It should feem, though the Author does not explicitly declare it, that the main foundation of his charge against Matth. xvi. 28. is a fuppofition, that it cannot poffibly relate to any other event, than the verse immediately foregoing, and that ver. 27. can only relate to the final judgment of the world. But this is a point, which it is not poffible to prove, as the confideration of the whole paffage will clearly evince.

JESUS having very feverely rebuked Peter, upon his fhewing plainly that he expected to acquire temporal greatness by being his Disciple; (Matth. xvi. 21-23) he immediately made use of the occafion to address himself on the fame topic to all his hearers, as follows.

Ver. 24. Then faid JESUS to his Difciples (and to all the people, Mark viii. 34) If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Ver. 25. For whosoever will fave his life (seek to fave his life, Luke xvii. 23.) will lose it; and whofoever will lofe his life, (will hazard it,) for my fake, will find it.

Ver. 26. For what is a man profited, if he fhall gain the whole world, and lose his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life * ?

Ver. 27. For the Son of Man fhall come in the Glory of his Father, with his Angels, (or Messengers†,)

When the fame word is made ufe of, in the fame manner, in two immediately adjoining fentences, it must be interpreted in the fame fenfe. The original word therefore, which in ver. 25 is rendered Life, and admits of no other fense there; must be rendered, Life; in ver. 26 likewife; and not Soul, as our tranflation gives it.

The original word may certainly be rendered Meffengers, as well as Angels: and as it ought to be fo rendered, Matth, xxiv. 31, and Mark xiii. 27; this fhould feem very likely to be its true meaning here,

and

and then be fhall reward every man according to his works.:

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Ver. 28. Verily, I fay unto you, there be fome standing bere, which shall not taste of death, till they fee the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.

This is the whole paffage. And in general it is manifeft that JESUS here meant to forewarn his hearers, that whoever became his difciple must prepare to fuffer all the evils of perfecution on that account. Whether he wholly confined his thoughts at this time, to the events, which he knew would come to pass at, and before, the deftruction of Jerufalem; or extended them likewise to the final judgment of the world; it seems perhaps impoffible, ftrictly speaking, to demonstrate from what he faid. But most certain it is, that if he did at all allude to the final judgment of the world; which is by no means a clear point; he did much more refer to the national judgment of the Jews; and that ver. 28, muft at all events relate to That

event.

Ver. 24. indifputably relates to perfecution in this life only.

Ver. 25. may, in itself, relate both to the deftruction of Jerufalem, and to the final judgment. We have one inftance of our Saviour's making the felf-fame declaration, in fuch a manner, as to prove undeniably, that at that time he applied it to the destruction of Jerufalem only *-We have another instance, where he made use of almost the fame declaration with an exprefs reference to the final judgment+, This verfe therefore may poffibly relate to both these events together; but it may likewise relate to the deftruction of Jerufalem,

* Luke xvii. 33. This will be felf-evident upon reading the whole paffage, from ver. 20, to ver. 37.

+ John xii. 25. He that loveth his life fhall lofe it; and he that hateth his life in this world, shall keep it unto life eternal.

and the perfecutions preceding it, without any reference at all to the final judgment; and appears to have been verified at that time, as fully as the nature of fuch a declaration can require But at all events it cannot be confined to the final judgment of the world only.

Ver. 26. plainly relates to the lofing of this life by perfecution.

Ver. 27. If, at this time, Jesus did at all extend his thoughts to the final judgment, it must have been in this verfe, and especially in the last clause of it, and then he shall reward every man according to his works. But, if we only confider, that JESUS was now addreffing himself to thofe who followed him, exprefsly to forewarn them, that whoever would be his Difciple, must expect to meet with perfecution (ver. 24.); and even to bring his life

It does not appear to be any real objection to this application of ver. 25, that feveral Chriftians actually loft their lives, as JESUS foretold they would (Matth. xxiv. 9.) before the deftruction of Jerufalem. It feems unnatural, or at leaft unneceffary, to interpret this verfe, fo applied, to mean, that every fingle individual Chriftian, who adhered to the profes fion of the faith, fhould in confequence of that be preferved; or, that every fingle apoftate from it, for fear of perfecution, fhould certainly lofe his life. It may, I should think, be more naturally understood, like many other fimilar expreffions, with fome little latitude. Thus when our Saviour fays, Luke xxi, 17, Ye shall be hated of ALL men for my name's fake; it cannot poffibly be fuppofed he meant, that they fhould be hated by every fingle individual, but by the generality, by almost all: and many other paffages might be produced of the fame kind. It should feem therefore, that the verfe before us may be equitably understood in the fame manner. And hiftorical evidence proves, that those who adhered to the faith in CHRIST, notwithstanding the dangers to which it expofed them, did univerfally By from Jerufalem, before Titus himself came to be fiege it, and were by this means preferved; while thofe, who for fear of perfecution, had apoftatized from the faith, and fo continued there without regard to JESUS's Prophecies, and di rections to quit it; (Matth. xxiv. 16, &c.) did as univerfally lofe their lives in the general deftruction,

itself

itself into danger by that means; (ver. 25;) and to exhort them notwithstanding to face all dangers for his fake, and the Gospel's; when we confider this, it will, I prefume, appear far from improbable, that by rewarding every one according to his works, he might mean more particularly preferving or destroying them, according as they fhould have adhered to the faith, notwithstanding perfecution; or have apoftatized from it; -And, in general, punishing the whole nation, in the fignal manner in which they were actually punifhed, for having filled up the measure of their iniquities, in the manner they then had. So that even this verfe may very well be interpreted as relating to the time of the deftruction of Jerufalem alone, and, for my own part, I cannot help thinking this to be its true meaning and defign.

Ver. 28. But allowing that in ver. 27. JESUS had his thoughts upon the final judgment of the world; ver. 28. may nevertheless be interpreted with the utmost propriety of the destruction of Jerufalem alone. For if, upon this occafion, JESUS meant to acquaint his hearers; that whoever would be his difciple, must expect to meet with perfe cution, and to exhort them to endure it; as it is evident he did; it is certainly very poffible, that he might choose to exhort them to endure perfecution for his fake, as well by motives drawn from the final judgment of the world, as from the national judgment of the Jers. And if this was his intention, what could be more natural, than,, after reminding them of the final judgment of the world in general, to urge them immediately with another execution of judgment upon themfelves in particular, which was appointed to take place fo fpeedily, as even while fome of thofe to whom he fpoke were yet alive?

The

The whole therefore of the Author's chargé against JESUS himself, and the writers of the Gofpels, founded upon the interpretation he would fain put upon this prophetic declaration, is as falfe, as it seems arrogant. That our Saviour, in this addrefs to his hearers had his thoughts upon the national punishment of the Jews, is unqueftionable: the point that admits of doubt is, whether he here intended to remind them at all of the final. judgment of the world. Every particular here foretold was actually fulfilled in a very confpicuous manner at the deftruction of Jerufalem, and might therefore be spoken with a view to That event alone; though the nature of the things themselves is fuch, that they might also be intended to refer to the final judgment of the world. But fhould we fuppofe JESUS to have had both thefe events at this time in his view, his expreffions, and the things themselves, are fuch, that though we must then apply ver. 27. more efpecially to the final judgment of the world; every principle of fair conftruction will require us to interpret ver. 28. of the national judgment of the Jews, and of that event alone.

The Author having endeavoured to fix a falfe prediction upon JESUS himself, it cannot be mat-, ter of furprise that he should do the fame by the Apoftles. Accordingly he afferts, "The fame may be faid of what almost all the Apostles wrote concerning the coming of CHRIST to judge the world; for they speak of that event as being very near at hand, as might be proved by many texts of the New Teftament: but it is no wonder the Difciples fhould be mistaken, "feeing the Mafter was fo*. It is plain however, "that

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It is worth while juft to obferve the facility with which our Author contradicts himself, when by fo doing he thinks

he