Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

my promise of drawing proofs from reason and scripture for every thing I have advanced; and am able to declare, in the presence of him, before whose tribunal I must account for every action; that I have not endeavoured to impose any thing on the faith of others which I do not believe true, on these two great foundations.

That the Supreme Being is perfectly good, is so capital and interesting a truth, that the whole of religion hangs upon it. When I am assured that goodness is the foundation, and happiness the end of all the ways of God, to myself and every creature; hope is the anchor of my soul, sure and steadfast; for though "his ways should be in the deep and his paths in the mighty waters;" though I should experience every external evil; no affliction shall shake my confidence, never will I dishonour, by a moment's mistrust, a being who has in mercy commanded me "to cast all my care upon him ;" because "he careth for me."

After having perused the awful and interesting picture of a future judgment which it contains; let us reflect for a few moinents upon a scene at which we shall every one be present: "for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ," there to receive the glorious sentence of absolution and pardon, or of condemnation and punishment. We see that we shall be judged solely concerning our charity, and acquitted or condemned, in proportion as we have cultivated, or suppressed this most excellent of virtues. We are told by St. James that "if we fulfil the royal law, according to the scriptures, and love our neighbour as ourselves; we do well." This is the law of our judge, by which we shall be tried; because it was his great, his new, his special commandment: "for he that loveth his brother, abideth in light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him :" for every one "that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God." In the sentence which our celestial King, But if I entertain any doubts on this subour Divine Judge will issue from his glorious ject, by the admission of any doctrine incomthrone, let us observe the tenderness of chari-patible with it, alas! in losing this assurance, ty, tempering the authority of a sovereign I have lost my all; and religion presents master. He places the least and meanest of nothing to my mind but terror and desolation. the human race, among his brethren; and The prospect of futurity fills me with alarm, speaks of the smallest office of charity granted, and immortality distracts me. The greatest or refused them, as if immediately regarding of beings, without perfect goodness, is no himself. How affecting is the idea, that longer an object infinitely amiable to me; and whenever we minister to the necessities of a together with the love of God must every poor mortal, our Saviour considers the benefit pious sentiment expire. Should charity reas if done to himself. Let us not lose sight main, because the native inmate of my being, of this truth, and we shall never refuse to alas! it could only aggravate and insure my succour the distressed; or wish to evade any misery. So true is it that the whole of religion opportunity of doing them all the good in our depends on the doctrine of the infinite goodness power. of God.

Descend, O divine charity! animate our hearts with thy celestial flame; form our perfection, constitute our delight, and render us acceptable to the God of charity; before whom destitute of thee, we are nothing. Come and unite us forever to the greatest and best of beings, and to his living image, our benevolent Redeemer. Render us merciful, that we may obtain mercy; teach us sincerely to forgive, even until seventy times seven, that we may receive the pardon of our innumerable offences. Sublime delightful virtue, thou shalt never fail, but shalt form the blessedness of the blessed, and be a river of pleasure of which they shall drink for ever in the glorious abodes of heaven.

I quit with regret this delightful subject, which has furnished matter for my sixth and last consequence, drawn from the infinite goodness of God; and I flatter myself, I have made it appear that the knowledge of the perfect goodness of the Divine Nature, contains every possible motive that can lead us to love our neighbour as ourselves. I have shewn the union of interest that subsists among mankind; the amiableness and excellence of human nature; and lastly the attractive beauty and dignity of charity in itself, as the most glorious virtue that can adorn an intellectual being, and without which, it is impossible to be happy in any state.

I have now completed what I proposed on this subject. In what I have said I have adhered to

And if religion is thus founded, it must follow of necessity, that every doctrine incompatible with goodness is false, absurd, and even pernicious and fatal to the last degree. I have therefore in the whole of this treatise, in establishing the doctrine of perfect goodness, and following it in its consequences; constantly combated such erroneous opinions, as represent the Creator of the human race, as a being whose power will be employed in inflicting never ending torments on a conserable portion of his creatures, and have established the non-eternity of future torments. Let not mankind be induced to suppress this truth, from any apprehended abuse of it; because this is tacitly to deny, that it is the will of God that all men should come to the knowledge of the truth; and to affirm, that some are best conducted to salvation by ignorance and error. It is also to assert that in order to produce the love of God in the heart of man, he must be represented to them as a being infinitely cruel. But lest sinners should abuse this truth so ill understood, it is necessary it should be rightly explained to them; that they may not give themselves up to fatal illusions, either respecting the severity, or the mercy of God. O God! Thon Being supremely good! cause the precious ray of thy truth to illuminate every heart, that they may be filled with thy love and thy fear; and to effect this, open the lips of thy ministers, that they may shew forth thy praise. Amen.

THE

TWENTY-FOURTH AND TWENTY FIFTH CHAPTERS

OF

SAINT MATTHEW'S GOSPEL,

ILLUSTRATED WITH NOTES, &c.

BY HOSEA BALLOU, 2d.

PHILADELPHIA:
GIHON, FAIRCHILD & CO.

1843.

PREFACE.

If the reader is already acquainted with the popular commentators, or with the remarks of Universalist writers, on this chapter, we would apprize him beforehand that he will find but little important matter that is new in the following exposition. Still, it has cost us much time in ascertaining, as precisely as we could, the detail of particulars alluded to, and in tracing out the current of thought that runs through the whole, and also in verifying facts and authorities which others had adduced. We had found some inaccuracies of statement, and some confusion of arrangement, in the notes of Dr. A. Clarke, for instance; and we hoped, by unwearied vigilance, to avoid such blemishes, and, by strictly following out the tenor of the prophecy, to place its several parts in a clearer and more thoroughly consistent light.

Our principal motive, however, in attempting a regular exposition of the twenty-fourth chapter, was, to open the way to a similar exposition of the twenty-fifth. The two chapters belong together, consisting of but one series of remarks; so that we cannot fairly come at the latter, without first going through with the former, unless, indeed, we would begin in the middle of the discourse.

A few words may be needed to account for the insertion of the two columns of text, in

smaller type, that run immediately under St. Matthew's. Let it, then, be observed, that the same discourse which is recorded in this twenty-fourth chapter of St. Matthew, is given also by Mark, in his thirteenth chapter; and again by Luke, mostly in his twenty-first chapter, but partly in his seventeenth. Now, it struck us that we might be aided in understanding Matthew's record, by consulting that of Mark and Luke, who sometimes express the meaning in plain language, where Matthew uses figures, and who frequently employ a different phraseology that offers some advantage for determining the leading idea. We have accordingly placed Mark's text immediately under Matthew's, and then Luke's below Mark's, with figures in the margin of both, answering to the parallel verses in Matthew's, so that the reader may instantly strike on the corresponding passages. The figures denoting the number of the verses in Mark and Luke, are raised above the line, like references, in their texts; those denoting the number of the verses in Matthew, are inserted on the line in his text. We would suggest to the reader, and especially to the student, the importance of comparing the texts of Mark and Luke, throughout, with that of Matthew.

INTRODUCTION.

DATE, OCCASION, PRECEDING CONTEXT.

THE interview and conversation, related in shed upon the earth. "Verily I say unto the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth chapters of you," concluded he, "All these things shall St. Matthew, took place about A. D. 33; come upon this generation. O Jerusalem, which was thirty-seven years before the de- Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and struction of Jerusalem. Matthew, Mark, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how Luke agree in representing that Jesus had often would I have gathered thy children tojust been publicly teaching in the temple, gether, even as a hen gathereth her chickens (Matt. xxi. 23 to xxiv. 1; Mark xii. 35 to under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, xiii. 1; Luke xx. 1 to xxi. 5;) and according your house is left unto you desolate; for I say to Matthew, (xxiii. 1,) his disciples, as well unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till as the multitude, were present. He there de- ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the nounced the hypocritical scribes and Phari- name of the Lord!" (xxiii. 35-39,) meansees in the most unsparing manner, (Matt. ing, by their "house," either their national xxiii. 13–35,) rebuking them for their ex- condition, or, more probably, that house of clusive spirit, their rapacity under the pretence their pride, the temple, in which he was then of piety, their zeal in proselytizing, their eva- standing. This mention of its speedy desosion of their oaths, their neglect of the im-lation, and also of his coming in the name of portant matters of the law, their inward cor- the Lord, seems to have struck the disciples, ruption under a fair outside, and their murder- and to have occasioned the conversation reons hostility. He forewarned them that upon lated in the twenty-fourth chapter, which imthem would come all the righteous blood diately follows, thus:

[blocks in formation]
[ocr errors]
[blocks in formation]

MATT. XXIV.

3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto 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,

MARK Xiii.

3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, 3 over against the temple, teter, and James, and John, and Andrew, asked him privately, 4 Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled, [literally, ended ?] 5 And 4 Jesus, answering them, began to say, Take

LUKE XXI.

"And they asked him, saying, Master, but 3 when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to

[blocks in formation]

—on the mount of Olives;] the sum

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

Ver. 1. Having finished the foregoing ad-mit of which was but little more than half a dress to the Jews, Jesus, with his disciples, mile, on an air-line, from the temple, or now leaves the temple, to go towards (ver. 3) eastern wall of the city, and directly east from the mount of Olives. As they depart, the the temple. It was about 700 feet higher disciples point him to the buildings, &c. of than the intervening valley of Jehoshaphat; the temple, which they had just understood overlooked even the temple itself, and comhim to say (xxiii. 38) should be left desolate. manded a view of every part of the city.-The According to the more definite account given disciples came privately, saying, &c.;] by Mark, it is but one of them who says, privately, or, by themselves, probably beMaster, see what manner of stones, and cause it was dangerous to speak openly of what buildings!" astonished, perhaps, that the destruction of the temple, (see Matt. so magnificent and solid a structure was to be xxvi. 61,) and because they also knew that destroyed. For, Josephus says, that the Christ was wont to speak more plainly with stones of this temple were about 45 feet long, them only, than before the multitude. It by 22 wide, and 14 thick; some of them, in- should be kept in mind, that all which follows deed, nearly twice as long. The temple in this and the next chapter, was a private itself, exclusive of the immense assemblage conversation, held on the mount of Olives. of courts, cloisters, and walls around it, was -When shall these things (viz. the things about 182 feet long, and 127 wide; and 182 just spoken of) be? and what the sign of high, above the lofty foundation-wall. It thy coming, (parousia,) and of the end of was covered all over with plates of gold of the age,* (les sunteleias tou aiōnos?)] It great weight, and, at the first rising of the sun, reflected back a very fiery splendour, and made those, who forced themselves to look pon it, to turn away their eyes, just as they would have done at the sun's own rays. But this temple appeared to strangers, when they were coming to it, at a distance, like a mountain covered with snow; for, as to those parts of it that were not gilt, they were very exceeding white," that is, of white marble. (J. War, v. c. v. 4, 6. Ant. xv. c. xi. 3.)

66

mond, Le Clerc, Whitby, Pearce, Beausobre, and Lenfant, "End of the age:" so this text is translated by Ham fin du sicèle,) Doddridge, Macknight, and Paulus; besides ( Wakefield, Improved Version, and Kenrick. Dr A. Clarke tween it and the common one. Dr. Campbell renders it amseems to prefer this rendering, and even Scout hesitates bebiguously, conclusion of this state. The usual meaning of the original term, um, is age, or great length of time. It is a word radically different from those rendered world in other verses (14, 21) of this chapter. The Jews were accustomed the are before the beginning of the Messiah's reign, and the to divide the entire duration of time into two great ages, viz. age after this age, and the age to come; the present age, and the future. It was understood that the age then present, was to end when the Messiah should overthrow his enemies Ver. 2.-not be left here one stone upon and establish his kingdom; and this was probably the idea another, &c.;] a strong, proverbial phrase, that suggested the expression in the text. So St. Paul says, signifying only a complete demolition, (2 were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of to the Corinthians, that certain facts in the Old Testament, Sam. xvii. 13.) Accordingly, when Titus the world (uges, ta tele tom, aimim,) are come" (1 Cor x. took Jerusalem, about thirty-seven years af-11.) So, too, he says, to the Hebrews, " now once in the end terwards, he gave orders," says Josephus, appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." of the world, (ages, suntelia, ton aionem,) hath he [Christ] "that they should demolish the whole city (Heb. ix. 26.) On the same principle, we often find the and temple," (J. War, vii. c. i. 1;) and he the time then present. phrase "the last days" applied, in the New Testament, to adds, that the entire circuit of the city, except the western wall and three towers, was so 132

sometimes used by the Jews for the material world: as exMost critics, however, are agreed that the term, giòn, was amples in the New Testament, they quote Heb. i. 2; xi. 3.

« AnteriorContinuar »