examples of illustration afforded by contrasting the simple narrative with the appearances presented, made us only regret the shortness of our time and the limited sphere of our abilities for the comparison. If travellers who have visited this country had been allowed full leisure for the inquiry, or had merely stated what they might have derived solely from a view of the country, we should have had the means of elucidating the sacred writings, perhaps in every instance, where the meaning had not been determinable by the methods commonly used by learned men.' But to return to our subject. "As he sat," saith St. Mark in the 13th chapter of his gospel," upon the Mount of Olives, over against the temple, Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew asked him privately, Tell us when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?" or as it is in our text, "Tell us when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" From the expressions here used by St. Matthew, but omitted by the other evangelists, of "the coming of Christ,"

and of "the end of the world;" some persons have imagined that the chapter contains two distinct predictions: one relating to the destruction of Jerusalem, and the other to the coming of Christ in judgment at the end of the world. But an attentive consideration of the chapter will rather lead us to the conclusion, that in its primary sense it related exclusively to the destruction of Jerusalem, and to the consequent termination of the Jewish economy; but that like many of the prophecies in the Old Testament, the prediction had a meaning more remote; and, in its secondary sense, was applied by our Lord to the day of judgment. The meaning here of the phrase, "the end of the world," appears to be the same as in the 9th chapter of St. Paul's epistle to the Hebrews. "But now once," saith the apostle, "in the end of the world, hath he appeared to put away sin, by the sacrifice of himself." Where the end of the world, can only mean the conclusion of the Jewish age. The Jews, in reference to themselves, reckoned two ages; the one under the law, and the other under the Messiah; and that the former age would be concluded

when the age of the Messiah commenced. Hence when the destruction of Jerusalem should take place, then the disciples conceived would be the coming of Christ; and the period which they considered would be the coming of Christ, they conceived would be the end of the world; or rather, as it should be rendered, the conclusion of the age; for when the city and temple were to be destroyed, and the Jewish economy in church and state was to be dissolved, the age under the law they judged must be concluded; and the age under the Messiah must be commenced. That this is the meaning of the expression, "the end of the world," as here used, will appear still more clearly from considering the phrase "the coming of Christ," used in connection with it, to denote the same period. "There are some standing here,” saith our Lord, in the 16th chapter of St. Matthew, "who shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom." meaning of which is evidently this, that there were some standing there who should live not till the end of the world, to the coming of Christ to judge mankind; but who should live till the

The

destruction of Jerusalem; to the coming of Christ in judgment upon the Jews. In the 21st chapter of St. John, also, speaking to Peter, respecting St. John, our Saviour saith, "If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?" that is, what is it to thee, if I will that he live till the destruction of Jerusalem; which in fact was the case, in reference to St. John, who lived till after that event. Also at the 34th verse of the chapter from which our text is taken, our Saviour thus speaks, in allusion to the time of his coming, "Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass away, till all these things be fulfilled;" which of course could not be applied to his coming at the last or judgment day. As the view taken of this subject is of great importance in interpreting our Lord's prediction, I shall close these remarks with a quotation from Bishop Warburton which will tend to illustrate and enforce

the foregoing exposition. "The prophecy of Jesus, observes Bishop Warburton, concerning the approaching destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, is conceived in such high and swelling terms, that not only the modern interpreters,

but the ancient likewise have supposed, that our Lord interweaves into it a direct prediction of his second coming to judgment; and hence arose a current opinion in those times, that the consummation of all things was at hand. But the principle both go upon is false; and if it be duly weighed, it will appear that this prophecy doth not respect Christ's second coming to judgment, but his first, in the abolition of the Jewish policy and in the establishment of the kingdom of Christ. This, therefore, being one of the most important eras in the economy of grace, and the most awful revolution in all God's religious dispensations, we see the elegance and propriety of the terms in question to denote so great an event, together with the destruction of Jerusalem, by which it was effected: for, in the old prophetic language, the change and fall of principalities and powers, whether spiritual or civil, are signified by the shaking heaven and earth; the darkening the sun and moon; and the falling of the stars: as the rise and establishment of new ones, are by processions in the clouds of heaven, by the sound of trumpets, and the assembling together of