given of Christ's "coming and of the end of the world" would occupy more time than our limits allow. Nor can it be necessary; for every reader of history recognizes most of them at once as fulfilled either before or at the destruction of Jerusalem. The extent to which the Apostles recognized the fulfilment of some of them years before this event, will appear on pp. 60-64. Nor is this a place for remark upon the bold figurative language which, in accordance with the familiar style of prophecy, is employed in describing the great events predicted; language of an Oriental and not of an Occidental type, and such as we of the West only learn to understand by much study of Oriental writings. The essential point now before us is, that all the events here predicted were to be fulfilled before the generation then living should have passed away.

Five methods have been attempted of evading the force of the declaration in v. 34; (1.) by extending the sense of "generation," (2.) by limiting the application of "these things," (3.) by objecting to the translation "be fulfilled," (4.) by denying that any thing in the preceding part of the discourse refers to Christ's Second Coming, properly so called, and (5.) by resorting to a double sense. Let us consider these methods in their

order.

1. It is said that "the word 'generation' does not necessarily mean the men of one age, or those living at one time, but may signify in general a race or kind of men, and that sometimes it even denotes simply birth. Thus we find the expressions, O generation of vipers,' Mat. iii. 7, &c.; Ye are a chosen generation,' 1 Pet. ii. 9; The book of the generation of Jesus Christ,' Mat. i. 1. By this generation,' therefore, may be

meant the viperous race of the Jews or the chosen class of believers." To one who examines only the English version, this may seem very plausible, from the various senses which our word "generation" admits; but it loses all its force when we come to an examination of the original Greek. We then find, that, in our version, the word "generation" is unfortunately employed to translate no fewer than four Greek words. Three of these, γέννημα, γένος, and γένεσις, would always be better translated by other words, as indeed they always are except in the three expressions above given; where the original might have been expressed more precisely and happily as follows: "O progeny, or brood, of vipers,' "Ye are a chosen race, or class," "The book of the nativity of Jesus Christ." The fourth word, yeveá, properly translated generation, occurs in the New Testament no fewer than forty-two times, and in all these appears to signify generation in its more common and limited sense, never having the large general sense of race or kind. The expression "this generation" occurs in the Gospels alone no fewer than eighteen times, and always with the sense the men of this age, or those now living. E. g. "Whereunto shall I liken this generation?" Mat. xi. 16; "All these things shall come upon this generation," Mat. xxiii. 36; "Shall rise up in the judgment with this generation," Luke xi. 32.

2. It is said that "by these things,' in v. 34, we are to understand only a part of the before-mentioned events, namely, those which preceded or were connected with the destruction of Jerusalem." But is not this a strange, arbitrary, and unwarrantable limitation of the expression "all these things," - especially when the things are so closely connected, and those which upon

this supposition are excluded immediately precede, while those that are included are more distant? Must not the pronoun, unless well indoctrinated, be sadly puzzled to know how to distinguish and separate the things to which it is to refer? In Luke, the form of expression is even more absolute.

Luke xxi. 31, "So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. (32) Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till ALL be fulfilled."

This limitation of "all these things" has, in the minds of some, been sustained by a false view of v. 33. This verse makes a distinction between signs or preliminaries, and result or consummation. The result is expressed impersonally, "it is near," i. e., in general, the consummation is near; for no particular event has been expressed, to which "it" can grammatically refer. Now the important question is, where the line is to be drawn between the signs or preliminaries, "all these things," and the result or consummation, "it.” Some say that the signs close with v. 28, and that the events in vv. 29-31 constitute the consummation; in other words, that the events preceding and connected with the destruction of Jerusalem are represented as signs of a far distant coming of Christ to judgment. To this view there are objections which appear to me insuperable.

(a) The events mentioned in the verses next preceding are those to which "these things" would most naturally refer.

(b) Immediately," in v. 29, implies a very close sequence. Can an event which will happen in less than forty years be said to be followed immediately by one which is thousands of years distant? And besides, no

mention has been made in the preceding verses of the destruction of Jerusalem itself, but only of preliminaries to that destruction. That "the holy place," in v. 15, does not mean the temple, but the immediate neighbourhood of the city, which was accounted holy ground, is evident both from the parallel passage in Luke, "when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies," and also from the advice to flee, which was appropriate to the commencement rather than the close of the siege.

(c) A sign, and one of the first rank, is expressly mentioned in v. 30.

(d) The events in vv. 29-31 evidently constitute the preparation for the consummation, rather than the consummation itself. The coming and gathering introduce, but do not in themselves constitute, the grand final result.

(e) The parallel passage in Luke expressly presents the coming of Christ, and the events immediately preceding, as preliminaries to the "redemption" of the saints, and the establishment of "the kingdom of God." And here it will be observed, that, in the last verse, the "it" of Matthew and Mark is explained in Luke, not by the coming of Christ itself, but by the kingdom of God, which that coming was to introduce.

Luke xxi. 25, "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; (26) 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. (27) And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud, with power and great glory. (28) And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads: for your redemption draweth nigh. (29) And he spake to them a parable :

Behold the fig-tree, and all the trees; (30) When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. (31) So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.”

Do not these considerations, and a comparison of v. 33 in Matthew with v. 31 in Luke, show conclusively that by "all these things," in Matthew, are meant all the events just before mentioned; and that by "it" is meant that glorious consummation, called in Luke "the kingdom of God," which these events were to usher in with such awful pomp ?

And here it may be remarked, that this comparison with Luke recommends our version it is near or nigh, in Matthew and Mark, rather than he is near or nigh, which some have given. Besides, it is certainly more natural to compare a time or an event to "summer," than a person.

3. It is said that "yéra expresses only the commencement of the events before predicted, and should have been translated be fulfilling, rather than be fulfilled." To the Greek scholar the remark is needless, that this change would confound the use of the aorist and present tenses, and would violate one of the most familiar and uniform laws of the language. The adoption of such a change would make dire havoc with our version. To adduce but a single example, let us make the experiment upon Mat. v. 18, where the form of expression, in the original, is precisely the same as here: “Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilling"!

4. It is said that "nothing in the preceding part of the discourse refers to Christ's Second Coming, properly so called, which is an event still future; but language