pire, that the prophet Isaiah signifies by the very same expressions, Isai. xiii. 11, 12, 13, as soon as ever the seventy years of the Jewish captivity were ended.

15. But if we understand Christ, by this time of tribulation, to mean only the time of the besieging and taking of the city of Jerusalem by the Romans, those things did not come to pass in any sense, so far as we have any account, immediately after those days. The overthrow of the heathen empire, the nearest event after this, signified by those expressions, was about two hundred and fifty years after this.

16. When Christ had said that "immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened," &c., he then adds in the next verse, (v. 30,) "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." "Then shall appear," i. e. after these things are accomplished, not signifying that it should be immediately after, but that it should not be till all those things are first accomplished, as the apostle says, 2 Thes. ii. 2, "Let no man deceive you by any means, for that day shall not come except there come a falling away first," &c. So Christ is here telling his disciples what great events are to be accomplished before his last coming, how that there should be a time of great tribulation, and then after that, there should be great signs in the heavens, in the sun, and in the moon and stars, and in the earth distress of nations: that is, there should be very great, extraordinary and wonderful things brought to pass, such as never were before, causing great and universal changes in the state of things in the world, such as never were seen before, and this; and then the next sign or wonder that shall be seen to this, shall be the sign of the Son of man, i. e. this shall be the last great revolution, or change of the state of things in the world before the last judgment. This darkening of the sun and moon, &c. shall be the last great step of providence towards finishing the state of things in this world, and setting up Christ's heavenly kingdom, excepting the personal appearing of the Son of God to judgment. The manner of expression, then shall such, or such, an event be, does not, in the manner in which the prophets use it, signify that it shall be immediately upon it. The prophets often express themselves after that manner, when the event is to be many ages after. Thus, when the prophets are foretelling the return of the Jews from the Babylonish captivity, they often speak of the coming of Christ, as what shall be, (as they express themselves,) at that time, or in that day. So here, when Christ is speaking of the return of his people, from their captivity in the spiritual Babylon, he speaks of the second coming of the Mes

Isiah as what shall be at that time. For it shall be at the conclusion of the state of things that he introduced by that dispensation of providence, though much degenerated by an apostacy at the latter end of the period; as the first coming of Christ was at the conclusion of that state of the Jewish church into which it was brought after the return from the literal Babylon.

Corol. 1. Hence, when Christ, ver. 24, speaks of false prophets and false christs, that shall arise in this time of tribulation, that should show great signs and wonders, insomuch that if it were possible they should deceive the very elect, it is probable that Christ has respect not only to those false christs, and false prophets, that arose at, or near, the time of the destruction of Jerusalem, but that he has especial respect to the Great Antichrist; to the Pope and his clergy, that are from time to time stigmatized in the Revelations, by the name of the false prophet; and by the character of the false prophet, that works miracles; Rev. xvi. 13, 14; "And I saw three unclean spirits, like frogs, come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet; for they are the spirits of devils, working miracles;" and by that of the false prophet, that works miracles, by which he deceives the world, as in chap. xix. 20, "And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet, that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them, which had received the mark of the beast," &c.; and in chap. xiii. 13, 14, "And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven, on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles, which he had power to do in the sight of the beast ;" and so, 2 Thes. ii. 9, 10, 11. "Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power, and signs, and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness-for this cause God shall send them strong delusions." And again this great false prophet is a false christ; for the false christs here spoken of, are those that personate Jesus, the true Christ, that was crucified. This false prophet pretends to be Christ's Vicar; and therein is Antichrist. He claims that he is vested with all the power, and authority of Christ, as if he were Christ, or God on earth, and challenges the glory and worship due to Christ alone. Thus he has horns like a lamb, Rev. xiii. 11, "And he sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God." In that, he showeth himself that he is Christ, and therein exalteth himself above Christ. 2 Thes. ii. 4. Christ no where foretels the coming of Antichrist, if not here. It is not probable that Christ would omit so great an event as the coming of Antichrist, which is the principal subject of the New Testament prophecy, next to those events signified by the coming of Christ himself. I say it is not proba

ble that Christ would omit so great an event in those predictions, which he is giving his disciples, of the great events that should come to pass in his church till his second coming, when he was about to leave the world after his first coming. Indeed all that Christ has respect to, in this prediction, of false prophets, and false christs is, either the great Antichrist and false prophet, or those lesser false prophets and antichrists that were his types and forerunners; compare 1 John iv. 1. Many false prophets are gone out into the world;" with chap. ii. 18, "As ye have heard that Antichrist should come, even so now are there many antichrists."

Corol. 2. This leads us to interpret those things in the Old Testament that speak of the glory of the Christian church, of the state of the church in the Millennium; for that is the time of her glory on earth. The time preceding, excepting some intermissions by which God has graciously shortened those days, is the time, not of her prosperity, but of her great tribulation.

[55] Matth. xxiv. 22. "But for the elect's sake, those days shall be shortened." Enquiry What is meant here by being shortened? We in the scriptures read of God's hastening the deliverance of his people; avenging them speedily; helping his church right early, and the like; though God suffers them for many ages to be persecuted. By it is intended that he will manifest his wisdom in swiftly turning the wheel of his providence, and with wondrous expedition, bringing things about that were necessary to be done before they could be delivered.

[105] Matth. xxvii. 14. "And he answered him to never a word." The reason why he did not speak, or answer his accusers and those that sought his life from falsehood, malice, unreasonableness and cruelty, was his wonderful meekness in the midst of all the affronts and injuries, afflictions and vexations that he was surrounded with. He chose that there should not be the least appearance of a disquieted rufiled temper; and he did not speak as vindicating himself, because he knew it would signify nothing, and that there might be no appearance as if he flinched and gave back, and was not willing to suffer, or endeavoured to avoid that which was his errand into the world, or repented when it came to that, that he had undertaken so great a task for his people.

[21] Matth. xxvi. These things seem to be intended to be shadowed by what is related in this chapter: 1. That Christ is betrayed by pretended disciples. These are those that deliver him up to his open enemies. So it has been all along; Antichrist is another Judas, who pretending to be the follower of Christ, is

his worst enemy in the world, as Judas more incensed God's anger than his murderers. So hypocrites in all ages are the betrayers of Christ; who, by a seeming embracing of religion, expose Christ to shame and mockery, as Judas with a kiss. And 2. What should afterwards come to pass, that the clergy would be the chief persecutors of Christ, as the priests of the Jews were.

[339] Matth. xxvii. 45. "Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour." This darkness seems to be a presage of the approaching destruction of that land, for that sin of crucifying Christ. This darkness begins at noon, whereby the sun, as it were, went down at noon. The prophet Amos, in the viii. chapter of his prophecy, foretelling the destruction of the land, when the end shall come upon the people of Israel, and God will not pass by them any more, and the songs of the temple shall be turned into howlings, and there shall be many dead bodies in every place, says in the 9th verse, "And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord God, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day.

This also seems to be a fulfilment of Jer. ii. 12, 13, “Be ye astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be ye horribly afraid; be ye very desolate, saith the Lord, for my people have committed two evils, they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters."

[340] Matth. xxvii, 51. And behold the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom." This was the veil that hindered our access to the throne of grace, or the mercy seat in the Holy of holies.

That hiding of the mercy-seat, and hindering of our access to the mercy-seat, figured a two-fold hinderance of access to God.

1. The hinderance by which all men are kept off while they remain under the first covenant of works, they are hindered by their guilt, God's law and justice.

2. That hinderance of free access that was under the first testament while the church was in a legal state, and in its minority, and under carnal ordinances, so that access was rare and difficult, only allowed to the high priest, and that but once a year, so that the veil signifies two things, viz. 1. The sin of man, both guilt and corruption of heart; which both in diverse respects are a veil to hide the mercy-seat, and hinder our access. Both these were typified by the flesh of Christ. The sin of God's people, or elect church, was typified by Christ's flesh; for sin is called flesh in scripture, and the elect church is Christ mystical; so that Christ, in taking flesh upon him, took their sin upon him: he became sin for us, and when his flesh was crucified, when his human nature died, then this veil was removed, for that abolished the sin of the

elect church. So likewise Christ, in the flesh, in his infirm, weak state, signified the Church, or Christ mystical, in its old Testament minority, when it was in its weak, infirm, and carnal state, under carnal ordinances; under the elements of the world; and those carnal ordinances, and carnal dispensations, that Christ mystical was under, was as it were the flesh of Christ. When Christ died, then there was an end to those types and shadows, because they were then all fulfilled.

Christ's human nature was a temple; it was the antitype of the temple; and his flesh, or the infirmity of his human nature, was the veil that hid the glory of God, or the divinity that dwells in him, and was in his person. So that the veil of the temple in the 3d place, typified the literal flesh of Christ, that had veiled his glory; which it ceased to do when his state of humiliation was at an end. Christ himself, our great High Priest, entered into the Holy of holies through the veil of his own flesh. That day that Christ died, was the Great day of atonement, typified by the day of atonement of old, when the high priest entered into the Holy of holies. Christ, as God man, could enter into heaven no other way than by rending this veil. Christ offered his sacrifice in the outward court, in this world, and then in the conclusion of it rent the veil, that his blood might be sprinkled within the veil.

[98] Matth. xxvii. 60. "And laid it in his own new tomb." Christ was laid in a disciple's grave; he suffered that death which belonged to us, and he was laid in our grave. He entered into the shade of death in our stead; he went down into that deep pit where we were to have gone. He had so sin of his own, so he had no death of his own: it was our sin, and our grave: it was a tomb hewed out of a rock. Our state of death and misery was such, that it would have been impossible for us to escape; for our prison that we are going to is strong as a solid rock.

[220] Matth. xxviii.' The accounts of the four evangelists, concerning the resurrection of Christ, reconciled.

In the first place, there was a great earthquake; an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His appearance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow, and for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. Matth. xxviii. 2, 3, 4. And presently, as soon as their extraordinary surprise would allow them, they ran away into the city; and then soon after they were gone, Mary Magdalene, from her extraordinary affection, comes to the sepulchre before the other woman, while it was yet dark, and seeing the stone taken away from the sepulchre, and finds not the body there, and then runneth, and cometh to