LUKE xii. 23. “It cannot
be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.”

PROBABLY this was a proverb amongst the Jews, which
our Saviour used and endorsed.
I. It seems strange that Jerusalem should ever have
sunk so low as to monopolise the sin of murdering the
prophets. The righteous retribution is still inflicted wher-
ever sin seeks shelter in the solemn sanctions of a sound-
ing profession. There is that secret wickedness in the
heart of every one of us, that would have made us do the
like a thousand times. How terrible must the deathbed
be of a man who, after having preached the Gospel, has
become an apostate! Can we picture the siege of Jeru-
salem?
II. Let me remind you of the utter uselessness of
outward privileges, unless there be inward purity. It is
possible to retain sin unsubdued and unchecked, notwith-
standing all the righteousness that is taught in precepts
and all the grace that is exhibited in ordinances.
III. We have seen that Jerusalem had a monopoly of one
sin; she killed the prophets. Are there no sins which
God’s people may be charged with as exclusively their
own? No servant can sin as a son can. There is a pecu-
liar wickedness about the sins of Christians.
Charles H. Spurgeon