a great found of a trumpet, and they fhall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. 32 Now learn a parable of the figtree: when his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that fummer is nigh. 33 So likewife ye, when ye fhall fee all thefe things, know that it is near, even at the doors. 34 Verily I fay unto you, This ge neration fhall not país, till all the fe things be fulfilled. 35 Heaven and earth fhall pass away. but my words fhall not pass away. 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall forth his Angels through the World, and gather together his Elect; that is, all good Men who bave believed and obeyed God; and reward them with Eternal Life.) 3233. Now obferve and hearken to this Similitude, which I am about to tell you. In the fame manner as when ye fee the Leaves and tender Buds of a Fig-tree begin to fprout forth, ye know certainly that Summer is coming on: Even fo, when ye fee thefe Signs, which I have foretold you, come to pafs; ye may know certainly, that the Deftrution of Jerufalem, and of the Nation of the Jews, is juft at hand. 34. Affuredly I tell you, all the things that I have now declared to you concerning this great Defolation, fhall be fulfilled in this prefent Generation, in the Age of fome that are now alive. 35. And fooner fhall Heaven and Earth be deftroyed, than one Word of what I have foretold you, fall fhort of being fully accomplished. Hour, when this final Defolation fhall 36. Only as to the exact † Day and be compleated, God has revealed that neither to Man nor Angel. (And in like manner the Time, when the End of the World and the Last Judgment shall be, God has referved as a Secret known only to himself.) 37. But this I may tell you, that all these things, which I have now fore It is an extraordinary ingenious Conjecture of Grotius, to nake pa xin here, opposed to Tauta távra in v. 34. So that the Senfe may be, Taura яávra, the Deftruction of the Jews, fhall be presently; but spa ixewn, the last day of Judgment, is known to none. Yet the Senfe may be carried on entire, without this opfition; as in the Paraphrafe. M 3 warned warned you of, fhall come fuddenly and very unexpectedly to the generality of Mankind. 3839. For as in the Days of Noah, Men went on fecure and intent upon their worldly Bufinefs, and had no regard to the Preaching of that good Man, till the very Day that the Flood furprized and deftroyed them all: So in this Generation the Jews fhall go on obftinately in their own Ways, unconcerned at the Warnings which I and my Difciples give them, till the Romans shall come upon them and destroy them utterly: (And in like manner at the end of the World, Men will be wholly taken up about their Business and their Pleafures, till the Appearance of Christ, and the last Judgment furprize them.) 40 موع 4I. Yet at thefe Times God will make very great and remarkable Diftinctions of Men. For at the general Desolation of Judæa, among Men employ'd about the fame Business and feemingly equal in all worldly Concerns, God will by ftrange Acts of Providence rescue fome from this Calamity, wherein the rest shall be left to perish: (And in like manner at the Day of Judgment, there fhall be an infinite difference made between Men, whom the World distinguished not at all.) 42. Since therefore these things will certainly be thus, and yet ye know not the time when they will be; it highly concerns you to be very vigilant and .watchful, that when these terrible Calamities, (or when Death and Judgment) Shall come upon you, ye may be found in the Number of thofe, whom God fhall think worthy to be rescued or saved. alfo the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For as in the days that were before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entred into the ark. 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; fo fhall alfo the coming of the Son of man be. 43. Ye know in other Cafes, if a Houfholder, for inftance, had notice given him that his House was in danger to be robbed in fuch or fuch a Night, he would be fure to watch and prevent the Thieves from breaking in. 44. How much more ought ye to be always ready and provided, fince ye know not at what time thefe terrible Calamities, (or when Death and Judgment) will come? 45. And now who is that faithful and wife Difciple, who being intrusted with the Knowledge of God's Will, or being appointed by him to preach the Gofpel and reform others; fhall heartily and fincerely make ufe of all his Gifts and Opportunities, to the Service of God, and to the beft Improvement of himself and others? 46. Bleffed is that Difciple, whom Chrift at his Coming fhall find thus employed. 47. Affuredly I tell you; as an earthly Mafter rewards fuch a faithful Servant with great Honour and Preferment in his Family; fo God will reward the Fidelity of fuch a Difciple with the greatest Degree of Glory, in his Eternal Kingdom. 48 49. But if on the contrary, fuch a Difciple as God has entrusted with great Talents, and many Opportunities of doing Good, fhall begin to think with himfelf that God's Judgments are far off, and fhall neglect his Duty, and give himfelf up to Cruelty, Idlenefs and Luxury: 50 51. God will furprize fuch a one in his Security, and unexpectedly cut him off in the midst of his Wick ednefs; overwhelming him with ftrange and fudden Judgments here, and affigning him a Portion in Eternal Mifery hereafter. 50 The Lord of that fervant fhall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not ware of; 51. And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites : there fhall be weep ing and gnashing of teeth. CHA P. XXV. The Parable of the wife and foolish Virgins, ver. 1. The Parable of the Talents, ver. 14. A Defcription of the Laft Judgment, ver. 31. འ. A T that Time the State of the Gofpel, and the Method of God's dealing with Men, will be fuch, as may fitly be reprefented to you by this Similitude. There were ten Virgins, who being invited to a Wedding, took their Lamps in the Night, and went to meet the Bridegroom. Thus the Jews were invited to receive the Gospel, and they all pretended to expect the Meffias: And thus those that profess the Name of Chrift, make all of them a fhow of attending upon him, and expecting his Coming, THEN fhall the kingdom of heaven be likened untook their lamps, and to ten virgins, which 2. Now five of thefe Virgins were wife, and five were foolish: Thus fome of the Jews embrac'd the Offers of the Gofpel, and others rejected them: And thus fome of thofe, who profefs themfelves Chriftians, are fincere and hearty; others are merely formal, and Christians only in show. went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2 And five of them were wife, and five were foolish : 3 They 34. The foolish Virgins took their Lamps, without any Supply of Oil to maintain them; But the wife took Veffels of Oil with them, to feed their Lamps: Thus thofe Jews who embraced the Gofpel, took the Warning which Chrift gave them to provide for their Escape at the Destruction of Jerufalem; but the others neglected it: And thus wife and fincere Men live according to their Profeffion, and by Habits of Piety and Virtue lay up in ftore for themselves a good Foundation of Happiness against the Time to come; But others who are merely formal, content themselves with a bare external Profeffion, and make no Provifion of good Works against the Day of Accounts. 5. Now while the Bridegroom tarried, they all fumbered and flept: Thus in the Interval before the Deftruction of Jerufalem, both the Chriftians as well as the Jews were fomewhat fecure: And thus in the time of Life, while Chrift delays his Coming, all both fincere Chriftians, as well as thofe who are merely formal, remit more or less of that exact Diligence and Watchfulness, wherewith they ought to prepare and wait for the Appearance of their Lord. 6&7. But at Midnight, there being a fudden Cry that the Bridegroom was coming, they all trimmed up their Lamps, to make the best appearance they could: Thus when Jerufalem was about to be befieged, all both Chriftians and Jews were allarm'd to provide for their Efcape: And thus, when by any fudden Warning Men are made apprehenfive of the Approach of Death and Judgment, all both formal and fincere Chriftians are roufed up to make the best Preparation for it they can, 8. At 1 |