it does not really mean. We have no interest in witholding from it the application which the Saviour designed for it.

You will permit me to state what you are very well acquainted with, namely, the common doctrine supposed to be supported by this text. The common use of this passage, is to apply it to what is called, the last judgment; and the last judgment it is supposed will take place when all mankind, who have lived in past ages, shall be raised from the dead. At the same time, the inhabitants of the earth, that are then alive, will be brought to judgment, with all those who then shall be raised from the dead: then there will be a dissolution of this material system, of the sun, the moon, and stars; and mankind will then and there be judged -all of them-exactly according to their conduct, here in this mortal state; and if they are found justified, they will be saved in eternal glory: while all the rest, supposed to be vastly the greater part, will be turned off to eternal misery. I have only stated this subject in its summary; there is not time to go into its ramifications, or to consider it with regard to the pernicious bearing it has upon society. But, my friendly hearers, I feel disposed to invite your serious and candid attention to this question; namely, Does this passage of scripture justly apply to such a subject? and if our Saviour intended it to apply to such a subject, is it not to be expected, that somewhere in the connexion, these things will be indicated? Certainly. Now, if upon examination, we find none of these things indicated, what must be our conclusion? This. That whatever it might mean, it could not mean what has been generally supposed. Now that

these words relate to no such subject, we infer, from the following considerations.

First, there is no intimation, in all the connexion, that this judgment is the last judgment that ever will take place. You cannot consider this fact as a matter of indifference. Upon what authority have our divines declared this to be the last judgment? I do not make this inquiry invidiously, with any desire or design of casting reflections on my fellow creatures. I make it, because the subject demands it. By what autharity have they told us, that this was an account of the last judg ment? There is nothing said about the last judg ment here, nor first judgment, nor any judgment, numerically. So much, then, we must dispense with, and say they do this without authority. In the second place, I wish to inform you, that there is no hint given, in this connexion, with regard to the dissolution of this material system. There is no indication whether this earth will remain afterwards as it is now, or not: there is nothing of the kind suggested. Upon what authority, then, is this all declared? In the third place, there is not one word said, in this connexiont about the resurrection of the dead.—Is it said that any of the human family will be raised from the dead, to come to this judgment? Not a word about it. Now is it possible that men of learning, of piety, and of honesty, can make such an application of this subject themselves? No, my friends, they do not even dream of such things: but men of piety, learning, and honesty have made this mistake, by the force of tradition and education; influences little understood by the common mind. They never thought of asking themselves the question whether these things were truc. But all these questions must be

asked, all these queries must be put, and all these subjects must be looked into and canvassed, before we can consent to any thing so incongruous. Is it such a trifling thing to throw down the works of God, that it may be done with impunity, without proof, without evidence? No; it is too weighty a subject to be treated in this light and incautious manner. These sentiments have done too much mischief already to be treated with superficial observation. Now, that this passage does not apply to such a subject as has, been mentioned, we consider to be very fairly proved, by the total silence through the context with respect to such a subject. But I shall prove, my friends, another thing, to put the matter beyond all doubt and scruple in your minds. And I have confidence in saying as much as this, that I shall now prove, by the connexion in which this passage is found, that the fulfilment of what is here stated took place in the city in which it was spoken, and in the lifetime of some then present. If we prove this, we overthrow all the use our divines have made of this text. If we do not prove it, we fall short of what we undertake, and you are to go away dissatisfied. My friends, I do really regret this subject is so long, as to lead me to be apprehensive of tiring your patience, before we shall get through it; and yet I feel encouraged, on account of the plainness of it.

The subject under consideration commences in the twenty-third chapter of this gospel, and continues through the whole of the twenty-fourth, and through the whole of the twenty-fifth; and no man ever understood it, as it ought to be understood, unless he has carefully read all the connexion. At the conclusion of the twenty-third chapter, our Saviour was speaking in the temple, to the Jews, can

cerning the awful calamities which were coming upon them, when they had filled up the measure of their iniquities. In this discourse, part of which is recorded in the conclusion of the twenty-third chapter, our Saviour had given the people to understand, that the city and temple would be destroyed. At the conclusion of that address, he expresses the feelings of his heart for the wickedness of the city of Jerusalem; and breaks out "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, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." He droppeth this hint, that the time would come when they would see him; and should say, "Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." Now he leaves the temple, and goes out of it, and is going out of the city. His disciples come immediately to show him (mark the little calculation they had) how the temple was constructed. It was as much as to say to him, "You prophesy the destruction of this temple. Look at these massy rocks, this immense pile, and consider whether it is reasonable that all these will be thrown down." Our Saviour says, "There shall not be one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down." He then goes out of the city, to the Mount of Olives, which commanded a prospect of the whole place; and there he sat himself down. His disciples come privately and ask him, "When shall these things be? What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" The Teacher proceeds directly to

answer this question. My friends, it has, no doubt, already struck your minds, that we have made a mistake. It is very evident from the question the disciples stated, that they had the end of the world in view; and therefore, when Jesus answered them, he answered that inquiry, and therefore, he must have had the end of the world in view. It is granted. They did ask him, and he did answer them concerning the end of the world. But mark one thing. The end of the world here, means nothing concerning what people generally mean by that phrase. It has no reference to any such subject. I am now going to intrude upon your patience, with a design of showing you that our Saviour in answering this question, alludes to nothing which did not actually take place in that generation in which he lived. "What do you mean," says the hearer,

that the end of the world then took place ?". Yes, I mean the end of the world, as here mentioned, did then actually take place. "Why, it is impossible," says the hearer. "The world still exists!" Let your humble servant read, and you will see the world was at an end, but not in the sense in which these words are generally applied.

This I am to make plain by reading. See ch. xxiv. Jesus wishes them to take heed, and he says, "Take heed that no man deceive you: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that ye be not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet." The end of what? The end of the world! The end of the world is not yet! It is evident he meant the end of that world they asked him about. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall