and earth shall pass away, but my words (and particularly those words foregoing) shall not pass away." Thus heaven and earth shall pass at Christ's coming, (that is in quality, not in substance, saith Ecumenius) for there shall be a new heaven, and a new earth;"u but Christ's word concerning that generation and the things spoken of should not pass. The Greek is " pass away,” it being the same word as is rendered pass away in reference to the heaven.

But the difficulty is in the words, " this generation." Some would fain refer these words to the time of the destruction of the temple of Jerusalem, adverted to in verse 2; but though that verse might have been then fulfilled, yet little reason is there from thence to infer, that therefore "all things, spoken by Christ from verse 3 to verse 34, were then fulfilled. Christ in verse 3, is put upon speaking to three distinct things: viz. 1st, of the time, when those things, (viz. the destruction of the temple and city of Jerusalem) shall be ;-2nd, of the sign of his coming;and, (mark the "and,") 3rd, of the end of the world. These are the " all things" Christ speaks of, at the fulfilling of which he himself will appear in the clouds. But at the destruction of the temple Christ did not visibly appear in the clouds; nor did he then "send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet to gather his elect from the four winds," as he promises, verse 31. Therefore the words, "This generation shall not pass away, &c." must signify, that whereas many other nations have passed away, and been extinguished, leaving behind neither name, nor thing to keep up their remembrance; this nation of the Jews shall not be so extinguished, or annihilated, but shall continue a distinct nation, at least in note and name, till all these things be fulfilled. For as Christ saith after, my word shall not pass away, (that is, change, as the heavens and the earth shall pass away, or be changed, when that great reformation shall come ;) so the nation of the Jews shall not pass away to be changed into another people, or so drowned among many others as to extinguish their name and genealogies: but (as to this day, so from hence forward till that great time,) their name, kindred, and habitations shall be distinctly known, at least of all them that are of their own blood.

UNIVERSITY

CALIFORNIA.

This cannot be deferred to the last judgement, because of reason also; that a little before this mention of all things to be fulfilled to the nation of the Jews before they pass away, Christ saith, that as, by the fig tree's tender branch putting forth leaves, we may know that summer is nigh; so, when we see all these things come to pass, we may discern that the summer of the great restoration of the elect and of all things for their use, like the world in summer, is at hand. And further, in verses 46, 47, he intimates, that the time he speaks of is not the utmost last judgement, but of a glorious previous time on earth; viz. "Blessed is that servant whom his Lord, when he cometh, shall "find so doing: verily, I say unto you, he shall make him ruler

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over all his goods: (the Greek is, shall set him over all that he "hath:") which suits far better to the saint's reign on earth, than to any thing of their condition at the last judgement, when Christ lays down his own rule and power, and therefore gives no power of rule to his people.

Upon the words, "this generation shall not pass," let me observe that thus far Pareus and others are of our mind. He says, "That

though others understand by generation the whole world, yet "it better pleaseth me to understand the Jewish nation, as the generation upon whom these things shall be fulfilled. Matthew xxiv, 2. Therefore the nation shall not pass, but continue " scattered, till the end of ages, when they shall experimentally " find the truth of Christ's predictions, though at present they "do not believe."

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2 Thessalonians, ii, 1-9.

"Now I beseech you brethren, by the coming of our Lord "Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that ye " be not soon shaken in mind, as that the day of Christ is at "hand. Let no man deceive you; &c. for that day shall not

come except there come a falling away first, and that man of " sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth " himself above all that is called God; &c. so that he, as God, " sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. " &c. And now ye know what withholdeth, that he might be "revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth

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already work; only he who now letteth, will let, till he be taken

" out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed,

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whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of his mouth, " and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming."

V

It would appear by this place, that soon after the ascension of Christ, there went abroad an expectation of his coming again before the ultimate day of judgement. This expectation probably began in the Apostles themselves, upon Christ's discourse to them during forty days, from his resurrection to his ascension, touching the kingdom of God; which moved them to ask him, "Wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” For this kingdom Christ did not deny, but only then put them off, touching their knowing the time at present. I say then, that when the Apostle wrote this, there was an opinion (though a mistake in it, as touching the proximity thereof) that Christ would come again before the ultimate day of judgement. For this text speaks not of the general destruction of the wicked world; but of the destruction of Antichrist by the brightness of Christ's coming; whereby a way is made for the gathering of the Jews and Gentiles into one universal visible church, before the ultimate day of judgement, as we have so largely proved.

We need not I conceive prove, that Antichrist is meant in this text; for it is granted by all. Nor is it material to dispute, whether the Pope or Turk be the Antichrist; for Antichrist is the body, (viz. the race of them that effectually oppose Christ, as Christ,) and the Pope and Turk are the two main limbs, as we have shown before. Our text then saith, "The Lord shall consume Antichrist with the Spirit of his mouth, and destroy him with the brightness of his coming:" and although these two master-limbs of Antichrist should not fall together, but the Pope shall be first bowed down, and the Turk be ruined after him, (perhaps at the end of the forty-five years of the Jews' struggle with him, w) yet this text stands firm, that Antichrist must fall by the Spirit of Christ's mouth, and by the brightness of his coming.

The Spirit of his mouth is his word, called in Isaiah xi, 4, "The rod of his mouth," and "the breath of his lips," with which he shall smite the earth and slay )רשע( THE WICKED ONE; and this for the settlement of his glorious kingdom of peace on earth, as the context of Isaiah xi evinces. With this word then Christ prefaces and perfects the ruin of Antichrist; that is, he first destroys him morally, and then corporally. He destroys him morally as he is Avouos, the lawless one, one who leaves God's word, and substitutes his own, (viz. alcoran, legends, traditions, &c.) and by it sets up blasphemy, idolatry, heresy, impiety, and tyranny over men's consciences. Christ's word discovers, confutes, and confounds. Secondly, Christ, by animating men, by the same Spirit in his word, to a corporal war against Antichrist, destroys him physically, that is with a corporal destruction. So it is emphatically set forth in Joel, iii, 9-17, inserted between two prophecies touching the glorious kingdom of Christ on earth; with which compare Rev. xvii, 16, Rev. xviii, and Rev. xix, 17, to the end. For, notwithstanding Christ shall have rendered the wickednesses of Antichrist odious to the generality of the world, and shall have dissected and cut them up by the roots with the sword of his mouth, so that they take not with enlightened men; yet Antichrist will still act as Antichrist, opposing Christ in the power of his gospel, the purity of his saints and worship, and the glory of his kingdom: and then, I say, shall Christ's word, the sword of his mouth, put the sword of his hand into the hands of his people;-i. e. the rod of his mouth shall become a rod of iron in his hand. And then as the prophet speaks, "The cities of Moab shall be destroyed. -Cursed " be he that doeth the work of the Lord deceitfully (or negli

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gently,) and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from "blood." Thus, with this breath of his mouth, Christ prepares, or begins, the ruin of Antichrist. For the Greek is αναλωσει, that is," shall waste him," as an estate is wasted; -or sume him," as a body by a consumption pines away.

con

But by "the brightness of his coming" Christ shall make a full end of Antichrist. Καταργησει, i. e. he shall abolish him, (as Beza renders it ;) or shall make him a nothing, as the Greek word is often used. By the brightness of Christ's coming," would perhaps be more closely to the Greek (τη επιφανεια της παρουσιας

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αυτου,) were it rendered by the manifest appearance of his coming." Thus our last translators could find the way to render επιφανεια, appearance, in relation to Christ's kingdom, in 2 Tim. iv, i: " I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead, κατα την επιφανειαν αυτου και την βασελειαν αυτου, at, or according to " his appearing, and his kingdom." And also 1 Tim. vi, 14: “Keep "this commandment, &c. μεχρι της επιφανειας του Κυριου “ ἡμων Ιησου Χριστου until the appearance of our Lord Jesus "Christ." Suitably with this, it is our common phrase to call the day of the appearance of the star at Christ's birth Epiphany. By all that we have said it is manifest, that as the first scene of the ruin of Antichrist is acted by the Spirit of Christ's mouth, so the second is performed by the appearance of his person; just as in that quoted above from 2 Tim. iv, 1. First is his appearance, and then his kingdom: for Antichrist must be down, ere Christ shall fully have an apparent kingdom; and Christ must have his kingdom, before the ultimate day of judgment, for then he gives it up.

It is possible that the breath of Christ's mouth will prevail sufficiently with Christendom, (as they call it ;) and be effectual to excite them to pull down the Pope root and branch: but to the Jews, that to this day do not own the coming of Christ in the flesh, Christ must manifestly appear, at least in the clouds; and thereby they are stirred up as one man to set against the Turk, from whence proceeds his ruin.

Nor may any man put off what hath been said upon this text, by devolving it upon the ultimate day of judgment. There is a weighty consideration to the contrary: for then is the destruction of all the wicked of the world; y but our Apostle here speaks precisely of the distinct destruction of Antichrist as Antichrist ; and therefore mentions him, and his brood, as a single man. In verse 3, he is called ὁ ανθρωπος της αμαρτιας, the man of sin; in the same verse ὁ υιος της απολειας, the son of perdition ; verse 4, ὁ αντικειμενος, that opposer; verse 8, ὁ ανομος, the lawless one. Thus, as Antichrist is a distinct thing in precise notion from the openly wicked, so his destruction is dis