proves, to my mind, that the time of the judgment, Rev. xx. 11 to 15, must be the same as that of the coming of Christ with his angels, and of the gathering of all true believers into glory, which is indicated in this parable; and consequently that the first resurrection is not the same event as the resurrection of the saints at the second coming of Christ, but something which takes place previously, during the time that the Gospel net is drawing, and before it is drawn to the shore.

III. Dan. xii. 2: "And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake; some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt."

I refer, as observed page 5, to this passage, because, I believe, all agree that it treats of the resurrection of the dead; and I collect from it, First, that the obvious meaning of the expression, Many that sleep in the dust shall arise, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt, implies, that, however distinct the rising of the two classes is as to its consequences, yet it takes place at one and the same time, so that it is one resurrection in point of time, though two resurrections in other points. Secondly, that the word some must be of the same extent in each of the two clauses of this one sentence. If, therefore, the some who awake unto everlasting life signify all the godly dead, the some who awake unto shame and everlasting contempt, must also signify all the ungodly dead. The obvious inference, therefore, from this passage is, that all the ungodly dead will be raised unto shame, at the same time that all the godly dead are raised unto everlasting life; and, consequently, that the godly dead will not rise before the ungodly. But the first resurrection is something which takes place more than a thousand years before the ungodly dead are raised unto shame. Consequently it must be at least a thousand years before, and cannot be the same as the resurrection of the godly unto everlasting life.

IV. Matt. xvi. 27: "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."

The word for connects this with the preceding verses,

and shows, that by and at the coming of the Son of Man, and, rendering to each according to his habitual practice (pativ), especially as to following or not following Christ, it will be manifested that a man would not have been profited though, in this life, he had gained even the whole world, if his own soul should be lost at the time when Christ comes (ver. 26). Every one or each refers to the two classes of persons noticed in vers. 24, 25; viz. those who in this life have not followed Christ in sincerity, but preferred saving their lives to his service; and those who have been willing to lose even their lives here, rather than not follow Christ. We may, therefore, collect from the declaration which Christ makes in this passage, that when the Son of Man comes in glory with his angels [Note L] he will then (TOTE, at

*The word aлedwσe simply means give back, or render to; as indeed the word reward or recompence sometimes signifies (Rom. xii. 17, G. and E). It is translated "render" in the similar passage, Rom. ii. 6; so also Matt. xxi. 41 and xxii. 21; Rom. xiii. 7; and 1 Pet. iii. 9. The word pağı, translated "works," refers perhaps rather to the practice of the person as to following or not following Christ, which is noticed in the preceding verses.

[L.] The coming of Christ in the glory of his Father with his angels (27) is evidently not the same with the coming in his kingdom, foretold in ver. 28. "Verily I say unto you, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.' For the coming in his kingdom was to take place before the death of some standing there; and, therefore, cannot be understood of his coming personally in glory, which has not yet taken place. Some persons conceive that the prophecy in ver. 28 refers to his transfiguration, which is related in the beginning of the next chapter. I conceive, however, that something more than that is signified, for three reasons. First, The declaration, Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, &c., not only indicates that the event foretold would be remarkable and uncommon, but also that its peculiarity consisted, not in the Son of Man coming in his kingdom, but in some, who were then standing there, not tasting of death before that time. Now there was nothing peculiar in any of them living to the time of his transfiguration, for that took place only six days after, and all who were standing there lived till that time. Secondly, I do not see in what sense Christ's being transfigured for a short time, in the sight of three of his disciples, can be considered as his coming in his kingdom; or, as we have it in the parallel place in Mark ix. 1, the kingdom of God coming with power. Something much more extensive in its manifestation, and effect, and time of duration, than that event must, I conceive, be implied in these expressions, especially if we bear in mind the weakness and humiliation which continued, as it were, to attend both himself and his kingdom until his resurrection (see Rom. i. 3, 4; 2 Cor. xiii. 4;

that time,) render to all, both of that and every other generation, who either have or have not followed him in sincerity and truth, according to their practice in this as well as other respects.

Phil. ii. 7, 8; Heb. ii. 9, 10, and v. 7), Thirdly, We may notice the very similar declaration (John xxi. 23), "Then went this saying abroad 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 come, what is that to thee?" We may observe that this declaration was made after his resurrection; and, therefore, the coming, which it foretells, cannot siguify his transfiguration, which had taken place. And the evident similarity of the two passages convinces me that Matt. xvi. 28 refers to the same coming as John xxi. 23; and, consequently, that that also cannot be understood of his transfiguration. Both passages indicate a remarkable lengthening of life, in consequence of which the persons signified would live to the time of this coming of his, instead of dying as they might be expected to do, either according to the common course and usual length of man's life, or by some of those violent deaths, to which Christ's disciples then present would be exposed. Now we know that John himself was the disciple of whom Jesus spake (John xxi. 24, 28); and he must, as one of Christ's apostles, have been also present when Jesus made the declaration (Matt. xvi. 28). Hence, as the two passages are so similar, 1 conceive that they foretell the same event, and that in each of them Christ signified that the life of John, and possibly of some others who were present, would be prolonged in a remarkable manner, as just noticed. In agreement with this, we learn from history, that at least one of those standing there, John, not only escaped martyrdom, but lived till the destruction of Jerusalem, which took place about forty years after Christ's ascension, and that his life was even prolonged nearly thirty years after that event. We may also notice a similar declaration concerning Christ's coming (Matt. x. 23): "But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel till the Son of Man be come.' Here Jesus declared to the apostles that some coming of his would take place, before they had gone through all the cities of Israel to preach the Gospel.

From all these passages, therefore, compared with the account of the same discourse, in the Gospel of Mark, where the coming of Christ in his kingdom is described as the coming of the kingdom of God with power, I cannot but conceive that Christ's coming must be understood, not of any personal coming, but in a figurative sense of his coming to establish his Gospel kingdom. By the power of his grace he gathered in its subjects by the preaching of the Gospel, which is the word of the kingdom (Matt. iv. 23, ix. 35, and x. 7; compare Psa. cx. 3); and by the power of his sceptre he executed judgments upon its enemies (Psa. cx. 2, 5, 6, and compare 1 Cor. iv. 20, 21), especially upon the Jews, who were its great opposers every where. In confirmation of this, we may observe, that Jesus intimated the destruction of the Jewish nation for their rejection of the Gospel, and for their treatment of his servants (Matt. xxii. 6, 7; see

From this, I conceive, there are two obvious infe rences. First inference Those who have not followed Christ in sincerity, in that and every other generation, and who have died previously to his coming in

also chap. xxiii. 32-35); and in chap. xxiv. in which he carried on the prophecies begun in chap. xxiii., he foretold a coming of his at the destruction of the temple (compare vers. 1 to 3, 15, 16, 25 to 28). In the same discourse, as given by Luke, chap. xxi, Jesus declared, both that the events which he then foretold, would take place before that generation had passed away; and also that they would be a sign that the kingdom of God was nigh at hand (vers. 31, 32). So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. I conceive, therefore, that the same event is intimated by the two similar expressions, the kingdom of God coming with power (Mark ix. 1); and the kingdom of God being nigh at hand (Luke xxi. 31); and, therefore, that as the latter was connected with the time of the destruction of Jerusalem, the former was also. But the kingdom of God coming with power, in Mark ix. 1, must be the same as the Son of Man coming in his kingdom, in Matt. xvi. 28, because the same discourse is given in each. Consequently the expression, the Son of Man coming in his kingdom, also refers to the period of the destruction of Jerusalem, and is to be understood in a figurative sense of his coming to establish his kingdom, at and by the destruction of the Jewish city, and state, and temple. By that event not only were the then great enemies of his kingdom overthrown, but also all the bloody sacrifices and ceremonial rites of the first dispensation were completely abrogated; and thereby his Gospel kingdom, under the new or second dispensation, was confirmed.

We find various comings of Christ foretold in other passages, which cannot be understood of his personal coming, because they have taken place, whereas he has not yet come personally. Thus he speaks of his coming and manifesting himself in a peculiar manner to those who love him (John xiv. 21-24). He announces his coming quickly to the church at Ephesus, to remove her candlestick (Rev. ii. 5)-his coming quickly to the church at Pergamos, to fight against those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans (Rev. ii. 15, 16)—his coming to execute judgments upon the Antinomian characters in the church at Thyatira (Rev. ii. 22-25)--his coming as a thief, upon the church at Sardis (Rev. iii. 3.)--his coming in the judgments, which he was about to execute upon the Roman empire, and from which he promised to keep the church at Philadelphia (Rev. iii. 10, 11)—his coming in and supping with any individual believer in the corrupt church of Laodicea, who should open the door, that is, of the church, at the door or outside of which Jesus declares himself to be standing. These prophecies have all been fulfilled, these comings have all taken place, yet Christ has not come personally as to any of them. Consequently, his coming must frequently be understood in a figurative sense, as it evidently appears to be in Matt. xvi. 28, as remarked above; yet as prefiguring his second coming in person, when he will finally execute his terrible and everlasting judgments upon all his enemies,

glory, must be raised at the time of his coming, in order that he may, at that time, render to them ac cordingly; even as all who have followed Christ in sincerity, of that and all other generations, must be raised, that they also may be recompensed accordingly, at his coming. Consequently the resurrection of his sincere followers will not be first, that is, before the resurrection of those who have not followed him in sincerity; and therefore the first resurrection is not the same as that of the sincere followers of Christ at his coming in glory. Second inference: The coincidence between the description here given of Christ's coming and rewarding each according to their works or practice, and that in Rev. xx. 12-15, of Christ's sitting on the throne, and judging the dead according to their works, leads me to conceive, that the Holy Ghost designates one and the same event in both passages; and, therefore, that the time when Christ sits upon the throne of judgment, and judges the dead according to their works, Rev. xx. 11 to 15, must be the same as that in which he will come and reward each according to their works. Consequently this, also, convinces me, that the first resurrection, which is more than a thousand years before the judgment, must be different from that of the saints at the second coming of Christ.

V. Matt. xxii. " 11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: 12 and he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither, not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. 13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

These verses form the conclusion of the parable of the marriage supper. The time is that of the bridegroom coming in before the guests sit down to the supper; and consequently, I conceive, represents, as to its final sense, the time of Christ's second coming with his spouse the church, when all his people will sit down with him in the everlasting enjoyment of the blessings of his marriage. The man who had not on the wedding garment, seems to represent mere professors of the