put about the churches on this day, or carried in people's hands. It is awful to think that this triumphal entry took place only five days before our SAVIOUR was mocked, and scourged, and crucified. 159 HOLY WEEK. "O help us, LORD; each hour of need "O help us, JESUS, from on high; As Thine in heaven to be." PALM SUNDAY is the first day of HOLY WEEK, the week to be kept holy in remembrance of the sufferings and death of our Redeemer. In Holy Week Christians have always employed themselves more earnestly both in public worship and private prayer, have read more than usual in the Holy Scriptures and devotional books, and have striven to practise self-denial in every kind. It is also called the GREAT WEEK; not because it had more days and hours than any other week, but because in it our salvation was secured the greatest event from the world's beginning to its end. It has also for some years been called PASSION WEEK-Passion or Suffering Week' -from its entire consecration to the memory of the bitter sufferings of our SAVIOUR. The observation of this week is so ancient that it is ascribed to the Apostles themselves. We are told that persons used to fast entirely three unbroken days in this week, and even four and I may mention here that I know persons who do so yearly, for the three days: as undoubtedly many do, though their acquaintance generally have no idea of it. For if self-denial be vaunted of, as the Pharisees did of theirs, it is nothing worth. : Many Christian Emperors, to show their veneration for this holy season, used to stop all lawsuits, and to set all prisoners free, in imitation of HIM Who, at this time delivered us from the prison and chains of sin; and it is the law of England that all large theatres be closed this week. Our Church has selected Services for this week which, in the Lessons, Epistles and Gospels, teach us the entire history of this 1 In the old English Service Books Passion Week was the week before Holy Week, and so it was for many centuries called; but people have called Holy Week Passion Week during our time: the other way however would be the more correct. terrible and wonderful event day by day. For every day, of course, we are expected to assemble in GoD's house. The Collect for Palm Sunday tells us in very few words, the event of the week; it is repeated every day until Good Friday. And the accounts of our SAVIOUR'S Passion and Death, as given by the Evangelists, are read all of them in turn, in the course of the week. On this day also the Greeks wanted to see our LORD, and He went into the temple. Monday before Easter. Holy Week. Second day of When our LORD came up from Jericho to keep the Passover, He did not dwell in Jerusalem, but lodged with Lazarus (the man, you know, whom He had raised from the dead,) at Bethany. Bethany was a small village near the foot of the Mount of Olives, and on the way to Jericho. We often read of it in the history of our LORD. Simon the leper lived there; and even to this day, travellers are shown two spots which the inhabitants say are the ruins of his house, and of that where Lazarus dwelt; but this may not be true. It was a very pleasant, verdant place then, and had shops for the sale of olives, figs, and dates, which grew around it; but now it is very poor and humble, and the soil untilled. From hence our SAVIOUR. Seems M to have come to Jerusalem every day (in Holy Week) but one, until He was taken, and to have returned at night. It was on this day, Monday, the second day of Holy Week, that He felt hungry in His walk, and seeing a fig-tree by the wayside, went to it to gather fruit, and found none. Now this fig-tree was full of leaves, and therefore ought to have had fruit, because the fruit of the fig-tree sets and grows before the leaves shoot, for the fruit takes two years in growth, the leaves only one. So He pronounced a curse upon it, saying it should never bear fruit hereafter. And next morning, when they passed the place again, the fig-tree was dried up from the roots, and S. Peter said, "Master, behold, the fig-tree which Thou cursedst is withered away.' And this beautiful-looking, but barren figtree, so pleasing to the eye and so useless, is supposed to have been a type of the temple, and CHRIST's cursing the one a fitting introduction of His doom of the other.1 The temple, so grand, so magnificent, “the joy of the whole earth in appearance, but so corrupt within; the priests so unfaithful, and mercy, obedience, and humility, the true fruits of real religion, quite neglected. 1 At Jerusalem, on this day, He drove the buyers out of the temple, and the Jews began to conspire against Him. |