sion which originally produced it. Wherefore, for the better instruction, not only of the persons who may never have known, or may already have forgotten those transactions, but of such also as are not adequately acquainted with them, let me begin with distinctly stating what the circumstances were, which moved Jesus thus repeatedly and comprehensively to preach the indispensable necessity of repent

ance.

There were present, it appears, at that season, "certain, who told Him of the Galileans, "whose blood Pilate had mingled with their "sacrifices." The case of these Galileans is here mentioned, as one generally conversed about, and known. They were so called probably for the twofold reason, that Galilee was their native country, and because they had been followers of Judas of Galilee, a seditious leader referred to by Gamaliel in the fifth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. This Judas arose, it is there said, in the days of taxing, and drew away much people after him, by his doctrine, that tribute should not be paid to the Romans. Such doctrine not being according to godliness, his end was, that he perished, and so many as obeyed him came to naught. The Romans, however, were still vehemently incensed against all who had taken

his part, and gone with him, not sparing them wheresoever they might be found. To such a degree were they suspected and hated by the governor, that there was no safety for them, even while sacrificing in the temple; and on a late occasion, Pilate having given commandment to slay some of their number who were thus employed, the blood of themselves and of their victims had flowed together. At the foot of God's holy altar, and in the very act of propitiating His mercy, a number-we are not informed how many-of the persons who have been described, had suffered the pain of a violent death. An occurrence this, sufficiently striking in its nature and circumstances to excite universal interest, and, one might have imagined, universal commiseration. But many amongst the Jews, were more disposed to regard it in the light of a peculiar vengeance ordained from Heaven upon the sufferers, signifying them to have been of all men the most wicked: and they who related the transaction to our Lord, or at the least some of them who were standing near, had adopted concerning it, that uncharitable idea. Accordingly, Jesus, who would always give to every subject the turn most profitable to his hearers, instead of taking occasion to represent in its most heinous light the exceeding sinfulness of the dead, chose to

rebuke the self-complacency of the living. "Suppose ye," He replied, ye who are condemning the slain, and thinking good of yourselves by comparison," suppose ye that these "Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans, "because they suffered such things? I tell you,

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Nay: but except ye repent, ye shall all like"wise perish." "Or," He continued, adverting of his own accord to another somewhat similar instance, which had probably about that time occurred," or those eighteen, upon whom the tower "in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that "they were sinners above all men that dwelt " in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye "repent, ye shall all likewise perish."

So earnest did Jesus shew Himself, in pressing home their need of repentance upon the Jewish people. When they had supplied Him with one opportunity, He took up another, and thence urged it upon them again. Nor, as the event proved, was He more earnest with them than their state required. His warnings proved exactly, perhaps I should say prophetically, true. Within about forty years from the time when Jesus spake, as above cited, the Jews, who neglected His admonition, were overtaken by a destruction remarkably similar to that of the Galileans, whom Pilate slew, and of those upon whom the tower in Siloam fell. The Ro

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man armies, provoked by their repeated rebellions, came up, not without the Lord, against their city; and the people at large, after a long, but unavailing defence, being pursued with a very great slaughter into the Temple, either fell therein by the edge of the sword, or were miserably crushed to death under the ruins of it. That holy place, where they had been accustomed to offer sacrifices of slain beasts, ran down with their own blood, shed by the fury of Pilate's countrymen; and its towers, regarding which one had said with admiration unto Jesus, Master, see what manner of stones, and what "buildings are here!" were overturned upon their own heads. Of all in Jerusalem, who had not repented, and believed the gospel, none, there is good reason to suppose, could find deliverance in those days of retribution.

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Therefore now, having distinctly in our view the occasion on which Jesus spake, and having further observed, or recollected, the performance of that which He foretold, how His words, repeated in the text, fell not, as vain words, to the ground, but were terribly fulfilled on the multitudes who disregarded them; having, I say, the whole matter thus sufficiently before us, let our next step, my brethren, be, to consider the proper bearing of them, under circumstances somewhat different, on ourselves.

No doubt, for the wholesome alarm of the present, and of each succeeding generation, the saying of Jesus proposed to your notice has been recorded; "Except ye repent, ye shall all like"wise perish;" perish equally, that is to say, or after the same manner with those, whom ye have seen, or heard of perishing by a terrible destruction around you. It will become us, however, to receive this with discretion, or we shall incur the guilt of rash judging, and uncharitableness. The Jews were, upon the whole, authorized by their law to expect temporal rewards and punishments; in other words, to look for worldly happiness or misery, length or shortness of days, a peaceful or a violent death, according as they would please or offend God in their generation. Allowing such their expectation yet a while longer, Jesus did not reprove them for supposing that the Galileans, about whom they told Him, had been destroyed because of their sins, but only for supposing themselves exempt, who had been perhaps not less sinful in different ways, and whose punishment, though still deferred, was drawing on. Our Lord permitted the congregation of Jews who surrounded Him, to reflect concerning those whom Pilate had slain in the Temple, that most certainly they must have been heinous sinners, or God would never have