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place of St. Mark; and it is faid not only that the angels were excluded from the knowledge of the particular time, but that the Son himfelf was alfo ignorant of it. The 13th chapter of that evangelift aufwers to the 24th of St. Matthew. Our Saviour treateth there of the figns and circumftances of his coming and the deftruction of Jerufalem, from the 5th to the 27th verfe inclufive; and then at verfe the 28th he proceeds to treat of the time of his coming and the deftruction of Jerufalem. The text in St. Matthew is, Of that day and feafón knoweth no man, no not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. The text in St. Mark is, Of that day and feafon knoweth no man, no not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. It is true the words ade ó vios, neither the Son, were omitted in fome copies of St. Mark, as they are inferted in fome copies of St. Matthew: but there is no fufficient authority for the omiflion in St. Mark, any more than for the infertion in St. Matthew, Erafmus and fome of the moderns (2) are of opinion, that the words were omitted in the text of St. Matthew, left they fhould afford a handle to the Arians for proving the Son to be inferior to the Father: but it was to little purpose to erafe them out of St. Matthew, and to leave them ftanding in St. Mark. On the contrary St. Ambrofe and fome of the ancients (3) affert, that they were inferted in the text of St. Mark by the Arians: but there is as little foundation or pretence for this affertion, as there is for the ather. It is much more probable that they were omitted in fome copies of St. Mark by fome indifcreet orthodox, who thought them to bear too hard upon our Saviour's dignity. For all the most ancient copies and tranflations extant retain them; the most ancient fathers quote them, and comment upon them; and certainly it is eafier for words to be omitted in a copy fo that the omiffion fhould not ge→ nerally prevail afterwards, than it is for words to be

(2) Proinde fufpicor hoc a nonnal lis fubtractum, ne Arianis effet anfa confirmandi Filium effe Patre minorem, &c. Eraim. in loc.

(3) Ambrof. de Fide. Lib. 5. Cap.8.

Veteres Græci codices non habent, Quod nec fuius feit; fed non mirum eft, fiet hoc falsârunt, qui fcripturas interpolavêre divinas.

inferted

inferted in a copy fo that the infertion fhould generally prevail afterwards. Admit the words therefore as the genuin words of St. Mark we muft, and we may without any prejudice to our Saviour's divinity. For Chrift may be confidered in two refpects, in his human and his divine nature; and what is faid with regard only to the former, doth not at all affect the latter. As he was the great teacher and revealer of his Father's will, he might know more than the angels, and yet he might not know all things. It is faid in St. Luke (II. 52.) that Jefus increafed in wisdom and ftature, and in facor with God and man. He increafed in wifdom, and confequently in his human nature he was not omnifcient. In his human nature he was the fon of David; in his divine nature he was the Lord of David. In his human nature he was upon earth; in his divine nature he was in heaven (John III. 13.) even while upon earth. In like manner it may be faid, that though as God he might know all things, yet he might be ignorant of fome things as man. And of this particular the Meffiah might be ignorant becaufe it was no part of his office or commiffion to reveal it. It is not for you to know the times or the feafons, which the Father hath put in his own power, as our Saviour faid (Acts I. 7.) when a like queftion was propofed to him. It might It might be proper for the difciples, and for the Jews too by their means, to know the figns and circumftances of our Saviour's coming and the deftruction of Jerufalem; but upon many accounts it might be unfit for them both, to know the precife time.

Hitherto we have explained this 24th chapter of St. Matthew as relating to the destruction of Jerufalem, and without doubt as relating to the deftruction of Jerufalem it is primarily to be understood. But though it is to be understood of this primarily, yet it is not to be understood of this only: for there is no queftion that our Saviour had a further view and meaning in it. It is ufual with the prophets to frame and exprefs their prophecies fo, as that they fhall comprehend more than one event, and have their feveral periods of completion. This every one must have observed, who hath been ever fo little converfant in the writings of the ancient prophets;

phets and this I conceive to be the cafe here, and the deftruction of Jerufalem, to be typical of the end of the world. The deftruction of a great city is a lively type and image of the end of the world; and we may obferve that our Saviour no fooner begins to speak of the deftruction of Jerufalem, than his figures are raised, his language is fwelled, and he expreffeth himfelf in fuch terms, as in a lower fenfe indeed are applicable to the deftruction of Jerufalem, but defcribe fomething higher in their proper and genuin fignification. The fun Jhall be darkened, the moon fhall not give her light, the ftars Shall fall from heaven, the powers of the heavens fhall be Jhaken, the Son of man fhall come in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, and he fhall fend his angels with a great found of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other: Thefe paffages in a figurative fenfe as we have seen may be underflood of the deftruction of Jerufalem, but in their litteral fenfe can be meant only of the end of the world. In like manner that text, Of that day and feafon knoweth no man, no not the angels of heaven, but my Father only; the confiftence and connection of the difcourfe oblige us to understand it as spoken of the time of the deftruction of Jerufalem, but in a higher fenfe it may be true alfo of the time of the end of the world and the general judgment. All the fubfequent difcourfe too, we may obferve, doth not relate fo ̊ properly to the deftruction of Jerufalem, as to the end of the world and the general judgment. Our Saviour lofeth fight as it were of his former fubject, and adapts his difcourfe more to the latter. And the end of the Jewish ftate was in a manner the end of the world to many of the Jews.

The remaining part of the chapter is fo clear and easy as to need no comment or explanation. It will be more proper to conclude with fome useful reflections upon the whole.

It appears next to impoffible, that any man fhould duly confider thefe prophecies, and the exact completion of them; and if he is a believer, not be confirmed in the faith; or if he is an infidel, not be converted. Can

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any ftronger proof be given of a divine revelation than the fpirit of prophecy; and can any ftronger proof be given of the fpirit of prophecy, than the examples now before us, in which fo many contingencies, and I may fay improbabilities, which human wifdom or prudence could never forefee, are fo particularly foretold, and fo punctually accomplished! At the time when Chrift nounced thefe prophecies, the Roman governor refided at Jerufalem, and had a force fufficient to keep the people in obedience: and could human prudence forefee that the city as well as the country would revolt and rebel against the Romans? Could human prudence forefee famins, and peftilences, and earthquakes in divers places? Could human prudence forefee the fpeedy propagation of the gofpel fo contrary to all human probability? Could human prudence foresee fuch an utter deftruction of Jerufalem with all the circumstances preceding and following it? It was never the cuftom of the Romans abfolutely to ruin any of their provinces. It was improbable therefore that fuch a thing fhould happen at all, and still more improbable that it fhould happen under the humane and generous Titus, who was indeed, as he was (4) called, the love and delight of mankind.

What is ufually objected to the other predictions of holy writ, cannot with any pretence be objected to these prophecies of our Saviour, that they are figurative and obfcure; for nothing can be conveyed in plainer fimpler terms, except where he affected fome obfcurity, as it hath been fhown, for particular reasons. It is allowed indeed that fome of thefe prophecies are taken from Mofes and Daniel. Our Saviour prophefying of the fame events hath borrowed and applied fome of the fame images and expreffions. But this is a commendation rather than any difcredit to his predictions. He hath built upon the foundations of the infpired writers before him; but what a fuperftructure hath he raised? He hath acted in this cafe as in every other, like one who came not to destroy the law and the prophets, but to fulfil them. He hath manifefted himself to be a true prophet, by his exact interpretation and application of other

(4) Amor ac deliciæ humani generis. Suet. in Tito. Sect. 2.

prophets.

prophets. He is alfo much more particular and cir cumftantial than either Mofes or Daniel. In feveral inftances his prophecies are entirely new, and properly his own and befides he ufes greater precifion in fixing and confining the time to that very generation.

For the completion of thefe prophecies the perfons feem to have been wonderfully raifed up and prefervedby divine providence. Vefpafian was promoted from obfcurity; and though feared and hated by Nero, yet was preferred by him, and fingled out as the only general among the Romans who was equal to fuch a war; God perhaps, as (5) Jofephus intimates, fo difpofing and ordering affairs. He had fubdued the greateft part of Judea, when he was advanced to the empire; and he was happy in putting an end to the civil wars, and to the other troubles and calamities of the ftate, or otherwife he would hardly have been at leifure to prosecute the war with the Jews. Titus was wonderfully preserved in the most critical articles of danger. While he was taking a view of the city, he was furrounded by the enemy, and nothing lefs was expected than that he fhould be flain, or made prifoner: but he refolutely broke thro' the midft of them, and though unarmed yet arrived unhurt at his own camp: upon which (6) Jofephus maketh this reflection, that from hence it is obvious to understand, that the turns of war and the dangers of princes are under the peculiar care of God. Jofephus himself was alfo no lefs wonderfully preferved than Titus, the one to deftroy the city, and the other to record its deftruction. He marveloufly efcaped from the fnares which were laid for him (7) by John of Gifchala, and (8) by Jefus the chief of the robbers: and when (9) his companions were determined to kill him and themselves rather than furrender to the Romans, he prevailed with them to draw lots who fhould be killed, the one after

(5) ταχα τι και πέρι των όλων ήδη TO CE apronovoppers. forfan et Deo aliquid de univerfis præordinante. Jofeph. de Bell. Jud. Lib. 3. Cap. I. Sect. 3. p. 1118. Edit. Hudfon.

(6) ενθα δη μάλιςα πάρεςι νοειν, ὅτι και πολεμῶν ῥοπαι και βασιληων κινδυνοι

μέλονται τῷ Θεῷ. hinc fane maxime
licet intelligere, Deo curæ effe et belli
momenta et regum pericula. Ib. Lib. 5.
Cap. z. Sect. 2. p. 1216.

(7) Jofephi Vita, Se&t. 17, &c.
(8) Ibid. Sect. 22.

(9) De Bell. Jud. Lib. 3. Cap. 7.
the

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