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from one end of heaven to the other. These are the words of St. Matthew: St. Mark" ufes nearly the fame expreffions; but as St. Luke varies a little from both, I fhall infert his relation alfo.

And there fhall be figns in the fun, and in the moon, and in the ftars; and upon the earth diftrefs of nations, with perplexity; the fea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after thofe things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then fhall they fee the Son of man coming in a cloud, with power and great glory. And when thefe things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

Now learn a parable of the fig-tree: When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that fummer is nigh: fo likewife ye, when ye shall fee all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I fay unto you, This generation fhall not pass

Matt. xxiv. 29, &c.

n Mark xiii. 24, &c.

• Luke xxi. 25, &c.

till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth fhall pass away; but my words fhall not pass away. But of that day and hour [when

It has been objected, that the words "till all be fulfilled," must refer in their primary sense at least, to all the events predicted; and Chriftianity was not visibly eftablished in peace, fecurity, aud power, till Paganism fell from the throne of the Roman world, in A. D. 312. The context will, I think, remove this difficulty. By the parable of the fig-tree our Lord affures his Difciples, that the figns immediately preceding the deftruction of Jerufalem fhould be fo plain, that the moft common attention to paffing events would enable them to fee and to avoid the impending evils, which he had as plainly foretold; and immediately adds, "Verily, I fay unto you, this generation fhall not pass away till all thefe things be fulfilled." These words therefore seem obviously reftricted, in their primary fenfe, to the numerous circumftances which he had moft accurately described as signs of that event in which his Difciples felt themfelves peculiarly, nay, perfonally, interested. Efpecially, as after the folemn affirmation of the truth of a prediction, which at that time must appear so very improbable, and the declaration, that the time appointed for that diftant “ day and hour, when the heavens and the earth fhall pass away, was known to the Father only," our Lord returns to the figns of his coming to manifeft the power of his kingdom, and gives the command to watch. "But in their fecondary fenfe thefe words may mean this people (the Jewish nation) fhall not pass away till all be fulfilled;" however dispersed they shall continue a diftinct people from the rest of the world, till the whole of this Prophecy fhall be accomplished by the fecond coming of the Son of Man in glory.

the

the heavens and earth fhall pafs away] knoweth no man, no not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe were, fo Shall alfo the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; fo fhall alfo the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one fhall be taken, and the other left. Two women fhall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, aud the other left. Watch therefore; for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come-Therefore be ye afo ready; for in fuch an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometha.

And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig-tree, and all the trees; when they now shoot forth, ye fee and know of your own felves, that Summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye fee these things come to pass, know that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I fay unto you, This generation shall not pafs away till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth fhall pass away; but my words shall not

a Matt. xxiv. 32, &c.

ye

pass

pafs away. And take heed to yourselves, left at any time your hearts be overcharged with furfeiting, and drunkennefs, and cares of this life, and fo that day come upon you unawares. For as a fare fhall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that fhall come to pass, and to ftand before the Son of

man

Without entering into a difcuffion of the feveral metaphors in this Prophecy explained by various commentators as referring, in their first and most immediate application, to the feveral parts of the Jewish government, and to distinct occurrences which happened foon after the destruction of Jerufalem, it is fufficient to remark, that the complete fubverfion of the Jewish polity, ecclefiaftical and civilthe complete overthrow of Pagan tyranny and fuperftition-the establishment of the Christian church in the feat of the empire of the world, and its confequent acceffion of numbers, power, and fplendour, appear to be decifively predicted. It appears alfo evident, that the great events which were to in

* Luke xxi. 29, &c.

crease

crease the prevalence of the Chriftian religion, and fix its open fovereignty in the world, were to happen fuddenly, and unexpectedly to all who were not prepared by the folemn warning which our Lord gave to his Difciples, with a command to watch. Let us now turn to the page of history for the accomplishment of these predictions: which, as this Prophecy only points to the great events circumftantially revealed by our Lord to his beloved Disciple St. John after the deftruction of Jerufalem, fhall be stated very concifely.

Our Lord expressly declares, that all these things, that is, the folemn train of predictions concerning Jerufalem, should be fulfilled before the then prefent generation fhould pafs away. This Prophecy was delivered in the year of our Lord 33, and Jerufalem was deftroyed 37 years afterwards; fo that many the contemporaries of Chrift who heard the Prophecy might witness its accomplishment.

of

The total fubverfion of the Jewish government, religious and civil, can scarcely be more strikingly reprefented than by the Decree iffued by Vefpafian, immediately after Jerufalem was deftroyed, ordering "all the

lands

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