248 clxii. Mark Reflections on the day of Christ's coming to judgment, SECT. hour or season when it shall open upon men, and shall bring on their final sentence, there is no one who knows the precise time', neither the XIII.32. angels in heaven, nor even the Son of man himself, with respect to his human nature, or as a part of what he is commissioned to reveal; for though it be determinded by the Divine decree, it is not known to any but my Father alone, or the indwelling Godhead, from whom nothing can be concealed: and, as he does not think fit to disclose it, let it be your care to improve this uncertainty as an engagement to the most dili, gent and constant preparation for its coming. hour, knoweth no man, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, [but my Father only.][MAT, XXIV. 36.] Mat. Xxiv. 29 Luke xxi. 28 IMPROVEMENT. LET us now raise our contemplations to that awful day when all that was figuratively spoken of the destruction of Jerusalem shall be literally accomplished; and let us consider our own intimate concern in it. Where will our hope and comfort, our light, and our safety be, when the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, when the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken? where, indeed, unless the almighty God, the everlasting Jehovah, by whose voice they were created, and by whose hand they shall be dashed in pieces again, shall condescend to be our light, and our salvation? (Psal. xxviii. 1.) And if he indeed be so, then we may lift up our heads with joy; as knowing that our complete redemption draweth nigh, even that long expected day which, with all its solemn horrors, has still been the brightest object of our faith and our hopes. iOf that day and hour no one knows.] I cannot agree with Dr. Clarke in referring this verse to the destruction of Jerusalem; the particular day of which was not a matter of great importance; and as for the season of it, I see not how it could properly be said to be entirely unknoten after such an express declaration that it should be in that generation; and yet at some considerable distance, for otherwise there would not have been room for the gradual accomplishment of the many predictions uttered above. It seems therefore much fitter, with Dr. Whitby (after Grotius), to explain it of the last day, when heaven and earth shall pass away, which is sometimes called that day with a peculiar emphasis; a phrase answering to the great or remarkable day. Compare 2 Tim. i. 12, 18, and iv. 8. * Nor even the Son of man himself.] Then There is not any thing in this assertion of our Lord, if we consider the two natures in him, that is inconsistent with his true di vinity. For what is applicable only to one nature is frequently expressed in terms inclusive of his whole person. Thus, as the endowments of his human nature were com municated in a gradual manner to him, Jesus is said to have increased in wisdom (Luke ii. 52.) and even while he was on earth, as he was present every where with respect to his Divine nature, he speaks of him.elf as the Son of man who is in heaven. (John iii. 13.) Nor is it at all more strange that he should here be said not to know the day appointed for the final judgment, than that it should be elsewhere said that the Lord of glory was crucified (1 Cor. ii. 5), and that God purchased the church with his own blood. (Acts xx. 28.) 249 clxii. The coming of the Son of man shall be as the days of Noah. Then shall the Son of man indeed come in the clouds of heaven, SECT. with power and great glory, and send his angels to summon his elect, and to assemble them from one end of heaven to the other: for Mat. the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the xxiv. 30, 31 voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God. (1 Thess. iv. 16.) May we hear the summons with joy, and stand in our lot among his chosen ones! What though the day and season be un- Mark known? It is enough for us that we know that all these interposing days and years, be they ever so numerous, will at length be past; for the promise of the great Redeemer is our security, and he will hasten it in its time. (Isa. lx. 22.) Xiii. 39 These visible heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll, and the earth shall be removed out of its place; but the sure word of his 31 promise shall never pass away; even that promise which is engaged for the salvation of his people. Let us often review it; let us firmly realize it to our souls, and, seeing we look for such things, let us seriously consider what manner of persons we ought to be in holy conversation and godliness. (2 Pet. iii. 11, 14.) SECT. CLXIII. Our Lord urges the suddenness of his appearance as an engagement to constant watchfulness, repeating several things which he had formerly said on that subject. Mat. XXIV. 37, to the end. Mark XIII. 33, to the end. Luke XXI. 34-36. MAT. XXIV. 37. BUT as the days of also the coming of the son of man be, MAT. XXIV. 37. Noe were, so shall OUR Lord having told them in the preceding ECT. words, that though the time of his appear- clxiii. ance to the general judgment was uncertain, yet Mat.. the destruction of Jerusalem should happen be- XXIV. fore that generation of men was passed away, 37 went on with his discourse, and added, But this I will in general inform you, that, as sudden and ⚫unthought-of as the deluge was which came upon the world in the days of Noah, so unexpected and surprising also shall the coming of the Son of 38 For as in the man, to execute his vengeance, be. For as 38 days that were before in the days which were before the universal deeating and drinking, luge, they were so inconsiderate and secure, that marrying and giving they went on with all their usual business, and in marriage, until the day that Noe entered spent their time in entertainments, eating and drinking, marrying wives, and giving their daughters in marriage, thinking of nothing but present indulgence and future settlements in the the flood, they were into the ark, world; 250 clxiii. 39 And knew not, until the flood came, and took them all a way; so shall also the coming of the Son of We should take heed that day do not come upon us unawares. SECT. world; and went on thus, in contempt of every serious admonition, even until the very Mat. day that Noah entered into the ark; And knew XXIV. not, nor suspected, that any evil was approach39 ing, till the deluge came with an irresistible violence, and bore them all away with a torrent of destruction: so also shall the coming of the Son of man be; and, notwithstanding men have been so frequently and plainly warned of it, yet multitudes shall be surprised in an unprepared state. (Compare Luke xvii. 26, 27. p. 62.) 40 I formerly told you, with relation to the temporal desolation of your country, and I now repeat it, That of two men who shall then be at work together in the field, the one shall be seized, 41 and the other dismissed; And of two women who shall be grinding corn at the same mill, the one shall be seized, and the other dismissed: (compare Luke xvii. 35, 36. p. 64.) And I may say the like with respect to that important event of the final judgment; many who have been engaged in the same station and employments, and who were intimately conversant with each other, shali then be found exceedingly different in their characters and states; and some of them shall be made, the prisoners of Divine justice, while others shall not only be spared, but be signally favoured by God. a They were eating and drinking, &c.] Dr. Woodward (in his Theory of the Earth, p. 98) thinks these were modest expressions to signify their giving themselves up to all the extravagancies of riot and lust; and Wolfius (in loc.) has most learnedly proved that yousola is often used in a very criminal sense. But how great reason soever there may be to believe that the Antediluvian sinners did so, these words may be intended to express no more than the security and gaiety with which they pursued the usual employments and amuseinents of life when they were on the very brink of utter destruction. b Two man shall then be in the field, &c.] Though in the paraphrase, for its better connection, I have introduced these words incidentally, and hinted how they may allusively be accommodated to the day of judgment, yet I doubt not they originally refer to the destruction of Jerusalem, to which alone they are properly applicable. After this paragraph there is not a word peculiar to that; but many circumstances are introduced which refer to the day of judgment (and of death, as transmitting to it), and which can only be thus understood. I And man be. 40 Then shall two be in the field, the one shall be taken, and the other left: 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill, the one shall be taken, and the other left. therefore humbly conceive that the grand transition, about which commentators are so much divided, and so generally mistaken, is made precisely after these two verses.— Our Lord, in the following verses of Matthew and Mark, directs their thoughts to that final solemnity in which they are so highly concerned, by repeating almost in the same words the cautions and advices he had formerly given, Luke xii. 35,& seq. sect. cxiv. in which whole context (as I there observed, note f, Vol. VI. p. 582) there is no reference to those temporal calamities that were coming on the Jews, which have been here the subject of almost the whole preceding discourse. And the remembrance of what had passed on the former occasion might more easily lead them into the distinct understanding of what was now added. Though it may not be improper to recollect that the same pious care in their temper and conduct, which would be a preparative against national judgments, and entitle them to the special protection of providence in them, would also secure them from any unwelcome surprise by a call to the tribunal of God. • Your We should take heed that day do not come upon us unawares. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day upon you uu come awares. 35 For as a snare shall it come on all the face of the whole them that dwell on earth. 251 clxiii. powers XXI.34 LUKE XXI. 34. And therefore, that no calamities of life, or SECT. solemnities of judgment, may be dreadful to you, take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your Luke hearts be overloaded, and your rational depressed and stupified by gluttony and drunkenness, or distracted with worldly and secular cares, and by this means that awful and important day, of which I have been speaking, should come unexpected upon you. For the character of the gene-35 rality of mankind at that time will be such, that it shall come on the greatest part of all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth & as a snare upon a thoughtless bird which in the midst of its security, finds itselfinextricably taken. (Compare 36 Watch ye there- Eccles. ix. 12.) Let me therefore address this 36 fore, [MARK, take ye heed,] and pray most serious exhortation to you with an earnestalways; that ye may be ness proportionable to its importance, Watch accounted worthy to against every temptation to negligence and sin, escape all these things take heed of every thing which might lull you and to stand before the into a dangerous security, and pray always, with Son of man [for ye the most fervent importunity, that through know not [MARK, Divine grace you may be accounted worthy to eswhat hour your Lord cape all these calamitous and destructive things doth come.] MAT. which shall assuredly come to pass just in the XXIV. 42. MARK manner I have described them, and may be hap that shall come to pass, when the time is,] or XIII. 33.] ye pily enabled, even in the day of his universal e Your hearts be overloaded.] The word Bajura properly signifies burdened, or pressed down; and so very elegantly and strongly expresses the hateful consequence of intemperance, and the load which it brings on those rational faculties which are the glory of the human nature.-The reader will observe that Luke's account of this discourse is very short, in comparison with that of Matthew and Mark, for this obvious reason, that he had given the chief heads of it before, partly in a discourse of our Lord's last coming, which was delivered to a very numerous assembly in Galilee, (Luke xii. 35-48, seet exiv.) and partly in another discourse, relating only to the destruction of Jerusalem, which was delivered in his journey thither at the feast of dedication (Luke xvii. 20-37, sect. Cxxvii) Here therefore he chooses to omit what had been inserted on either of those occasions; as, John, who probably wrote after the accomplishment of this prophecy, entirely omits it, as already so VOL: VII. hour ; largely recorded by the former three dIt shall come on all them that dwell, &c.] e To stand before the Son of man.] I do f Happy 252 For we know not the hour when the Lord comes. SECT. hour your Lord does come to summon you before clxiii. him. Mat. 43 MA T. XXIV., 43. But know this, that the would have watched, 44 Therefore be ye cometh. But this you know, and would do well to conXXIV. sider it, that if the master of a house that has at if the good man of any time been plundered by robbers had known the house had known exactly in what watch of the night the thief in what watch would have come, he would undoubtedly have thief would come, he watched then; and taking care to be provided for and would not have him, would not have suffered his house to be broke suffered his house to open or have left the thief to make his advan- be broken up. 44 tage by coming at an unexpected time. And also ready for in such therefore, as it is of so much greater consequence an hour as you think on this occasion that you should be prepared not, the Son of man against an unseasonable surprise, be ye also ready and learn from such a common occurrence to be upon your guard; for I tell you again, That at an hour when you think not of it, the Son of man cometh; and multitudes of people will be as much surprised as if they had never heard in their whole lives that he would come at all. (Compare Luke xii. 39, 40, Vol. VI. p. 581.) Mark [For the Son of man is] in this respect as a XIII. 34 man travelling to a distant country, who, as he For the Son of man is was leaving his house, gave authority to his head- journey, who left his servants, to direct and oversee the rest in their house, and gave authobusiness, and assigned to every man in the fami- rity to his servants, ly his proper work, and particularly commanded work, and commanded the porter to watch, and to see to it that the doors the porter to watch. were properly secured, and ready to be opened to him at his return. Mat. MARK XIII. 34. as a man taking a far and to every man his Who then is a faith household, to give And who now, do you my apostles suppose, is MAT. XXIV. 45. XXIV. the faithful and prudent servant, of whom his ful and wise servant, 45 Lord has so good an opinion as to have appoint- whom his Lord hath ed him ruler over the rest of his household, to made ruler over his give them [their] proper portion of food in due them meat in due seaseason? You must easily apprehend that the son? expression may with the utmost propriety be applied to that high office with which you are invested, and to the confidence placed in your 46 integrity and wisdom. And, to excite you to discharge this office with the greatest fidelity, Lord, when he comlet me add, Happy indeed is that servant whom eth, shall find so dohis Lord, when he cometh, shall find thus employ. ing. ed in the proper duties of his important office, distributing to each his portion in a proper 47 manner f. "Verily I say unto you again, as I f Happy is that servant whom his Lord when he cometh, &c.] As no peculiar rewards were conferred on any of the apostles, or other faithful ministers, at the time formerly 46 Blessed is that servant, whom his 47 Verily I say un to of Christ's coming to destroy Jerusalem, this clause sufficiently proves a reference to the final judgment; and will not permit us with Dr. Hammond, to understand the Gnostics, |