While our Lord abode in Ephraim, the Pharisees asked him, when the kingdom of the Messiah was to begin. We have more than once observed, that the Jews had very grand ideas of the kingdom they expected this great Son of David would establish, the number of his subjects, the strength of his armies, and the pomp and magnificence of his court. It is therefore no wonder, that they were very desirous of having that empire speedily erected: but our Saviour, to correct this mistaken notion, told them, that the Messiah's kingdom did not consist in any external pomp of government, erected in some particular country, by the terror of arms, and desolation of war; but in the subjection of the minds of men, and in rendering them conformable to the laws of the Almighty, which was to be effected by a new dispensation of religion, and this dispensation was already begun. It was therefore needless for them to seek in this or that place for the kingdom of God, as it had been already preached among them by CHRIST and his apostles, and confirmed by innumerable miracles: The kingdom of God, said he, cometh not with observation: neither shall they say, Lo, here! or, Lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. Luke xvii. 20 &c.

Soon after speaking these words to the Pharisces, he addressed himself to his disciples, and, in the hearing of the people, prophesied the destruction of the Jewish state: whose constitution, both religious and civil was the chief difficulty that opposed the erection of his kingdom: but because love and compassion were eminent parts of our Saviour's temper, he mentioned that dreadful catastrophe in such a manner, as might tend to the reformation and profit of his hearers. He informed them, that the prelude to this final destruction would be an universal distress; when they should passionately wish for the personal presence of the Messiah to comfort them, but would be denied their re quest: The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and ye shall

not see it.' He next cautioned them against deceivers, which in this time of affliction, would endeavour to draw the people after them, in order to support their own power: And they shall say to you, see here: or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them. For as the lightning that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of Man be in his day. But he first must suffer many things, and be rejected of this gene.

ration.

But the coming of the Son of Man shall be sudden and unexpected: he will come in his own strength, and with great power; he will throw down all opposition, destroy his enemies with swift destruction, and establish his religion and government in a great part of the world, as suddenly as lightening darts from one part of the heaven to the other: but before these things come to pass, he must suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.

And, notwithstanding this sudden destruction and calamity that was to overwhelm the Jews, he told them their stupidity would be like that of the old world, at the time of the deluge, or that of Sodom before the city was destroyed: And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They lid eat, they drank, they married wives; they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded: but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. In that day he which shall be upon the house-top, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. Rememher Lot's wife.

A better example than that of Lot's wife could not have been produced: for if any of his hearers, through an immoderate love of the world, should be prevailed on, in order to save their goods, after they were admonished from heaven of their danger, by the signs which prognosticated the destruction of Jerusalem; or if any of them, through want of faith, should think, that the calamities predicted to fall on the nation, would not be either so great or sudden as he had declared, and did not use the precaution of a speedy flight; they might behold in Lot's wife an example both of their sin and of their punishment: he added, that those who endeavoured to save their lives, by flying into the city, should meet the destruction they were endeavouring to avoid; whereas, those who retired into the open towns and defenceless villages, should be safe: Whosoever shall seek to save his life, shall lose it; and whosoever lose his life shall preserve it.'

Our blessed Lord, after making these predictions, spake the following parable, in order to excite them to a constant perseverance in prayer, and not to be so weary and faint in their minds, as to neglect this nccessary duty.

There was in a city, said our Lord, a judge, who, being governed by atheistical principles, had no regard to the precepts of religion; and, being very powerful, did not regard what was said of him by man: so that all his decisions were influenced merely by passion or interest. In the same city was also a widow, who having no friends to assist her, was absolutely unable to defend herself from injuries, or procure redress for any she had received. In this deplorable situation, she had recourse to the unjust judge, in order to obtain satisfaction for some oppressive wrong she had lately received: but the judge was so abandoned to pleasure, that he refused, for a time, to listen to her request; he would not give himself the trouble to examine her case, though the crying injustice pleaded so powerfully for

this distressed widow. She was not however intimidated by his refusal: she incessantly importuned him, till, by repeated representations of her distress, she filled his mind with such displeasing ideas, that he was obliged to do her justice, merely to free himself from her importunity: Though, said he to himself, I fear not God, nor regard man; yet, because this widow troubleth me I will avenge her; lest, by her continual coming she weary me.

The sentiment, conveyed by our blessed Lord in this parable, is very beautiful: we hence learn, that the cries of the afflicted will, by being incessantly repeated, make an impression even on the stony hearts of wicked men, who glory in their impiety and laugh at all the precepts of justice, virtue, and religion; and, therefore, cannot fail of being regarded by the benevolent Father of the universe, who will listen to the petitions of his faithful servants, and pour on them the choicest of his blessings. Hear, said our gracious Lord, what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Arguments of this kind, taken from the feeble goodness, or even from the imperfections of men, to illustrate the superior and infinite perfections of the Almighty were often made use of by the blessed JESUS, and with great success in working the conviction designed. It was indeed hardly possible to withstand such powerful appeals; they force their way directly into mens' hearts, bear down all opposition, and make a lasting impression on mens' minds.

Our blessed Lord having thus enforced the duty of prayer, in this expressive parable, asked the following apposite question, Nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? As if he had said, notwithstanding all the miracles I have wrought, and the excellent doctrines I have delivered, shall I find at my second coming, the faith among the children of

men, there is reason to expect? Will not most of them be found to have abandoned the faith, and wantonly ask, Where is the promise of his coming?

Our Lord delivered these discourses to the Pharisees, who were righteous in their own conceit, and despised others: but as these particulars are better illustrated by their opposites, he placed the character of this species of men, in opposition to those of the humble, describing the reception each class met with from the Almighty, in the parable of the Pharisee and Publican, who went up together to the temple at the time when the sacrifice was offered, to direct their petitions to the God of their fathers.

The Pharisee, having a great opinion of his own righteousness, went far into the court of the temple, that he might be as near the place of the divine residence as possible: here he offered his prayer, giving God the praise of his supposed righteousness; and had he been possessed of any, he would have acted properly: 'God,' said he, 'I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.' Having thus commended himself to God, he wrapped himself up in his own righteousness, and giving the poor publican a scornful look, walked away, perhaps to transgress some of the weightier matters of the law, judgment, justice, and truth, and to devour the houses of distressed widows and helpless orphans. But how different was the behaviour of the humble publican! Impressed with a deep sense of his own unworthiness, he would not even enter the courts of the temple, but standing afar off, he smote upon his breast, and in the bitterness of his soul, earnestly implored the mercy of omnipotence: And the publican standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me a sinner.'