Hiſtory of the Goſpel obſerved that the S:175es
and Phariſees took all advantages imaginable againſt our Saviour ;
failing in all their atts, they now come to queſtion his Authority,
which ſeemeth not ſo much to have reſpe& to his preaching, as to
his a& in caſting of the Ryyers and Sellers out of the Temple 3 for as
to preaciing, they ſeemed bv the Hiſtory of Scripture to have given
a great hberty, eſpecially 1f any had the repute of a Prophet.
3 And he anſwered, and faid unto them, 1 will alfo
ask you one thing ; and anſwer me : |
4 The baptiſm of John, was it from heaven, or of
men ?
5 And they reaſoned with themſelves, ſaying, If we
ſhall ſay, From heaven ; he will fay, Why then believed
ye him not ? |
6 Bur and if we fay, Of men ; all the people will
ſtone us - forthey be perfwaded that John was a pre- net,
: 7 And they anſwered, that they could not tell whence
it was , | 8 And Jeſus ſaid unto them , Neither tell ] you by