The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-01-07


majority were his relentless enemies. In
noceni as had been His life kind and
helpful as had been His deeds, all had
been in vain. lie saw that they were
inst about 10 thrust Him away--to reject
Him utterly and inally-just about to per
form the FINAL act Of the mourniul tragedy
on Calvary
3. lie behcld the city and wepi over IL
because He knew that for It's guilt. and
especially for is rejection OF Himself
sudden ana unutterable ruin was about
40 fail on ID. How could lie anticipate
such doom for the city He had loved,
and for The people for whose salvation lie
had veaned without lameniation and
icarsg
DO look al the picture which this text
gives us of the compassionate Saviour
Was there ever scene so tender, such
a miupling of love and sorrow, such pity
for the perishing Let us, my brethren,
never he ashamed If our tears flow when
We think of the condition and prospects
of the impenitent We never will be
ashamed II we have the spirit of our
weeping Saviour.
An through His life He had 10 carry
one great burden of grief, of which 9th
or, knew nothing, no matter how iull OF
pity and sympathy they might be- lie
could see into the future No matter
/ how far of in the future the trial might
4 be. lie saw il as distinctly az If 1t rad
/ been present az the moment. We do not
] know what trials may be coming on us
/ i'm the future Christ did. No matter
/ how brightly the sun might be
shining over Him, the shadow
/ of The cross was always fall
/ inc upon His path He anticipated
every grief and felt the oppression OF 1t
in advance. God has mercifully exempt
ed as from this knowledge of coming
trials We know they are coming but
what they are and when they will arrive
we don't know Hope brightens our iu-
ture Our ignorance Of what IS 10 nap
pen keeps us tranquil for the present
Suppose any young man or maiden could
foresee all the changes, dlsappolnt-
ments. beroavements and desOlations
which time Will bring hereafter
what sudden darkness would enshroud
life How present JOY would be eclipsed
How all tho color and fragrance AMI
sweetness would 20 ont of existence ,
But over our future hangs an unified
veil Not so with Christ; there was no
veil before His ewes. And so, standing
on Olivet. amid the songs and TejOicings
of the multitude, when lie saw the ruin .
that was coming 10 Jerusalem, though 10
was still far off He wept. 1t was not
over lost city only, but over lost souls
that lie wcpt. When everything no the
time seemed 10 be bright and happy
while flowers were blooming, and birds
were singing. and children were praislng,
and the multitudes rejoicing, lie Wepi
The disciples and the friends of Jesus
must have wondered TO see Him weep
under such circumstances The only
thing / can remember anything ike 10,
was This When ] was "a boy at school,
there was @ venerable minister, whom
frequently heard preach There was one
thing i'm his sermons that often excited
the surprise of his hearers. Sometimes
when he was not speaking of anything
tender or calculated TO affect his own
feelings. his lip would begin to culver
and his voice 10 faltcr and the tears 10
low down his cheeks After awhile
those who studied the man and knew him
best found out the reason IL was this
While he was saving something that was
not al all affecting. his thoughts would hy
over TO what he was coming 10
before he said IT, He anticipated
what he was presently 10 utter and
when the point he was about TO make
was the love of Jesus or the danger of
the impenitent. his voice would tremble
and his tears begin 10 flow, and those
who were familiar with the way bis /
mind worked would say 10 themselves I
" Now. i'm a little while DR. Baxter is
going 10 say something very moving
lie is agitated he can't refrain from
weeping, and though we do not know
exactly what is coming. he is thinking OF
il i'm advance, and cannot keep /
back his tears This is a faint pic I
mre-a dim illustration of what .
was q sing in the mind of our Lord on +
Olvef There. on that clear calm day,
when the trees were waving their .
branches in the air, and the leaves iiut- .
tering I'm the sunlight; while the city was .
full of people all excited and absorbed F.
hv what was going on al the moment, lie .
was looking into the future He saw the .
clouds gathering and the storm brewing /
on the far-Of horizOn-He heard the /
moan of the distant thunder, lie antici-
pated the burst of the coming
tempest, and beheld the approaching
desOlati0n with the distinctness of pres
ent vision, and beholding all this, He
wept and broke out into the pathetic
cry. " If thou hadst known, even thou,
al least in this thy day, the things that
belong 10 thy peace but now they are
hid from thine eyes.
Now Jet as consider with deepest at
tentiOn what this means If thou ~
not some other city, but Jerusalem
"Cre0 thou guilty, inexcusably guilty,
as thou art; If thou hadst known
the things which belong 10 thy peace,
salvation would be thine. Jerusalem
multi have known. There God had re-
vealed His will, there established His
worship and made known TO the people
their duty, privilege and interest. Their
ignorance, therefore, was ineXcusable
The light was shining in darkness and (
the darkness cOmprehended il not. The
gospel was proclaimed. but they heard
and wilully rejected H. A day Of saliva
ton was given them, but they
let the day pass unimproved
and then came the night-rayless, hope {
less highland the things which belong {
ed 10 their peace were hidden from their
eyes An opportunity was offered, an
was sighted, an opportunity ]
lost
Now what IS an this TO US l answer
as much as 10 those over whom Christ
wcpt and over whose ruin He lamented.
DO YOU askwha the things are that I
belong to your peacey answer, ere
oentance toward God and faith in the s
Lord Jesus Christ" Without reconcilia- I
ion 20 God, without forgiveness of sin, I
without conversion, without holiness no G
)nc has peace worth the name, even in 6
his life-no one can have peace in death
pr happiness in eternity We are sin {
lers, but Christ has borne our sins in I
Ills own body on the tree We are great D
sinners but He is a greater Saviour lie c
s able TO save to the uttcrmost all that ]
'ome 20 God by Him. Well do remem- 7
Der the good man, now gone 10 his rest,
gho used 20 say, " But for that verse / a
night never have dared to hope for sal 5
'ation There is nothing beyond the C.
.ttermost and therefore / may be saved. O