LECTURE XXIII. THE KING ENTERING HIS CAPITAL. Subject. ST. LUKE XIX. The Son of David discovered to the rich publican-Effect of the discovery on him-The approach to Jerusalem-The nobleman going to claim a kingdom; he commits a pound to each of his servants-Their use of the pound-Their reward-Motive of him who hoards the treasure-His punishment Application to the Jews-Application to the disciples-The royal entrance into the city-The lamenta. tion over the city not to be turned into a metaphor-The purification of the Temple-Lessons from the story taken in its simplest sense. PAGE 290 LECTURE XXIV. THE KING AMIDST THE CHIEF PRIESTS AND SCRIBES. Subject. ST. LUKE XX. Sympathies of the people in Jerusalem-The question of the rulers, 'Who gave thee this authority?'—The answer-Fear of the people-The owner of the vineyard and the husbandman-The story understood and felt-The Pharisaic case of conscience,' Shall we give tribute or no?'-The reply a direct one-The image and superscription-Misinterpretation of the story-The message which it contains to every nationThe Sadducees' difficulty, 'Whose wife shall she be of the seven?'-The answer- -It has been supposed to treat all human relations as of the earth-Its real witness to their permanence-The Gospel of the Resurrection opposed to the dogma of the Resurrection-Christ's question to the people-He excited them to look into an apparent contradiction-What His question involved-Why the Scribe could not believe in a Lord who was also a Son . 301 LECTURE XXV. THE FALL OF THE TEMPLE THE SIGN THAT THE KINGDOM OF Subject. ST. LUKE XXI. Whitsuntide-St. Peter's Sermon on the Day of the LordDifference between the predictions in this chapter and in the seventeenth-The widow's mite thrown into the Temple treasury-The goodly gifts of the Temple-The Christs who would come to save the Temple-The Wars of the Nations -Josephus and Tacitus-The nearness of the Crisis-The rage against the Apostles-Promise of a mouth and wisdom -'Not a hair of your head shall perish'-Jerusalem compassed with armies-The times of the Gentiles-The Son of Man coming-The words fulfilled-The warning for that day and all days. PAGE 312 LECTURE XXVI. THE KING IN HIS AGONY. Subject. ST. LUKE XXII. Trinity Sunday; where we may learn best to keep it-The 324 The King not forgotten by the Evangelists in the Sufferer- The regal robe-Pilate's second judgment—' Away with this PAGE 343 LECTURE XXVIII. THE KING TRIUMPHANT. Subject. ST. LUKE XXIV. The Sabbath day-The morning-The angels-Peasants may . 357 THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. LECTURE I. THE PURPOSE OF THE GOSPEL. Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, that thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.ST. LUKE i. 1-5. Two years ago, on St. Luke's day, I began a series of Lectures on the Acts of the Apostles. This year 1 commence a series on the Gospel of St. Luke. Am I not reversing the order of these writings? Does not the Evangelist call that 'the former treatise' which I am considering last? Let me remind you that St. Luke was the preacher of a Gospel before he was the writer of one. The book which we call the Acts of the Apostles tells us what he preached, and to what kind of men he preached. It tells us what message St. Peter delivered to those who were assembled, from all parts of the Roman and Parthian empires, on the day of Pentecost. It tells us what message St. Paul delivered to Jews and Gentiles, both in different cities of Greece and Asia Minor. The word Gospel, or good tidings, is a word especially dear to St. Paul, whose companion St. Luke was. We are not left to gather from his writings what sense he attached to it. He has defined it carefully in the opening passage of the Epistle to the Romans-Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God (which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures), concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David, according to the flesh; and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: by whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ.' These, then, were the tidings which St. Paul and St. Luke delivered. In answer to these tidings Churches arose. Those who were received into them, Jews and Gentiles, confessed One who was made of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power, to be their common Lord, the bond of their fellowship. They said that they were held together by that Spirit of Holiness which dwelt in Him. They spoke of themselves as citizens of the kingdom of God. Those who had received this Gospel and been baptised into this fellowship, had been told by the Apostles of certain acts by which Jesus, while He was upon earth, had shewn Himself to be the Son of David and the Son of God. There must have been a multitude of reports concerning these acts floating about, some coming from friends, some from enemies. Could |