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prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. "And the blind and the lame came to Him in the "temple; and He healed them. And when the "chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things "that He did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the son of David ; they were sore displeased, and said unto Him, "Hearest Thou what these say? And Jesus saith "unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the "mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected "praise." "Perceive ye," said the Pharisees among themselves, “how ye prevail nothing? behold, the "world is gone after him": (ver. 19 of ch. before us). Could not He, I say, at such a time with ease have defied all their malice and all their power, and have avoided the cross? But no: He came to Jerusalem for the purpose of giving Himself up to them, and only submitted to be thus honoured that He might make it plain that He did so that He might give this proof of His self-humiliation, and with it the proof of His LOVE-His great love for us-in that, to use the emphatic words of Scripture, He "gave Himself for us": (Titus ii. 14). For, the mysteries of His condescension and of His Love are one, and the proofs of His power and glory are the evidence and measure of His grace.

In conclusion-It is not irrelevant to ask, How

are we affected by the scene we have been contemplating? For it will yet be re-acted under far more glorious circumstances. The day is approaching when the Lord, as He has promised, will return having received his kingdom; and then again will He be attended by a Palm-bearing multitude-even the same that was seen by St. John in the Apocalyptic Vision, Rev. vii. 9, 10-" After this" (after the sealing of Israel) "I beheld, and lo, a multitude "which no man could number, of all nations, and "kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the "throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white "robes and palms in their hands; and cried with a loud "voice, saying, Salvation"-(which is the meaning of "Hosanna")" Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb." They are now assembling there preparatory to the day when the Saviour shall take to Him His great power to reign and come in the clouds of Heaven, when they shall fall into His train and come with Him. Shall we be of that number? Shall we then join the crowd and swell the chorus of those who shall again say, "Hosanna! Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord?" This question is answered by another-Are we now of the number of those who acknowledge His Title, and who are occupying for Him in His absence, true to their allegiance, while

many are saying "we will not have this man to reign over us"? For so, whether we wake or sleep, we shall not be ashamed before Him at His coming so we shall be a people "prepared for Him"; and shall hear His voice saying to each—“Well done thou "good and faithful servant: enter thou into the joy "of thy Lord."

L

THE LIFE OF CHRIST.

XII. HE KEEPS THE PASSOVER AND INSTITUTES THE HOLY EUCHARIST.

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ST. LUKE Xxii. 7-20.

"Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the Passover must "be killed. And He sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us "the Passover, that we may eat. And they said unto Him, Where "wilt thou that we prepare? And He said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a "pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in. “And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guest-chamber, where I shall eat the Passover "with my disciples? And he shall shew you a large upper room fur"nished: there make ready. And they went, and found as He had "said unto them: and they made ready the Passover. And when the hour was come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. And "He said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this Passover "with you before I suffer: for I say unto you, I will

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"thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.

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not any more eat And he took the divide it among

cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and 'yourselves: for I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, "until the kingdom of God shall come.

"And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto "them, saying, This is my body, which is given for you: this do in "remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you."

FROM the triumphant entry of our Lord into Jerusalem, which we have seen took place on the

first day of the week, we pass to His observance of the Passover and instituting of the Holy Eucharist, as recorded in this section, on the fifth day of the same week, the day before He suffered. Not that the intervening days are without matter for notice : for, on the contrary, they were very eventful-being occupied by the solemn and formal closing of His public Ministry: it being then that, (after successively confuting and exposing the wickedness and hypocrisy of the Herodians and Sadducees, the Scribes and Pharisees), He proceeded to utter His last warning to the Nation in the Parables of "The Vineyard and "Marriage-feast," Matt. xxi. and xxii; and the series of "Woes" which occupy ch. xxiii, ending with His parting declaration and Prophecy, quoted in last Discourse, on leaving the Temple for the last time: after which follows His special instruction to His disciples, embracing the detailed Prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem and of His Second Coming, ch. xxiv. of the same Gospel; and the Parables, relative to preparation for the latter event, of The ten Virgins-The Talents-and of the Sheep and Goats, ch. xxv. But our present object confines us to the transactions more immediately affecting Himself, of which the next in order is that now proposed for consideration.