not reign, since self-love and celestial can never dwell together. But why was the olive asked to reign? Because worldlings frequently ask for that which, if granted, would be their misery instead of happiness. They often ask a stone when the Lord in mercy gives them bread. To the fig-tree they said, "Reign thou over us!" and a like refusal was given. The fig-tree, with its sweetness, denotes natural good, or charity to man; but their state was world-loving and selfish. These cannot dwell together, and the fig-tree could not reign. Neither could they be ruled by spiritual truth, or the vine, but only by that spurious or worldly knowledge signified by the bramble, which keeps the carnal mind bound down to the world, and Abimelech-like, leads to spiritual ruin and death.
Set thine affections, O my soul! on things above, and God will guard thee by night and by day; desire to be ruled either by the olive, the vine, or the fig-tree, and so guard thy heart as to
Beware of the Bramble King!
February Twelfth.
THE POOL OF BETHESDA.
"There is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches."—John v. 2.
THE pool here mentioned, remember, is at Jerusalem, and, spiritually, the Church is denoted by Jerusalem; for this is God's residence among men—it is the Holy City of the Great King. Hence David says, "Blessed be Jehovah out of Zion, who dwelleth at Jerusalem." (Psalm cxxxv. 21.) The
