and persecute them from city a to city.

35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias & son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.

36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.

a He.11.37. b Re. 18.24. c Ge. 4.8. d 2Ch.24. 20,21.

alized by all the gospel teachers-as Peter (Acts 12. 3), and the brethren (Acts 14. 2). Paul and Barnabas were persecuted from city to city.

35. That upon you. This was the result to which all their wicked conduct should tend. They should fill up their cup, or measure of iniquity, until the nation should suffer at length the punishment due for all this continued sin. As they had always been bent on slaying the righteous, so, the blood of righteous Abel, though he was not slain by them (Gen. 4. 8), is laid to their charge. Their spirit was just such as would have slain him also. This is a striking contrast with their pretence in vs. 30. -T Zacharias-or Zechariah. This is another case of ancient date, recorded in 2 Chron. 24. 20, 21. The object is to show that, as the nation had persisted in like cruelties, they were to be fairly held accountable for those long ago perpetrated by their fathers. This Zacharias was stoned in the porch of the temple, in sight of every thing sacred, which their fury would not allow them to regard. He is mentioned as the son of Jehoiada; but it was customary among the Jews to have two names.- -TWhom ye slew that is, the Jewish people. Between the temple, or sanctuary, and the altar-i. e., of burnt-offerings.

36. Upon this generation. This refers to the coming destruction of Jerusalem, which was prophesied as to come upon the city for the sins of

e

37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

f

38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.s

39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till

e Lu.13.34. f De.32.11,12. Ps.91.4. g Zec.11.6. the nation. It occurred in about forty years after this time, and would come upon many then living. See Matt. 27. 25.

37. O Jerusalem. The holy city of the Jews is here taken for the nationand this served to set forth more strongly the shocking case-that God's chosen city should have become used to such crime and blood, as killing the prophets. That killest. This is a present participle, and has a special force expressing constant practice. The case of Isaiah, Jeremiah and others, is here referred to. "They were stoned, they were sawn asunder," (see Heb. 11).- - How often! Our Lord here declares that He had cherished toward them the most tender affection, and would often have taken them under His protection and care, as His children.- - Thy children. The population of a city or country are spoken of in Scripture as the children of that place. This declaration of our Lord, shows to what a pitch of obduracy and impiety they had attained (Isa. 65. 2). They had refused His fondest love (see Deut. 32. 11. Isa. 31. 5. Psalm 17. 8).

38. Your house-especially the temple, and generally, including all their estate. The temple was desolate, because God now forsook it in righteous judgment, and it would pass into the hands of their Roman invaders and be destroyed, according to the predictions of the next chapter.

39. For I say. Their destruction

ye shall say, h Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

CHAPTER XXIV.

AND. Jesus went out, and

departed from the temple; and his disciples came to him

for to shew him the buildings of the temple.

2 And Jesus said unto them,

See yenot all these things? Ver

ily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon

b 1Ki.9.7. Je.26.18. Lu. 19.44.

that cometh. "He that should come," as John's disciples termed the Messiah. It was a title by which the predicted Messenger of the Covenant was known. See Mal. 3. 1.

OBSERVE (1.) The sins of religious teachers are most odious before God. (2.) Ostentatious hypocrisy is abomiǹable in God's sight, and shall be visited with terrible woes, here and hereafter. "Behold the goodness and severity of God" (Rom. 11. 22).

John.

Matt. Mark. Luke. 24. 1-14 13. 1-13 21. 5-19 1. And Jesus went out. This departure from the temple, expressed in immediate action, what should more fully and fearfully come to pass. He had "come to His temple," as the prophet had said, and now He was about to leave it to destruction. He was passing now out of the city to the Mount of Olives. This temple was of most costly and solid structure. The several buildings included courts, towers, walls, porches, &c. Mark speaks of the stones as being pointed at by the disciples. Luke also speaks of their calling attention to the massive and magnificent materials. Some of these stones were forty cubits long, six wide, and five high--or about sixty feet in length, about nine in height, &c. Some such enormous

blocks are thought to have remained in the north-east wall toward Olivet, since Solomon's time. They regarded this building as beyond possible destruction. And it was the boast and glory of the Jewish nation.

2. Verily I say unto you. He now takes occasion to foretell the utter ruin of the temple, buildings, &c. The massive structure should be levelled with the ground. This was literally fulfilled to such an incredible extent. The Roman conqueror Titus sought to spare the temple, but the Jews would not come to terms. He even gave orders to extinguish the flames. And after its fall, the foundations were actually ploughed up, in search of the treasure that so abounded in the furniture and vessels. See Josephus-Alexander's Evidences. It is estimated that in the erection of the first temple (Solomon's), 183,000 men were employed seven years-48,000 tons of gold and silver used, computed at $35,520,000, besides immense quantities of brass, iron and stone.