water to be drawn from that fountain is the water of his Spirit. Of this mystical meaning of the water, the inventors of these superstitious rites, whoever they might be, seem to have had some obscure discernment; although they understood the fountain literally of the fountain of Siloam; for, to encourage the people to the practice of this laborious superstition, they had pursuaded them that this rite was of singular efficacy to draw down the prophetic spirit. The multitudes zealously busied in this unmeaning ceremony were they to whom Jesus addressed that emphatical exclamation, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink." The first words, "If any man thirst," are ironical. “Are ye famished," says he, "with thirst, that ye fatigue yourselves with fetching all this water up the hill? O! but ye thirst for the pure waters of Siloam, the sacred brook that rises in the mountain of God, and is devoted to the purification of the temple! Are ye indeed athirst for these? Come then unto me and drink: I am the fountain of which that which purifies the temple is the type: I am the fountain of salvation of which your prophet spake from me the true believer shall receive the living water, not in scanty draughts fetched with toil from this penurious rill, but in a well perpetually springing up within him." The words of Isaiah which I have told you the priests were chanting, and to which Jesus alludes, are part of a song of praise and triumph which the faithful are supposed to use in that prosperous state of the church, which, according to the prophet, it shall finally attain under Jesse's Root. "In that day shalt thou say, Behold God is my salvation: I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and song, he also is

become my salvation: therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation." Consider these words as they lie in the context of the prophet; consider the occasion upon which Jesus standing in the temple applies them to himself; consider the sense in which he applies them; and judge whether this application was less than an open claim to be the Lord Jehovah come unto his temple. It is remarkable that it had at the time an immediate and wonderful effect. "Many of the people, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the prophet." The light of truth burst at once upon their minds. Jesus no sooner made the application of this abused prophecy to himself, than they perceived the justness of it, and acknowledged in him the fountain of salvation. What would these people have said had they had our light? had the whole volume of prophecy been laid before them, with the history of Jesus to compare with it? Would they not have proceeded in the prophet's triumphant song, Cry out and shout, O daughter of Zion! Great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee!" -This, then, I take to be the second particular occasion in the life of Jesus in which Malachi's prediction, "that the Lord should come to his temple," was fulfilled in him, when Jesus, in the last day of the feast of tabernacles, stood in the temple and declared himself the person intended by Isaiah under the image of the "fountain of salvation:" for by appropriating the character to himself, he must be understood in effect to claim all those other characters which Isaiah in the same prophecy ascribes to the same person; which are these: "God, the salvation of Israel; the Lord Jehovah, his strength and his song; the

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Lord, that hath done excellent things; the Holy One of Israel.”

A third time Jesus came still more remarkably as the Lord to his temple, when he came up from Galilee to celebrate the last passover, and made that public entry at Jerusalem which is described by all the evangelists. It will be necessary to enlarge upon the particulars of this interesting story for the right understanding of our Saviour's conduct upon this occasion depends so much upon seeing certain leading circumstances in a proper light, upon a recollection of ancient prophecies, and an attention to the customs of the Jewish people, that I am apt to suspect few nowa-days discern in this extraordinary transaction what was clearly seen in it at the time by our Lord's disciples, and in some measure understood by his enemies. I shall present you with an orderly detail of the story, and comment upon the particulars as they arise; and I doubt not but that, by God's assistance, I shall teach you to perceive in this public entry of Jesus of Nazareth (if you have not perceived it before) a conspicuous advent of the Great Jehovah to his temple. Jesus, on his last journey from Galilee to Jerusalem, stops at the foot of Mount Olivet, and sends two of his disciples to a neighbouring village to provide an ass's colt to convey him from that place to the city, distant not more than half a mile the colt is brought, and Jesus is seated upon it. This first circumstance must be well considered; it is the key to the whole mystery of the story. What could be his meaning in choosing this singular conveyance? It could not be that the fatigue of the short journey which remained was likely to be too much for him afoot; and that no better animal was to be procured.

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Nor was the ass in these days (though it had been in earlier ages) an animal in high esteem in the East, used for travelling or for state by persons of the first condition, — that this conveyance should be chosen for the grandeur or propriety of the appearance. Strange as it may seem, the coming to Jerusalem upon an ass's colt was one of the prophetical characters of the Messiah; and the great singularity of it had perhaps been the reason that this character had been more generally attended to than any other; so that there was no Jew who was not apprised that the Messiah was to come to the holy city in that manner. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!" saith Zechariah: "Behold thy King cometh unto thee! He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, even a colt the foal of an ass!" And this prophecy the Jews never understood of any other person than the Messiah. Jesus, therefore, by seating himself upon the ass's colt in order to go to Jerusalem, without any possible inducement either of grandeur or convenience, openly declared himself to be that King who was to come, and and at whose coming in that manner Zion was to rejoice. And so the disciples, if we may judge from what immediately followed, understood this proceeding; for no sooner did they see their Master seated on the colt, than they broke out into transports of the highest joy, as if in this great sight they had the full content. ment of their utmost wishes; conceiving, as it should seem, the sanguine hope that the kingdom was this instant to be restored to Israel. They strewed the way which Jesus was to pass with the green branches of the trees which grew beside it; a mark of honour, in the East, never paid but to the greatest emperors

on occasions of the highest pomp: they proclaimed him the long-expected heir of David's throne, -the Blessed One coming in the name of the Lord; that is, in the language of Malachi, the Messenger of the Covenant and they rent the skies with the exulting acclamation of "Hosanna in the highest!" On their way to Jerusalem, they are met by a great multitude from the city, whom the tidings had no sooner reached than they ran out in eager joy to join his triumph. When they reached Jerusalem, the whole city, says the blessed evangelist, was moved. Here recollect, that it was now the season of the passover. The passover was the highest festival of the Jewish nation, the anniversary of that memorable night when Jehovah led his armies out of Egypt with a high hand and an extended arm, -"a night much to be remembered to the Lord of the children of Israel in their generations ;" and much indeed it was remembered. The devout Jews flocked at this season to Jerusalem, not only from every corner of Judea, but from the remotest countries whither God had scattered them; and the numbers of the strangers that were annually collected in Jerusalem during this festival are beyond imagination. These strangers, who, living at a distance, knew little of what had been passing in Judea, since their last visit, were they who were moved (as well they might be) with wonder and astonishment, when Jesus, so humble in his equipage, so honoured in his numerous attendants, appeared within the city-gates; and every one asks his neighbour "Who is this?" It was replied by some of the natives of Judea, but, as I conceive, by none of the disciples; for any of them at this time would have given another answer, - it was replied, "This is the Nazarene, the great prophet