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which he shall smite the earth and slay (W) 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 Avopos, 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 kis hand into the hands of his people ;—i. e. the rod of his mouth shall become a rod of iron in his hand.x 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"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 avaλwoEL, that is," shall waste him," as an estate is wasted ;—or " consume him," as a body by a consumption pines away.

But by "the brightness of his coming" Christ shall make a full end of Antichrist. Karapynoet, 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 επιφάνεια της παρουσίας

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* Rev. xix, 15.

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avrov,) were it rendered “ by the manifest appearance of his coming." Thus our last translators could find the way to render EПipaveiα, 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, kata τηv επιφάνειαν αυτου και την βασελειαν αυτου, at, or according to "his appearing, and his kingdom." And also 1 Tim. vi, 14: "Keep " this commandment, &c. μέχρι της επιφάνειας 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 ò aveρwπоs τηs аμаρтias, the man of sin ; in the same verse ὁ υιος της απολειας, the son of perdition ; verse 4, ò avτikeiμevos, that opposer; verse 8, 8 avoμos, the lawless one. Thus, as Antichrist is a distinct thing in precise notion from the openly wicked, so his destruction is dis▸

y Rev. xxii, 10,

tinct before the ultimate day of judgement. Otherwise the testimony of many chapters of the Book of Revelation is destroyed, wherein it is shewn that he falls before new Jerusalem is set up; and his fall is set forth as the cause that Christ reigns (at least in and by his saints) on earth a thousand years. So that the appearance of Christ, destroying Antichrist, is at the beginning of the thousand years.

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Matthew xxvi. 29.

But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this "fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you "in my Father's Kingdom."

Some may think this place is to be understood of Christ's conversing with the disciples, after his resurrection: nevertheless, even Calvin, Marlorat, Grotius, &c. are against that exposition of it. Besides, it is not said in Luke xxiv, 42, 43, that Christ did drink with the disciples after his resurrection : eat with them he did, to shew the verity of his risen humanity; but it is not said he drank, as if he needed it either for concoction, or to allay some corporal passion of heat. Peter also says, touching himself and the rest of the apostles, "We did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead;"z which may signify their more familiar society with him, according to Luke xiii, 26; We have eaten, and drank in thy presence :" but it doth not assert Christ's drinking. It is generally corceived that this cup was his last that he drank in this present world.*

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If any however will insist, that he did drink after his resurrection some sort of drink or other, let them duly consider the emphasis in this sentence: ου μη πιω απ' αρτι, I will by no means drink from henceforward εκ τουτου του γενήματος της aμmeλov of this, this same, fruit (or kind) of the vine, until, &c. So that beyond all dispute Christ will no more drink of THIS

z Acts x, 41,

* Sumpto poculo, renunciat corporali potioni. Theophyl. Enarrat. in loco. Quare non videtur hoc intelligendum de vino, quod una cum discipulis biberit Dominus post resurrectionem suam. Nam etsi per dies illos quadraginta, sese illis subinde ostendit, atque etiam cum iis edit, nulla tamen potus sit mentio. Nec moris erat apud Judæos bibere vinum in prandiis ac cænis quotidianis, sed tantum in solemnioribus conviviis. Piscator, Schol. in loco.

kind, until that day, when he shall drink it new with them, in his Father's kingdom: which emphasis at THAT day, with the distinction of his Father's kingdom, cannot relate to three days. after; Christ then being still in execution of his mediatorship, rising again for our justification, as he was delivered to death for our offences. a All which is further confirmed by the phrase new being in the adjective and not in the adverb: for he saith not, "I will drink it newly," but "I will drink it new;” which could not be within three days after, and in the winter time, (when there was need in Judea of a fire in the high priest's hall ;) at which time there could not be any new wine. But at the thousand years all things are made new ;c and the learned Grotius saith "The fruit of the vine is said to be new, the same as it is said New Jerusalem in the Apocalypse :"d and we know that Jerusalem is new (in St. John's sense) in the time of the thousand years, as appears by collating Rev. xxi. 1, with Rev. xx, 1, &c. The great Joach. Camerarius on this text approves of Theophylact's sense of the new wine, and thus recites it: "New, that is, saith Theophylact, after a new manner; not in a vulgar or common, but in a new and singular way."e To which let me add what further Theophylact there adds ;-" Or else by new understand a new cup, and the revelations of the mysteries "of God; that is, in his second coming shall be revealed what "things are truly new; such as we have not any where heard."f Piscator saith, "That the kingdom of his Father' signifieth "that royal nuptial, whereat Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and 'all the elect shall sit down together with Christ." It is also said, Rev. xx, 4, of the saints, "that they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years:" which agrees with Matt. xix, 28, "Ye which have followed me shall, in the regeneration, when "the Son of Man shall sit on the throne of his glory, sit also

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upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel :”* where we have the fruit of the vine new, explained by aλtyyeveola; i.e. another Genesis, or creation of the world. And

a Rom. iv, 25. b Luke xxiv, 55. c 2 Pet. iii, 13; Isa. lxv, 17; Rev. xxi, 1, 4. 5. d Grot. in Annot. in Matt. xxvi, 29. c Camerar. Comm. in Matt. f Theoph. Enar. in Com. g Piscator in loco, Schol.

*So Theophilus points it, and saith, Per regenerationem autem resurrectionem intellige, which resurrection of all the elect defunct, is at the beginning of the thousand years,

(saith the Apostle,) this second creation is such, as that therein the creature itself, (the whole creation, as well as the election of believers,) shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption, into the glorious liberty of the sons of God, &c.—That is, the creatures shall be delivered from the blasting curse brought on them by Adam's fall: viz. both from the vexation, wrong, and abuse they suffer by man's sinful use of them; as also from the vanity, weakness, and emptiness that is in them for fallen man's sake. Now this royal and nuptial banquet must be at that Wedding spoken of in Rev. xxi, 2, 9, and which, in its order, falls into the thousand years before mentioned, and follows the ruin of Babylon.

But some may object, that it is said in the text, Christ would drink the wine new in his Father's kingdom; and therefore this place is not so clear for Christ's kingdom. To this we answer two ways. First, that the kingdom may in this text be called his Father's kingdom, because the Father gave it him; according to Psalm ii, 8, at verse 6 of which Christ is consequently called HIS King; and the apostles pray to the Father, in the words of this Psalm, to maintain his Son in his kingdom.h So Psalm viii, 4, 5, "What is man that thou art "mindful of him, or the Son of Man (the common style of Christ) that thou visitest him; for Thou hast made Him a little while lower than the angels, and (i. e. d. after that) hast "crowned him with glory and honor. Thou hast made him to "have dominion over the works of thy hands. Thou hast put "all things under his feet."-All which the Apostle expounds of Christ, and of the inhabited world to come, and saith, (though Christ was ascended,) that all things were not yet put under his feet.i

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Secondly, we answer; that it is the kingdom of God his Father, because Christ reigns over it in unspeakable union with the Godhead for though he be but one person, yet he hath two natures; so that the sense is, the kingdom of a God-Christ, or a God-man Christ. Now the term Father is ascribed in Scripture to the Godhead usually in relation to Christ incarnate; so that because the two natures are joined as colleagues in one person, over this empire, therefore it is called, in Ephes. v, 5, h Acts iv, 24, &c. i Heb. ii, 5-7 ; &c.

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