with two others still more sumptuous, that had also belonged to sovereign princes. Then came the emperor himself in a triumphal car, which had formerly been used by a Gothic king, drawn by four beautiful stags.

Such was the emperor Aurelian's entry into Rome; for so human pride tries to conceal the littleness of human power! How different was our Lord's entry into Jerusalem! Meek and lowly, the King of kings came sitting upon an ass, even upon a colt the foal of an ass, which, though unbroken, became gentle and tractable under His hands. "He whose chariots were twenty thousand, even thousands of angels, thus made choice of the meanest of all beasts to carry him in his last royal journey. Which shall we wonder at most, his majesty or his humility? the divine majesty which lay hid under so meek an appearance, or the humility which veiled so great a glory?"

Yet this too was a triumphal entry. It was the triumph of prophecy for it had been spoken of five centuries before. It was the triumph of miracles: for because of His miracles the people went out to meet Him. It was the triumph of His unseen, but allpresent power over the minds of men; for even the ass's colt on which He rode, was supplied by a miracle. For when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the Mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her, loose them and bring them unto me; and if any man say aught unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of him: and

straightway he will send them." So great was the power of Jesus over the hearts of men.

In this whole transaction there is something very remarkable. You may remember that, when once before the people wanted to take Him by force to make Him a king, Jesus withdrew from them into a solitary mountain. Now He seems to wish to attract their attention, and to throw Himself in the way of those honours, with which the multitude were inclined to receive Him. Prophecy had spoken of His coming to the daughter of Sion, that is to Jerusalem, as her king; and prophecy must be fulfilled. He is accordingly received into Jerusalem as king; as the king of Israel coming in the name of the Lord; yet few perhaps remembered the words of the prophet, or rightly understood what they were doing. Few, I dare say, considered how meek and lowly this king of Israel was; how wanting in all that perishing pomp and splendour of the world: how heavenly and spiritual a king," higher," beyond all that they could imagine, "than all the kings of the earth.”

E. Do you think our Lord's disciples understood it all, Mamma!

M. No, St. John tells us that even they did not comprehend the scene which was passing around them, though they took a share in it, until after our Lord had left them and gone into heaven. So obscure, before they are fulfilled, and even whilst fulfilling, are those prophecies which become afterwards as plain as possible.

E. But, Mamma, what did the people now do to show that they looked upon our Saviour as their king?

M. They spread their garments in the way as a mark of their respect, and in token of their rejoicing and of His triumph they cut down branches from the palm trees and strewed them in the way. For a branch of palm was a token of victory, and was always, in ancient times, carried before conquerors in their triumphs. The procession, which began at Bethany, had gone up the Mount of Olives, and was coming down on the other side, into the valley of Jehosaphat, when a general song of exultation burst forth, and “the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and to praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, Blessed be the king that cometh in the name of the Lord; peace in heaven, and glory in the highest."

E. What a delightful sight it must have been, Mamma, to those who really loved our Lord! but not to the Pharisees I am sure-I wonder whether them were there?

any

of

M. There were a few of them among the multitude, who, being much displeased at the joyful shouts of triumph which they heard, said to Jesus, "Master, rebuke thy disciples." But our Lord would do no such thing. On the contrary "He answered and said unto them, I tell you, that if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediatly cry out." The occasion had been marked by prophecy as one triumph; and if men should be silent, then the very earth itself would burst forth into singing, and the stones cry out under the footsteps of the Son of God. The hosannahs therefore continued ; they ascended before the meek and lowly Jesus and were returned by those that followed Him; or

rather one general chorus filled the valley, and reechoed from the Mount of Olives. For "the shout of a king was among them."

E. I suppose for once even Jesus was happy?

M. To any one who had been fond of human distinction such a scene would have been gratifying indeed. How would the heart of an ambitious man have swollen within him as those shouts resounded on his way! But different far were the feelings of Jesus to Him this seems to have been an occasion of peculiar grief, not of joy. For when He was come near, so as to have, from the heights of the Mount of Olives, a full view of Jerusalem, which lay stretched out as in a map below the mountain, "He beheld the city and wept over it."

E. Wept, Mamma! I should have thought there could not be any thing sad in the sight of that beautiful city; and at such a moment too.

M. It may seem strange at first sight, that our Saviour should shed tears of sorrow on such a morning as this; and that too, when he was looking down upon the proud towers and innumerable dwellings of Zion ; that Zion which was "beautiful for situation, and the joy of the whole earth;" and in whose palaces God had so long been known as a sure refuge. But He did weep, my child, and we must enquire into the cause of those sacred tears1.

E. Perhaps, Mamma, He was thinking how soon the time would come when all those voices which were now shouting so joyously should be hushed to silence in the grave.

M. No, this would have been too like the feelings

1 See Christian Year, 10th Sunday after Trinity.

of an earthly conqueror, such as you have read of in uninspired histories.

E. Oh yes! I suppose, without knowing it, I had Xerxes in my mind; who, when he was watching his whole fleet and army crossing the sea from Asia into Greece, burst into tears at the thought which God put into his mind, that in a few years he and all the men whom he saw would be dead. But you think the Lord Jesus did not weep for this?

M. No; you must think again.

E. Then I will tell you what I think it must have been, the thought of all those bitter sufferings which He was to undergo at Jerusalem. For, you know,

Mamma, Jesus knew it all beforehand.

M. He did indeed see the whole before Him, the cruel shame and spitting, the agony and bloody sweat, the cross and passion: He knew full well what that grief was, which neither men nor angels could comprehend. But He did not weep for this: No, He had all this steadily in view from His youth up until now; He did not shrink from it, but was advancing resolutely towards it. No, my child, He wept for others, not for Himself. Those tears which His own sufferings could not wring from Him, burst forth spontaneously as He gazed upon Jerusalem. "As he beheld the city, he wept over it, saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hidden from thine eyes. For the days shall come when thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee about, and keep thee in on every side; and shall lay thee even with the dust, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in