Matthew 24
DODDMatthew 24:1
Our Lord foretells the approaching destruction of here insists on the remoter signs of its approach 1—14. Mark XIII. 1—13. Luke XXI. 5
MAT. XXIV. 1.
AND when Jesus had thus confounded his adversaries, and had foretold the desolation that their aggravated sins would shortly bring both on the city and the temple (Mat. xxiii. 38, p. 354), he left the place, and going out from thence, departed from the temple, where he had been discoursing to them. And as he was going away, his disciples came to [him], and took that occasion to shew him the splendid buildings and magnificent decorations of the temple: and some observing what a noble structure it was, and speaking how it was adorned with beautiful stones, of a prodigious size, and with costly gifts, which many persons, in accomplishment of their vows for deliverances received, had hung up on the walls and pillars of it, besides what was laid up in its treasures; one of [them] says unto him, Master, behold what vastly large and curious stones, and what stately edifices [are these].
And Jesus replying, said unto them, [As for] these things which ye behold with so much admiration, do you not see the splendor and
a Beautiful stones of a prodigious size.] Josephus says that some of them were forty five cubits long, five high, and six broad. (Bell. Jud. lib. v. cap. 5 (al. vi. 6), § 6.) See his large and beautiful description of the whole temple in that chapter, which is one of the most entertaining passages of such a kind I ever met with.
b Costly gifts, &c.] Hanging up such ἀνεφραία, or consecrated gifts, was common in most of the ancient temples. Tacitus speaks of the immense opulence of the temple at Jerusalem. (Histor. lib. v. § 8.) Amongst others of its treasures there was a golden table given by Pompey; and
several golden vines, of exquisite workmanship, as well as immense size (for Josephus tells us, in the chapter cited above, § 4, that they had clusters [ανδρεμακι] as tall as a man); which some have thought referred to God’s representing the Jewish nation under the emblem of a vine; Isa. v. 1, 7; Psal. lxxx. 8; Ezek xv. 2, 6. And Josephus likewise asserts (ibid. § 6), that the marble of the temple was so white that it appeared to one at a distance like a mountain of snow; and the gilding of several of its external parts, which he there mentions, must, especially when the sun shone upon it, render it a most splendid and beautiful spectacle.
us oretells its approaching destruction.
magnificence of all these great and pompous buildings, which are the pride of the Jewish nation, and the wonder of all the rest of mankind? Yet notwithstanding all the present grandeur of this stately temple, verily, I say unto you, That the days will quickly come, in which a victorious enemy shall profane its sanctity, and deface its beauty, insomuch that there shall not be left one single stone upon another here, that shall not be entirely demolished, till no remains of any part of it shall be preserved.
And when he was retired from the city, as he sat down upon the mount of Olives, which was over against the temple, and commanded the finest prospect of it from the east, the disciples, Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, who were favoured with a peculiar share of his intimacy and confidence, came to him privately, saying, Master, we entreat thee that thou wouldst tell us when these awful things shall happen? and what [shall be] the sign of thy second coming, when thou wilt execute thy vengeance on these thine enemies: and of the end of the present age and dispensation, when
c There shall not be left one stone upon another here, &c.] It seemed exceedingly improbable that this should happen in that age, considering the peace of the Jews with the Romans, and the strength of their citadel, which forced Titus himself to acknowledge that it was the singular hand of God which compelled them to relinquish fortifications which no human power could have conquered. (Joseph. Bell. Jud. lib. vi. cap. 9 (al. vii. 16), § i) (Compare note b, on Luke xix. 43, p. 288.) Bishop Chandler justly observes that no impostor would have foretold an event so unlikely, and so disagreeable. Defence of Christianity, p. 472, 473.
d The end of the present age.] So συνήθως τι αἰκουσ may well be rendered. Compare Matth. xii. 32; Rom. xii. 2; 1 Cor. x. 11; Eph. ii. 2, 7; Heb. vi. 5; ix. 26; in all which places αἰκουσ may be rendered age. Archbishop Tillotson, and many other excellent writers, would retain our translation, and suppose here are two distinct questions: What should be the sign of his coming to punish the ungrateful inhabitants of Jerusalem? and, What the sign of his final appearance to the universal judgment? And that Christ answers the
first question in the former, and the second in the latter part of the chapter: though where the transition is made, has been, among those that embrace this interpretation, matter of much debate. Others have supposed the apostles took it for granted that the world was to be at an end when Jerusalem was destroyed; and that Christ was not solicitous to undeceive them, as their error might make them so much the more watchful; and therefore answers in ambiguous terms, which might suit either of these events. But it seems much more natural to conclude that they expected the wicked persecutors of Christ (in which number most of the magistrates and priests were) would by some signal judgment be destroyed; and that hereupon he would erect a most illustrious kingdom, and probably a more magnificent temple, which they might think described in Ezekiel: an expectation which they did not entirely quit even to the day of his ascension. (See Acts i. 6.) Our Lord, with perfect integrity and consummate wisdom, gives them an account of the prognosticating and concomitant signs of the destruction of Jerusalem; and then, without saying one word of any temporal king-
VOL. 2.
His disciples asking when these things
all these things shall be accomplished, to make way for the brighter glories of that kingdom which thou wilt establish, when all thy sufferings are over, and every thing which opposes thy triumph subdued?
And Jesus answering them, began to say, with an air of solemnity agreeable to the importance of the subject on which he was going to discourse, As to the event concerning which you now inquire, let me in the first place caution you, that you see [to it] in the most solicitous manner, that no man deceive you with false pretences to a Divine revelation and commission. For many shall come in my name, and with the title peculiar to me, saying, I am the Messiah; and the time of deliverance, so long promised, and so long expected by the Jewish people, is now come, when the yoke is to be broken off from their neck, and their enemies are to be subdued under them; and by these plausible pretences they shall deceive many: but do not ye therefore go after them; for all their promises and hopes will be in vain, and sudden destruction will overtake them and their followers.
But when ye shall hear of wars, and rumours of wars, among the Jews, and seditions raised
dom to be erected, raises their thoughts to the final judgment (to which the figures used in the former description might many of them be literally applied), and sets before them an heavenly kingdom, and eternal life, as the great object of their pursuit, Mat. xxv. 34, 46. This I take to be the key to this whole discourse; the particular parts of which have been admirably illustrated by many learned commentators; but the whole scope and connection of it, so far as I can recollect, fully explained by none.
Many shall come in my name, &c.] See Joseph. Bell. Jud. lib. ii. cap. 13 (al 12), § 4, 5. Christian writers have always with great reason represented Josephus’s History of the Jewish War as the best commentary on this chapter; and many have justly remarked it as a wonderful instance of the care of Providence for the Christian church, that he, an eyewitness, and in these things of so great credit, should (especially in such an extraordinary manner) be preserved, to transmit to us a collection of important facts, which so exactly illustrate this noble prophecy in almost every circumstance. (Compare Joseph. Bell. Jud.
lib. iii. cap. 8, al. 14.) But as it would swell my notes too much to enter into a particular detail of those circumstances, I must content myself with referring to Dr. Whitby’s excellent notes on the xivth of Matthew, and to Archbishop Tillotson’s large and accurate discourse on the same subject, in the second volume of his Posthumous Works, Ser. 183—187, p. 547, & seq.
The time is come.] The word of this may signify either the approach or arrival of the time, and may with great propriety express the first opening of a scene to be gradually disclosed; in which sense it is applied to Christ’s kingdom, as preached by himself and his apostles, during the time of his personal ministry. Such pretended Messiahs did indeed arise towards the close of the Jewish state. (See 1 John iv. 1; Acts v. 36, 37; and Joseph. Antiq. lib. xx. cap. 8 (al. 6, 7), § 6, 10.) The Rhemish Jesuits, as much as they triumph in their infallible guide to the interpretation of scripture, ridiculously explain this as a prophecy of Luther and Calvin; which I mention only as one instance, among many more, of their contemptible ignorance or wicked prevarication.
ions the calamities that would forerun them.
by them in several places against the Romans, see that you be not troubled [and] terrified, as if the great event that I have now foretold would immediately happen; for all these things must first come to pass, and be the gradual openings of it; but the end of them, in the utter destruction of the Jewish state, is not yet: nay, some of you, my disciples, will have several important services to perform here, after these alarms are begun; services which even by means of these alarms you may pursue with some peculiar advantages.
And then he further added, and said to them, Judea shall not be the only seat of war at that time; for in the neighbouring countries nation shall rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and, partly as the consequence of these ravages and slaughters, and partly by the immediate hand of Providence on sinful men who have rejected the gospel, as also to exercise the faith and charity of its professors, there shall be severe famines, and mortal pestilences; and there shall also happen great and terrible earthquakes in various places, and troubles and anguish of mind in the apprehension of yet greater calamities. Here at home there shall also be dreadful sights, and great signs from heaven, particularly a comet like a flaming sword waving over Jerusalem, and the appearance of contending armies in the air. But all these things [are] only the beginnings of those sorrows and alarms that will issue in the destruction of Jerusalem.
But take ye heed to yourselves, and be cautious how you behave; and though you meet with
g Nation shall rise up against nation, &c.] Grotius gives us a particular account of several wars of the Jews among themselves, and of the Romans with the Syrians, Samaritans, and other neighbouring nations, before Jerusalem was destroyed. There were also earthquakes at this time in Apamea, Laodicea and Campania. (See Tacit. Annal. lib. xii. § 43, 58; lib. iv. § 27; lib. xv. § 22; Sueton. Nero, cap. 48; Galb. cap. 18.) The famine in the days of Claudius is mentioned Acts xi. 28, as well as recorded in history (Sueton. Claud. cap. 18, and Euseb. Hist. Eccl. lib ii. cap. 8); and many perished by it in Judea. See Joseph. Antip. lib. xx. cap. 2, § 6.
h Dreadful sights, and great signs from heaven, &c.] Of these appearances, see Joseph. Bell. Jud. lib. vi. cap. 5 (al. vii. 12), § 3, and Tacit. Histor. lib. v. § 13. I cannot here but add an excellent observation of Mr. West relating to the authors by whom this prophecy, which is expressed in terms so very plain and circumstantial, is recorded; that Matthew and Mark were incontestably dead before the event, as Luke also probably might be; and as for John, the only evangelist who survived it, it is remarkable that he says nothing of it, lest any should say the prophecy was forged after the event happened. See West on the Resurrection of Christ, p. 393.
His disciples should first be violently persecuted
the severest persecutions, be not discouraged from persisting in the truth, and from continuing faithful in your regards to me : for before all these things shall happen they shall lay their violent hands upon you, and persecute you with the greatest cruelty and rage ; [and] shall deliver some of you up to the greater councils, [and] cite others of you to appear before the inferior courts in the synagogues, and shall cast some of you into prisons, to be severely scourged, [and] otherwise afflicted by confinement and a variety of hardships there ;¹ and indeed they shall go so far as to kill some of you, in a few years : and as for the rest, ye shall be generally hated, not only by the Jews here at home, but by those abroad, and by all the Gentile nations to whom you go ; [and] shall be brought before rulers and kings for my name’s sake, and for a testimony against them, that the gospel has been offered to them in the most public manner, even to the greatest of men, to whom you might otherwise have had no access. (Compare Mat. x. 17, 18, sect. lxxv.) And it shall also turn to you for a public and honourable testimony of the innocence of your cause, however it may be misrepresented, and of the integrity and uprightness of your conduct.
And indeed, notwithstanding this early and violent opposition, yet before the destruction of Jerusalem the gospel must first be preached among all the heathen nations, which are subjected to the Roman empire (see noteⁿ) ; and there also you will be followed with the like assaults and persecutions. But when they shall bring you before governors and kings, and deliver you up to the officers of justice, to be prosecuted as criminals in their most solemn courts, settle it at such times in your hearts as a constant rule not to draw up any formal speech, nor to premeditate what answer or apology you shall make ; [and] be not anxiously solicitous beforehand what you shall speak in your defence, to vindicate yourselves and your
¹ Shall deliver you up to the councils, &c.] All this was exactly accomplished : for Peter and John were called before the sanhedrim (Acts iv. 6, 7) ; James and Peter before Herod (Acts xii. 2, 3 ; and
Paul before Nero the Emperor, as well as before the Roman Governors, Gallio, Felix, and Festus. (Acts xviii. 12 ; xxiv. xxv. xxviii.)
religion from the unrighteous charges and aspersions of your enemies; but whatsoever shall be given in to you, and be strongly suggested to your minds in that hour, that speak boldly and resolutely; for it is not you that speak, but the Holy Spirit himself, who shall assist and dictate to you. (Compare Mat. x. 19, 20, sett. lxxv. and Luke xii. 11, 12, sect. cxi.) For it is really my cause in which you are engaged; and therefore, though you are ignorant and unlearned men, and so may be apprehensive you shall be confounded in the presence of persons who are in rank and education so much your superiors, yet depend upon it, that I will give you a mouth to plead, and wisdom to answer whatever they allege against you, which all your adversaries shall not be able to contradict or withstand, but shall be even astonished at the freedom and propriety with which you shall express yourselves, according to the various occasions which arise. (Compare Acts iv. 13, 14.) And many that have owned themselves my followers shall then be offended, and give up all regard to the gospel, when they see the profession of it must cost them so dear; and having proved apostates, they shall become persecutors too, and shall betray one another, and hate one another, as being in their consciences secretly galled at the greater fidelity of their companions. And this wretched temper shall rise to such a height, as to break through all the bonds of nature, insomuch that one brother shall betray another, not only to imprisonment, but to death: and the father, on the one hand, shall betray [his] own son; and children, on the other hand, shall rise up as witnesses against [their] aged parents, and cause them to be put to death without compassion or remorse. And these scenes, monstrous as they may seem, shall pass in your days, and before your eyes; nay, you yourselves shall have a painful share in them: For you, my apostles and servants, shall be betrayed and persecuted even by parents, and brethren, and kindred, and those that pretend to be the most faithful and affectionate friends; and [some] of you shall they cause to be slain by the hand of public and oppressive violence.
They are exhorted to possess their souls in patience.
And indeed this temper shall so generally prevail, that ye shall be hated by almost all ranks and orders, as well as nations of men, for the sake of my name and gospel, though they can find nothing else to object to your character, or accuse in your conduct; and they shall treat you as public enemies, while you are acting the most generous and benevolent part. (Compare Mat. x. 22, sect. lxxv.) But in the midst of all your sufferings be courageous and cheerful, as knowing you are the care of a peculiar and most gracious Providence; so that, on the whole, you shall be safe, and not an hair of your head shall utterly perish, or fall to the ground unregarded. In your patience therefore possess ye your souls, and be calm and
Ye shall be hated by all men for the sake of my name.] That not only the apostles, but all the primitive Christians, were in general more hated and persecuted than any other religious sect of men, is most notorious to all who are at all acquainted with ecclesiastical history. A fact which might seem unaccountable, when we consider how inoffensive and benevolent their temper and conduct was, and how friendly an aspect their tenets had on the security of any government under which they lived. We are not to imagine (as Mons. St. Real weakly insinuates in his ill digested, though elegant, History of the Life of Jesus, p. 264) that they had any peculiar aversion to the name of Christ. The learned Dr. Warburton has shewn, beyond all contradiction, in his masterly manner, that the true reason of this opposition was, that while the different pagan religions, like the confederated demons honoured by them, socially agreed with each other, the gospel taught Christians, not only like the Jews, to bear their testimony to the falsehood of them all, but also with the most fervent zeal to urge the renunciation of them, as a point of absolute necessity; requiring all men, on the most tremendous penalties, to believe in Christ, and in all things to submit themselves to his authority: see Dr. Warburton’s Divine Legation of Moses, Vol. I. book ii. § 6, p. 278-295. A demand which bore so hard especially on the pride and licentiousness of their princes, and the secular interests of their priests, that it is no wonder they raised so violent a storm against it; which, considering the char-
acter and prejudices of the populace, it must be very easy to do.
Not an hair of your head shall perish.] Our Lord had foretold but just before (ver. 16), that several of them should be put to death; he must therefore here intend to assure them, that when they came on the whole to balance their accounts, they should find they had not been losers in any the least instance; but that whatever damage they had sustained, it should be amply made up, and they at length placed in a state of entire security. This is plainly the import of this proverbial expression. See 1 Sam. xiv. 45; 2 Sam. xiv. 11; 1 Kings i. 52; and Acts xxvii. 34.
In your patience possess ye your souls.] Though the word εἶσθαι does often signify to acquire or procure (see Mat. x. 9; Acts i. 18; viii. 20; xxii. 28), yet I cannot suppose with Brennius, that our Lord intends here chiefly to intimate that fortitude and composure of spirit might have a tendency to secure their lives, as it would enable them calmly to deliberate on the several circumstances which might arise. I cannot but think that the sense which the accurate and pious Dr. Wright gives of this passage, in that excellent piece of Christian Philosophy, his discourse on Self Possession (p. 4, 5), is much more natural, as well as more noble; as if our Lord had said, “By keeping the government of your own spirits in these awful scenes, which will bear down so many others, you will secure the most valuable self-enjoyment, as well as be able most prudently to guard against the dangers which will surround you.”
spel should first be preached in all the world.
serene, the masters of yourselves, and above the agitation of any irrational or disquieting passion.
For though your discouragements are great, and particularly on this account, that (as I hinted before, ver. 5) many false prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many; which some will urge as a farther excuse for suspecting and abusing you: And, though because iniquity shall thus abound under such a variety of forms, the love of many professing Christians, who should be your protectors and comforters, will grow cool; so that they shall be afraid or ashamed to entertain you, and shall be ready to throw up the cause which you so zealously defend: Yet sink not under the burden; but remember this, and let it animate you amidst all your difficulties, That he who resolutely endures all these extremities, and perseveres to the end, shall finally be saved, and have his life given him as a prey. (Compare Mat. x. 22.)
And know, for your farther encouragement, that all their rage shall not be able to destroy the interest in which you are embarked, and to which you sacrifice so much; for I assure you, that this glorious gospel of the kingdom of heaven shall first be preached in all the world, for a witness to all its most distant nations; and then shall the end of the Jewish state come, and God, having thus gathered for himself a people from among the Gentiles, shall destroy even this temple itself, in which they have trusted so much, and which they have foolishly looked upon as an inviolable pledge of his favour.
- This gospel — shall be preached in all the world, &c.] The accomplishment of this extraordinary prophecy is admirably illustrated by Dr. Arthur Young on Idolatry, Vol. II. p. 216—234. It appears, from the most credible records, that the gospel was preached in Idumea, Syria, and Mesopotamia, by Jude; in Egypt, Marmorica, Mauritania, and other parts of Africa, by Mark, Simon, and Jude; in Ethiopia, by Candace’s eunuch, and Matthias; in Pontus, Galatia, and the neighbouring parts of Asia, by Peter; in the territories of the seven Asiatic churches, by John; in Parthis, by Matthew; in Scythia, by Philip and Andrew; in the northern and western parts of Asia, by Bartholomew; in Persia, by Simon and Jude; in Media, Carmania and several eastern parts, by Thomas; through the vast tract from Jerusalem round about unto Illyricum, by Paul, also in Italy, and probably in Spain, Gaul and Britain: in most of which place Christian churches were planted in less than thirty years after the death of Christ, which was before the destruction of Jerusalem.
Reflections on the signs of the destruction of Jerusalem.
IMPROVEMENT.
SECT. THE whole of this prophecy most evidently shews us how clx. vain and dangerous it is to trust in external privileges, and to Mat. cry out, as these foolish and wretched Jews did, The Temple of xxiv.2 the Lord, the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord, are these buildings ; when of this stately and magnificent structure, within less than half a century after it was finished, not one stone was left on another undemolished.
So particular a prediction, when compared with the event, must surely confirm our faith in Christ, as the great Prophet which was to come into the world. And we shall see reason to admire the wisdom and goodness of Divine Providence in giving us, almost by a miraculous preservation of the author, such a commentary on this prophecy as is delivered down to us in the works of Josephus, the Jewish historian, which throw a much stronger light upon it than if they had been written by a Christ- ian on purpose to illustrate it.
Luke Let us bless God that our own eyes have not seen such deso- xxi. lations and ruins, such commotions in the natural and moral 10,11 world, such dissentions in civil life, such persecutions and hatreds Mat. amongst the nearest relatives, under the pretence of propagating xiii. religion ; which, however propagated, is nothing without that 12,13 love which is so often made the first victim to it.
Mat. Yet too plainly do we see, in one form or another, iniquity xxiv. abounding, and the love of many waxing cold. Let us endeavour 12 to revive on our own hearts a deep and lasting impression of Divine things ; and remember, whenever we are tempted to let go our integrity, that it is he alone who endures to the end that 13 shall be saved.
Luke Whatever our trials are, let us cheerfully confide in the pro- xxi. tection of Divine Providence ; nor let us despair of those con- 14,18 tinued influences of the blessed Spirit which may animate us to the most difficult services, and support us under the most pain- 19 ful sufferings. Let us therefore in patience possess our own souls, and maintain that composure and steadiness of spirit, as those that know how much more valuable it is than any enjoyment which can be taken away, or any temporal interest which can be brought into question.
Jesus declares the nearer signs of this destruction.
Matthew 24:37
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.
Our Lord having told them in the preceding words, that though the time of his appearance to the general judgment was uncertain, yet the destruction of Jerusalem should happen before that generation of men was passed away, 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 man, to execute his vengeance, be. For as in the days which were before the universal deluge, they were so inconsiderate and secure, that they went on with all their usual business, and 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 world; and went on thus, in contempt of every serious admonition, even until the very day that Noah entered into the ark; And knew not, nor suspected, that any evil was approaching, 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
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 extravagances of riot and lust; and Wolfus (in loc.) has most learnedly proved that γυμνιότι 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 amusements of life when they were the very brink of utter destruction.
e shou d take hee that ay do not come upon
plainly warned of it, yet multitudes shall be surprised in an unprepared state. (Compare Luke xvii. 26, 27, p. 184.)
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, and the other dismissed;ᵇ 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. 186.) 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, shall 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.
And therefore, that no calamities of life, or solemnities of judgment, may be dreadful to you, take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overloaded,ᶜ and your rational powers
ᵇ Two men 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 alluively be accommodated to the day of judgment, yet I doubt not they originally refer to the destruction of Jerusalem, to which one they are properly applicable. After his 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 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, 37 seq. sect. cxiv. in which whole context (as I there observed, note ᶠ, p. 117) 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.
ᶜ Your hearts be overloaded.] The word paraphrase properly signifies burdened, or pressed down; and so very elegantly and strongly expresses the hateful consequences 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,
For we know not the our when the r comes.
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 generality 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,ᵈ as a snare upon a thoughtless bird which, in the midst of its security, finds itself inextricably taken. (Compare Eccles. ix. 12.) Let me therefore address this most serious exhortation to you with an earnestness proportionable to its importance, Watch ye against every temptation to negligence and sin, take heed of every thing which might lull you into a dangerous security, and pray always, with the most fervent importunity, that through Divine grace you may be accounted worthy to escape all these calamitous and destructive things, which shall assuredly come to pass just in the manner I have described them, and may be happily enabled, even in the day of his universal judgment, to stand forth with courage and acceptance before the Son of man;ᶜ for you know not when the time of his appearance is, [or] at what hour your Lord does come to summon you before him.
But this you know, and would do well to consider it, that if the master of a house that has at any time been plundered by robbers had known exactly in what watch of the night the thief would have come, he would undoubtedly have watched then; and taking care to be provided for
(Luke xii. 35—48, sect. cxiv.) and partly in another discourse, relating only to the instruction of Jerusalem, which was delivered in his journey thither at the feast of dedication. (Luke xvii. 20—37, sect. cxxviii.) 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 largely recorded by the former three; from whom, considering the circumstance of time, it came with infinitely better grace than it could afterwards have done from him.
ᵈ It shall come on all them that dwell, &c.] The exhortations that are connected with
this clause limit the extent of the word [all] to a considerable number; for were it to be taken otherwise there could have been no room to offer them.
ᶜ To stand before the Son of man.] I do not apprehend that this is merely the counterpart of escaping the things spoken of before. There were thousands of the Jews that by one providence or another escaped temporal destruction, who could with no propriety be said to stand before the Son of man at his coming. I have therefore paraphrased this latter clause as an advance upon the former, which gives this context a greater connection, and juster distinction, than the order in which most harmonies lace these verses.
The faithful servant shall be greatly reward
him, would not have suffered his house to be broke open, or have left the thief to make his advantage by coming at an unexpected time. And therefore, as it is of so much greater consequence on this occasion that you should be prepared 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, p. 117.)
[For the Son of man is] in this respect as a man travelling to a distant country, who, as he was leaving his house, gave authority to his head servants to direct and oversee the rest in their business, and assigned to every man in the family his proper work, and particularly commanded the porter to watch, and to see to it that the doors were properly secured, and ready to be opened to him at his return.
And who now, do you my apostles suppose, is the faithful and prudent servant, of whom his Lord has so good an opinion as to have appointed him ruler over the rest of his household, to give them [their] proper portion of food in due season? You must easily apprehend that the expression may with the utmost propriety be applied to that high office with which you are invested, and to the confidence placed in your integrity and wisdom. And, to excite you to discharge this office with the greatest fidelity, let me add, *Happy indeed is that servant whom his Lord, when he cometh, shall find thus employed in the proper duties of his important office, distributing to each his portion in a proper manner.*ᶠ Verily I say unto you again, as I formerly did, That he will prefer him as highly as if a man should
ᶠ Happy is that servant whom his Lord has been he cometh, &c.] As no peculiar regards were conferred on any of the apostles, or other faithful ministers, at the time 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, or, with Dr. Whitby, the apostate Jews, as particularly intended by the wicked servant mentioned afterwards; which seems plainly to refer to a debauch-ed and persecuting clergy, hypocritically pretending to a distinguished zeal for Christian forms and institutions.
icked shall have his portion with hypocrites.
make his domestic steward, who had served him faithfully, ruler or director of all his estate, as a reward for his care in the due management of his office. (Compare Luke xii. 42—44, page 118.)
But, on the other hand, the faithless wretch that is dishonest in the execution of so high a charge shall be severely punished: and if that wicked servant shall presume to say in his heart, My lord delays his coming; And shall on that presumption begin to beat and abuse those of his fellowservants, who are more faithful than himself, and to eat and drink in a riotous and extravagant manner with the debauched and drunken part of them, or with other dissolute persons; he will do it at his peril: For the lord of that servant shall certainly come in a day when he does not expect [him], and in an hour when he is not at all aware, and cannot have time to put on a face of better order, or to provide and invent artful excuses; And, seeing him in the midst of his revels and usurpations, he shall scourge him so severely, that he shall even cut him asunder, and appoint [him] his portion with hypocrites, the most odious kind of sinners in the sight of God: with these shall this false creature be righteously doomed to dwell for ever in those doleful regions where there shall be nothing but weeping and gnashing of teeth, proportionable to his former indulgence and luxury, and to the importance of that trust which he so wickedly betrayed. (Compare Luke xii. 45, 46, p. 118, 119.)
g Shall cut him asunder.] That tearing and cutting persons into several pieces was a cruel punishment used among the ancients, none acquainted with antiquity can doubt; and Wolfius on this text has demonstrated it more copiously than any other critic I have seen. Yet, as the criminal is here represented as surviving this punishment, and consigned over to wailing and gnashing of teeth, after it had been inflicted, I therefore, as before (Luke xii. 46), must understand it of being severely scourged, after which idle slaves were often thrown into a prison, where they lived miserably in every respect. To this our Lord alludes
with a most obvious propriety. See sect. cxiv. note 1.
h His portion with hypocrites.] Mahomet in his Alcoran mentions Seven Caverns in Hell, the deepest and most wretched o which is to be inhabited by hypocrites (Sur. iv. v. 144). Elsner, who takes this for a Jewish notion, by a very singular criticism supposes it, or something analogous to it, referred to here, and Rev. xxi. 8, where he thinks liars are the same with hypocrites; and observes very precariously, that taking the fearful and unbelieving, or those that through cowardice apostatize, for the first sort of criminals, liars are the seventh class.
VOL. 2.
Reflections on preparing for the coming q
Let me then caution you, O my apostles and ministers, never to suffer this important exhortation, which I have now been giving you, to be forgot in any circumstance of life; but watch ye therefore continually, for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, whether in the evening watch, or at midnight, or at the cock crowing, or in the morning: Early and late hold yourselves in a prepared posture, lest coming suddenly, he find you sleeping, and negligent of your proper duty. And what I say to you in public characters, I say to all my disciples, in every station of life, and in every age, Watch; for in every age and station you will have need to do it, and security may be attended with the most fatal consequences.
IMPROVEMENT.
Luke xxxi.36 Mat. xxiv. 42 Mark xiii.33 Luke xxi.34 WHAT slothful hearts must we have if these repeated admonitions do not awaken us; even line upon line, and precept upon precept? The patience of God is waiting upon us, as it did on the old world, while the ark was preparing. (1 Pet. iii. 20.) May we take the warning, and seek shelter before the door be shut against us! Let us therefore take heed, lest sensuality and secular cares overcharge and depress our hearts, and amuse us with vain delusions, till sudden and unavoidable destruction come upon us. (1 Thess. v. 3.) We are by profession the domestics of Christ. Let us attend to the offices he has assigned us, though he seem at a distance. Let us diligently wait his coming, at whatever season. Let his ministers especially wait it; and be solicitous, that they may be found so doing, conducting themselves like wise stewards of the mysteries of God, dispensing to every one his portion of food in due season. Then will our account be honourable, and our reward glorious. May God deliver us from the guilt and condemnation of the cruel, the imperious, and the luxurious servant, who began to beat his fellows, and to eat and drink with the drunken; since we are expressly told his dreadful doom! Justly does our Lord declare that to such a one he will appoint a portion with hypocrites, terrible as their portion must be; for no hypocrisy can be baser than to call ourselves the servants and ministers of Christ, while we are the slaves of ambition, avarice, and intemperance. Wherever such are found, under whatever mask and form, may he reform them by his grace, or disarm them of that power and influence which they continually abuse to his dishonour, and to their own a ravated damnation! Let us in the mean
The para e o t e wise and oolis virgins.
me be exhorting each other daily, while it is called today, lest any by insensible degrees be hardened through the deceitfulness f sin (Heb. iii. 13); and let us always remember that every exhortation which we give to others returns with redoubled weight upon ourselves.