LET US WELL REMEMBER OUR LORD'S CONDEMNATION OF THE PHARISEES, WHO PRETENDED TO BE HOLY, MATT. Xxiii. 33-.5. 33 Ye serpents, ye generation yevvηuaтa of-vipers, how can-ye-escape the damnation 34 Kpoews of hell? Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise-men, and scribes and some of them ye-shall-kill and crucify; and some of them shall-ye-scourge 35 in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: that upon you may-come all the-righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the SCRIPTURE ILLUSTRATIONS. 'for the iniquity of the Amorites.. not yet full,' Ge. xv. 16-The whole seed of Ephraim, because of their rebellion against God, having been cast out, the Lord avowed his determination to do the same with the Jews, and commanded the prophet not to pray for them, for he would not hear, Je. vii. 162 Chr. xxxvi. 16, They mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy.'-Stephen witnessed of the Jews, Ac. vii. 51, Ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.-And they did to him, ver. 57, .8, as their fathers had done to Zechariah, 2 Chr. xxiv. 21-The climax of their guilt appears to have been the forbidding to preach the gospel unto the Gentiles, that they might be saved, I Th. ii. 16, Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.' Mt. xxiii. 33. generation of vipers-Is. i. 4, 'Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger,'-so the Baptist had addressed them, Mt. iii. 7, § 7, p. 52, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come ?'-so Jesus had before characterized them, Jno. viii. 44, "Ye are of your father the devil,' &c.-see Paul's summary of the witness of Moses and the prophets, with regard to them, Rom. iii. 12-.9. how can ye escape, &c.-They could escape only by taking warning at the mouths of the messengers, who, at the hazard of their lives, were about to deliver unto them the Lord's last offers of mercy, Lu. xiii. 8, 9, § 64, p. 174. damnation of hell-see the awful curse of Gehenna, denounced upon Jerusalem, Je. xix. 11, Even so will I break this people and this city, as one breaketh a potter's vessel, that cannot be made whole again:'comp. with Ps. ii. 9; Is. xxx. 8-14, p. (88); Je. xiii. 12-4; xix. 12, Thus will I do unto this place, saith the LORD, and to the inhabitants thereof, and even make this city as Tophet:'-Is. lxvi. 24, Their worm. shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.' 34. Wherefore, &c.-Either for mercy, as directing to the one way of escape from the wrath to come, see on ver. 33, and comp. Ac. ii. 38-40; iv. 12: or for judgment, as filling up the measure of their fathers, ver. 32, supra-The rejection of the offers of mercy, and the murder of the messengers, would aggravate their guilt, and hasten their impending doom-see on ver. 35, .6, infra. I send, &c.-Jno. xx. 21, § 95, p. 499, As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.' -Bens. | prophets--as on the day of Pentecost, Ac. ii. 4—11— When also Peter opened up unto them the words of their own prophets, ver. 16, &c.-and afterwards, iii. 13-26. trise men-as Stephen, full of faith and power.'Ac. vi. 8; ver. 10, They were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.' scribes such as Matthew himself, whose gospel appears to have been written primarily for the Hebrews, who wrote while the ceremonial law was yet brews also the writer of the epistle to the Heremaining, He. vii. 5, 28; viii. 3-5; but was ready to vanish away, ver. 13-He expounded to them the gospel import of their sacrifices, ix.; as pointing to the one sacrifice for sins, x. 11-4; and powerfully the one way of escape, from the fiery indignation, warned the Jewish Christians against declining from ver. 26-31. of them ye shall kill, &c.-Ac. vii. 59, 60, They stoned Stephen, calling upon.... and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.... Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.' Scourge, &c.-Paul was an example of the truth of this prediction, both as punishing others, Ac. xxvi. the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.' 10, .1, and being himself scourged, 2 Co. xi. 24, Of from city to city-see again as to Saul the persecutor, Ac. ix. 1, 2-and Paul the apostle, xiii. 45, 50; xiv. 5, 6, 19, 20, &c. 35. upon you may come-1 Th. ii. 16, For the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.' righteous blood-rendered so through Jesus Christ, the righteous; otherwise, Rom. iii. 10, There is none righteous, no, not one :' righteous Abel-He. xi. 4, "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead gard to the blood of Abel, God said to Cain, Ge. iv. yet speaketh.' [Marg. is yet spoken of]-With re10-2, The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; .... a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth." Comp. the foregoing curse upon Cain with the case of the Jews, after having refused Him that speaketh, He. xii. 24, .5, .9-1 Jno. iii. 11, 2, This is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore NOTES. and modern, be accounted an ironical permission, often occurring in scripture; such as indignantly leaves the persons addressed to experience the consequences of their wilfulness, as if he had said, "I contend with you no longer, I leave you to yourselves." Mt. xxiii. 33. Serpents.... generation of vipers Their subtilty was like that of the serpent. Damnation of hell. See on ch. v. 22, § 19, p. 124. [34. Wherefore, behold, I send unto you, &c. We have a remarkable instance of our Lord's assuming Divine authority in this his declaration, that the 'prophets, and wise men, and scribes,' who were to be sent to the unbelieving Jews, would be sent by him. -Comp. Lu. xi. 49, § 62, p. 157, where this declaration is recorded as proceeding from the 'wisdom of God.'] [Prophets, and wise men. Our Lord here applies to his apostles and their successors the titles given by the Jews to their prophets and doctors; intimating that his messengers, so called in Lu. xi. 49, ib., would be as entitled to the appellation popnras (in the sense, Divine legates and inspired interpreters of the will of God) as were the prophets of old; and would likewise be entitled to the appellations copos, an, and ypaμμareis, DD, as being thoroughly conversant in the scriptures and Divine learning.] Some of them ye shall kill, &c. See SCRIP. ILLUS. 35. That upon you may come.... upon the earth. 'Exi Tns yns, upon this land; meaning probably the land of Judæa; for thus the word is often to be understood. The national punishment of all the innocent blood that had been shed in the land, from the PRACTICAL REFLECTIONS. [Mt. xxiii. 34. Let us not be boastful because to us. the word of God hath been more especially sent, as it was at first unto the Jews. Let us rather consider our greater responsibility.] VOL. II.] Let the true followers of Christ lay their account with meeting the most bitter and persevering persecution from the world, especially under the pretence of zeal for religion. ENTER YE IN AT THE STRAIT GATE:-Matt. vii. 13. [319 AND YET PERSECUTED THE PROPHETS, OR TEACHERS, THAT WERE SENT TO THEM FROM GOD. LET US TAKE WARNING BY OUR LORD'S EXPOSURE AND DENUNCIATION OF THE PRACTICES OF THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES. MATT. xxiii. 36-.8. 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 eɩ tηv yeveav 37 ταυτην. 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, even38 as a-hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye-would not! Behold, your SCRIPTURE ILLUSTRATIONS. slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.' Mt. xxiii. 35. Zacharias son of, &c.-spoken of, 2 Chr. xxiv. 20-2-Zacharias, a prophet to the Jews, after the return from Babylon, appears to have been given the name of the former Zechariah, who prophesied previous to the captivity-comp. Zec. i. 1-6, with 2 Chr. xxiv. 19, 20. Zacharias (Memorial or remembrance of the Lord') -was also the name of the father of the Baptist; he, too, was of the priesthood, Lu. i. 5, § 1, p. 2, and appears to have had his name from an ancestor, and it was expected he would transmit the same to his posterity, ver. 59-61, § 3, p. 15; but the name which by Divine appointment was given to his son, John ('Grace of the Lord'), was expressive of that grace the gospel brings to those who, in truth, receive Him; to whom the Levitical sacritices pointed, Jno. i. 15-7, 29, SS 7, 10, pp. 48, 69, The Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.'-Je. xxxi. 34, I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.'-He. viii. 12-To those who have ears to hear, the blood of Jesus speaketh better things than the blood either of Abel or of Zechariah; their blood cried for vengeance, but his speaketh peace, xiii. 20, .1 -It, 1 Jno. i. 7, cleanseth us from all sin.' Barachias (Blessed of the Lord')-Aaron and his sons were to bless the children of Israel, saying, The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:' &c., Nu. vi. 24-.6-The father of Zechariah, Jehoiada, the highpriest, might well be called Blessed of the Lord 2 Chr. xxiv. 16, And they buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, both toward God, and toward his house.' slew, &c. In addition to other prophetic warnings, to which they would not give ear,' 2 Chr. xxiv. 19; ver. 20-.2, The Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people [probably in the place where his father had pronounced the priestly benediction], and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? blood of Abel, to the blood of Zechariah, appears to have been visited upon that generation, so extreme were the misery and sufferings endured by the Jews during the siege and destruction of Jerusalem. because ye have forsaken the LORD, he hath also for- gathered thy children, &c.—see on Lu. xiii. 34, § 66, [Mt. xxiii. 35. Zacharias son of Barachias. There can be no doubt but that this is the Zechariah mentioned in 2 Chr. xxiv. 19-21, particularly as he is the last of the prophets whose death is mentioned in the Old Testament. It is true that he is stated in Chronicles to be the son of Jehoiada; but against this objection it is alleged, that Barachias and Jehoiada are names of a similar import, and that among the Jews it was not unusual for the same person to bear two names.] All the martyrs from Abel to Zechariah,' seems to have been a proverb: and it might naturally arise from observing that Abel was the first, and Zechariah, in Chronicles, the last, eminently good men, of whose murder the scripture speaks. The altar. Ovotaarnpiou, the altar for holocausts,' which stood in the court of the priests, before the entrance of the ναός. 37. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, &c. Our Lord here, I apprehend, turns from the scribes and Pharisees to the people at large, the of 8xλos mentioned at ch. xxiii. 1.-Bloomf.-See on Lu. xiii. 31, § 66, p. 179. [Sent unto thee. #pos abrny, unto her.' An Eastern mode of construction to use the third pronoun, after the relative, following a first or second person. It prevails in Heb. Arab. Syr.] As a hen, &c. See on ibid. The metaphor which PRACTICAL REFLECTIONS. [36. All these things shall come upon this generation. This expression is not to be interpreted as implying that those individual crimes, which happened before the time of the people then living, would be laid to their charge; but that, with every species of cruelty, oppression, and murder, which had been exemplified [Mt. xxiii. 35, 6. When we may see so plainly, upon the unbelieving Jews, from that very generation downward, to our own day, the curse of Cain, who was made a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth; and the judgment upon the murderers of Zechariah, on whose account Judah and Jerusalem were given into the hands of their enemies, we may well learn to 320] stand in awe, knowing that God doth not threaten even his most favoured people in vain.] 37 ver. Let not a sense of past sin, however grievous, prevent men from taking refuge in Christ, the only covert from the wrath to come: but they may well dread the evil of continued impenitence. KNOCK, AND IT SHALL BE OPENED UNTO YOU:-Matt. vii. 7. [VOL. II. IT IS NOT THE WILL OF GOD, BUT THE WILL OF MAN, WHICH STANDS OPPOSED TO THE SALVATION OF THE MOST WICKED. O, HOW AMAZING IS THE FOLLY OF THE WICKED, WHO WEARY OUT THE FORBEARANCE OF GOD, AND PERISH IN THEIR SINS! MATT. xxiii. 39. 39 house is-left unto-you desolate epnuos. For I-say unto-you, Ye-shall-not-see me henceforth an' αρτί, till ye-shall-say, Blessed is he that-cometh in the-name of-the-Lord. SCRIPTURE ILLUSTRATIONS. house of Israel wholly,' so far from desiring for them seek and to save, Eze. xxxiv. 6, 11-5-The glory that salvation for which Jesus was about to lay down which had filled the house was now departing, as rebis life, the inhabitants of Jerusalem had said unto presenting which, Jesus, at the conclusion of the prethem, Eze. xi. 15, Get you far from the LORD: unto sent address, Mt. xxiv. 1, § 86, p. 323, went out, and us is this land given in possession.'-The Lord's will, departed from the temple:-They were now to be however, was very different from theirs; he meant to left to reap the fruit of their own crafty counsel, when gather the outcasts unto himself, as a little sanc- they said, Jno. xi. 48, § 58, p. 132, If we let him thus tuary in the countries where they shall come,' ver. 16 alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans -And when for this purpose the Lord sent forth his shall come and take away both our place and nation.' word, as Mt. xxviii. 19, 20, § 96, pp. 503, ..4, the Jews-They chose the overspreading of abominations' would if possible have prevented the word of recon- that were to make desolate,' Da. ix. 27; Mt. xxiv. 15, ciliation being preached to the outcasts, 1 Th. ii. 16- § 86, p. 330, in place of the covering wings of Jehovah, see ver. 32-nay, even those Jews who were willing to Ps. xvii. 8; lvii. 1; xci. 1, 4-They rejected the profreceive salvation for themselves, had, with very great fered protection of the Prince of Peace, Mt. xxiii. 37, difficulty, their hearts enlarged to the purpose of God p. 320, supra; and now were the things belonging to with regard to the Gentiles-Ac. xi. 19, They which their peace to be taken away, Lu. xix. 42, § 82, p. 264. were scattered abroad upon the persecution that 39. Ye shall not see, &c.-see on Lu. xiii. 35, § 66. arose about Stephen travelled. ... preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only.'-Few indeed till ye shall say, &c.-Not until they are waiting for could enter into the spirit of the inquiry made by the God's Son from heaven,' 1 Th. i. 10, found among Lord, in the ears of Jerusalem, Je. xiii. 20, Where those looking for Him to appear the second time is the flock that was given thee, thy beautiful flock?' without sin unto salvation,' He. ix. 28, can the Jews -27, Woe unto thee, O Jerusalem! wilt thou not see peace-see how Peter charges them with their be made clean? when shall it once be? guilt, Ac. iii. 13-.8, and presents the terms of pardon and peace, ver. 19-21, with the awful threatening, ver. 22-4, and again the offer of the common salvation, ver. 25, .6. Blessed is he that cometh, &c.-Ps. cxviii. 26-Our Lord seems here to allude to the conduct of the Pharisees, Lu. xix. 39, § 82, p. 263, and of the chief priests and scribes, Mt. xxi. 15, .6, § ib., p. 266-Until they repented-until the cry which they had forbid others to make was found in the mouth of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, it should see him no more-Mal. iii. 1, 2, Behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming ?'-He. x. 37, Yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.'-Rev. iii. 20, Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.'-xxii. 20, He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.' Mt. xxiii. 38. your house, &c.-As if in allusion to the words of Israel, when they separated from Judah, 1 Ki. xii. 16, What portion have we in David? nei ther have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto their tents.-The Jews had repeatedly questioned the right of the Son of God to exercise authority in the temple, as being his Father's house, Jno. ii. 17, .8, § 12, p. 81; Mt. xxi. 12, 23, SS 83, 4, pp. 276, .82, and now he left it to them, as their house: it was desolate, deserted not only by the people, but also by the God of Israel: He, the King, upon his throne, the mercy-seat over the ark of the covenant, had been accustomed to give audience to the high priest, as bearing upon his shoulders and his heart, the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, Ex. xxviii. 11, 2, 21, .9, 30; who were now scattered abroad, 2 Ki. xvii. 18-23; Ja. i. 1, and to appearance lost, but whom the Redeemer of Israel had come to our Lord uses here is a very beautiful one. When the hen sees a beast of prey coming, she makes a noise to assemble her chickens, that she may cover them with her wings from the danger. The Roman eagle is about to fall upon the Jewish state; nothing can prevent this but their conversion to God through Christ. Jesus cries throughout the land, publishing the gospel of reconciliation; they would not assemble, and the Roman eagle came and destroyed them. NOTES. cross. became obedient unto death, even the death of the 38. Behold, your house, &c. oleos, the temple. This is certainly what is meant. It was once the LORD's temple, God's own house; but now he says, YOUR temple, or house, to intimate that God had abandoned it.-See on ver. 21, p. 316. [39. Ye shall not see me henceforth. 'A' &pri here, as in some other places, signifies not henceforth,' but after a while,' i. e., after a little time is past, after my ascension, ye shall not see me till I return to take vengeance in the direful calamities which are about to come upon this generation. 'A' Apr is used in this sense, Jno. i. 51, § 10, p. 73, referring to Ac. i. 9. It is also in the sense of, yet a little while,' Jno. xiv. 19, and xvi. 16, § 87, pp. 83, 395; so Mt. xxvi. 64, § 89, p. 429. In Jno. xiii. 19; xiv. 7. § 87, pp. 370, 381, it seems to be only an expletive, like apri or vv.] PRACTICAL REFLECTION. Mt. xxiii. 37. Ye would not! For more than two thousand years these people engrossed the peculiar regard of the most beneficent Providence; and during the three years of our Lord's ministry, his preaching and miracles had but one aim-the salvation of this disobedient people. For their sakes, he who was rich became poor, that they through his poverty might be rich. For their sakes he made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and [Mt. xxiii. 39. Jerusalem can never see peace, until their rightful Sovereign, in whom alone there is salshe seek to be at peace with God in Christ, receiving vation for them and for us. The greatest kindness with thankful welcome the messengers of peace. W. we can shew them is, perseveringly to approach them should do good to the Jews, as we have opportunity; in the name of the Lord, beseeching them to be but we can never expect for them abiding peace and reconciled unto God, through the blood which was prosperity while they remain in rebellion against shed upon Calvary.] [Mt. xxiii. From the third to the thirtieth verse is exposed everything that commonly passes in the world for religion, whereby the pretenders to it keep both themselves and others from entering into the kingdom of God; from attaining, or even seeking after those tempers in which alone true Christianity consists. I. Punctuality in attending on public and private prayer, ver. 4-14. II. Zeal to make proselytes to our opinion or communion, though they have less of the spirit of religion than before, ver. 15. III. A superstitious reverence for consecrated places or things, ver. 16-22. IV. A scrupulous exactness in little observances, though with the neglect of justice, mercy, and faith, ver. 23, .4. V. A nice cautiousness to cleanse the outward behaviour, and especially of ceremonial observances, to the neglect of inward purity, ver. 25, .6.VI. A specious face of virtue and piety, covering hypocrisy and villainy, ver. 27, .8. VII. A professed veneration for all good men, except those among whom they live, ver. 29, 30] As, This most eloquent, most appalling, and terrible of all discourses ever delivered to mortals, was pronounced in the temple, in the presence of multitudes. Never was there more faithful dealing, more terrible reproof, more profound knowledge of the workings of hypocrisy, or more skill in detecting the concealments of sin. This was the last of Christ's public discourses; and it is a most solemn summary of all that he ever had said, or had to say, of a wicked and hypocritical generation. VOL. 11.] IF ANY MAN HAVE AN EAR, LET HIM HEAR.-Rev. xiii. 9. [321 THE RUIN OF THE JEWS WAS NOT FROM THE FAILURE OF CHRIST'S MERCY, BUT FROM THEIR OBSTINATE UNBELIEF. WHAT WILL THE FORM OF GODLINESS DO FOR YOU, IF YOU DENY THE POWER THEREOF? SECTION 86.-(G. 78–81.)—[Lessons 82—.4.*]-AS JESUS IS LEAVING THE TEMPLE, ONE OF HIS DISCIPLES OBSERVES TO HIM UPON THE BUILDINGS. JESUS' REPLY. THE PROPHECY UPON MOUNT OLIVET, DELIVERED TO FOUR OF THE APOSTLES, PETER AND ANDREW, JAMES AND JOHN. THE PARABLES OF THE SERVANT WHO BEAT HIS FELLOWS, OF THE TEN VIRGINS, OF THE TALENTS, AND OF THE SHEEP AND THE GOATS, DESCRIBING THE JUDGMENT OF THE NATIONS. JESUS REFERS TO THE NEARNESS OF THE PASSOVER. THE COUNCIL OF THE JEWS DELIBERATE ON THE MODE OF APPREHENDING JESUS. JUDAS ISCARIOT COVENANTS WITH THEM TO BETRAY HIM. THE LAST TWO DAYS OF JESUS' MINISTRY. --Matt. xxiv. 1—xxvi. 1—5, 14—.6. Mark xiii. 1-xiv. 1, 2, 10, .1. Luke xxi. 5—xxii. 1-6. See Addenda, pp. 358-.61. now more near, but still these are [only] the beginnings of sorrows.' Mt. xxiv. 9. Mk. xiii. 9-11. Lu. xxi. 12-.5. Now, although their countrymen, the Jews, may have lost the power to persecute, they, as being Christians, shall be hated of all nations. Their being brought before kings and rulers will, however, be overruied for good; and they are to leave their defence entirely in the hands of God, who will give them a mouth and wisdom, which all' their 'adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.' INTRODUCTION AND ANALYSIS. Mt. xxiv. 1. Mk. xiii. 1. Lu. xxi. 5. Jesus having plainly intimated that the national guilt, which had been accumulating for ages, was to be visited upon that very generation, when Jerusalem would be peculiarly exposed to judgment, and the temple be made desolate, as having been deprived of the Divine presence; he now, as if expressing in act what he had declared in word, departs from the temple. While he is departing, his disciples attempt to draw his attention to the strength and beauty of the buildings, and the costly gifts wherewith the temple was adorned. Was it possible a place so glorious, and which he had but recently claimed as his Father's house, was about to be abandoned to the spoiler ? - xxiv. 2. -xiii. 2. - xxi. 6. Jesus assures his disciples that all which they now admiringly contemplate, is to be so overwhelmed, that *there shall not be left one stone upon another.' - xxiv. 3. -xiii. 3, 4. xxi. 7. As Jesus is sitting upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, four of his disciples come to him privately, desiring to be more particularly informed concerning those astonishing changes of which he had spoken. Their inquiries seem to be these First. When shall these things be?' Second. What shall be the sign of thy coming'? In order to understand the answers that follow, it is necessary to understand the questions proposed. The disciples, in asking, When shall these things be?' referred of course to the things which Jesus had spoken respecting the desolation of the temple, and destruction of Jerusalem.† To the same things our Lord refers, when he answers the question, Mt. xxiv. 32-.5, p. 338. - xxiv. 10-.4. xiii. 12, .3. xxi. 16-.9. The disciples are warned with regard to worse enemies than those without: brethren will become offended; will betray and hate one another, persecuting even unto death their nearest relatives. They are also to be tempted by false prophets, who shall deceive many also, by abounding iniquity, on account of which the love of many shall war cold.' By these trials of their faith, hope, and charity, their patience might be tried to the utmost; but he who throughout them all continues faithful, will, in the morning of the resurrection, be found to have lost nothing; he will be infinitely a gainer. And when this gospel of the kingdom shall' have been 'preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations;.... then shall the end come.' OUR xxiv. 15-31.xiii. 14-27. xxi. 20-.8. - xxiv. 15-22. xiii. 14-20. xxi. 20-.3. First, he warns them of the woe to be experienced by those found in Jerusalem when given her choice, as seeking rest under the Romans, to the rejection of Him who would have gathered her children into peace. When they asked the SECOND question, 'What shall The approach of their chosen protector, the Roman be the sign of thy coming'? we can hardly suppose eagle, was to be the sign of dispersion, instant, them to inquire respecting what is commonly under-speedy, and universal;-of tribulation unexampled, stood by our Lord's Second Advent; for as yet they do and destruction so severe, as that, were it to connot seem to have apprehended what he had told tinue, the whole race would be extirpated: but for them regarding his departure, and could therefore the sake of his chosen people God will shorten the have scarcely asked concerning his return; but it days. was natural for them to ask, What is to be the sign of thy presence? How may men know where to gather foretells that the Jews will be destroyed, and carried - xxi. 24. together unto thee, if the temple, the great central point for the nation, be removed? Our Lord, in an- captive from off the land, and Jerusalem be trodden under foot of the Gentiles, until the times of the swering this question, speaks of signs of various kinds-forewarning them of the ensigns they were to Gentiles are fulfilled. flee from or avoid; and at length, speaking of the sign of the Son of man in heaven, when the great gathering together of the elect by his angels will take place, Mt. xxiv. 15-31, p. 330. ‡ - xxiv. 4-6. xiii. 5-7. - xxi. 8, 9. Our Lord, in replying to his disciples, commences with warning against those who, coming in his name, will preach only themselves; there will be wars and rumours of wars:''but the end is not yet." - xxiv. 7, 8. -xiii. 8. - xxi. 10,.1. The judgments begin to thicken; wars, famines, pestilences, earthquakes, and fearful sights. The end is Jesus Jesus - xxiv. 23,.4. xiii. 21, .2. warns against being deceived by false reports of the presence of Christ here or there; and tells, there would be false Christs, and false prophets,' shewing great signs and wonders, calculated to deceive, if possible, the very elect." * Lesson 82, in the 'System of Graduated Simultaneous Instruction,' is Mt. xxiv. 1-44; Mk. xiii. 1—37 ; Lu, xxi. 5-36. The answer to this question is contained between ver. 4 and ver. 14, inclusive, in St. Matthew.'-Greswell. The remaining part of this second question, whether actually put, and actually intended by the inquirers, as a third, is yet answered by our Lord as an independent question, from ver. 29-31, inclusive.— Ibid. See foot notes, pp. 331, ..6, infra." 322] HEAR YE, AND GIVE EAR;-Jer. xiii. 15. [VOL. II. LET YOUR CONVERSATION BE AS IT BECOMETH THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST Phil. i. 27. GIVE GLORY TO THE LORD YOUR GOD, BEFORE HE CAUSE DARKNESS, AND BEFORE YOUR FEET STUMBLE UPON THE DARK MOUNTAINS, INTRODUCTION AND ANALYSIS-continued. Second. Because every gathering together of the Jews would only be unto a farther destruction; wherever the body of them is found, the eagles will also be gathered together to devour. Mt. xxiv. 29. Mk. xiii. 24, .5. Lu. xxi. 25, .6. Jesus speaks of the fearful signs which are to succeed the great tribulation. - xxiv. 30. • Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: ...then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn,' - xxiv. 30. xiii. 26. xxi. 27. Then they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven,' &c. - xxiv. 31. - xiii. 27. By the agency of the angels, and with a great sound of a trumpet, his redeemed will be gathered together 'from the four winds,' and 'from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.' xxi. 28. Heavy and grievous as are the evils foretold, they will be overruled for good, as giving an assurance that all else predicted will take place, even unto the full development of our redemption in Christ. As xxiv. 32,.3. -xiii. 28, .9. -xxi. 29-31. from the budding of the fig tree it may be known that summer is approaching, so from the coming upon Jerusalem of the judgment threatened, we may be well assured that all else will take place according as our Lord has foretold. man.' warning is given to the followers of Jesus, not at any pleasures of life, or by prevailing example: it is time to be betrayed into dreamy listlessness by the needful that they ever watch and pray, that they may escape all these things,' and 'stand before the Son of Mt. xxiv. 36-.9. Mk. xiii. 32, .3. Lu. xxi. Having clearly predicted the time of the destruction of the temple, &c.-comp. Mt. xxiii. 36, § 85, p. 320; xxiv. 1, 2. and the first question of the disciples, ver. 3, with ver. 34-our Lord now proceeds to speak of another time, the day of his coming. The hour of his appearing is not made known unto men. It is in the keeping of the Father, and will come upon the world like the flood in the days of Noah. Many will the business and cares of the present life, and be have their hearts and their hands fully occupied with altogether unprepared for the presence of the Son of man. - xxiv. 43. Our They all coming danger; and are to have that care for are by the prophetic word faithfully forewarned of personally present. the house of their Lord, as he himself would, were he they are warned to be ready; for in such an hour as - xxiv. 44. - xiii. 37. Again ye think not the Son of man cometh." The porter was particularly admonished to watch, but none are exempted from this duty. What I say unto you I say - xxi. 34-.6. A unto all, Watch.' -xxiv. 34, .5. xiii. 30, .1.xxl. 32, .3. The things predicted respecting the destruction of the temple, the fulfilment of which is to give, to all generations, a token of the truthfulness of God, Jesus assures his disciples will take place ere the present generation have left the earth. No. 86.-G. 78.)-[Lesson 82.]—As Jesus is leaving the temple, one of his disciples observes to him upon the buildings. Jesus' reply. The prophecy upon mount Olivet, delivered to four of the apostles, Peter and Andrew, James and John. of Olives. On the mount LUKE xxi. 5-36. (Ch. xxi. 4, lxxxv. p. 309.) d And as-some-spake 5 of the temple, how it-was-adorned withgoodly stones and gifts αναθήμασι, did hide himself from them.'- Comp. with Je. xiii. 15-.7. the desolation of the temple should take place in that to shew him, &c.-He had just before predicted that very generation, ch. xxiii. 36-.8, § 85, p. 320. NOTES. Mt. xxiv. 1. To shew him the buildings of the temple. That is, to draw his attention to the magnitude, the splendour, the apparent solidity and stability of that magnificent structure.-See § 1, p. 8, ADDENDA, The temple,' and § 82, p. 270. [Mk. xiii. 1. What manner of stones. These were indeed stupendous; in proof of which the commentators adduce Josephus, Ant. xv. 11, 3; Bell. v. 5, 63 whence it appears that the stones of the temple were some of them forty-five cubits in length, five in depth, and six in breadth. It is strange, however, they did not see that the latter account, as far as it regards the dimensions of the stones, makes the former one seem almost incredible. For it represents them as only about twenty-five cubits in length, eight in height, and about twelve in breadth. It is not so much the excessive length spoken of (for in Bell. i. 21, 6, Josephus speaks of the stones of Strato tower as some of them fifty feet long, nine high, and VOL. II.] ten broad) as the disproportion in breadth, which BE NOT PROUD:-Jer. xiii. 15. AND, WHILE YE LOOK FOR LIGHT, HE TURN IT INTO THE SHADOW OF DEATH, AND MAKE IT GROSS DARKNESS.-Jer. xiii. 16. [323 |