for him. The 44th verse of the 24th chapter reads thus, "Therefore be ye also ready for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of man cometh." This does not fix the time. The 36th verse reads thus, "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." By this we cannot determine the time so nicely as to fix it to a day nor an hour. Here we come to a spot where caution is particu larly necessary. In the 36th verse where the Saviour says, "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, &c. he evidently alludes to a particular time which he had confined within the limits of a more general one. See verse 32d, &c. "Now learn a

parable of the fig tree: when his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: so likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my word shall not pass away." The next words are those before quoted. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, &c. What day and hour? Answer, a day and an hour which would certainly come in that generation.

It may now be very proper to look and see what things are meant, where it is said, "This generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled." These things here mentioned are all those things of which Christ spake in the preceding part of his discourse, which begins in the 4th verse, and is an answer to questions which were stated by the disciples in the 3d verse, and consists of the following particulars.

Ist. Many should come in the name of Christ and deceive many.

2d. There should be wars and rumors of wars. 3d. There should be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places, which are said to be the beginning of sorrows.

4th. Some of the disciples should be persecuted unto death, they should be delivered up to be afflicted, and should be hated of all nations for the name of Christ..

5th. Many should be offended, should hate and betray one another.

6th. Many false prophets should arise and deceive many.

7th. On account of the abounding of iniquity; the love of many should wax cold.

8th. The gospel of the kingdom should be preached in all the world, for a witness unto all nations; and then the end should come. That is, the end of the world, of which the disciples asked him in the 3d verse.

9th. The disciples would see the prophecy of Daniel fulfilled, where he speaks in chap. ix. 27. of the ceasing of the sacrifice and oblation, and of the overspreading of the abomination which maketh desolate.

10th. He exhorts the disciples when they should see the prophecy of Daniel fulfilled, to flee into the mountains, if they should happen to be in Judea; and that without any delay.

11th. A woe is pronounced on those who should be with child, and those who should give suck, in that time of trouble and distress.

12th. The disciples are directed to pray that their flight might not happen in the winter, nor on the Sabbath day.

13th. There should then be a time of great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to that time, and such as never should again happen.

14th. As no flesh could be saved, unless those days were shortened, they should be shortened for the elect's sake.

15th. False prophets should arise and show great signs and wonders.

16th. He exhorts his disciples against any vain pretensions that Christ is more in one place than another, and informs them that as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west, so would be the coming of the Son of man.

17th. Immediately after those great tribulations, the sun should be darkened, and the moon should not give her light, and the stars should fall from heaven, and the powers of the heaven should be shaken.

18th. Then should appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven; and all the tribes of the earthshould mourn, and see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

19th. The Son of man should send his angels, with a great sound of a trumpet, who should gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

After having stated all these particulars more circumstantially than they are here stated, he uses the parable of the fig-tree to show them the nearness of the time of the accomplishment of all things of which they had asked him. See the 32d verse and onward, which has been noticed. "Now learn a parable of the fig-tree: when his branch 19 yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know

that summer is nigh: so likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near even at the doors." Then he limits all to that generation, in as positive a manner as possible. See verse 34, 35. 66 Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my word shall not pass away." It may be well to notice in this place the queries which the disciples stated to Christ, and what led them to propose them; see verse 3, "And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world" The occasion, which led the disciples to state the above questions, is found, partly in the preceding chapter, and partly in the declaration of Christ concerning the temple, recorded in the 2d verse of the 24th. In the 23d chapter, Jesus delivered a very plain and most alarming discourse to the scribes and pharisees; towards the conclusion of which he informed them, that the wickedness of their ancestors and their own wickedness, would be punished immediately. See verse 34, &c. "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 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 blood of Zacharias, son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, all these things shall come upon this generation." Here observe, he informs them that judgment

would not be delayed beyond that generation, which agrees with the time which he limits in the 24th chapter for the fulfilment of all things of which he spake. Jesus then in a most bitter and affectionate lamentation, informs them that their house should be left desolate, and that they should not see him henceforth, till they should say, "Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." After closing this discourse, Jesus went out and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him to show him the buildings of the temple; "And Jesus said unto them, see ye not all these things? Verily I say unto you, there shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. What he had said to the scribes and pharisees of the judgment which would come upon that generation, of the desolation of their house; and what he said to the disciples of not one stone's being left upon another, led them to state the queries which they did in the 3d verse.

Το

those queries Jesus directed his subsequent discourse; and all which he said, till he ended that discourse, he directed to the general topic of their queries. This discourse continues until the close of the 25th chapter. When Jesus had informed his disciples, as has been noticed, in the 34th verse of the 24th chapter, that all the things which he had informed them of would take place in that generation, he said, as has been noticed before, see verse 36, "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." Here it is as evident as language can make any thing, that Jesus alluded to a day, and an hour, which would surely take place in that generation. He then proceeds to show how things would be