vince any unprejudiced person, that there is a striking relation between the xxiii, xxiv, and xxvth chapters of Matthew; and that the everlasting or aionion punishment, mentioned in the 46th verse of the xxivth chapter, is the very same punishment as threatened by our Saviour to the Jews, in the 23d chapter, and explained to his disciples in the 24th. In the 23d chap. he addresses himself to the multitude, among whom, it appears, were many of the rulers of the Jews, particularly of the scribes and pharisees. In this discourse he often cries out, wo! unto you scribes and pharisees! He points out their hypocrisycalls them serpents, a generation of vipers; and asks, “how can ye escape the damnation of hell?" And then declares that all the judgments of God, reserved in store, from the blood of righteous Abel, to the blood of Zechariah, whom they slew between the temple and the altar, should come upon that generation! He then laments over Jerusalem, as being the seat of vengeance, declares that their house, i. e. their temple, or house of worship, should be left desolate: and immediately, as if to signify, that God had forsaken its worshippers, and that the place was devoted to a curse, he departed the temple with this declaration--" Verily I say unto you, ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." And when he had departed from the temple, his disciples came to him to shew him the building of the temple; not that the scenery was new to him, but to iemind him of the impossibility of what he had just remarked in the temple; that such an august place of worship, where there had always been so much pomp and parade, should "be left desolate." "And Jesus said unto them, see ye not all these things? Verily I say unto to you, there shall not be left here one stone upon another which shall not be thrown down. And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to 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?" He prefaces his answer by charging his disciples to let no man deceive them, respecting the day of his coming; and throughout his remarks, he speaks of the event as near at hand; and in the 34th verse of the 24th chapter, says, rily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled." And after pointing out the awful punishment that should come upon the Jews in that generation, he gives charge to his disciples to take heed, as being liable to the same punishment; and in the 44th verse, he says,

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"therefore, be ye also ready. for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of man cometh." He then represents his disciples as servants, appointed over his house, (the church or kingdom of God,) to take charge till he did come; and promises to reward their faithfulness at his coming. But the unfaithful servant was to be cut asunder, and have his portion with hypocrites in the damnation of hell, (or judgment of gehenna,) mentioned in the 23d chapter, which is here represented by "weeping and gnashing of teeth." The division of the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth chapters, abruptly breaks in upon the connexion of ideas in our Lord's discourse; and by uniting these two chapters, we have a full view of the subject. That these two chapters make but one discourse, is evident, from the introduction of the 25th. "Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins." When shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins? Why, when the Son of man shall come. The first paragraph of the 24th chapter, is an illustration of the coming of the Son of man, under the character of a bride-groom. The second paragraph illustrates his coming, by the parable of the talents. In the third paragraph we have the parable of the sheep and the goats. In this parable it is said that when the Son of man comes, he shall separate them as a shepherd does his flock. Then, at that time, "these shall go away into everlasting, or aionion punishment."

The christian world have been in the practice of applying this event to a general judgment, which they suppose is to take place subsequent to the general resurrection of the dead, No construction of scripture has been more absurd, or has ever done greater violence to scripture language, and common sense, than this construction has done. And although it may have the sanction of Dr. Adam Clark, and many other learned and eminent divines, it can never be supported by any just rule of bible criticism whatever.

We will now attend to the evidence in favor of the position we have taken, i. e. that the punishment spoken of in the text was of a temporal character, and actually took place in the apostolic age of the church. If the question be asked, "When shall these go away into everlasting, or aionion, punishment?" The answer is at hand: when the Son of man shall come, And if it be asked, when was the Son of man to come? we answer, in that generation, and in the lifetime of some of his disciples, The coming of the Son of man, or the time of his

coming, is the only question that concerns the present argument, as this punishment was to take place at that time. We will now call the attention of the reader to the question propounded by the disciples to our Saviour, Matthew, xxiv, 3. "Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" As many are of opinion that the "end of the world," here spoken of, means a future judgment, they take it for granted that that event was embraced in the question propounded to our Lord by his disciples, and consequently look for a future judgment to be brought into view in his answer. This opinion, however, is supported entirely by a false translation of the Greek text: the Greek phrase here translated "the end of the world," is sunteleia tou aionos, and is rendered by R. and M. Willan, in their united gospel," the conclusion of the present system of the world." Dr. Campbell renders it "the conclusion of this state," and both Wakefield and Macknight, "the end of the age." "Indeed, all the critics and commentators which I have ever seen," says Balfour, "allow that this phrase means the end of the Jewish age, or dispensation. The whole discourse in which it occurs, shows that this is a correct view of the expression:" 2d Balfour, p. 274. But let the end of the world, here spoken of, mean what it may, our Lord declares, in the most unqualified terms, that it should take place in that generation. And if the end of the world here spoken of, means the end of the Jewish dispensation, the difficulty is at once removed; for the end of the Jewish dispensation did take place in that generation, as did also the coming of the Son of man in his gospel kingdom. And in that generation the Jews were separated from the kingdom of God, and abandoned to everlasting, or aionion, punishment. But now for the proof that the coming of the Son of man, with which all these things have an immediate relation, did take place in that generation, and in the lifetime of some of his disciples. See Matthew xxiv, 29-35; after pointing out the awful punishment that should come upon the Jews, at the destruction of their city and temple, he says "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. 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. And

he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Now learn a parable of the fig tree: when his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh. So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily, I say unto you, this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." Whatever construction may be put upon the pomp and grandeur that is here said to attend the coming of the Son of man, the question with respect to the time of his coming is forever put to rest, if any authority is to be attached to his own declarations. Mark has recorded the same declaration, chapter xiii, 24–31. "But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light; and the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds, with great power and glory. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven. Now learn a parable of the fig tree: when her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near. So ye, in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors. Verily, I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass till all these things be done. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words they shall not pass away." See also Luke, xxi, 2436: "And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations; and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea, and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth; for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh. And he spake to them a parable, behold, the fig-tree, and all the trees; when they now shoot forth, ye see and know of yourselves, that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things

come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is at hand. Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." That the coming of the Son of man was to take place in that generation, and in the lifetime of some of his disciples, is still more evident from the following passages of scripture, to wit: Matthew xvi, 27, 28. "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father, with his angels, and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Verily I say unto you, there be some standing here which shall not taste death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom." Mark viii, 38-ix, 1, "Whosoever therefore, shall be ashamed of me, and of my words, in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the son of man be ashamed when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. And he said unto them, verily I say unto you, that there be some of them that stand here, who shall not taste of death till they see the kingdom of God come with power." See also Luke ix, 26, 27, "For whosoever shall be ashamed of me, and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels. But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death till they see the kingdom of God." This coming of the Son of man in his kingdom, was often spoken of by our Saviour in his lifetime, and he always spoke of it as an event near at hand; and after his resurrection, and in his last interview with his disciples, before his ascension, he again reminds them of his coming, and plainly intimates that John, the beloved, disciple, was one that should not taste death till he COME. See John xxi, 21-23, "Peter seeing him, saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, if I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me. Then went this saying about among the brethren, that that disciple should not die; yet Jesus said not unto him, he shall not die, but, if I will that he tarry till I