low them.

CHRIST reprefents the Manner of his Coming:

24 For as the Lightning that lightneth out of the one Part under Heaven, shineth unto the other Part under Heaven: fo shall alfo the Son of Man be in his Day.

189.

Luke XVII.

23 And they fhall fay to that pretends to it. And accordingly, they shall Sect. 128. you, See here, or, fee there: go not after them, nor fol- Jay to you, Behold [he is] here, or, behold [be is] there; [but] do not you go out to seek him, nor join 23. to follow [them] in any of their vain delufive Schemes. For he will indeed come, but in a different Man- 24 ner from what they expect; even to execute upon them a fudden and unavoidable Destruction: For as the Lightning which lightens from one [Part] under Heaven, fhines in a Moment with the greatest Swiftness to the other [Part] under Heaven; fo alfo in as fwift, and terrible a Manner shall the Coming of the Son of Man be in his Day, when he appears to plead the Caufe of that Gospel, which has been fo generally defpifed. (Compare Mat. xxiv. 23, 27. Sect. 161.) Nevertheless, he must first 25. fuffer many Things, and be yet more opprobriously. and folemnly rejected by this Generation of Men, who fhall by this publick and national act of Impiety and Rebellion fill up the Measure of their Iniquities. (Compare Luke xxiii. 8,-21. John xix. 15. Acts iii. 13,—15.)

25 But first must he suffer many Things, and be rejected of this Generation.

27

Then shall impending Vengence fall upon them 26
at once: And as it was in the Days of Noah which
preceded the Flood, fo also shall it be in the Days
of the Son of Man, or in thofe Days when he fhall
come, in the Manner I have now described, for
the Destruction of his Enemies. For notwith-
ftanding the exprefs Predictions of Divine Judg-
ments approaching, they went on with their ufual
Courfe of Bufinefs, and of Pleafure; they eat,.
they drank, they married Wives, [and] their Daugh-
ters were given in Marriage, and with a confident
Security perfifted in the Bufinefs, Entertainments,
and Luxuries of Life, till the very Day in which
Noah entered into the Ark; and then the Deluge
came with irrefiftible Fury, fo that it overbore and
deftroyed them all at once. (Gen. vi. 13. vii. 21.)
Likewife alfo as it was at Sodom in the Days of Lot, 28:
they eat and drank, they bought and fold, they planted
Vineyards, and built magnificent Houfes, and ne-
ver thought themselves more fecure, or their plea-
fant Country more like to flourish.
And thus 29,
it continued, till the very Day when Lot went out
of Sodom; and then Fire and Brimflone was rained

down

Luke XVII. 30.

190 Sect. 128. down by the Lord from Heaven, and deftroyed them all. (Gen. xix. 14, 24.) Even fo fhall it be in the Day when the Son of Man is revealed, and his Power fenfibly displayed in the Destruction of this finful People: The Jewish Nation fhall be as careless and confident, as if there was not the leaft Danger, indulging themselves in all Kinds of Luxury and Extravagance (c), till they fee Ruin furrounding them on every Side, from which it will be as impoffible for them to escape, as it was for the Sinners of the Old World, or the Inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah. (Compare Mat. xxiv. 37,-39. Sect. 163.)

And foretells the Deftruction of the unbelieving Jews.

31

In that Day, if any one shall be taking the Air on the Houfe-Top, or be retired thither for any other Purpose, and his beft Drefs and Furniture be in the Houfe, let him not come down into the Houfe to take it away (d); but let him flee the readiest Way, by thofe Steps which go down on the Outfide of the Building: And he that is at work in the Field, ftripped of his upper Garment, let him likewife not return back, tho' it be but a few Steps, to take it. (Compare Mat. xxiv. 17, 18. Sect. 161.) 32 But remember the awful Example of Lot's Wife, with the dreadful Iffue of her Delay, and looking back; (Gen. xix. 26.) and take heed left, like her, you perish in that fudden Vengeance, which shall overtake your former Abode, if you allow yourselves to linger in it, or turn back for the 33 fake of any Thing you have left there. For in that Day, he that shall feek to preferve his Life by retiring into fome fortified City, and especially into that, where one would imagine he should be fafeft, fhall lose it; but he that shall seem to take

the

from Heaven, and destroyed them all:

30 Even thus fhall it be

in the Day when the Son of Man is revealed.

31 In that Day, he which

fhall

be upon the House-top,

and his Stuff in the Houfe,

let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the Field, let him likewise

not return back.

32 Remember Lot's Wife,

33 Whofoever shall feek to fave his Life, fhall lofe it: Life, fhall preferve it.

and whofoever fhall lofe his

(c) Indulging themselves in all Kinds of Luxury and Extravagance.] It is not unfeafonable for Great Britain to recollect, that when a pompous and luxurious Way of Living has come to its Height in many of the moft confiderable antient and modern Nations, there has been a very fudden Tranfition to the lowest State of Servitude and Ruin. All Hiftories abound with Inftances of this Kind; and GoD grant, that our own Age may not add one to the Number!

(d) Let him not come down into the House to take it away.] This fhews, beyond all Controverfy, that this Difcourfe refers not to the final Judgment, from which there can be no Efcape; but to the Deftruction of Jerufalem, from which it is well known that many Chriftians were preferved by this Caution. See Grotius, in loc.The Jewish Houfes were built with a flat Roof, and had Stairs without to go down from the Top. Compare Luke 19. Vol. i. pag. 277.)

(e) The

Where the Carcafe is, the Eagles will be gathered together. 191

M

the ready Way to lofe his Life, fhall preferve it; Sect. 128.
for they who regard my Admonitions, and retire, Luke XVII,
however their Conduct may be cenfured as impru-
dent, shall survive the general Ruin.

-33.

I tell you, in that Night, that gloomy calami- 34
tous Time, the Providence of GOD fhall be strange-
ly feen, in delivering fome of my Difciples, when
others in the very fame Places and Circumstances
fhall perish in the common Calamity: There fhall,
for Inftance, be Two Perfons lying in the fame
Bed; and the one shall be taken by the Enemy (e),
and the other difmiffed.
And Two Women Shall 3.5

be grinding together at the fame Mill; the one shall
be taken, and the other difmiffed. And Two 36
Men fhall be working or walking together in the
Field; the one shall be taken, and the other difmiffed.
(Compare Mat. xxiv. 40, 41. Sect. 163.)

And they answered and faid to him, Where, Lord, 37
and to whom, fhall this Destruction happen (f)?
And be said to them, Your Proverb is applicable
to the prefent Occafion, Wherefoever the Carcafe
is, there will the Eagles be gathered together (g);
where-ever the impenitent und unbelieving Jews
are, the Vengeance of GoD will purfue them,.
and the Roman Eagles fhall (as it were) fly upon
them as a helpless Prey; and fo, where their Num--
bers are the largeft, there the Destruction will be
greatest and most terrible. (Compare Mat. xxiv.
28. Sect. 1.61.)

IMPROVEMENT.

A Your Minds be formed to a true Tafte and Relish for the King- Luke xvii.. dom of GOD! and may we learn, wherein it confifts; not, like 20.

the Kingdoms of this World, in External. Pomp and Splendor, but in

Righte παραληφθη

(e) The oue fhall be taken by the Enemy.] That this is the Senfe of the Word wapangonsil, and that apenola in the latter Claufe fhould be rendered difmiffed, or let go, I think Elfner has abundantly proved. Obferv. vol. i. pag. 262, 263. He has likewife fhewn there, how cuftomary it was for Women to grind at the Mill. See alfo Bos, Exerc. pag. 30. (f) Where, Lord, &c.] I have feen few Paraphrafes, which do not fuperfede this Queftion: I have forbore mentioning Jerufalem above, that I might leave Room for it.

(g) Where-ever the Carcafe is, &c.] Dr. Clarke has explained the general Senfe of thisProverb with great Judgment. (See his Seventeen Sermons, pag. 381, & feq.) It is, as if it had been faid, The like Caufes will produce the like Effects. But it feems to fuggeft fo proper an Allufion to the Roman Standards, and to the Carnage they made of the Jews, that I could not forbear introducing the Mention of it.

4

192

Ver. 21.

Reflections on the Coming of CHRIST..

Sect. 128. Righteousness, Peace, Joy in the Holy Ghost, and that Inward Subjection of Soul to the Divine Government, which is the Effence of Religion, and the grand Security and Felicity of our Natures! Many are like the Pharifees, talking of it, and expecting it, while it is among them, and they know it not; and, perhaps, defpife the humble Chriftians in whom it refides, and moft eminently triumphs. May they who think moft lightly of it, never have Caufe to wish at laft, for the Return of those Days of the Son of Man, which are now their Burthen, rather than their Pleasure, while they hear vital and inward Religion in vain recommended and inforced!

Ver. 22.

Ver. 26,-30.

Ver. 32.

What our Lord fays of his Coming to the Deftruction of Jerufalem, may be applied, as it is elsewhere, to his Appearance at the final Judgment, of which the former was a Figure. Thus fhall the Men of that Generation be immerfed in Bufinefs and Pleasure; and that tremendous Day hall come upon them, even as a Thief in the Night; fo that they shall find themselves overwhelmed with irrecoverable Ruin, while they cry, Peace and Safety. (1 Thef. v. 2, 3.) And thus doth the awful Hour of Death, which configns Men over to Judgment, furprize the Generality of Mankind, amidst all the folemn Warnings of it, which they daily receive. May we ever be in a prepared Posture, and daily live, as on the Verge of Eternity!

And if once we are engaged in a Courfe of ferious Preparation, let us remember Lot's Wife, and take heed, that we turn not back again. We Ver. 31. flee as for our Lives; let us not look behind us. Whatever is to be left, whatever is to be loft, it is enough if our Life be given us as for a Prey.

Ver. 34,-36.

Ver. 37.

If we have any juft Hope, that it will fo be given us, we have a great deal of Reason to own and adore the Riches of Divine Grace to us, of that diftinguishing Grace, which has taken us, when others are left; fome, perhaps, employed in the fame Business, and dwelling in the fame Place; and, may not I add, fome lying in the fame Bed too.

In a Word, let all ferioufly bethink themselves, and flee from the Wrath to come. GOD Spared not Judea, that favourite Country, when they rejected his Gospel, and his Son: Let us fear, left he also Spare not us. (Rom. xi. 20, 21.) In this Refpect alfo, wherefoever the Carcafe is, there will the Eagles be gathered together, The fame Caufes will produce the fame Effects; and when we, in particular, of these happy, but finful Nations, confider our numerous and aggravated Provocations, we fhall fee much greater Reafon to wonder, that the Judgments of GOD have been fo long delayed, than that they fhould at laft fall upon us with an infupportable Weight.

SECT.

CHRIST delivers the Parable of the Importunate Widow:

193

SECT.

CXXIX.

1

CHRIST prefes his Difciples to Perfeverance in Prayer, by the Parable of the Importunate Widow; and recommends Humility, by that of the Pharisee and Publican. Luke

T

LUKE XVIII. 1.

LukeXVIII

HUS our Lord difcourfed with his Difciples Sect. 129. of the approaching Destruction of Jerufalem by the Romans; and for their Encourage-1. ment under those Hardships, which they might in the mean Time expect, from their unbelieving Countrymen, or others, he spoke a Parable to them; which was intended to inculcate upon them this great Truth, that how distressed foever their Circumstances might be, they ought always to pray with Faith and Perfeverance, and not to faint under their Trials.

3

For this Purpose he difcourfed to them in the 2
following Manner, faying, There was a Judge in
a certain City, who neither feared GOD, nor
reverenced Man; but was wicked enough to fet
light by all Regards to both, and to make his
own Humour, and fecular Intereft, the only Rule
of his Actions. And there was. a Widow in
that City, who had sustained fome Injury from
an Enemy more powerful than herself; and hav-
ing no other Way to obtain Redress, he came to
him, at a Place and Time when she could not be
denied Access, and faid, I come to put myself
under the Protection of the Law, and to demand
thine Affistance as a Magiftrate, to do me Justice
against mine Adversary (a), that I may not fink
under his oppreffive Attempts.
This was her 4
Cafe and Plea; yet as fhe brought no Prefent in
her Hand, he would not, for a confiderable Time,

take

(a) Do me Justice against mine Adverfary.] This is the undoubted Import of the Phrafe Edinov μe: and Care fhould have been taken to exprefs it fo, as not to fuggeft the Idea of Revenge.

(b) She