Matthew 24

1 And Jesus went out, and departed
from the temple: and his disciples
came to him for to shew him the
buildings of the temple.

2 And Jesus said unto them, See
ye not all these things? verily I say
unto you. There shall not be left here
one stone upon another, that shall
not be thrown down.

3 And as he sat upon the mount of
Olives, the disciples came unto him
privately, saying, Tell us, when shall
these things be, and what shall be the
sign of thy coming, and of the end of
the world?

4 And Jesus answered and said unto
them. Take heed that no man deceive
you.

5 For many shall come in my name,
saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive
many.

6 And ye shall hear of M’ars and
rumoi’s of wars: see that ye be not
troubled: for all these things must
come to pass, but the end is not yet.

7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in clivers places.

8 All these are the beginning of
sorrows.

9 Then shall they deliver you up
to be afflicted, and shall kill you: ana
ye shall be hatei of all nations for my
name’s sake.

10 And then shall many be offended,
and shall betray one another, and
shall hate one another.

11 And many false prophets shall
rise, and shall deceive many.

12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

13 But he that shall endure unto
the end, the same shall be saved.

14 And this Gospel of the kingdom
shall be preached in all the world for
a witness unto all nations; and then
shall the end come.

•*These verses begin a chapter full of prophecy — prophecy of which a large portion is unfulfilled — prophecy which ought to be deeply interesting to all true Christians. It is a subject to which the Holy Ghost says, we “do well to take heed.” (2 Peter i.)

All portions of Scripture like this, ought to be approached with deep hunaility, and earnest prayer for the teaching of the Spirit. On no point have good men so entirely disagreed as on the interpretation of prophecy. On no point have the prejudices of one class, the dogmatism of a second, and the extravagance of a third, done so much to rob the church of truths, which Grod intended to be a blessing. Well says Olshausen,” What does not man see, or fail to see, when it serves to establish his own favorite opinions T’

To understand the drift of the whole chapter, we must carefully keep in view the question which gave rise to our Lord’s discourse. On leaving the temple for the last time, the disciples, with the natural feeling of Jews, had called their Master’s attention to the splendid buildings of which it was composed. To their surprise and amazement. He tells them that the whole was about to be destroyed. These words appear to have sunk deeply into the minds of the disciples. They came to Him, as He sat upon the Mount of Olives, and asked Him with evident anxiety,” Tell us when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world T^ — In these words we see the clue to the subject of the prophecy now before us. It embraces three points — one, the destruction of Jerusalem; — another, the second personal advent of Christ; — and a third, the end of the world. These three points are undoubtedly in some parts of the chapter so entwined together, that it is difficult to separate and disentangle them. But all these points appear distinctly in the chapter, and without them it cannot be fairly explained.

The first fourteen verses of the prophecy are taken up with general lessons of wide range and application. They seem to apply with equal force to the close of both Jewish and Christian dispensations, the one event being strikingly typical of the other. They certainly demand special notice from us, on whom the latter ends of the world are come. Let us now see what those lessons are.

The first general lesson before us, is a warning against deception. The very first words of the discourse are, “Take heed that no man deceive you.”

A more needful warning than this cannot be conceived. Satan knows well the value of prophecy, and has ever labored to bring the subject into contempt. How many false Christs and false prophets arose before the destruction of Jerusalem, the works of Josephus abundantly prove. In how many ways the eyes of man are continually blinded in the present day, as to things to come, it might easily be shown. Irvingism and Mormonism have been only too successfully used as arguments for rejecting the whole doctrine of the second advent of Christ. Let us watch, and be on our guard.

Let no man deceive us as to the leading /acs of unfulfilled prophecy, by telling us they are impossible, — or as to the manner in which they will be brought to pass, by telling us it is improbable and contrary to past experience. Let no man deceive us as to the time when unfulfilled prophecies will be accomplished, either by fixing dates on the one hand, or bidding us wait for the conversion of the world on the other. — On all these points let the plain meaning of Scripture be our only guide, and not the traditional interpretations of men. Let us not be ashamed to say that we expect a literal fulfilment of unfulfilled prophecy. Let us frankly allow that there are many things we do not understand, but still hold our ground tenaciously, — believe much, — wait long, — and not doubt that all will one day be made clear. Above all, let us remember that the first coming of Messiah to suffer, was the most improbable event that could have been conceived, and let us not doubt that as He literally came in person to suffer, so He mil literally come again in person to reign.

The second grand lesson before us, is a loarning agaiTist over-sanguine and extravagant expectations as to things toMch are to happen before the end comes. It is a warning as deeply important as the preceding one. Happy would it have been for the Church, if it had not been so much neglected.

We are not to expect a reign, of universal peace, happiness, and prosperity, before the end comes. If we do, we shall be greatly deceived. Our Lord bids us look for ‘’ wars, famines, pestilence,” and persecution. It is vain to expect peace until the Prince of Peace returns. Then, and not till then, the swords shall be beaten into ploughshares, and nations learn war no more. Then, and not till then, the earth shall bring forth her increase. (Isai. ii. 4. Psal. lxviii. 6.)

We are not to expect a time of universal purity of doctrine and practice in the Church of Christ, before the end comes. If we do, we shall be greatly mistaken. Our Lord bids us look for the rising of “false prophets,” the “abounding of iniquity,” and the “waxing cold of the love of many.” The truth will never be received by all professing Christians, and holiness be the rule among men, until the great Head of the Church returns, and Satan is bound. Then, and not till then, there will be a glorious Church, without spot or blemish. (Ephes. v. 27.)

We are not to expect that all the world will be converted before the end comes. If we do, we shall be greatly mistaken. “The Gospel is to be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations,” but we must not think that we shall see it universally believed. It will “take out a people,” wherever it is faithfully preached, as witnesses to Christ, but the full gathering of the nations shall never take place until Christ comes. Then, and not till then, shall the earth be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. (Acts XV. 14; Habak. ii. 14.)

Let us lay these things to heart, and remember them well. They are eminently truths for the present times. Let us learn to be moderate in our expectations from any existing machinery in the Church of Christ, and we shall be spared much disappointment. Let us make haste to spread the Gospel in the world, for the time is short, not long. — The night cometh when no man can work. Troublous times are ahSad. Heresies and persecutions may soon weaken and distract the churches. A fierce war of principles may soon convulse the nations. Tho doors now open to do good may soon be shut for ever.

Our eyes may yet see the sun of Christianity go down like the sun of Judaism, in clouds and storms. Above ».ll, let us long for our Lord’s return. Oh! for a heart 0 pray daily, “Come, Lord Jesus!”

MATTHEW XXIV. 15 — 28.

15 When ye therefore shall see the
abomination of desolation, spoken of
by Daniel the prophet, stand in the
holv place, (whoso readeth, let him
understand:)

16 Then let them which be in
Judsea flee into the mountains:

17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house.

18 Neither let him which is in the
field return back to take his clothes.

19 And woe unto them that are
with child, and to them that give
such in those days!

20 But pray ye that your flight be
not in the winter, neither on the
sabbath day:

21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

22 And except those days should

be shortened, there should no flesh be
saved; but for the elect’s sake those
days shall be shortened.

23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

24 For there shall arise ^Ise Christs,
and false prophets, and shall shew
great signs and wonders; insomuch
that, iit were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

25 Behold, I have told you before.

26 Wherefore if they shall say unto
you. Behold, he is in the desert; go
not forth; behold, Tie is in the secret
chambers; believe it not.

27 For as the lightning cometh out
of the east, and shinetheven unto the
west; so shall also the coming of the
Son of man be.

28 For wheresoever the carcase is,
there will the eagles be gathered together.

One main subject of this part of our Lord’s prophecy, is the taking of Jerusalem by the Komans. That great event took place about forty years after the words we have now read were spoken. A full account of it is to be found in the writings of the historian Josephus. Those writings are the best comment on our Lord’s words. They are a striking proof of the accuracy of every tittle of His predictions.* The horrors and miseries which

* These are the words of Josephus. They are the more remarkable when we remember that he was not a Christian.” No other city ever suffered such things. All the calamities which have ever

^tyie Jews endured throughout the siegeof their city exceed anything on record. It was truly a time of “tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world.”

It surprises some to find so much importance attached to the taking of Jerusalem. They would rather regard the whole chapter as unfulfilled. Such persons forget that Jerusalem and the temple were the heart of the old Jewish dispensation. When they were destroyed, the old Mosaic system came to an end. The daily sacrifice, the yearly feasts, the altar, the holy of holies, the priesthood, were all essential parts of revealed religion, till Christ came, but no longer. When He died upon the cross, their work was done. They were dead, and it only remained that they should be buried. — But it was not fitting that this thing should be done quietly. The ending of a dispensation given with so jnuch solemnity at Mount Sinai, might well be expected to be marked with peculiar solemnity. The destruction of the holy temple, where so many old saints had seen “shadows of good things to come,” might well be expected to form a subject of prophecy. And so it was. The Lord Jesus specially predicts the desolation of “the holy place.” The great High Priest describes the end of the dispensation which had been a schoolmaster to bring men to Himself.

But we must not suppose that this part of our Lord’s prophecy is exhausted by the first taking of Jerusalem. It is more than probable that our Lord’s words have a further and deeper application still. It is more than

happened to any from the beginning, seem not comparable to those which befel the Jews.”

318 EXPOSITOliY THOUGHTS.

probable that they apply to a second siege of Jerusalem, which is yet to take place, when Israel has returned to their own land — and to a second tribulation on the inhabitants thereof, which shall only be stopped by the advent of our Lord Jesus Christ. Such a view of this passage may sound startling to some.* But those who doubt its correctness would do well to study the last chapter of the prophet Zechariah, and the last chapter of Daniel. These two chapters contain solemn things. They throw great light on the verses we are now reading, and their connection with the verses which immediately follow.

It now remains for us to consider the lessons which this passage contains for our own personal edification. These lessons are plain and unmistakeable. In them at least there is no darkness at all.

For one thing, we see that flight from danger may sometimes he the positive duty of a Christian. Our Lord Himself commanded his people under certain circumstances” to flee.’’

The servant of Christ undoubtedly is not to be a coward. He is to confess his master before men. He is to be willing to die, if needful, for the truth. But the servant of Christ is not required to run into danger, unless it comes in the line of duty. He is not to be ashamed to

* I think it well to say, that Irenseus, and Hilary among the fathers, and Ferus in the sixteenth century, all refer the fulfilment of this part of our Lord’s prophecy to the end of the world, when a personal Antichrist” shall appear. Hilary considers that the verse which speaks of “the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place,” will be fulfilled by the rise of a mighty personal Antichrist, who shall be worshipped by infidels. In connection with this verse, 2 Thess. il 4, deserves attentive study.

use reasonable means to provide for his personal safety, when no good is to be done by dying at his post. There is deep wisdom in this lesson. The true martyrs are not always those who court death, and are in a hurry to be beheaded or burned. There are times when it shows more grace to be quiet, and wait, and pray, and watch for opportunities, than to defy our adversaries, and rush into the battle. May we have wisdom to know how to act in time of persecution! It is possible to be rash, as well as to be a coward — and to stop our own usefulness by being over hot, as well as by being over cold.

We see, for another thing, that in delivering this prophecy, our Lord makes special mention of the Sabbath. ‘^ Pray ye,” he says, “that your flight be not on the Sabbath day.”

This is a fact that deserves special notice. We live in times when the obhgation of the Sabbath upon Christians is frequently denied by good men. They tell us that it is no more binding on us than the ceremonial law. It is difficult to see how such a view can be reconciled with our Lord’s words on this solemn occasion. He seems intentionally to mention the Sabbath, when He is foretelling the final destruction of the temple and the Mosaic ceremonies, as if to mark the day with honor. Ho seems to hint that, although His people would be absolved from the yoke of sacrifices and ordinances, there would yet remain the keeping of a sabbath for them. (Heb. iv. 9.) The friends of a holy Su’^day ought carefully to remember this text. It is one which will bear much weight.

We see for another thing, that God’s elect are always special objects of God’s care. Twice in this passage our Lord mentions them. “For the elect’s sake the days of tribulation are to be shortened.” It will not be possible to deceive the” elect,’’

Those whom God has chosen to salvation by Christ, are those whom God specially loves in this world. They are the jewels among mankind. He cares more for them than for kings on their thrones, if kings are not converted. He hears their prayers. He orders all the events of nations and the is*«5ues of wars for their good, and their sanctification. He iieeps them by His Spirit. He allows neither man nor devil to pluck them out of His hand. Whatever tribulation comes on the world, God’s elect are safe. May we never rest till we know that we are of this blessed number! There breathes not the man or woman who can prove that he is not one. The promises of the Gospel are open to all. May we give diligence to make our calling and election sure! God’s elect are a people who cry unto Him night and day. When Paul saw the faith, and hope, and love of the Thessalonians, then he knew “their election of God.” (1 Thess. i. 4; Luke xviii. 7.)

Finally, we see from these verses, that whenever the second advent of Christ takes place, it will he a very sudden event. It will be “as the lightning coming out of the east, and shining even to the west.”

This is a practical truth that we should ever keep before our minds. That our Lord Jesus will come again in person to this world, we know from Scripture. That He will come in a time of great tribulation, we also know.

But the precise period, the year, the month, the day, the hour, are all hidden things. We only know that it will he a very sudden event. Our plain duty then is to live always prepared for His return. Let us walk by faith, and not by sight. Let us believe in Christ, serve Christ, follow Christ, and love Christ. So living, when ever Christ may return, we shall be ready to meet Him.

MATTHEW XXIV. 29 — 35.

29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be
darkened, and the moon shall not give
her light, and the stars shall fall from
heaven, and the powers of the heavens
shall be shaken:

30 And then shall appear the sign
of the Son of man in heaven: and
then shall all the tribes of the earth
mourn, and they shall see the Son of
man coming in the clouds of heaven
with power and great glory.

31 And he shall send his angels
with a great sound of a trumpet, and
they snail gather together his elect

from the four winds, from one end of
heaven to the other.

32 Now learn a parable of the fig
tree: When his branch is yet tender,
and putteth forth leaves, ye know
that summer is nigh:

33 So likewise ye, when ye shall
see all these things, know that it ia
near, even at the doors.

34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled.

35 Heaven and earth shall pass
away, but my words shall not pass
away.

In this part of our Lord’s prophecy. He describes His own second coming, to judge the world. This, at all events, seems the natural meaning of the passage. To take any lower view appears to be a violent straining of Scripture language. If the solemn words here used mean nothing more than the coming of the Roman armies to Jerusalem, we may explain away anything in the Bible. The event here described is one of far greater moment than the march of any earthly army. It is nothing less than the closing act of this dispensation, the second personal advent of Jesus Christ.

These verses teach us, in the first place, that when the Lord Jesus returns to this world, He shall come with peculiar glory and majesty. He shall come “in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” Before His presence the very sun, moon, and stars shall be darkened, and” the powers of heaven shall be shaken.’’

The second personal coming of Christ shall be as different as possible from the first. He came the first time as a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He was born in the manger of Bethlehem, in lowliness and humiliation. He took on him the form of a servant, and was despised and rejected of men. He was betrayed into the hands of wicked men, condemned by an unjust judgment, mocked, scourged, crowned with thorns, and at last crucified between two thieves. He shall come the second time as the King of all the earth, with all royal majesty. The princes and great men of this world shall themselves stand before His throne to receive an eternal sentence. Before him every mouth shall be stopped, and every knee bow, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. May we all remember this. Whatever ungodly men may do now, there will be no scoffing, no jesting at Christ, no infidelity at the last day. The servants of Jesus may well wait patiently. Their master shall one day be acknowledged King of kings by all the world.

These verses teach us, in the second place, that when Christ returns to this world, He will first take care of His believing people. He shall “send his angels,” and “gather together his elect.”

In the day of judgment true Christians shall be perfectly safe. Not a hair of their heads shall fall to the ground. Not one bone of Christ’s mystical body shall be broken. There was an ark for Noah, in the day of the flood. There was a Zoar for Lot, when Sodom was destroyed. There shall be a hiding-place for all believers in Jesus, when the wrath of God at last bursts on this wicked world. Those mighty angels who rejoiced in heaven when each sinner repented, shall gladly catch up the people of Christ to meet their Lord in the air. That day no doubt will be an awful day, but believers may look forward to it without fear.

In the day of judgment true Christians shall at length be gathered together. The saints of every age, and every tongue shall be assembled out of every land. All shall be there, from righteous xbel down to the last soul that is converted to God, — from the oldest patriarch down to the little Infant that just breathed and died. Let us think what a happy gathering that will be, when all the family of God are at length together. If it has been pleasant to meet one or two saints occasionally on earth, how much more plesant will it be to meet a “multitude that no man can number” Surely we may be content to carry the cross, and put up with partings for a few years. We travel on towards a day, when we shall meet to part no more.

These verses teach us, in the third place, that until Christ returns to this earth, the Jews will always remain a sejparate people. Our Lord tells us, “This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” *

* I see no other interpretation of these much controverted words, ’ this generation,” which is in the least satisfactory, and is not open

The continued existence of the Jews as a distinct nation, is undeniably a great miracle. It is one of those evidences of the truth of the Bible which the infidel can never overthrow. Without a land, without a king, without a government, scattered and dispersed over the world for eighteen hundred years, the Jews are never absorbed among the people of the countries where they live, like Frenchmen, Englishmen, and Germans, but “dwell alone.” Nothing can account for this but the finger of God. The Jewish nation stands before the world, a crushing answer to infidelity, and a living book of evidence that the Bible is true. But we ought not to regard the Jews only as witnesses of the truth of Scriptrue, We should see in them a continual pledge, that the Lord Jesus is coming again one day. Like the sacrament of the Lord’s supper, they witness to the reality of the second advent, as well as of the first. Let us remember this. Let us see in every wandering Jew a proof that the Bible is true, and that Christ will one day return.

Finally, these verses teach us, that our Lord’s predictions will certainly he fulfilled. He says, ‘^ heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”

Our Lord knew well the natural unbelief of human

to very serious objections. The word “generation” admits of the sense in which I have taken it, and seems to me to be used in that sense in Matt. xii. 45, xvii. 17, and xxiii. 36; Luke xvi. 8, and xvii. 25; and Phililpp. ii. 15. The view that I have propounded is not new. It is adopted by Mede, Paroeus, Flacius Illyricus, Calovius, Jansenius, Due Veil, Adam Clarke, and Stier. Chrysotom, Origen, and Theophylact consider “this generation” to mean “true believers.” nature. He knew that scoffers would arise in the last days, saying, where is the promise of His coming? (2 Pet. iii. 4.) He knew that when He came, faith would be rare on the earth. He foresaw how many would contemptuously reject the solemn predictions He had just been delivering as improbable, unlikely, and absurd. He warns us all against such sceptical thoughts, with a caution of peculiar solemnity. He tells us that, whatever man may say or think. His words shall be fulfilled in their season, and shall not “pass away,” unaccomplished. May we all lay to heart His warning. We live in an unbelieving age. Few believed the report of our Lord’s first coming, and few believe the report of His second. (Isaiah liii.l.) Let us beware of this infection, and believe to the saving of our souls. We are not reading cunningly devised fables, but deep and momentous truths. May God give us a heart to believe them.

MATTHEW XXIV. 36 — 51.

86 But of that day and hour knoweth no man no, not the angels of heaven, bat my Father only.

37 But as the days of Noe were so
shall also 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
entered into the ark,

39 And knew not until the flood
came, and took them all away; so
shall also the coming of the Son of
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.

42 Watch therefore: for ye know
not what hour your Lord doth come.

43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what
watch the thief would come, he would
have watched, and would not have
suifered his house to be broken up.

44 Therefore be ye also ready: for
in such an hour as ye think not the
Son of man cometh.

45 Who then is a faithful and wise
servant, whom his lord hath made
ruler over his household, to give them
meat in due season?

46 Blessed is that servant whom his
lord when he cometh shall find so
doing.

47 Verily I say unto you, That he
shall make him ruler over all his
goods.

48 But and if that evil servant shall
say in his heart, My lord delayeth his
coming;

49 And shall begin to smite hia
fellow-servants, and to eat and drink
with the drunken:

50 The lord of that servant shall
come in a day when he looketh not
for him, and in an hour that he is
not aware of,

51 And shall cut him asunder, and
appoint him his portion with the
hypocrites: there shall he weeping
and gnashing of teeth.

There are verses in this passage which are often much misapplied. “The coming of the Son of man” is often spoken of as being the same thing as death. The texts which describe the uncertainty of His coming are often used in epitaphs, and thought suitable to the tomb. But there is really no solid ground for such an application of this passage. Death is one thing, and the coming of the Son of man is quite another. The subject of these verses is not death, but the second advent of Jesus Christ. Let us remember this. It is a serious thing to wrest Scripture out of its true meaning.

The first thing that demands our attention in these verses, is the awful account that they give of the state of the world when the Lord Jesus comes again.

The world will not be converted when Christ returns. It will be found in the same condition that it was in the day of the flood. When the flood came, men were found’ “eating and drinking, marrying and given in marriage,” absorbed in their worldly pursuits, and utterly regardless of NoaVs repeated warnings. They saw no likelihood of a flood. They would not believe there was any danger. But at last the flood came suddenly and “took them all away.” All that were not with Noah in the ark were drowned. They were all swept away to their last account, unpardoned, unconverted, and unprepared to

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meet God. And our Lord says, “so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”

Let us mark this text, and store it up in our minds There are many strange opinions current on this subject, even among good men. Let us not flatter ourselves that the heathen will all bo converted, and the earth filled with the knowledge of God, before the Lord comes. Let us not dream that the end of all things cannot be at hand, because there is yet much wickedness both in the Church and in the world. Such views receive a flat contradiction in the passage now before us. The days of Noah are the true type of the days when Christ shall return. Millions of professing Christians will be found thoughtless, unbelieving. Godless, Christless, worldly, and unfit to meet their Judge. Let us take heed that we are not found amongst them.

The second thing that demands our attention, is the awful separation that will take place when the Lord Jesus comes again. We read twice over, that “one shall be taken and the other left.”

The godly and the ungodly, at present, are all mingled together. In the congregation and in the place of worship — in the city and in the field — the children of God and the children of the world are all side by side. But it shall not be so always. In the day of our Lord’s return, there shall at length be a complete division. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. at the last trumpet, each party shall be separated from the other for evermore. Wives shall be separated from husbands — parents from children — brothers from sisters — masters from servants — preachers from hearers. There shall be no time for parting words, or a change of mind, when the Lord appears. All shall be taken as they are, and reap according as they have sown. Believers shall be caught up to glory, honor, and eternal life. Unbelievers shall be left behind to shame and everlasting contempt. Blessed and happy are they who are of one heart in following Christ! Their union alone shall never be broken. It shall last for evermore. Who can describe the happiness of those who are taken, when the Lord returns .? Who can imagine the misery of those who are left behind? May we think on these things and consider our ways.

The last thing that demands our attention in these verses, is the practical duty of watchfulness in the prospect of Christ’s second coming. “Watch,” says our Lord, “for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.“‘Be ye ready, for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of man cometh.”

This is a point which our blessed Master frequently presses upon our notice. We hardly ever find Him dwelling on the second advent without adding an injunction to “watch.” He knows the sleepiness of our nature. He knows how soon we forget the most solemn subjects in religion. He knows how unceasingly Satan labors to obscure the glorious doctrine of His coming again. He arms us with heartsearching exhortations to keep awake, if we would not be ruined for evermore. May we all have an ear to hear them.

True Christians ought to live like watchmen. The day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. They should strive to be always on their guard. They should behave like the sentinel of an army in an enemy’s land.

They should resolve by Gods grace not to sleep at their post. That text of St. Paul deserves many a thought: “let us not sleep as do others; but let us watch and be sober.” (1 Thess. v. 6.)

True Christians ought to live like good servants, whose master is not at home. They should strive to be always ready for their master’s return. They should never give way to the feeling, “my Lord delayeth his coming.” They should seek to keep their hearts in such a frame, that whenever Christ appears, they may at once give Him a warm and loving reception. There is a vast depth in that saying, “Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord when he cometh shall find so doing.” We may well doubt whether we are true believers in Jesus, if we are not ready at any time to have our faith changed into sight.

Let us close the chapter with solemn feelings. The things we have just been reading call loudly for great searchings of heart. Let us seek to make sure that we are in Christ, and have an ark of safety when the day of wrath breaks on the world. Let us strive to live that we may be pronounced ‘^ blessed” at the last, and not cast off for evermore. Not least, let us dismiss from our minds the common idea that unfulfilled prophecy is a speculative and not a practical thing. If the things we have been considering are not practical, there is no such thing as practical religion at all. Well might St. John Bay, “Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” (1 John iii. 2.)