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and he in his turn put thoughts into their hearts; and these took root and sprung up quickly, and bore much fruit, and assumed a fearful life and reality by the crucifixion of their Redeemer. God grant that their example may not speak in vain to ourselves. Let us be careful at all times, and especially on solemn seasons such as this, that the stirrings of His Spirit may not leave our hearts empty when they pass away, and so open them to a fresh invasion of Satan, and prepare us to crucify our Saviour by some new act of sin.

Tuesday before Easter.

THE EVENTS OF THE TUESDAY.

12-18,

"AND on the morrow, when they were Mark xi. come from Bethany, he was hungry:

And seeing a fig-tree afar off, having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.

And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.

And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the

Luke xix.

47.

Mark xi. 19.

money-changers, and the seats of them that sold doves;

And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.

And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.

And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine."

"And he taught them daily in the temple."

"And when even was come, he went out of the city."

See also Matt. xxi. 18-22. 12, 13.

Luke xix. 45–48.

LECTURE III.

THE WARNING OF THE DAY OF CHASTISE

MENT.

MARK Xi. 15.

"And Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the seats of them that sold doves."

ON the evening after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, our Lord returned to Bethany, and there passed the night. On the morrow He again visited the city; but the excitement of yesterday would seem already to have died away, and on this occasion He was attended only by His

own disciples. We have, however, a distinct notice of this journey also; for we read that, while on the way thither, "He was hungry, and seeing a fig-tree afar off, having leaves, He came, if haply He might find any thing thereon." Now the leaves of common trees could not have appeared at this period, neither would their fruit be ripe till five months after the Passover. But the single tree which our Lord saw afar off had leaves, and this proved it to belong to a peculiar species, which ought never to be without fruit'. It is called the ever-flourishing fig-tree, and is capable of bearing on its branches the produce of two seasons at a time. We must keep this in mind, that we may the more readily understand the typical character of this action of our Lord. For the fig-tree is the Jewish Church; the leaves are its privileges; the fruit, the faith and obedience which our Lord expected in return. And

1 See Whitby's Note on this passage.

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