venturer was the Son of Man, the true Messiah reappearing according to his promise.

Such adventurers did arise. Age after age, the Jewish people have been carried away with deceivers, claiming to be the long-promised Deliverer. In that very generation, before the men to whom Jesus now spake were laid in their graves, Simon, of Samaria,* gave out that himself was some great one. The people all gave heed to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, "This man is the great power of God." What means this, unless Simon claimed to be "the Wonderful," promised by ancient prophecy? Some twelve years after Christ's death, a certain Theudast imposed upon, it is possible, by his own enthusiasm, persuaded great numbers of people to follow him to the Jordan, assuring them that at his commandment the river would divide into two parts. How could he have thought of such a thing, had he not imagined himself Him that was to come-that "Branch to arise unto David, in whose day the Lord would not only destroy the tongue of the *Acts viii. 9. † Josephus, Antiquities xx. 5. 1.

Egyptian sea, but also with his mighty wind, shake his hand over the river and make men go over dry-shod."

To guard his people against such, deceivers of the public, or deceivers of themselves, the Saviour foretold their PRETENSIONS-stated such claims or impostures, as among the events not to be mistaken for signs of his coming. "Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, 'I am Christ,' and shall deceive many."

The caution, modern disciples, does not need to be urged upon you. You are unlikely to be imposed upon by false claimants to the Messiahship; for to you various declarations of your Lord have made it plain, that when the Deliverer reappears, it is to be-not after the manner of an adventurer, a pretender to worldly kingship. He is to be revealed from Heaven, in cloud and flaming fire, like the lightning which cometh out of the East and shineth even unto the West, impossible to be mistaken!

There is said to obtain among the Jews, even

to this day, the custom, when a thunder-storm occurs, of opening their windows, in expectation of the Messiah's appearance. However this may be, certain it is, that the popular belief of this people has long been that the appearance of the Christ is to be signalized and preceded by commotions, violent disturbances, either in the human or in the inanimate world. "Do you see kingdom rising against kingdom? Then behold, look at the foot of the Messiah," says a Jew whose book is in repute among his people.

The Saviour wished to put down this superstition, to extinguish this groundless notion, among those Jews who had come over to him as disciples. He would not that their hopes should be raised and disappointed, at every fresh outbreak of nature, or of nations. And hence, among the number of events not to be mistaken for signs of his reappearing, he named coмMOTIONS. "Ye shall hear of wars, and rumours of wars: see that ye be not trou

* R. Eleasar, quoted by Rosenmuller on Mat. xxiv. 7.

bled: all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are but the beginning of sorrows"-only a foretaste, an earnest, of what may be expected in after times.

Be not moved then, hearers, if at any time the news of the day be shocking. Do the gazettes tell you of insurrections, of grave rebellions? Do you year of tornado, earthquake, meteoric wonder? Do you find some of the various calculations about the time of the advent, laying stress on these occurrences? Disregard them. Lay to mind your Lord's words, "These things must be, but the end is not yet." Remember, that as in the time of Elijah, a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks, but the Lord was not in the wind-and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake-and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was

not in the fire-so, somewhat so, at least, it may be expected to be in the day of the Son of Man.

The twelve, and the others who, during the time of our Saviour's earthly ministry, espoused his cause, little dreamed of suffering to be endured on the Christ's account. They conceived they were securing for themselves unqualified blessing, earthly blessing. If they were taught the contrary, by occasional taunts from the Pharisees, by being "put out of the synagogue," they conceived, probably, that this trifling disgrace would be very short-lived. Soon the Messiah would appear in his kingdom, in such Monarchic or Godlike glory as he had assumed on the mount of transfiguration; and then they, posted at the right of his throne, employed on honouring embassies, would be abundantly, and before death, compensated for their trifling sufferings. Little did they think that the long-promised Deliverer would be an occasion to his followers of arraignment, death -protracted ignominy.