ties that were coming upon them, moved Jesus exceedingly. His bowels were turned within him, and his breast was filled with the gracious meltings of pity to such a degree, that, not chusing to restrain himself, he, in the most mournful accents, bewailed Jerusalem particularly, on account of the peculiar severity of its lot. For as its inhabitants had their hands more deeply imbrued in the blood of the prophets, they were to drink more deeply in the punishment due to such crimes. His lamentation for the city was most moving: Matt. xxiii. 37. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, perhaps in allusion to their having frequently attempted to stone himself, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not? 38. Behold your house is left unto you desolate. These tender exclamations, which can hardly be read without tears, convey a strong idea of Christ's love to that ungrateful nation. The words how often, mark his unwearied endeavours to cherish and protect them, from the time they were first called to be his people; and the opposition that is stated between his will and theirs, how often would I? but ye would not, very emphatically shews their unconquerable obstinacy, in resisting the most winning, and most substantial expressions of the Divine love. The clause, behold your house is left unto you desolate, is a prediction of the punishment that was to be inflicted upon them for their sin in rejecting Christ. Their house, the temple of God, (see 2 Kings v. 8. where the house of Rimmon signifies the temple of Rimmon) was from that time to be desolate. The glory of the Lord, which Haggai had foretold should fill the second house, (ch. ii. 7.) was departing. 39. For I say unto you, ye shall not see me henceforth (aw' agri, hereafter. So the words signify, Mat. xxvi. 64.) till shall ye Blessed is he that cometh in the name say, of the Lord. Because ye have killed the prophets, and stoned me whom the Father hath sent unto you, because your great men are at this moment plotting against me, who am the Lord of the temple, and because ye will assist them in putting me to death, your temple shall be desolate; it shall never be favoured with my presence any more; perhaps also he meant that it was utterly to be destroyed. Nay, your nation shall be deserted by me, for ye shall not see me from henceforth, &c. In the capacity of a teacher, Jesus had often filled the temple with the glory of his doctrine and miracles; and as a kind friend, had tried with unwearied application to gather the nation under his wings, that he might protect them from the impending judgments of God. Therefore, by their not seeing him from that time forth, we are to understand their not enjoying his presence and care as a teacher, guardian, and friend. This was the last discourse Jesus pronounced in public, with it his ministry ended. Frona that moment he

abandoned

abandoned the Jewish nation, gave them over to walk in their own counsels, and devoted them to destruction. Nor were they ever after to be the objects of his care, till the period of their conversion to Christianity came, which he now foretold: Ye shall not see me from henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; that is, till your nation is converted; for the state of the nation, and not of a few individuals, is here spoken of, as it is also in the parables of the vineyard and marriage-supper. Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord, was the cry of the believing multitude, when Jesus made his public entry irto Jerusalem a few days before this. Hence, in predicting their future conversion, he very properly alluded to that exclamation by which they had expressed their faith in him as Messiah.

In this manner did Jesus pull the mask of hypocrisy from off the teachers of his own times, condemning it in all its forms. He treated hypocrisy with severity, because it is a most enormous şin, rendering men criminal before God, by things which in their own nature are calculated to please him, such as prayer, almsgiving, fasting, praise. The sharpness with which our Lord spake now, and on other occasions, against hypocrites, plainly and strongly intimates to us, that we should strive more to be good, than to appear so.

This is by far the most spirited of all our Lord's discourses, and being pronounced no doubt with an elevation of voice, and vehemence of gesture, suitable to the sentiments which it expressed, it could not but astonish the people, who had always looked upon their teachers as the holiest of men. Even the persons themselves against whom it was levelled were confounded, their consciences witnessing the truth of what was laid to their charge. They knew not what course to take; and so in the midst of their hesitation, they let Jesus go away quietly, without attempting to lay hands on him, or stone him, as they had sometimes done before, upon much less provocation.

CXXII. Jesus discourses concerning alms-giving, upon seeing a certain poor widow cast two mites into the treasury of the temple. Mark xii. 41,-44. Luke xxi. 1,-4.

JESUS was now in the treasury, or that part of the womens court, where the chests were placed for receiving the offerings of those who came to worship. These chests, being thirteen in number, had each of them an inscription, signifying for what use the offerings put into them were destined, and were fixed to the pillars of the portico which surrounded the court. Hence the propriety of Mark's expression, xii. 41. And Jesus sat over

against

*

against the treasury: he sat in the portico of the women's court opposite to the pillars where the chests for receiving the offerings of the people were fixed.

While

The womens court.] The Talmudists inform us, that it was in this court the fibation of water from Siloam was made annually at the feast of tabernacles, as a solemn public thanksgiving and prayer for the former and latter rains; to which rite it is generally supposed our Lord alluded, John vii. 38. 76. The court of the women had three gates; one on the south, and one on the north, but the principal was that on the east, called Beautiful (gasa), Acts iii, 2. because notwithstanding it was made of Corinthian brass, a metal in those days more precious than gold, the materials were surpassed by the workmanship of this noble structure.

The court of the men, called also the court of Israel, was seven cubits and a half higher than that of the women; for the ascent to it from thence was by a stair of fifteen steps, each step half a cubit high. The court of the men, properly speaking, was part of the area of the priests court, being as it were cut off from it on the east, and depressed two cubits and a half; for the stair by which they descended into it from the priest's court consisted of four steps, each half a cubit high, except the lower, which was a cubit. It had only one gate, called Nicanor, which was placed in its eastern wall, from whence to the extremity of the priest's court, that of Israel measured eleven cubits. And this was its breadth from east to west, but lengthways, or from north to south, it was a hundred and thirtyfive cubits, comprehending the whole breadth of the mountain. Here the stationary-men, as they were called, stood, twenty-four in number, whose office it was to assist every day at public worship, in the name of the whole Jewish people, and to put up the prayers of the nation. In one of the chambers of this court, the supreme council, called Sanhedrim, held its meetings.

The court of the priests was variously divided in respect of sanctity. From the temple porch toward the altar, as far as the space of twentytwo cubits, was deemed more holy than the rest of the area; for which reason, no person was permitted to come there but priests capable of the service. This is the place called in Scripture, between the porch and the altur, where Zaccharias, the son of Barachias, was slain, and which Joel refers to, chap. ii. 17. The space allotted for the altar was thirty-two cubits in breadth; here the victims were killed, and the sacrifices prepared. From the space of the altar, to the nearest extremity of the mens court, measured eleven cubits. This part of the court was destined for the offerers to come and put their hands on the heads of their victims. The temple itself, with its porch, was a hundred cubits long; and from the back of the temple to the western wall of the court, was twelve cubits; the length therefore of the two courts together, from east to west, was a hundred and eighty-seven cubits, and their breadth a hundred and thirtyfive.

The court of the Gentiles was the lowest part of the mountain, for which reason it was called the mountain of the house. Unclean Israelites might come into it, but there was a partition of ten hands-breadth high, drawn round it, at the distance of ten cubits from the wall which formed the womens court. Within this inclosure, which was called Chel, and reckoned more holy than the rest of the court, neither Gentiles nor unclean Israelites were allowed to come. Josephus, Antiq. xv. 14. tells us, that, at proper distances, there were inscriptions on the partition-wall, in divers languages, forbidding any Gentile to enter on pain of death. And to this the apostle Paul alludes, when he tells the Gentiles, Eph. ii. 14.

VOL. II.

3 F

"He

While Jesus was in the treasury, he (and) beheld how the peo ple cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. Mark xii. 42. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites (renra duw) which make a farthings εσικοδράντης. This coin in value was no more than three-fourths

ة

of

"Ile is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us.”

The court of the Gentiles was encompassed with a magnificent portico, consisting of a double row of pillars, and forming an agreeable walk, shel tered both fron the weather and the sun. That to the east was called So. lomon's portica, (see on Mark xiii. 1, 2, 123.) bat to the south, the build ing was more noble, consisting of three rows of pillars of exquisite work manship, and was called the royal portico, sox Barikuza, Joseph. Antiq. xv. 14. The court itself was of an unequal breadth, being widest on the south opposite to the royal porti o. On the east, opposite to Solomon's portico, it was wider than on the north; but to the west it was narrowest of all.

In the walls of these porticos, there were five gates; two on the south, called Hulda, from the prophetess of that name. Lightfoot thinks this wall fronted the quarter of the city called Acra, which he places to the south of Sion; but others are of opinion that Sion was to the south of Acra. On the west, there was the gate Kipponius, with a bridge and causeway leading to Sion. In ancient times this wall had two gates, to the most southerly of which the bridge was joined; 1 Chron. xxvi. 16,—18 It was raised by Solomon at a prodigious expence, for it is mentioned as one of the instances of his magnificence which astonished the queen of Sheba, 1 Kings x. 5. On the north, there was one gate called Tedi, or Teri. The castle Antoria, built by Herod, was situated at the angle formed by the western and northern porticos of the court. Joseph. Bell. v. 5. § 8. It stood fronting the west, on a rock fifty cubits high, steep on all sides. In this fortress Herod first, and after him the Romans, kept a gar rison constantly, to repress any tumult that night happen in the temple. And for that purpose, on the side nearest to the temple, there were stairs reaching to both porticos, by which the soldiers could descend as occasion required. See Acts xxi. 32, 34, 35, 40. On the east, there was the gate Shushan, so called because when the temple was rebuilt by the order of Cyrus king of Persia, his palace of Shushan was carved upon it, as a public acknow edgment of the obligations which the nation was under to that prince. The gates therefore of the several courts of the temple were nine in all, each thirty cubits high, and fifteen broad, curiously wrought, and adorned with every thing that could give them beauty or magnificence. Moreover, the situation of Mount Moriah, on which the temple was built, added very much to its grandeur; for the city lay round it in the form of an amphitheatre; on the one hand was Sion, on the other Acra, and backwards was Bezetha or the New Town. See Joseph. Bell. Such was Herod's temple according to the accounts given of it by Josephus and the Talmudists.

V. 14.

But the temple which Solomon built, seems to have been of a different form; for it had but two courts, both on the summit of the mountain, 2 Kings xxi. 5. The court of the priests was called the Higher Court, Jer. -xxxvi. 10. either because its plane was somewhat higher than that of the congregation, or because it was nearer to the oracle. The court of the congregation was called the great court, 2 Chron. iv. 9. on account of its spaciousness. It is uncertain whether it surrounded the court of the priests on three sides, or was cut off from it on one side as in Herod's tem

ple.

of our farthing. Wherefore the offering given by this poor wi dow was very small in itself, though in another respect it was a great gift, being all that she had, even all her living. We can hardly suppose, that at each of the chests there were officers placed to receive and count the money which the people offered, and to name the sum aloud before they put it in. It is more reasonable to fancy, that each person put his own offering privately into the chest, by a slit in its top. Wherefore by mentioning the particular sum which this poor widow put in, as well as by declaring that it was all her living, our Lord shewed that nothing was hid from his knowledge. 43. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast more in than all they which have cast into the treasury. To encourage charity, and to shew that it is the disposition of the mind, not the inagnificence of the offering, which God regards, the Son of God applauded this poor widow, as having given more in proportion than them all. 44. For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her avant did cast in all that she had, even all her living. Their offerings, though great in respect of hers, bare but a small proportion to their estates; whereas her offering was the whole of her income for that day, or perhaps the whole of the money in her possession at that time.

Both the poor and the rich may learn something from this passage of the gospel. The poor, who seem to have the means of doing charitable offices denied them in a great measure, are encouraged by it to do what they can; because, although it may be little, God who looks into the heart, values it not according to what it is in itself, but according to the disposition with which it is given. On the other hand, it shews the rich that it is not enough that they exceed the poor in the quantity of their charity. A little given where a little is left behind, often appeareth in the eye of God a much nobler offering, and discovers a far greater strength of good dispositions, than sums vastly larger bestowed out of a plentiful abundance.

ple. The text only says that the two were divided by a wall consisting of three courses of hewed stones, with a row of cedar beams at the top, 1 Kings vi. 36. probably so low that the people could look over it, and see what was doing within. There is indeed a new court spoken of, 2 Chron.xx. 5. which some think was formed by a wall drawn through the court of the priests, at a little distance from the temple, so as to exclude the altar. But the text seems to favour their opinion, who think it was valy the court of the pricats repaired.

§ CXXIII.