affliction of Bartimæus.

It was doubtless more than

an act of mercy to him; it was a reward and strengthening of his faith-faith the more truly Evangelical, because his calamity had precluded him from witnessing the miracles of Jesus. Notwithstanding his blindness, he had gathered from others the report of them, and so devoutly, and humbly, and candidly had he pondered on them, and on all he heard of the marvellous person who wrought them, that he recognized in him the Son of David.

In Bartimæus himself, indeed, the apostles might have observed that which was a lesson for them. He, like them, recognized in their Master-the Son of David -the heir of the approaching kingdom; but he did not ask the monarch whose notice he had attracted, for lands, houses, and bounty. No; as if purposely to set Bartimæus's disposition in contrast with the request of James and John, and the unexpressed feelings of the other apostles; Jesus, instead of asking him, if he believed, bade him tell him what it was he petitioned for. What wilt thou that I should do for thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight.'

Hitherto resting his belief on the report of others, connected with his own knowledge of Scripture, the feeling of his heart, when he exclaimed, ' that I might receive my sight,' might have been like that of good Simeon's a longing to satisfy himself more perfectly,

* Τί θέλεις ποιήσω σοι. It is incorrectly rendered in our version, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?

by the evidence of sight, of that which he had, hitherto, ascertained by other means-a longing to see the Messiah. Having recovered the use of his eyes, he would not, it would seem, leave Jesus. He followed him to look on him, as well as to hear him. In his heart, if not on his lips, was surely Simeon's prayer of thanksgiving, 'Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word; for mine eyes have seen thy salvation.'*

*Luke ii. 29, 30.

CHAPTER XI.

JESUS ENTERS JERUSALEM.

Ver. 1-10.

And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethpage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him. And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither. And they went their way, and found the colt tied, by the door, without, in a place where two ways met; and they loose him. And certain of them that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt? And they said unto them even as Jesus had commanded: and they let them go. And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him. And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way. And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosannah in the highest.

T. MATTHEW informs us, that our Lord's entrance

ST

into Jerusalem, as here described, had been the subject of prophecy. It may be useful, therefore, to look at that prophecy, and see whether it will not assist us in understanding our Lord's purpose in what he did on the occasion. The prediction will be found in Zechariah, ch. ix., v. 9. Before referring to it,

however, let it be observed, that the Old Testament prophecies which were fulfilled in Jesus, had not all the same kind of fulfilment. They will be found, on examination, to fall under one of the three following heads. I. Prophecies in which the event was literally fulfilled; as that Bethlehem was to be the place of his birth. II. Prophecies which were to be fulfilled only figuratively; of this kind are the predictions that he should reign, be a conqueror, and many others. III. Prophecies which were to be fulfilled both literally and figuratively. To this head belong all those of Isaiah respecting his opening the eyes of the blind, unstopping the ears of the deaf, and performing other miracles, which were symbolical of Christ's ministry, as well as evidence of his divine mission.

Of these last there are some few, the figurative language of which would seem to have been fulfilled literally, only in order that the prophecy may be called to mind, and applied to Jesus, not literally, but figuratively. Such was this of Zechariah. He had prophesied of our Saviour under the image of a king, who was to come, according to the simple state of the early rulers of Israel, their judges, and their lawgiver Moses himself, sitting on an ass. By this description was foreshadowed the nature of our Lord's kingdom on earth. It was to be divested of all the pomp and circumstance which had hitherto characterised royalty. He was to be a contrast, in this respect, to the mighty conquerors of the world, such as Cyrus and Alexander, and even to the kings who

had ruled over God's own people.

Pursuing this

contrast, the prophet goes on to represent the Messiah's figurative reign, as, in other respects, opposed to a reign of earthly conquest, earthly pomp, and earthly dominion. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen; and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.' The whole passage is a figurative description of the Messiah, his kingdom, and his conquests; containing, amongst its images, some which contradict its literal interpretation, and which were, doubtless, inserted, in order that a literal interpretation should not be put on it. He was to be a king,' and yet he was to be 'lowly;' 'his dominion' was to be 'from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth,' and yet 'the chariot,' and 'the battle bow,' were to be 'cut off' from Ephraim and Jerusalem. It is among these qualifying images, that his riding on an ass, instead of the war horse, is introduced immediately in contrast with the mention of his being a king.

6

Now as this prophecy was one which especially pointed out (if these circumstances were attended to in the interpretation of it) the real nature of Christ's kingdom or rather, as it directly contradicted the prevailing notion of a temporal king and conqueror, nothing could be more seasonable than that Jesus should follow up all the many discussions which, of late, he had held with his apostles on the subject, by