the powers confederate against Jehovah's throne, shall go "up with a shout, even the Lord with the sound of a trumpet," to the Eternal City," the New Jerusalem," the Temple of the Living God. And oh! when that bright pomp, advancing on its upward way, shall, as of old at the descent of Olivet, arrive within prospect of the Sacred City,-when it shall burst upon the view of Messiah's followers in all its consecrated splendour of jewelled walls, and gates of pearl, and streets of transparent gold, how, think you, will"the whole multitude of the disciples begin to rejoice and to praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works which they have seen," for all the wonders of his saving wisdom, power, and grace, displayed in bringing them to that "expected end!" how will they spread their robes and cast their immortal garlands in the way before their Saviour Lord,-the once crucified and now triumphant Jesus! and how will heaven and all its constellations ring with their rapturous hosannas to the "name which is above every name," with the glad shout of "peace in heaven, and glory in the highest!" God grant that we may share the triumph of that day,-that being now the followers and soldiers of Christ Jesus, having embraced him as the Anointed Saviour, and yielded ourselves to him as the Anointed Lord,-that having fought manfully beneath his banner against his adversary's triple league, the devil, the world, and the flesh, and having overcome them by the blood

of the Lamb, we may be admitted to mingle, though in the lowest station, in the Conqueror's triumphal progress, and to swell with our glad voices, though in the humblest place, "the saintly shout and solemn jubilee" of

"those just spirits that wear victorious palms, Hymns devout and holy psalms

Singing everlastingly."

"I beheld," says "he who saw the Apocalypse," "I beheld, and lo! a multitude which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; and cried with a loud voice, Salvation: hosanna to him that sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb for ever and ever !”

DISCOURSE XVIII.

JOHN, xii. 12-19.-"On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm-trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord. And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written, Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass's colt. These things understood not his disciples at the first but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him. The people therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of his grave, and raised him from the dead, bare record. For this cause the people also met him, for that they heard that he had done this miracle. The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him."

In our last lecture, we were obliged abruptly to break off in the midst of one of the most interesting scenes of our Saviour's history,-the hour of intense though lowly triumph which ushered in the season of fierce and final agony, like a glimpse of vivid sunshine flashing across the path on which "the hour and power of darkness" were ready to "stoop down in shade and storm." We saw him set forth from Be

thany, seated, in humble guise of royalty, "upon an ass, even a colt, the foal of an ass," and followed with most expressive signs of reverence by a numerous band of his disciples and admirers. We attended them in spirit through the groves and gardens of Mount Olivet, on their journey towards the Holy City, till they met, midway, an immense assemblage of the more devout among Jehovah's worshippers, at that time collected in Jerusalem in prospect of the approaching passover, who, hearing of the approach of Jesus thither, "went forth to meet him" with palms, the symbols of light and victory and gladness, in their hands, acknowledging him thus as "the Light of the World,”—the Conqueror of Evil, the Bringer of Salvation. We accompanied that vast united procession on their progress towards Jerusalem, strewing the Monarch's path with their garments and the palm-tree's pliant boughs, -until they came within view of Jerusalem's sacred towers, when the enthusiasm of admiration suddenly swelled upward to its height, and overflowed in shouts of rapturous acclaim, so that, as they sounded across the vale of Kedron, from the groves of Olivet to the opposite cliffs of Zion, and were re-echoed back from Zion to Mount Olivet, ye might imagine that Nature herself joined in the exultation, that the valleys and the hills rejoiced, and the forests clapped their hands, before the Lord. For "when he was come nigh, even now at the

descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice, and to praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works which they had seen, saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord; peace in heaven, and glory in the highest!" or, as the import of their acclamations is given by our Evangelist, "Hosanna: Blessed is the king of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord." We entered in our last on the consideration of the meaning of this ardent exclamation, and we saw that, in the first place, it implied the people's acknowledgment that Jesus was the Conqueror represented in the 118th Psalm, from which the exclamation is taken, that is, by the confession of the Jewish interpreters themselves, and according to the testimony of the inspired Apostles, the Messiah, the Christ, the Great Deliverer and Sovereign, anointed of Jehovah, for whom the tribes of Israel had been looking through so many ages of eager expectation. When we consider more particularly the words themselves, we find their idea of the character and office of the Messiah very distinctly expressed,—an idea which consisted principally of these two particulars, divine appointment and royal authority. Divine appointment is implied in the title they confer on him," He that cometh in the name of the Lord;" that is, he that appears among mankind, bearing such credentials of a divine mission, and exhibiting such proofs of divine authority and power, that