unto the mount of Olives, Jefus fent two of his Chapter Verfe difciples to the oppofite village for an afs, and her colt; and in cafe they were queftioned by the owner, he directs them to fay-the Lord hath need of them, upon which he would let them go. They accordingly brought the ass and the colt, put their garments on them, and fet him. thereon, to ride, in a triumphant manner, into Jerufalem. All this was done, that it might xxi. 'be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets,

faying, tell ye the daughters of Sion, behold 6 thy king cometh unto thee, meek and fitting upon an afs, and a colt the fole of an afs.' Mark ch. xi, v. 2. fays-Jefus fent two of his difciples, faying-Go your way into the village over against you, and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye fhall find a cold tied, whereon never man fat. • Verfe 7, and they brought the colt to Jefus, and caft their garments on him and he fat upon him.' Nothing is faid, by Mark, of the afs, or the prophecy. Luke agrees with Mark; and fays nothing of the afs, or prophecy. John tells us (ch. xii, v. 14 and 15) And Jefus ' when he had found a young ass, fat thereon: as it is written-Fear not daughter of Sion: be'hold thy king cometh, fiting on an afs's colt. This prophecy, I apprehend, is taken from Zecharia, ch. ix, v. 9. Mark, and Luke, not knowing how to mount Jefus on the afs and the colt, conformable to the prophecy, wifely omit the

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Chapter Verse first and laft. John, in this dilemma, takes another method; he mounts him upon a young

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afs, and prunes the prophecy to an afs's colt. During this proceffion, the multitudes criedHofanna to the Son of David: bleffed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hofanna in the highest. Mark and Luke vary this exclamation. According to the former, it was- Hofanna, bleffed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; bleffed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: • Hofanna in the higheft.' According to the latter, it was—‘Bleffed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in Heaven, and glory in the higheft.' Luke informs us, that the Pharifees who were among the multitude, hearing this, faid to Jefus-Mafter, rebuke thy difciples: to which he made this remarkable reply- I tell you, that if these should

hold their peace, the ftones would immediately cry 'out.' Matthew varies this circumftance. After reciting, the acts of Jefus in the temple, he tells 15 us The chief priests and fcribes feeing these acts, and hearing the children crying in the templeHofanna to the Son of David.' they, in dif16 pleasure, said to him-Hearest thou what these fay? to which he replied Yea; have ye never read, 'Out of the mouths of babes and fucklings, thou haft perfected praife.' And he left them. In vain do we apply to Mark or John for

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a reconciliation of thefe differences, they are Chapter Verfe filent upon the fubject. We may suppose the questions were put by, and the answers given to, different people: but how Matthew and John, who certainly were prefent, fhould be lefs informed than Luke, who probably was not, is not fo eafily accounted for. We will now resume Matthew's hiftory- And when he was come xxi. into Jerufalem, all the city was moved, faying-Who is this?' And the multitude faid. This is Jefus the prophet, of Nazareth of Galilee.' Comparing this account with Luke's, we find that among the multitude fome viewed him as a prophet, others as a king. In either cafe, if this was made as a triumphant entry, it certainly was the strangest that had ever been ex'hibited. And Jefus went into the temple of "God, and caft out all them that fold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the feats of them that

fold doves. And faid unto them-It is writ

ten, my house fhall be called the houfe of 6 prayer, but ye have made it a den of thieves,' After healing the blind and the lame who came to him in the temple, he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany, and lodged there.' St. Mark, c. xi. v. 11. fays- And Jefus entered into Jerufalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the even tide was come he " went

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went out into Bethany with the twelve. He records the cleanfing of the temple to have been executed, not upon this day, agreeable to Matthew and Luke, but upon the day following, and after the affair of the fig tree. John affigns a much earlier time to this tranfaction, recites it in different terms, and with additional matter. He fays the marriage at Cana was three days after the baptifm of Jefus: from thence he went to Capernaum, where he continued not many days, and the Jew's paffover was at hand. Ch. ii.

v. 13. And Jefus went up to Jerufalem and found in the temple thofe that fold oxen and fheep, and doves, and the changers of money fitting. And when he had made a fcourge of fmall cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the fheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables and faid unto them that fold doves (females I apprehend) take these things hence, make not my father's houfe an houfe of merchandife. A fofter phrafe, and fitter for female ears than that recorded by the other evangelifts-a den of thieves. Here John fays, the difciples remembered that it was written- The ⚫ zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.' This was the complaint of David, Pfalm lxix. v. 9. wherein it was applicable here, is beyond my conception. St. John there informs us that the Jews feeing this tranfaction, faid to Jefus What fign ' fheweft

'fheweft thou unto us, feeing that thou doft Chapter Verse these things?' and received for anfwer- Deftroy this temple, and in three days I will raise ' it up.' (We fhall find this declaration brought, in the form of an accufation, against him*, by, as it is there called, a falfe witness.) Then faid the Jews, forty and fix years was this tem

ple in building, and wilt thou rear it, up in three days? It doth not appear that he explained this matter, either to the Jews or to his disciples; it is almost evident that he did not, This cleanfing of the temple was executed a few days after his baptifm, according to St. John: but according to the other three, many months after and yet John's time of the entry into Jerufalem, correfponds with theirs, at least we have no reason to think the contrary. St. Luke only, records a circumftance that happened previous to the faid entry-And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it. Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day; the things which belong unto thy peace! but how are they hid from thine eyes.' Here he foretells and defcribes the deftruction of Jerufalem and its inhabitants, in very plain terms. We will now proceed with Matthew's history, in which he tells us, that Jefus, after cleanfing the temple, &c. retired to Betha- xxi,

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